Cover Design By J R Media-Chicago
It was midnight and Toni Kingly couldn’t get to sleep. Not after a chorus of screams outside her room. Who needs silence to sleep when you had parents to keep you wake with their countless fights? Toni surely didn’t, she slowly sat up in bed, rubs her eyes, then swung her legs over the full-sized bed. Toni couldn’t fathom what her parents would have to fight about so late— or so early, depending on how you looked at it. Since this was an everyday occurrence in her household she didn’t bother to rush to see the problem. Instead, she heads to the kitchen to grab a snack. Cereal sounds good, she thought.
By the time she heads back to her room with her cereal in hand, her parents were silenced by what sounded like a movie on television. She didn’t bother to knock on their door, she walked past it and went back to her own room. Toni didn’t know why cereal tasted so much better at night. It just did. Shoveling the cereal into her mouth, Toni relaxed back on her bed. Finally, the house was quiet, but for how long? She decides to check her Facebook messages on her phone. There wasn’t too many in her inbox, but an unusual status posted by her friend goes across her screen. Instantly, it caught her attention, her happy night was soon filled with worry. What had happened? Was her friend okay? Was his family okay? Without hesitation, Toni reaches out to her friend by calling, to her surprise, he doesn’t answer— her heart sank.
In disbelief, she read his status a few additional times. A feeling of helplessness swiftly washes over her. She had always been the nurturing type and because of their distance, she wasn’t able to support him in the way she truly wanted. At first, she sat at her desk staring at his status, then an idea came to her, they say words can heal and right now her words were all she had. Toni continued to stare at the blank screen that stared back her. She watches the cursor blink; it seemed to mock her as it waits for her to start typing. There were so many thoughts swimming around in her head. So many emotions in her heart that she wanted to convey. Yet she struggled to find the right words to say, her mind constantly drew a blank.
She continued with the attempt to unravel the mess of emotions inside her heart and mind. Everything inside was now spilling out onto the page. The more she typed the more she felt better; her anxiousness of trying to get it all out was slowly dissipating. Her fingers move about the phone’s keys expeditiously. She had to get it out, all that she wanted to say. Besides, he needed to hear her words just as much as she wanted to say it… at least that is what she thought.
She types…“When we lose someone so close, so suddenly… our life that once was overflowing with hope, promise and happiness to spare. Is now, replaced with hopelessness, doubt, and despair. We know not why some things occur: we just know they do. Hoping to find that reason to help us through-” Toni press on the backspace button, held it down, and allows the entire passage to delete. She wasn’t happy with what she had just said. After all, she didn’t want her message to be depressing, her friend needed to be uplifted more now than ever. Starting again, Toni thought of something new to write.
If my expression of love would help you heal my friend
Then I’ll surround you with my love to fill your soul with a light of hope
If my sympathetic words would help you heal my friend
I would write words that would ease the ache and restore
If my infinite hugs would help you heal my friend
I would embrace you tightly and allow you to collapse upon me…
My strength is now your strength …
You can count on me
If anything I do would help you heal my friend.
I wouldn’t hesitate to do it for you.
Toni sat back in her bed, crossed her arms, then smiles. Although her message was short, every word had come from the heart, and she didn’t want to overwhelm his heavy heart with too many words. Finally, she was able to put into words what she was feeling and maybe those words, if just for a split second, put a smile on her friend’s weary face. She sat there, rereading her message, and then logs out.
About a half-an-hour later Toni hears a strange noise. It sounded like someone rummaging downstairs then stumbling up the stairs to what sounded like her parents’ room. She didn’t bother to look as to not draw any attention to herself. Her brothers, Eric and Brett always had a way of including her in their mess and it is sounded like they choose to involve their parents instead. Besides, she wasn’t in the mood for it right now.
Her brothers had barged in and soon after Toni heard her mother’s ear-piercing scream. A snarling and ripping sound follows. The screaming stops, but the snarls continued. Toni shot up out her bed and ran down the hall to her parents’ bedroom. There was blood on the door and it hung ajar. Afraid of what she was going to see, Toni slowly pushed the door open. Then a little more. She saw no one there, just a bed covered in blood.
“Mom? Dad?” Toni called out, her voice shaking with fear. As she was about close the door, she froze. Her breathing grew heavy as another presence could be felt behind her. A low-pitched growl came from behind her head. Toni hesitated but then turned to face her mother. Yet this was not her mother. Her mother had beautiful green eyes and long dark brown hair. This thing, this creature in front of her was far from that; she had midnight black eyes and her hair was matted on top her head and wet with blood.
Toni also noticed the side of her mother’s neck. It was missing a huge chunk of flesh. Her mother was bleeding profusely out of her wound, but she was still walking. How?
“Mom?” she asked, voice still shaking. Her mom growled in response then raised her nose high in the air. Toni watches as her mom breathed in her scent hungrily before Mrs. Kingly lunged at her. Toni cries out as she’s being tackled to the floor. Mrs. Kingly’s teeth snapped just millimeters away from her face, but Toni held her back. Her mom clawed her face with her fingernails, drawing blood. “Help! Somebody please, help me!”
Eric and Brett came running to aid her. Eric had gotten a hold of a knife and drove it into the back their mother’s head. The force throws their mother off of Toni. Who climbs back to her feet as Eric drew the knife back out of his mother’s head.
“What the fuck?!” she says breathlessly. “What is going on?!” Toni asks, she was panicking now. Their mother lay there motionless on the floor, blood seeping out of a gash in the back of her head. Toni started crying hysterically.
“Come on, no time to explain-we have to go,” exclaimed Brett, motioning for them to follow him. In his hands, dangled car keys. “We got to go now!” Down the stairs, they flew bumping right into their father. He had his back toward them.
“Dad?” Eric said softly, touching his shoulder. Their dad turned, seemingly in slow motion. The oxygen was swept from Toni’s lungs at the sight of her father. He had become one of them. As she desperately tried to breathe, her ears began to ring. What was that? Toni turns to Brett. It was a gunshot. Brett had raised a shotgun to their dad and unhesitatingly pulled the trigger.
“Let’s go” he demands, and grabs Toni by the hand and lead her outside to the waiting SUV in their garage.
Toni took a look around the backseat and trunk, her brothers had stockpiled makeshift weapons, plenty of food and water into the back. How were they so ready for this? Maybe it was all those Resident Evil games and The Walking Dead show that somehow prepared them for this day. They were working as a well-organized team. As much as she hated them being so interested in zombies, walkers, biters, whatever people were choosing to call them. Toni had to admit, she was thankful for it now.
Just then, there was someone banging on the car’s window. Toni screamed. Not another- not now. she thought. Suddenly someone pleading to be let in could be heard. It wasn’t another biter.
“Jessa!” Brett said, swinging open his passenger side door. There in the driveway was his girlfriend Jessa, her little brother Adam, and their neighborhood friend, Cole.
“Brett, please, help us– I don’t know what happen but….” Brett could see his girlfriend clutching on to her little brother, Adam. He had his head buried in her stomach. Tears running down his little cheeks. “I-I just grabbed him and we ran. I-I didn’t know where else to go.”
“Have any of you been bitten?” Eric asked, climbing out of the driver side. He ferociously checks them.
“No, no — at least I don’t think so” Jessa answers quickly
Eric walked around the car while Brett held his girlfriend tightly. Once Eric cleared Adam, Brett directed him to climb into the back of the SUV with Toni.
“He’s been bitten on the ankle” Eric whispers to Brett who was helping Jessa into the car.
“So, you just want me to climb into the back through the trunk? I can just-” Cole starts, but Eric stops him
“Put your things in the truck and Brett would like to talk to you about moving some more supplies out of the house,” Eric said calmly looking over at Brett who nodded. Cole did as he was told and follows Brett back into the house. Soon after one gunshot could be heard and only Brett returned… He threw the more supplies into the truck and got in.
“We got to get to grandpas. He’ll know what to do.” Brett says, starting up their dad’s car. He looks at Brett, then Toni, then Jessa and then back at Brett “Ready?”
“Ready?” They all said in unison.
COMING SOON…
Author Jewel Ruby 