My body was burning. I was half expecting myself to burst into flames any moment from now. The fact that Alison hadn't woken up was surprising because her body was glued to mine.
We got home a couple of hours ago. I was relieved to see that the house was still standing considering what was happening miles away. Cassandra had called, telling us not to leave the house and that she'd come to us. That was the only call we got. We couldn't reach our parents or Ezra's parents and going to them was out of the option because they were on another continent. I couldn't stop thinking about them and I almost had a panic attack when I saw End of Days and Zombie Apocalypse were trending on Twitter which made Ezra seize my phone. There was even a zombie playlist on Spotify. Daniel held me as I cried myself to sleep over what was happening and not being able to reach my parents. When I woke up, he was no longer in the room and his jacket was on me.
Alison shifted next to me, "Enny, You're hot," she mumbled.
I gently got up from the bed and walked over to my dresser. I grabbed my nightgown and underwear and was about to close the drawer when Faye stirred on her makeshift bed on the floor. I paused when I noticed she was awake and currently watching me. I wasn't actually surprised because I'd expected it and she'd be crazy not to. The only reason she'd let Alison sleep next to me was because she wouldn't stop crying and screaming.
I gave her a tight smile and headed for the bathroom. What if we had to run from the house? The nightgown wasn't actually suitable for running. I decided to trade it for a tank top and a pair of leggings before slipping into my bathroom. I hung my clothes on the towel rack and pulled the sleeve of my right shirt down to check the bandage Ezra wrapped around my arm. I removed it and stared at the bite mark. I didn't want to panic. I knew what was going to happen next through Twitter. The reason why I didn't sleep again was because Alison insisted on sleeping next to me since Zeke and Ezra were on watch. There weren't any black veins trailing from it and that consoled me a bit since I'd been checking my neck every ten minutes. Only Faye, Ezra and Clareta knew about the bite.
I didn't tell Zeke because he was freaking out about not being able to reach our parents and his girlfriend, and I didn't tell Daniel because he was worried about his mum. I felt that if anything was going to happen to me, it would have but I didn't want to jinx it.
I pulled off my clothes and stepped under the stream of cold water. I had no idea how long I spent in the shower. Thinking about everything, thinking about nothing.
I felt a lot better when I stepped out of the shower and toweled myself dry. I was in the midst of putting on my clothes when Daniel burst into the bathroom, looking like he was about to go into shock.
Oh, hell no. I'm not running like this.
I reached out to grab my leggings when he grabbed my left hand and hurriedly scanned it before grabbing my right arm. His eyes stopped on the bite mark, then darted up to my face and then back to the mark.
He turned the arm a bit before placing his palm on my forehead and withdrawing it.
"Okay," he said. "Okay... You're okay."
He nodded to his words and it seemed like he was trying to convince himself rather than me. He then pulled me into a full embrace.
"I'm okay," I reassured and hugged him back. "Who told you?"
He pulled back to look at me, "Faye did. When you didn't come out, she thought you were already- " He cut himself off.
Already what? Dead? Zombie?... Is that a word?
"What if I was and you just barged in like that," I scowled, slapping his arm.
He ignores me and rifles through the drawers in the cabinet till he finds the antiseptic spray and bandages. I pull on the leggings before he sprayed the antiseptic over the mark. It stung a bit but it was better when compared to the way it burned when Ezra did it. He would have drowned me in it if he could.
He drops the spray into the drawer and wraps the bandage around my arm. He places his palm on my forehead again and I smile.
"You know one of you guys can kill me if I turn into a zombie," I joked. It has always been my way of coping.
He glared at me, not finding it funny.
"On it," Clareta says as she walks into the bathroom and washes her face in the washbasin.
"There see," I mutter, giving her a dirty look which she doesn't see, as he leads me out of the bathroom, "under control."
-----
I watch Cheri and her mum get into their car from the living room window. They had come over to check up on us and ask us to follow them since our parents weren't in the country. We explained that Cassandra was coming to get us which they understood. They had no idea where they were going yet but they just wanted to get as far away from here as possible.
My eyes darted to Faye's house after their car drove off. The door was still closed. What are they still doing?
"A threesome?" Ezra said. I didn't realize I said that out loud.
I give him a dull look, "Ha, good one."
Daniel, Faye and Clareta had gone to Faye's house to get food since we were low on it. Zeke was meant to get groceries on his way back from the vet yesterday but shit happened.
I was beginning to feel anxious. Ezra and I are on watch and meant to alert them if an infected shows up. Yes, I settled on calling them infected.
What if tons of infected show up and we can't reach them? What if they've been attacked? What if they ran away?
"Okay, now you're just being ridiculous," Ezra sighed.
We should be watching from outside but we don't have the balls, metaphoric ones for me of course, but Faye said there was no need. My stomach began to churn and I tap my feet on the ground.
Just a little longer.
I fixed my gaze on the door of Faye's house, willing it to open like I'm telekinetic. Just a little -
"Okay, screw this." I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial Daniel's number when I hear the growl of an engine coming down the road. A black pickup truck with tinted windows came into view and pulled to a stop in front of our house. I could see two infected they brought with them snarling and banging on the side of the truck as screams rang out from it.
I glance at Ezra who looked every bit of confused as I was. I'd love to help but... I'd love to help.
"What's going on?" Zeke asked, speed walking to my side.
"Enny," Daniel's voice came through the phone.
"Do you see the pickup truck out front?"
"We can see it," he stated at the same time a voice yelled from the truck. "Yah!"
Yah? Yah us?
The infected moved to the driver's side as Ezra walked to the door, ready to open it when a couple of sharp bangs rang out. Was that a gun? The screams stopped and I could no longer see the infected. The passenger door opened and an ashen looking girl stumbled out of the truck.
"It's Hae In," Daniel said just as said girl came out.
"Hae In," Zeke muttered before he basically shoved Ezra away from the door, yanked it open and ran outside.
"Dude!" I grabbed the frying pan I'd placed against the wall and went after him. He had her locked in an embrace as she rambled.
"... I was like, why are people stocking up on guns? Then some dude attacked this truck dude - Mary!"
She pulled me into an awkward side embrace when Zeke didn't let her go.
"Can we like, move this inside?" Faye implored and Zeke pulled away from her. She and Daniel were standing beside us, bags slung over their shoulders, while Clareta was talking to the other girl.
"Where did you get that?" Faye exclaimed, her eyes wide as she stared at Hae In's hand. At the gun in Hae In's hand. Faye was visibly shocked as Hae In gestured to the bed of the truck.
"There are more there."
We knew she had a gun, we as in - Zeke, Ezra, Alison and I. Her dad takes her to the shooting range at times, that's why she made us call her Harley Quinn. The name never caught on.
Faye walked over to the truck and looked in. "Oh."
------
Apparently, Hae In stole the truck while it's owner was getting attacked by a group of infected after he stole tons of weapons from a gun store. Clareta thinks Hae In was the group of infected but she likes her nonetheless. Debbie, that's not her name, was keeping to herself and not talking to anyone after she made Alison cry by saying we were all going to die.
"I'll probably be the one to kill you," Clareta had told her and it shut her up immediately.
She was currently sitting in a corner, petting Jack while Hae In was telling Zeke how she survived yesterday. Ezra and Clareta were outside on watch for Faye and Daniel since they went to check if our neighbours houses were empty in order to take their food which was not cool in my opinion. What if they come back?
I checked my messages after Ezra gave me my phone to see if there was something from Mum and Dad but there was nothing. I'd sent them numerous messages and was about to send another one when Alison walked up to the duffel bags filled with guns and knives in front of me.
She reaches into one of the bags and I immediately bring my leg down on it, which was stupid because I could have stepped on a knife. I lazily drag my face up to stare at her. I blink.
"I want one."
"No," I state firmly.
"Clareta said go big or go home."
I scrunch my face at her. Clareta said that because she took a rifle from the bag when Faye gave her a handgun, and she couldn't even shoot.
"Your water gun is pretty cool."
She frowned at me and went to sit in Hae In's lap before the door opened and the four of them walked in.
"Did you get anything?" Zeke asked.
"No," Faye dropped her backpack on the couch next to me. "Neighbours are still home except for Cheri and Tamara and there was nothing at their place."
"So, are we..." Clareta droned.
"Yes. We have to go to the store."