HOME SWEET HOME
PERCY
I woke up like I usually do nowadays. To the sound of someone screaming. Ever since the apocalypse started, it's not uncommon to hear someone screaming in pain during all hours of the night. This time it wasn't a random victim's voice but one of my own. I jumped out of bed and sprinted down the hall to the source of the voice. Silena's room. I rushed in to find her sobbing into her boyfriend, Beckendorf's shirt. Silena Beauregard, one of my closest friends, has been having nightmares since we first lost one of our own to the flesh eaters. I remember the day to well. My group was out on a raid. Connor and Travis Stoll decided to meet us back at my apartment after the picked up some supplies. They met us a few hours later but they were no longer our friends Connor and Travis. Nico and I were forced to put down our friends. Sadly, that's the way our world works now. We scavenge, head back to my apartment, and hopelessly search for a cure. We don't know much about them; except that once you get bitten by one, two things can happen. You can escape and turn into one of them or you can have your skin ripped off your body by the things. If you get bitten then your life is over.
"It's okay, Silena. It's just a nightmare." Beckendorf whispered to his girlfriend. I walked to Silena's side of the bed and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"I know, but when are they going to stop?" Silena asked with a tear stricken face.
"I don't know. You just need time that's all. We'll get through it. We'll find a cure and save everyone. That's our mission right?" I said. She wiped away our tears.
"Yea, that's our mission." She said in Beckendorf's arms. I looked at my watch.
"It's six in the morning anyway, why don't we just head down stairs?" I suggested. They both nodded wordlessly. We made our way through the hallway and down the stairs.
When the apocalypse hit we realized that no one would need their rooms anymore so we raided and boarded up all the rooms except for mine which we turned into a luxury headquarters with all the supplies. The Stoll brothers really helped with their "everything is free now, we can live like kings" outlook on it so we do live like kings except for the part where we are always hunted by flesh eating humanoids. My apartment is where we all live and sleep. It's the biggest room on the top floor, usually meant for important guests, we have ten bedrooms, three bathrooms, a small kitchen, a computer/research area, a living room, and of course an armory. We had to do a little bit of expanding, but Beckendorf is really good with that kind of stuff. Our headquarters looks amazing.
They main kitchen and dining area is on the bottom floor and one of the few areas that we have open. We keep as much rooms off limits as possible. We have to constantly be on alert. The dining area has an amazing kitchen where Grover and Juniper cook our meals. It has one large table that we use for meetings and eating and it has a bar built into the kitchen.
The other two areas we keep open are the room adjacent to our headquarters and the roof. The room next to our headquarters is the medical room. Will Solace was the son of a famous doctor and has almost magical powers when it comes to healing people. The roof has my favorite attraction, the swimming pool, and it also serves as our last resort escape route. We have a zip line leading to another building about a block away which contains fully fueled cars for our escape. We never use cars of guns when we go on raids. Guns are too noisy and attract them. Gasoline is like the best smell in the world to them. They will find you if you use them.
One of the "flesh eaters" as we call them, is not a problem. They only can walk around and are basically falling apart but in a group they are deadly. I'm not sure which would be worse, watching your friends get eaten alive or being eaten alive.
Silena, Beckendorf and I walked through the doors to the dining room and took a seat. I sit at the head of the table because I'm kind of the leader here. My cousin, Nico DiAngelo, is like the second in command and he sits at the other end.
"So, what's the plan for today, Percy?" Beckendorf asked. I looked at my friend.
"I don't know. We have plenty of supplies, so I'm not risking another run. I think we should just stay in today and relax for a change. We all need it." I said and looked at Silena.
"I'm fine, Percy. Really, I am." Silena said. Just then, Grover and Juniper walked through the doors.
"What are you guys doing up so early?" Juniper asked.
"We just came down to start breakfast early." Grover added. Grover and Juniper have been together long before the apocalypse started. Grover is my best friend and it's my job to make sure he doesn't lose Juniper. I laughed.
"We usually eat at nine." I said. "It's like six thirty." Grover looked at Juniper sympathetically. I understood what was going on. "Juniper's having nightmares too." Grover nodded and Juniper looked at the ground. I sighed. "I'm sorry. I should have sent someone with them. I miss them too."
"It's alright, Perce. There's nothing you could do. They made a decision. It's not your fault." Grover said. Will walked through the doors with a bright face like the time didn't affect him at all.
"Morning everyone." Will said happily.
"We're just missing Nico from the six am club." Beckendorf said.
"Nico will probably sleep till lunch. We should just eat when Grover and Juniper are done." I said. Grover and Juniper got busy making some of their famous food. They somehow manage to make luxury meals with the large garden they have on the roof. I took this time to look at all my friends and how we've stayed alive this long. We've all been friends since before the apocalypse began. We all attended a camp called Camp Half-Blood and every summer we would come back and have the time of our lives, of course, until this summer. We are all the same age, sixteen. Everyone brings something different to the table.
Grover Underwood has been my best friend since we were five. He has curly brown hair, brown eyes, and a wispy beard. He's kind of scrawny but brings a lot to the table. Grover is not a fighter but him and Juniper are basically five star chefs. The food they make is magical.
I've known Juniper Underwood since the first time Grover mentioned her. We gave them an unofficial wedding because they are perfect for each other and wanted to be married before they die. Juniper is short with brown hair and green eyes. She is more health conscious than Grover with the food she makes but I'm not complaining.
Will Solace really lights up a room with his golden hair and blue eyes. I've known Will the shortest amount of time but he's still a great friend. Silena once broke her ankle on a raid while running. Will had her walking in a few weeks.
Charles Beckendorf is a built black guy who is kinder than anyone I've ever met. He and Silena are amazing together and I protect them like family. Beckendorf is amazing with all the things we need. He basically built our headquarters and keeps the power running at the hotel. We have hot water, clean drinking water, and a refreshing swimming pool all thanks to Beck.
Silena Beauregard has dark hair and blue eyes. She stunningly beautiful and she mainly deals with surveillance. We have security cameras set up around the hotel that feed footage to our computers in the headquarters. Silena makes sure that nothing gets in.
My cousin Nico DiAngelo has dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. He's wears all black all the time but I don't know what I would do without him. He's the only family I have left after my family died. Nico and I are the leaders here and we make sure that we survive.
Nico suddenly barged into the dining hall with a frantic look on his face. His eyes landed on me and he announced to the group.
"There are people outside." Nico said.
"There are always people outside. They want to eat you Nico." Grover said. Nico shook his head.
"No, I mean, there are people outside. People who don't eat meat. Well, actually, they probably do unless they're vegetarians like Juniper. Gross, by the way."
"Hey, it's a healthy life style. You should try it Nico." Juniper said.
"Absolutely not."
"Guys!" I interrupted. Everyone looked at me. "Are there really people out there?" Nico got serious.
"Yea, a guy and two girls." Nico said.
"Why do you seem upset about that?" I asked. Nico looked at me.
"They're surrounded."