Total Black-out
Summer: Eve of Destruction
Chapter 1: Alpha Strike
The night air was cold, nipping at Bradley's flesh as he stood outside, watching as the night sky slowly went by, and covered up the moon. The porch light was behind him, illuminating his surrounding lightly. He was wearing a black-and-white shirt and black sweatpants, grey socks protecting his toes. A black jacket protected his bare arms from the bitterness of the weather, the hood pulled over his brown hair to protect his ears also and the hood protecting his brown eyes from the light behind him. The light rain seemed to beat against the roof of the house, which on most nights would allow him to sleep easily. This night was different for him. His dad and step-mom were gone out for far too long, making him uneasy and worried about them. He had called many times before, attempting to reach at least one of them, but wasn't able to do so. He knew his grandparents were gone also, so trying to ask them where they might be wasn't going to happen anytime soon. He sighed, walking back inside, his breath clearly visible in front of him. He locked the door as he went back to the couch, sitting down, and looking back at the clock.
"It's 10:32 PM. They have been gone for nearly eight hours. I am really worried about them now. It isn't like them to go off somewhere before I am home and not even leave with a fully charged phone." There was discomfort in his voice and anyone could understand why, but in his mind, he finally realized what his father meant. He was home alone, so it was harder for him to find a way to take is current sadness and worried self away from the thought of something horrible happening to them. He got up, turning off the heat in the living room, throwing his coat behind the couch. "Maybe I should try calling them again later. Until then, I think I will just watch some television. Hopefully, they will pick up then."
A crack of thunder roared in the sky, lighting it up instantly. That instant, the power faded away into nothing, leaving the house in total darkness, it matching up with the darkness that made up the current time of day. Bradley got up, walking to the door, seeing sparks irradiate from the transformer down the road.
"Damn it. Isn't this just wonderful? Power just got knocked out by the fucking storm. And I still got to feed the animals, well, mostly the ignorant dog, and speaking of that, I need to get the flash light." He walked over to the gun cabinet, picking up the large flash light, unlocked the door, and went outside. He walked out and down the gravel drive way, the rain pelting off his head and shoulders. He headed to the dog, petting his head, walking over to the old Jeep, feeling his feed bucket with feed, and setting it back down for him. After he had done that, he fed the chickens some crack corn, and went back inside to sit in the darkness. He stood there, looking about, an odd feeling overwhelming him. "Something doesn't feel right. I thought I shut the door behind me."
He stood there, shining the light through the house. He didn't go too far from the living room, picking up a short sword he had thrown behind the couch long ago. He unsheathed it, moving from the living room straight to the kitchen and the wash room. He sighed in relief, seeing nothing there. He then went back to the living room, down the hall, opening the bathroom door, nothing there too. The same was the two bed rooms, but he still didn't feel right. He grabbed the .22 revolver off his father's dresser, checking to make sure it had bullets, then going to his bedroom. A few minutes later, he came back out; blue jeans replace his black sweatpants, a belt holding them up, the .22 fit down between the belt and the pants.
"Ah, that feels a little better. Now, to see if…" A loud crash rang through the house, followed by the yelping of the dog outside. He grabbed the flash light, running into the living room, shining the light into the kitchen. He took a few steps back, staring in horror as a human laid in the floor, seemingly dead, but no blood to prove it. The figure seemed male to him, black hair shaved off, his clothes torn slightly. He didn't notice anything wrong with him, except for the smell of what he distinguished to be rotting meat. He walked to the spot where the kitchen and living room joined, kneeling down to get a better look at the guy. "Damn, I don't like what I am seeing here. Maybe I should help him up and see if his is okay." He moved closer, but stumbled backwards as he moved towards him, a blood-curdling moan escaping his mouth. Not a few seconds after that, another rang out, and he looked above him, a second one standing above him. He pushed himself off the ground, running over top of the being crawling towards him, moving into the kitchen but stopped, seeing another one standing outside the back door. He turned in fright, finding himself surrounded by unholy terror, his worst nightmares coming to life before his very eyes.
The power had faded up in Lick Creek also, but Michelle had the entire house illuminated with candles, providing excellent light throughout it, even to the point where neighbors could easily find it. Michelle was Bradley's younger sister, but only by two years. Her hair was brown like her brothers and their mothers, Betty, but Michelle's hair was a little darker and longer than theirs. Her blue eyes were that of their father, but their mother had brown eyes, much like Bradley, but nowhere near as dark. Before all of this occurred, she was wearing green monkey pajamas and monkey socks. Now, she is wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt. She wasn't alone though; she had their mother there with her, Natasha Sykes, one of her school friends, and Larry, their mom's boyfriend. While she and Natasha stayed in her room, their mom was in the living room, looking around for more candles and Larry was outside to see if he could 'fix' the current problem.
"Michelle, do you think that your mom's boyfriend will ever get the power back?" Natasha asked her, worried that they might freeze, even with it being the middle of summer. Natasha was a goofy child, but remained serious for the most part. Her hair was long and brown with a mix of blonde, her eyes an enchanting blue-green. She was around the same height as Michelle, if not taller, and skin. She is wearing a pair of cut-off denim shorts and a blue tank top, her hair tied back behind her. She shivered some, wrapping a blanket around her cold body.
Michelle laughed at her, shaking her head. "Who knows with Larry, maybe he will. But with him, he might just screw it up even worse." She rolled her eyes and burst into laughter again, this time Natasha followed with her, both of them filling the house with delight. She whipped the tears from her eyes, picking up the phone, hearing nothing on the other end, and sighed lightly. "I wish I could get up with Bradley and see how he and the rest of the family are doing."
"Don't worry, Michelle" Natasha replied. "If anything, they are warm and asleep right now and you wouldn't want to awaken them and listen to someone growl at you." She tried to make her friend happy, but she knew that both she and Bradley were a lot better brother and sister than they wanted people to know, and when one of them began to worry of the other, comfort was out of the question.
A crack of lightning lit up the night sky for a few seconds, giving them both the opportunity to view what was going on outside. They saw Larry outside at the breaker box, then vanishing underneath the house to check under there. The dogs outside had lost their minds, barking wildly at almost anything that moved or even made a sound. The cats had scattered about, flying in all directions towards dry shelter. They watched as lights veered up the road, a large, black van moving at fast speed. It took the curve to continue up the mountain side too hard, turning over in Donna Poston's driveway, collapsing on the gate. For a few minutes no one bothered to get out of the vehicle, but when a streak of lightning light across the sky, they saw why. Both the driver and the passenger were dead, steel bars running through the windshield into their bodies. They both stepped away from the window in shock, unable to understand what had happened.
"Girls, I hope you two didn't get to see that," Betty said, walking into Michelle's bedroom, a few cats following her in. "That just wasn't something neither one of you needed to see happen. Bette was taller than either one of the girls, more around her son's height, but only a few inches shorter. Her hair was cut short, around the back of her neck where it met the bottom of her skull and blonde from dying it too much. Her eyes were brown, but nothing like Bradley's eyes, whose one would think, was composed of the soil from the earth, rich in life. She walked over to the window, pulling the curtains shut, looking back at them. "Maybe we should try to get some rest, okay?"
A roar filled the sky, the sounds of the dogs howling at the moon, but it soon stopped, the sound of feet pounding against the ground could barely be made audible, but then after, a scream filled the air. They distinguished that to be Larry and they all rushed to the window to see what was going on. They saw him lying on the ground, face-down, dogs ripping at his flesh in a violent manner. They noticed that one of the dogs was Michelle's German Sheppard, but what bothered them was the only thing they couldn't figure out; what caused the dogs to attack Larry and why were they behaving so strangely? Before they had time to question that thought, a loud crash, familiar to the sound of breaking glass, filled the house with new terror as cats began crying out in pain, the dogs ripping them apart instantly. The animals roamed the house thereafter, in search of a more 'nutritious' meal for them to feast on, much like the one outside.
Chapter 2: The Gravest Sacrifices
Betty backed away from the door, extending her arms to push the girls back in the process. She could only imagine what was going on through the girls' minds and knew what her heart was telling her to do. She didn't want to leave the girls alone in the house with the monsters, but she didn't want them to die either. With the consequences fresh on her mind, she picked up a steel ball bat Shell had kept in her room for safety measures and turned back to look at the girls.
"I want you two to stay in here, no matter what happens, okay?" Betty stated, looking at them. She saw as tears welled up in their eyes, the same to hers. She looked at them, holding hers back. "Do I have your word that no matter what happens to me, you two will not leave this bedroom until I tell you?" She watched silently, awaiting the girls to agree. It took them a little while, but they finally agreed to the plan.
Michelle jumped up, running, and throwing her arms around Betty and she hugged her back tightly. She looked at Natasha, holding her other arm out, not wanting her to be left out. She got up, ran over to her also, and hugged her tightly, neither one of them wanting to let go of her and allow her to fight the monsters alone. After a few minutes, she pushed the girls away, tears streaming down both of their faces, whipping tears from her own. She turned around, opening the door, and leaving the room, making sure to shut it tightly behind her.
She looked around the house, blood spots scattered about the living room and the den. She could see parts of the cats lying about and she covered her mouth to keep from puking all-over the floor. She moved forward with care, raising the ball bat up with care, slowly searching. It wasn't long before she before she heard the hungry growl of a dog, prowling about in the living room, another following it from the kitchen. They took a charge at her and she swung hard, catching the first one across the head with the end of the bat, a loud snap filling the air. The second pushed her down to the ground, the only think keeping it from her neck was the bat. She gathered the strength to throw it off and then repeatedly beat it in the skull until she saw blood and parts of the brain run out of the skull, a crack emitting from the head. She walked about the rest of the house, looking for more, stopping in the other bed room.
"Well, I guess that is all of them. Maybe now the girls can come out and we can get out of here." As Betty turned around, two more of the dogs were standing behind her, baring their white fangs, drool dripping onto the floor, a blood thirsty glare in their eyes. She was trapped and knew she would have much of a chance of getting out alive, so she could only prepare for the worst of it. They charged at her and she moved slightly as the first one took a leap at her, propelling itself out the window, but not without damaging her left shoulder. The other dog jumped and pinned her down against the bed, its teeth pressed hard against the center of the bat, scratching away at her body. She felt each claw tear deeper and deeper into her chest and abdomen, wanting to scream out in pain, but at the same time, not wanting to alert the girls that she was being killed. With what energy she had left, she pushed the dog off, smashing its skull into various pieces. She stumbled a bit, falling on the floor at the foot of the bed. She smiled lightly, calling out to the girls. "It's okay now, you can come out."
The sound of their feet filled the house, but she was beginning to lose sight and hearing from the lack of blood in her body. She cupped her arms at her abdomen, hoping to stay alive long enough to tell Michelle and Natasha what they needed to do now. Her head fell over onto a small end table, her eye sight fading away, her heart with it.
Natasha and Michelle looked at each other, hearing each deadly sound the animals made as they died. When they got the news that the coast was clear, they opened the door and ran to Betty, hoping to see her well and in perfect condition, but what they got to see wasn't what they wanted. Natasha watched as Michelle broke to a dead run to her mother, screaming and crying pleading with her to stay with them. Natasha followed behind, kneeling down beside her.
"Girls…" Betty said. "… I want you two… to take the keys to the Cavalier… and get Larry's gun…" She covered her mouth, Betty coughing out large balls of blood. "Go get Bradley… get out of here… please; it is the last thing I ask…" Tears welled up in her eyes, Michelle already broke down, holding her mother to her, screaming again, asking her to come back and help them. Natasha pulled Michelle away, holding her close, wanting to comfort her, but not knowing how. That was the department of her family, but she didn't know if any of them was alive, so she tried her best.
"Come on, Michelle, we should honor her last wishes." She stated, pushing Michelle away from the room, shutting the door behind her. It wasn't hard for them to find the keys or the pistol, but what was going to be hard was leaving the house without a loved one. They got in the car, Michelle demanding to drive, giving Natasha the gun. They backed out a ways, driving up the road a small piece, and turning around, stopping at the wreckage.
"Hey, Tasha, let's see if can use anything out of the vehicle." Michelle said, already getting out of the vehicle, the ball bat in hand.
"Might as well, Michelle." Natasha replied, getting out also, the small, but powerful 9mm pistol ready to fire. They walked around the front of the vehicle to the back, opening the double doors with the best of their might. They stepped inside, finding a few flashlights, batteries, another 9mm, a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, two vests, and some ammunition. They stepped back out, Natasha taking the vest and putting it on, putting the two pistols in the holsters made on the side of it. Michelle did the same, using the sling on the shotgun to fit it over her shoulders. They checked the vests, finding places to put the lights and finding knives on the front part of them, about a six blade on them both. "Hey, Michelle, what's that?" She pointed to a black folder in the corner of the van. They walked over, Michelle picking it up, and flipping through it as they walked outside. They lifted their heads and took to a dead run to the car, the sound of more dogs running on the gravel road. They jumped into the vehicle, leaving as fast as they possibly could.
"So, where are we going, Michelle?" Natasha asked, looking down the road.
"We might as well get Charlie before we leave here. We don't want him to die because of us, now do we?" Michelle replied in a question-like manner. Natasha nodded, turning her attention back to the road, watching as they turned up Rock Lick Rd. in search for Charlie.
"What are we going to do once we get him?" She asked agian, turning her attention back to Michelle for a moment.
"The Elementary School is supposed to have a back-up generator, so I figured we would go there and lay low while we wait for help." She replied, hesitation in her voice.
"And wait for who? No one will know we were there." Natasha screamed back, causing Michelle to swerve and almost drive into the river. She turned her head towards the window, wondering who would come if they did decide to wait and how long till anyone found out what was happening. She closed her eyes, wanting to wake up from this nightmare and be home in her own bed, but what she saw was real and there was nothing to change it. All they could do is wait it out. She peered down at the black folder that they got out of the van, wanting to know what was it contained.
Bradley stood in the kitchen, sweat dripping of his forehead, but it wasn't from the heat. Around him laid three bodies, each one was attempting at his life and he went into self-defense, killing them each with a few shots in the head from the .22 revolver. He put it back down beside his belt, empting a small jewel box of its .22 shells, dumping them into his pocket. He stepped over the bodies, walking to the door, pulling out a set of keys. He opened the door to the gun cabinet, pulling out a 30-06, a 30-30, and an old 12-gauge double-barrel shotgun. He took the shells out of his pocket, getting a small backpack to put them in, carrying them and the guns out to his car, putting them in the trunk, excluding the ones with scope, letting them stand in the floor board. He went back inside, getting a few of his arms from his room, mostly his knight sword, halberd, katanas, and splitting ax, putting them in the back seat of the car. He made one last trip into the house, getting his dad's crossbow and bolts, the M1 Garand his dad kept in the closet, and his SKS he kept behind the couch, putting them in the trunk, excluding the crossbow, laying it in the passenger seat.
He sighed, looking into the dark house. "I don't know what is going on here, but I intend on finding out soon enough." He jumped into his car, driving down the dirt road a small bit, stopping at his grandparent's house, a thought coming to mind. He walked over to the back door, pulling a spare key his dad kept in the house from his pocket and unlocking the door. He stepped inside, knowing exactly where to go. He went to the computer room, getting all the ammunition he would need from there, not leaving without getting the old bayonet from atop it. He searched the rest of the house, wanting to make sure he wasn't leaving anything behind, then went outside to leave, stopping, hearing a loud snorting. He shook his head, the phone going off in his pocket. He picked it up, seeing it to be Josh, his cousin and best friend, but lost signal before he could answer it.
"Damn this fucking phone. It is a piece of... " Bradley was abruptly stopped, the snorting louder than ever, seeing a large seven hundred pound pig directly infront of him. He backed away, running back inside, the pig tearing the porch apart. He ran into the kitchen, grabbing a shotgun from behind the door, breaking it down, seeing to find it empty. "Now, where did he keep those shells?" He began digging through the draws, pulling out only buck shot for it, finally deciding that to be his only type of ammunition for it, loading one shell into the barrel.
That second, the front door broke open, splitting it into little splinters, the large pig standing where it once was, Bradley ran back into the living room, the pig not far behind him, jumping throught the window, but fell into the yard. He moved back towards the edge of the house, the pig following him out, falling and breaking its front leg. He smiled, walking up to it, firing off a round directly into it's chest, life ending within the beast. He sighed, walking back to his car, putting what he had found away where he wanted it. He stopped before leaving, looking at the building, knowing a lighter way to get around, but no where near as easy to care what he had. He got in the car and backed out the driveway, looking at his house and then his grandparents house, lowering his head, and began driving back down the road.
He turned a left, crossing a bridge, stopping at the edge of the road, making sure there was not traffic coming, no like he expected any. He took another left, driving towards Haysi then Lick Creek to get his sister and get out of there. But something caught his eye and he pulled off the road, stopping at Roseanna's house. The two of them had been friends for such a long time and he couldn't just drive by and leave her for dead, that is if she was alive when he found her. He shook the thought from his head, knowing she was smart enough to keep herself, along with her siblings, alive. He stepped out of the car, getting the crossbow and bolts out of the passenger seat, walking down the steps to the the front of their house, the door already broken. "Damn... Let's hope I'm not too late." He ran inside, ready for what could come his way.