A/N: There are some dark themes of content (maybe, judge for yourselves) of a family and gore. At least I think.
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Gusts of wind whipped up flurries of snow noisily around Jordan and Louis, as the two lugged some wood from a shed behind the house. Zoey was on standby at a window, her pair of desert eagles ready while she looked around carefully for any threats. Jordan led the way up the back porch, squinting his eyes against the wind. She held the door open for them with Louis thanking her as they passed before she closed and locked it up tight.
"I'm glad it's not all that cold right now, but the wind can settle down a little." The analyst breathed as they set the wood on the floor. Jordan just shrugged it off, "this is nothing compared to what I've experienced." He replied.
They took off their coats as Zoey set down her weapons. She then investigated what they had left to eat. They had found good food and drinks the first night here, now there wasn't much left around the kitchen. Mostly just boxes of snacks and some things of gatorade and various juices; the alcohol was mostly gone already. This was fine for now. She claimed a thing of oreos while Jordan tossed a couple of pieces of wood in the fire, and settled back down in the living room with the others as they chatted with each other.
"You know a great thing about the end of the world? We're no longer in debt." Ian said. "Amen to that. I think that's more horrifying than any apocalypse." Beth replied.
Kayla came down the stairs from another shower, ruffling her hand through her hair.
"What if we weren't?" Zoey grinned, earning herself a series of appalled looks. "Oh my God!" Amber exclaimed.
"Can you imagine? Ah," Keirstan deepened her voice to mimic a man. "You've survived the outbreak of 2019. Congratulations, you still owe student loans forty-thousand or more." She made an odd gesture with her hand and rolled her eyes back disgustingly. "I would gladly sick a pack of Hunters on them if that was the case." Beth said, "or face one than deal with that bullshit." Jordan's eyes tensed dramatically as he came over to sit down, earning a heart-warming laugh from her at his expression "hey, I would you know!"
"Unless I kill them all before they touch you."
"Nah dude, I'd bathe in what are they called? Spitters?" Zoey pulled out the green flu packet from one of their bags and skimmed through it. "Yeah, I'd bathe in a pool of their acid."
"How about fighting a Witch with hand-to-hand combat." Ian suggested.
"Bro, she'd decorate the area with you like fucking confetti." Jordan reminded, before leaning to the side to kiss Beth a few times as she laid against him.
"That's the point! To avoid debt."
Kayla and Keirstan looked at them all before side-glancing at one another.
"...I'd take my chances with a Hunter or Witch." Kayla muttered.
"Ah ha! See?" Ian exclaimed.
"It was nice knowing you."
Kayla shrugged, "it wasn't a boring life so it's good."
She received some giggles and shocked expressions. Causing her to smile a little.
Amber leaned back against on the couch, "don't know about you all but I would personally either sick a Tank on them or face one. Or two. Or maybe even eight." She chuckled as the others reacted wildly at the thought.
Little Amber stood alone facing a horde of huge Tanks, katana in one hand, gun in the other. With fire all around them in a burning town. They roared as she gritted her teeth angrily, her face full of fury and the light of the fire causing a glare in her glasses. She then roared a furious battle roar before charging forward to whoop their sorry asses, as the Tanks howled and raised their fists.
Kayla and Ian got up to get more coffee as they expressed different things about it, while Louis and Bill listened in amusement until Zoey looked through the packet again. For the first time, she noticed some of the back pages were missing. She checked the bag, they weren't there. "It was missing pages when we found it." Jordan answered her silent question.
"Oh...hey," she cleared her throat, "so what do you guys think the green flu does to people?"
"We've seen what it does." Beth said.
"No like, what is it. The military doesn't even know what it is. Other than it could be mutated rabies."
"Mm. I don't know."
Bill walked through, followed by the coffeeholics. "Francis thinks it turned everyone into vampires." He rested in the recliner and flipped through the channels on the television.
From the man cave where he made himself busy with a work out, Francis paused in lifting a fifty pound weight when hearing them talk about his theory. He cocked an ear when he heard the veteran comment how many times they had corrected him.
"They are vampires!" He annoyingly called from where he sat.
Kayla turned to them after glancing at the man cave's entrance. "They are pale."
"Please don't feed it." Bill begged with a sigh.
Louis chuckled when all heard the biker coming up the steps. "They are not, Francis!"
"Oh yeah? Then prove they're zombies. They're not decaying, they scream when we shoot or hack 'em and I haven't seen them eat anyone other than beat people."
"Got a point," Kayla shrugged quietly.
"Why do you think they're vampires?" Amber inquired with squinted eyes. "'Cause a lot of them have bite marks on their necks." He answered simply.
Bill grinned at his answer. It was his turn to be cocky. "So Francis, have you seen them drink anyone's blood?"
He blinked taken aback, "uh...no, but-"
"That's what I thought."
The two began squabbling as the college kids returned to their own conversation, with Louis joining them. "So, not vampires and possibly not zombies. What do you think they are?"
"I think they're all just really sick people." Keirstan narrowed her eyes.
"...Aliens." Kayla suspiciously answered and holding her coffee close. Jordan, Ian and Amber eyed her strangely.
"Are we really arguing about this?!" Bill hollered exasperated from behind them.
"Yes! Because they are vampires!"
"Francis there are two more things wrong with your ridiculous logic. One, they can go out in the sun. Two, you can see them in mirrors. Now can you girls tell your brother that's not what they are?"
"Hunters do remind me of the 30 days of night vampires when they scream."
"Stop!"
"Ha!"
Beth folded her arms, "I call them targets. Nothing more."
Zoey couldn't help but giggle to herself at all the comments of what everyone thought they were. "Alright, next question," Louis piped up. "What ya'll think caused this?" At this, Zoey reread the paragraph about the sickness out loud causing a spark in Ian's eyes.
"Maybe a legendary or mythical animal caused it."
"Why would they do that?" Louis asked.
"Because they finally got fed up with the human race's bullshit that's why."
Keirstan shrugged, "hell if I know. Probably."
The discussion went on for a little longer, followed by thoughts of how the flu determines what kind of special infected a victim became, why they were called a certain name and what their thoughts must have been before, during and after losing their minds. Including the commons.
After this discussion, they talked about when they should move along. Which was agreed with sometime tomorrow.
Zoey then asked what everyone had gone to school for, next she revealed she had enrolled for a film maker's career. She then explained that her father wished for her to become a cop like he was, however she refused and followed her own dream. More like, was going to. In return, each told the four what theirs were. Beth, media arts, Jordan, accountant, Ian sociologist. Keirstan, a novelist while Amber was also media arts. Kayla was a photographer with Beth answering for her. Since she still wasn't up for decent conversations with Zoey, Louis or Bill yet. Louis then retold the group what his career was about.
However another unrelated bickering match between her and Jordan sparked about whether aliens existed or not. Since Jordan was a skeptic. It was quite confusing yet amusing hearing all the conversations branching off in different directions.
"So you really think earth's the only planet with life on it?"
"If there was other life, nasa would've found it by now."
"They have. There's area 51."
"That's just a crock of shit."
"Than explain all the ufo sightings."
"Also bullshit."
"Your face is bullshit!"
Beth tried to calm them down as the energy between the two intensified, while Bill and Amber stared on in hopelessness. They sprung to their feet and Jordan pulled back a fist. In return, Kayla pulled out a pocket knife from her hoodie's pouch that none of them knew she had and calmly flipped it open. Her sister held back his fist and pointed at her while scowling to put it away over the fight.
"Where did that one come from?" Someone asked.
"Least I have someone on my side!" Francis leaned back on a second sofa with hands behind his head.
"Put it down!"
"I can't win!" Jordan hollered.
"What is happening?" Louis questioned. "I uh…" Zoey's voice trailed off.
"Aliens are real quit being a bitch about it!"
"NO THEY'RE FUCKING NOT YOU PSYCHOPATH!"
"YES THEY FUCKING ARE YOU UNCULTURED SWINE!"
Francis clapped his hands once in another fit of laughter. As Bill and Amber whirled away together, putting their fingers against their temples. "I cannot live with two Francis's/Kaylas!" Both cried in distress.
Ian and Keirstan just watched without a word. Mostly because they didn't know what to say or do; until Beth pushed Jordan down then grabbed and chucked the knife somewhere across the room. Suddenly, there was pounding and shrieking from a couple of the windows. All looked towards them, "great, we've upset the neighbors." Ian deadpanned. "More like they did." Keirstan corrected from beside him. So then Francis rose and grabbed his shotgun to take care of the disruption. Once outside, he merrily blew them away.
"And they're gonna be future in-laws?" Louis cocked his head. Beth nodded as the two once again squinted their eyes at each other. "Mm…" Kayla settled back down in her seat. Her sister made a good guess what she was thinking by the look on her face.
'As I've said, if we live.'
She earned a punch for that. Francis came back in, flashing a thumbs up.
...
Later on, the group had quiet down. Bill made himself busy with cleaning his gun, while Louis rummaged through what he could find as a makeshift meal for everyone. Keirstan was peering down the street through the curtains, eyeing the house she spotted on their way back from town.
"What are you staring at?" Zoey asked, walking up to her.
She pulled back and looked at her, "what don't we have that we haven't found here?"
"Uh I don't know. Ammo?"
"And?"
Zoey thought hard for a few moments. "...Medicine?" She squinted an eye. Her comrade nodded, and pointed in the direction of the other house without looking. "There's a house over there that might have that stuff." Confused, Zoey went to look. "...That house?"
"Mm-hm."
"That specific house?"
"Yeah."
"Why that one?"
There was a pause as Keirstan shifted her eyes. She sighed, "alright. I don't know why but I sort of want to check it out. I guess I'm just bored."
"Ok. So you wanna just...go over there?"
"For the hell of it. Before it gets darker out."
"Don't you remember how dangerous it is out there?"
"Been out there numerous times way after dark."
"So?"
"Still here. It's not far."
A look of disbelief spread over Zoey's face. But, she couldn't shake off the curiosity that was slowly blooming inside of her now. She peered back outside, the house did look a little spooky. She liked spooky.
Keirstan was watching her.
"I guess I can go, to cover ya and all."
"Cool. We'll bring our melee weapons, so we don't make much noise."
In minutes, the girls collected their things with Kayla and Amber joining them for some snooping around. "Guys! We'll be right back!" Amber called on their way out the door. "It'd be nice to know where you're going." Bill said.
"Just to a house down the road."
Francis stepped up to Kayla from behind. She turned around then looked up. "And why?" He asked, his voice thick with suspicion, staring down at her. "Just to see if we can find some ammo and medicine I guess."
No answer.
"What?"
"Hm."
"I'll be fine."
The large man peered outdoors, feeling highly hesitant seeing that dusk was approaching. "I...would rather you guys didn't."
"I'll be ok." She assured.
There was some bickering, until he looked at Zoey, who just shrugged. He could see in her eyes she was a little hesitant too. "Don't worry biker dude, I'll make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." Amber comforted with confidence.
He took in a breath, "kid..."
"It's three houses away. I'm not alone."
He groaned lightly. 'You've always been a defiant little one.'
He watched her in silence. Until he finally answered.
"Be. Fucking. Careful. Do you hear me, just be careful. Please."
"I will."
After, the four ventured outside. Francis watched them for some seconds until he turned away, unsure if he should of let her go. Than again, she's in good hands; and always has been. They were out there for weeks and did just fine.
But still…
This couldn't wait until morning?
Francis walked away grumbling something under his breath. He shouldn't of let her go.
…
The girls made their way over to the house with little difficulty. Only having to kill off three or four infected. They looked up at it. The home was two stories as well with a wrap-around porch. A roof hung over it and was dark brown in color. Some windows were broken, which was expected. There were also little kid toys scattered about on the porch. A garage sat by its right; its door was open, revealing an abandoned, broken jeep sitting inside. The wind made the architecture creak and groan. It was also dark inside.
"Alright-"
Keirstan paused, as they all froze in alarm when they heard crying somewhere nearby. "Go, go, go, go!" She hissed. The four hurried into the house, where all turned on their flashlights. They were in a back room now. Slowly the survivors ventured in further. Until they found themselves in a living room. Keirstan flicked some light switches on but the power was out. As also expected, the place was a mess, toys were thrown all over the place, broken plant pots laid around and showering the floor in dirt and dead foliage. A bashed up Bird cage with luckily no prisoner inside, the TV was cracked and flipped onto the floor and so on. There were also large and furious claw marks ripping up furniture and some parts of the walls and floor. The house's structure creaked again, as the darkness, quiet and dim light made the place feel eerier.
Amber looked at the walls, her flashlight slowly passed by portraits of a smiling little boy in his school uniform. Another of a teenage guy. There were a few more by either side of them. There was a man and woman with these two, she guessed they were their parents.
She moved on. "Amber and I will look around upstairs, you two check down here." Kayla instructed. The other three nodded and went their separate ways.
Zoey watched the two disappear up the steps. "You guys move like you do this for a living."
"Well, have you urbexed before?"
"A couple of times."
"We do all the time. So moving through buildings, recently or long abandoned isn't a problem for us. Although that fucker rampages through them in excitement like she will never fall through something." Keirstan explained, referring to Kayla. Zoey chuckled, "all the time?"
"Everytime. It gives me anxiety."
The two walked around the room, "we're looking for ammo right?" Zoey asked.
"Uh-huh."
From upstairs, Amber checked out what looked like a child's bedroom. She scanned her eyes around but didn't see anything dangerous, so she ventured down the hall. Kayla had gone the other way, but she could hear her comment about something which sounded like an insult. She held her baseball bat in case something happened, and shines her flashlight around the corner.
Nothing was there.
She looked behind herself, it was so eerily quiet. She couldn't hear Kayla anymore.
Amber looked forward once more, suddenly her partner was right there.
Amber screamed and flailed backwards, and Kayla started laughing madly at her reaction. "Son of an Ape ass, you bitch!" Amber kicked her behind the knee. Causing her to buckle, "where did you even come from?"
"This floor circles around as a square."
She sighed aggravated, trying to ease her heartbeat and breathing.
"Sorry."
"No you're not."
"I know."
"Come on."
As they passed by another shadowed room, they didn't notice the tall dark figure standing in the middle of it. The figure heaved and twitched quietly where it stood, with slime and drool dripping from its face. It gripped something sharp in its hand as it shuffled for the ajar door.
"I didn't find any bullets." Zoey sighed in defeat.
"Neither did I." Keirstan met with her back in the living area from the next room. "Maybe there's a basement? Some people keep their weapons down there. Or the garage."
"Didn't find any in the garage."
"Ok, let's find a basement."
The pair wandered around until they slinked towards the back where they came inside from. To the right was a door they didn't notice before. Keirstan opened it and found what they were looking for. It was extremely dark and cold, while smelling musty and something rotted. Both plugged their noses as they stared down in disgust.
"There's probably nothing dead down there." Zoey sarcastically said.
"Nah, Maybe not."
Keirstan shines her flashlight down the stairs and very carefully descends. "Be ready." She raised her newly found cricket bat and lead the way.
Zoey placed her hand on her hip and followed. The bottom was all concrete. There was nothing much but several empty storage containers, wet clothes, a washer and dryer. Water dripped noisily from some pipes up above. Zoey shivered and looked around until her flashlight revealed a body laying crumpled in a corner. She jumped, then gaged soon after at its condition. Flies buzzed around it somewhat noisily; it looked like a teenage boy. Or rather, what was left of him. He was covered in old blood and deep claw marks, his hair was a nasty mess and his wide eyes rotted into a sick, raw, fleshy red mass. His jaw hung open in a wide, frozen scream; teeth were missing and there were small bite marks from insects all over. An arm looked broken. The skin looked slimy, rotting and peeled away. There were also ugly red wounds all across the exposed skin. From what Zoey could see from some of them, something was moving underneath.
"Ack...oh...oh-ho...God…"
Insects tore out from underneath the wounds, making a soft tearing noise. They writhed, squirmed and wriggled around frantically across the corpse.
Zoey had enough. She backed away with a hand over her mouth and bumped into Keirstan. She whipped her head at her with wide eyes, but Keirstan stared back calmly. "Let's go," she glared at the body, "there's no ammo down here." Quickly they stormed back up the steps and Zoey slammed the door shut, closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air that blew through the broken windows. It was getting darker. She followed the blonde-brunette, the darkness making her more nervous and she gripped her hip again. "You know, I don't think things will ever be the same again when this stops."
"I know it won't be."
"Yeah. With the end of the world-"
"It's not the end of the world Zoey."
"What do you mean?"
Keirstan looked at her. Their flashlights illuminated their faces. Zoey's full of confusion and Keirstan's cold yet intelligent.
"You know what I mean. If it was the end of the world, to me the planet would be destroyed. Broken apart, and everything's floating around. Or disintegrating or whatever in space. Or even looking like what the planet first appeared as when it began forming. This is the end of a species. This time, the human fucking race. It happens, and will happen again long after we're all gone. Yes, there are good people who helped animals and the wilderness, but do you really think this world will miss humans? After all they've done? Kill, destroy, invade, sleep, repeat? What's happened to each other, animals, the lands, and oceans, because of people? I don't think so. They called it the end of the world because they acted like it was theirs. In reality, nothing ever was. They acted like the smartest and most dominant ones, and that they couldn't be wiped out anytime soon. But it happened so much sooner than they realized, just not in the way we thought. Nothing lasts forever and karma taught them that in the most horrific form imaginable."
Zoey stared at her, absolutely dumbfounded by her words. It took her time to answer as the words soaked in. "You made yourself sound like you aren't human…"
Keirstan didn't take her eyes off her. "I am human. I'm just one of those who respects the world and other life."
She walked away, the only sounds now were of the house creaking. Zoey cast her eyes and flashlight down at the floor and sighed quietly through her nose. Seconds later, she heard something in the far back. It sounded like something sharp trailing down a wall. Zoey tilted her head in the direction, casting her eyes aside in growing dread.
A soft cry filled her ears.
In a panic, she pulled out what was hooked to her hip and aimed it in the direction.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"ZOEY?! WHAT THE FUCK?!" Keirstan screamed, absolutely startled. She whirled around, just in time to see the sparks of light the bullets gave off in the dark as she shot one of her desert eagles. She ran over to her "what are you doing? I said melee weapons only!"
"I don't have-"
"Don't have one? Why'd ya come, we shouldn't be making noise!"
"Th-there's something in here!" She motioned in the direction.
"Hey! Is everything alright?!" A panicked Amber's voice shouted from upstairs.
"Yeah we're good. Just have to check out something."
Amber took in a breath in relief. She glanced up at the ceiling...until she heard a bed frame squeak as if someone was jumping on it. She glanced at the child's room. "Kayla, quit jumping on the bed."
Kayla was in the bathroom.
When she heard her name being scowled, she frowned. Pausing from stuffing items in her bag she found in the bottom drawers.
"I'm over here."
Amber's eyes widened and a soft gasp escaped her when she heard her voice from the opposite direction. She looked to see her comrade standing in confusion from the restroom entrance. Her heart skipped a beat, as the bouncing ceased. Something thumped on the floor.
Both were now staring towards the bedroom. A small figure then slowly convulsed from the dark. Its glaring eyes glistened and half the face was torn away, goring its permanent sneer. Blood caked its blue's clues pajamas and it growled at them. They all stood still while the two survivors stared in silence, when the infected sprinted at them gurgling and screaming psychotically.
"Oh no!"
Amber quickly raised her baseball bat and swung at it a couple of times. It kept coming, despite the hits and she kicked it away. Kayla ran to her aid, and both struck it with their weapons. The infected dropped on the floor, with more crimson and brain fluid staining the carpet.
"I hate kids. And babies." Kayla wiped the blood away on a balcony railing from her knife as Amber backed into the bedroom behind her in distraught. They could hear something going on with Keirstan and Zoey as Kayla moved closer to her partner. There was nothing behind her.
"That poor boy."
"...Well," Kayla quietly said, looking from her to the body. "He's at peace now. Let that bring some comfort." She glanced at Amber again, there was now someone else behind her.
Kayla's eyes widened and she moved faster than Amber could blink, she was shoved out of the way when someone's arm was raised into the air. The thing it held quickly plunged into Kayla's right shoulder. She screamed in agony as blood flecked into the air, on the walls and on some opened family photo books laying on a dresser.
Horrified and mouth agape, Amber cupped the piece of metal as Kayla staggered backwards. She followed as both looked to see what stood in front of them. A tall man stared back darkly. He was also covered in blood and other bodily fluids, his clothes torn and disgusting. His face and chest was also marred with fresh, deep cuts and dark veins. The man twitched as they moved away while Amber stared back in terror. The two raced for the stairs, with Amber supporting her shoulder while the infected heaved and wheezed, slowly stumbling after them. He staggered over the small body as Kayla looked back to see him in pursuit. He twitched again as his unblinking grey-orange eyes bored into hers.
She kept yelling as they ran down the steps, "what's going?-" Keirstan ran into view, and froze upon seeing her friend's injury. She looked above them to see the infected man not far behind. Kayla shouted in frustration, grasping the shrapnel sticking out of her and kicked a coffee table away, as Amber shakily prepared to strike the infected. He never blinked and his expression never changed. He wheezed again as he reached for a heavy-looking fire poker leaning against wall.
In the kitchen, Zoey seemed frozen, her flashlight held low as she stared at the figure sitting on the floor sobbing in the second back room. Wet footsteps led to it from outside. The sounds of panic and chaos were muffled in her ears.
She must of came in when they were in the basement.
Witches scared her.
They absolutely terrified her.
Her breath caught in her throat and every inch of her body trembled. Her breaths that did come out were short, quiet gasps as she slowly backed away. Not wanting to piss this thing off.
"-Ey! We gotta go! We gotta go now!"
Someone's terrified voice, crashing, breaking glass and the noises of melee weapons with effort, cracking against a skull and body snapped the college student out of her faze; at the same time the Witch snapped her head to look over at the survivor.
Zoey quickly increased the distance before whirling around as the sounds of beating continued. Whatever they were fighting against wasn't going down easily.
"Fuck! This! Shit!" Amber yelled with each whack.
The Witch stared at Zoey in hatred from over her shoulder.
Zoey turned back in the previous direction, when a loud and angry, drawn out growl met her ears. She watched as the Witch began to rise and Zoey's heartbeat did the same.
The blood-stained claws on one hand flexed and cracked by her side as the Witch slowly advanced towards her. She glared at Zoey through strands of tangled brown hair. All of a sudden, she was coming at her. Wailing and swiping furiously as she went; Zoey instinctively shot her last bullets at her, which only caused the Witch's anger to increase.
"No! Don't just!-You pulled it out." Amber watched as a hollering Kayla did just that, blood squirted from the wound. She chucked the metal shrapnel by the infected man, whose head and body was now all bashed and stabbed into oblivion. Pieces of his flesh and brain laid about on the floor and furniture. She held the bleeding wound, and the three raced towards Zoey as she ran for them. "No other way! Run like hell the other way!" She screamed throwing her hand out.
"Holy fucking shit I'm gone!" Amber shouted when the Witch barreled towards them. She caught Zoey's jacket, but Keirstan was able to kick her away from the side, just for a few moments. The Witch screamed as she stumbled and began slashing up the wall with much more fury any of them had ever seen from this strain. All four survivors scrambled wildly for the nearest exit as the special tore other things up during the chase. They threw themselves out of the house onto the porch, where Keirstan and Amber shot back up to slam the door shut. A clawed hand went straight through the door, making them jump back, just barely missing their faces from being ripped off.
Zoey helped Kayla up, despite her rants and they rushed for the street, taking out commons as they went. They could still hear the Witch's wails while they ran for the house, and eventually saw Ian pointing at them from where he and Francis stood. They must have heard a commotion because both were prepared as backup; or were about to make a break for it to assist them. They fired into a handful of commons racing at the girls from behind, and were highly alarmed seeing there was blood all over Kayla.
"What happened?!" Both men yelled in fear.
"I uh...wasn't careful."
"Fucking hell!" Francis carefully scooped her up and everyone rushed in the house. The girls panted heavily as the others came rushing in, reacting upon Kayla's injury. Amber began explaining through heavy breaths while Louis hurried over with a small first aid kit. Whilst Bill ran a hand through his hair as he examined the wound once her shirt came off. It was bleeding somewhat heavily; they immediately began to clean it, causing her to release small cries at the fizzling, burning alcohol.
"And so we should of done a better sweep." Amber finished in a shaky voice. Ian held her close, his face painted with worry much as Jordan and Beth's were while watching the procedure of taking care of the wound.
"I told you kid, Goddamn it!" Francis snarled, as he further examined the injury with Bill. She shrunk at his tone.
"She'll be alright. Be glad it's not anything worse." The veteran reminded in a calm voice.
"It shouldn't of happened in the first place!"
"Francis no, it was my idea." Keirstan stepped up. He glanced at her as Beth moved forward to get a better look. Kayla eyed her, then shakily handed her the bag. The younger sister stared at her then the bag, and hesitantly took it while the men continued to work together on the wound.
"You're gonna be ok." Louis comforted as she felt around inside. Beth assumed was medicine. She pulled out some cartons and realized they were brand new, still in the box inhalers. There were two of them, five in each packet. Beth looked back at Kayla in surprise, as did Francis once he saw what they were. She just watched in silence.
"Just in case."
Jordan blinked in stunned silence as small tears sprung in Beth's green-hazel orbs. She placed the inhalers back in the bag, "...stupid, don't do that again…"
Bill huffed out a breath with a shake of his head.
Kayla only smiled lightly. Next, she frowned, as her eyes narrowed nervously when Francis took a needle from Bill. She tensed and went to move away, he gently grasped her arm. "Hold still." He murmured. A small noise came out as she looked away.
Kayla grimaced as it pierced her skin. God she hated needles.
She could feel a burning in her eyes, so she turned her head away further from everyone. Amber wandered over to see how her friend was doing, "you didn't have to do that." She muttered.
"You didn't know it was behind you."
Amber didn't know what to say next. She lowered her eyes.
Francis gazed at her when he heard her sniffle. But she didn't look at him. He focused back on the stitching. "Yup. I'm sure it hurts, just hang on. Almost done."
...
After some time, the wound was well cleaned, stitched and tightly bandaged up. It took ten stitches to close the whole thing and it ran horizontally over her shoulder under her collarbone. She flinched at the pain as Francis and Beth helped her get comfortable on the sofa.
"Where'd the Witch go?" Ian quietly asked as he and Amber now stared outside.
"I don't know." Came the hushed reply.
Keirstan stared down at the floor from the recliner when she heard someone sit beside her. She knew who it was.
"...I should have known better. It was my idea. And someone got hurt..."
"Dude, this whole thing is out of our control. We can't predict what'll happen. She was willing to go. She knew the risks." Zoey replied.
They met eyes. "I know. She and Beth have always taken risks for me. I'm also sorry for snapping at you in there."
Zoey only smiled, "It's quite alright. I understand every word you said."
Keirstan cast her eyes away.
"Let's all..." Louis stopped when everyone out of the blue heard a helicopter in the distance. They listened as it became louder the closer it came.
"What the hell? What's this?" Bill exclaimed as all but one hurried for the front door. Jordan opened it, they were greeted by the cold night's now screaming winds and whipping snow. The helicopter hovered above the neighborhood with spotlights blaring down from inside.
"To anyone who can hear this!" Someone yelled, "in two days there will be an evacuation at mercy hospital!"
"Really? Two days?" Ian snarked.
"Yes, two days! I repeat! Proceed to mercy hospital for evacuation!"
The chopper began to fly off in the direction the city was in.
Jordan slammed the door shut and wiped the snow from his eyes. "Everyone got that?"
"Well I guess we know where to go now." Bill proclaimed. Francis shifted his orbs over to the sisters since Beth was sitting by her now. Worry flowed through him for the pain she would feel. He felt they should stay another day for her to rest; as everyone was now discussing the message with one another.
"I'll be fine," she smiled ironically at the thought of last time she said that. "We need to get going, right?"
Francis observed her quietly. Then cast his eyes down. "...Yeah. We do."
'Tough little shit.'
"Be fucking careful!" Beth slapped her good shoulder.
"Alright," Bill said after some minutes. "Let's prepare and get some rest. We've got a long day ahead."
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A/N: Yay they're finally moving on! What will happen in the city? Stay tuned!