2 months, 2 weeks.
It had been 2 months and 2 weeks. I was still stuck in that small little store hiding from whatever might come for me. Sure, maybe it's not good to not leave a space for that long but it was basically what I did during summer break anyway so I mean, what's the difference?
My usual day would consist of sitting around and playing whatever game I could think of playing. Beer pong but with myself. Which, I would always win and lose at the same time. Luckily, alcohol doesn't expire and this place had a very refreshing amount of vodka.
There were some charged portable chargers so I could charge my phone and play some stupid games I'd have downloaded on my phone. No service so it was just me and my lonely puzzle games that didn't give a shit about the internet.
I could also play tic tac toe with myself, try to make my parkour challenges with myself, use a stick and whatever that rolls to make my mini-golf course, and see how well I could complete what I created, and my personal favorite, chubby bunny challenge.
My top score was 23.
For someone who was in a zombie apocalypse that barricaded themselves inside of a small corner store and who never left, I was fairly happy. I had the occasional jump scares but nothing I couldn't handle.
Well, until someone broke the glass front doors and started kicking through my barricade.
"Fuck," I mumbled to myself. I quickly grabbed my bag and rushed into the back room and closed the door, not forgetting to lock it. I grabbed a metal pipe that I had found in the back and would usually use as my golf club and held it tight in my hands. I held it so tight that even my knuckles began to turn white. I slid my back against the wall and sat on the floor in fear. I was breathing heavily in fear that whoever was here would take all that I had or even try and take my life. It couldn't have been a zombie, because zombies didn't talk.
I heard the noise of the boxes being pushed to the side. It was quick and easy, so whoever was around was strong. I heard some small speaking and then some ruffling around. It wasn't until it felt like the footsteps got a bit closer to me that I could finally hear some voices and what seemed like a once sided conversation.
"First the barricade and now empty alcohol bottles and what seems to be tic tac toe games?" A male voice questioned. "Someone had to have lived here. Or still do."
"Do you think we should check around to see if anyone is here?" The voice spoke again. Then silence. "Are you sure? Someone could need our help." He questioned whoever was with him.
There was still silence and some sliding around. "Oh, thank you." The man thanked the silent person. "There's a backroom, there could be more stuff back there."
I started to panic more, my breathing and heartbeat becoming quicker. My grip on the pipe got tighter when I thought I had already held it as tight as I possibly could. I heard and saw the doorknob wiggling. Before I knew it, tears started to rush down my cheeks. This was the end for me, wasn't it?
"Back up." A different voice spoke. A quiet one, yet it felt familiar.
Before I knew it there was a loud bang and the doorknob completely broke. I started to hyperventilate, knowing whoever was here was strong and had a tough weapon. I wasn't strong enough to even be able to use this pipe to my advantage. I didn't want to die yet. I didn't want to die. I wanted to make it out of here. Fuck, I wish I was at least drunk for this so then maybe my blacked-out self wouldn't remember being beaten or even being killed.
The door was pushed open and a tall man with black hair, a blue sweater, white shirt, black jeans with a belt, and some black sneakers walked in and looked around.
"Don't come any closer!" I stood up and attempted to threaten who I saw to be a stranger. "I have a pipe that I don't know how to use but I'm sure as hell not afraid to use it!" I spoke with a little too much honesty. I silently cursed at myself for making me seem even weaker than I already probably looked. But as soon as the man turned to me in complete confusion and shock did I see his face.
"Mouse?" I dropped the pipe hearing a loud clank with it as I stared at him, taking in all of his features.
His mouth just fell slightly open as he looked at me. "Liyah?"
"Oh my fuck, Mouse!" I shouted with nothing but joy and ran at him at full speed to jump to his height and hug him as fast as I could, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around my waist. In an instant, he hugged me back placing his head on my shoulder facing towards my face and neck.
"Oh my God, you're alive." I began to cry again, but this time with nothing but happiness and relief rather than fear. "I missed you so much, I missed you so so much," I spoke through my tears and sniffles.
He tightened the hug before he whispered, "I missed you so much, too."
"Did I miss something here?" The man next to us that Ethan had come with watched yet spoke with a soft chuckle.
Ethan, probably remembering that we weren't alone, softly placed me down. I swiftly wiped away my tears with the jacket I wore. His jacket that I wore.
The man I saw had bright white hair with beautiful violet eyes, but they didn't compare to Ethan's sea-green eyes. To me at least.
"Harry, this is Aaliyah." Ethan introduced me. I shyly waved in response. "My math partner."
"That's how you greet your math partner?" He looked at both of us with disbelief yet entertained.
"Yes." We both responded in unison.
"He was my math partner but one of my closest friends," I stated. "He wasn't at school the day this all started. I didn't know where he was or what happened to him. I was so sure I lost him." I spoke with sincerity and sadness.
Ethan looked back at me again and took a look at my clothing. "Is that my letterman jacket?" He quietly asked.
I looked up at him and smiled. "You asked me to wear it to your game. I wore it that day to school. It was what I had left of you and I guess I kept wearing it in hopes that I'd still be able to make it to your game. Even though this was hell, I just wanted to feel like I could still make it. Just kept telling myself the game was postponed because of rain or some shit. Maybe I'm insane, but weirdly enough it kept me sane. Plus it's warm and it's fucking freezing here." I ended with a giggle.
Ethan didn't smile often but a very small one crept onto his face. "Thank you."
"Is this where you've been staying for the past 2 months?" Harry had asked me. I nodded in response. "What did you do this whole time?"
"Beer pong, mini-golf, chubby bunny, tic tac toe, y'know, the usual boredom cures." I shrugged in response. "Speaking of which, my chubby bunny high score is 23."
Harry smiled at me then looked back at Ethan. Ethan just looked at Harry with a pleading expression before asking, "Can she?"
"I don't know if Lawrence would like it due to our current circumstances. After Scarlett-"
"But she isn't Scarlett." Ethan quickly interrupted the white-haired boy with a strict expression. "I know she's been gone only for a couple of days, but that doesn't mean we can just leave someone behind. Especially someone that I know is capable of more."
His last sentence caused a bit of heat to rise to my cheeks and an awkward smile to creep onto my lips. Was I really capable?
"Ethan, I know she's important to you-"
"We can't just leave her here!" Ethan stood his ground, raising his voice which was fairly rare for him.
Harry sighed. "We can bring her back, but we can't make any promises that the rest will let her stay. We already have enough going on and a lot of people to be suspicious of, it's hard to think we can just bring someone back with us."
"I'm not letting her be alone out here." Ethan sternly spoke. He stared at Ethan with nothing but complete determination and almost anger. "And I'm not taking no for an answer. If it's by any chance possible I can get her to stay, I'll do it."
I smiled at Ethan, then turned to Harry with a glossy finish over my eyes. "Please?" I quietly pleaded.
He sighed. "Okay," he accepted. "Just be careful, okay?"
I nodded excitedly.
I quickly grabbed my bag from the back, stuffing it with some food and a bottle of vodka without the two notices, as they stuffed more into some of the bags they had. They said if I couldn't stay they'd walk me back and give back the food. Yet, Ethan was very adamant about not letting me be alone.
The walk back was pretty nice. I was talking to Harry a lot, catching up with Ethan to the best of my ability though most of his responses were gestures rather than words. I didn't mind though, I missed my little quiet and timid mouse. It felt even better knowing he had a slight grin every time I spoke to him. It made everything worth it.
It was a fairly clear walk to the place that the boys had come from. A run-down school that looked so abused and tattered, but probably the safest place for these two.
"How many people stay here?" I asked wearily as they closed the gates behind me.
"7 in total, that's including me and Ethan," Harry spoke, almost a bit saddened after answering.
I just nodded in response, thinking it was in my best interest to not pry into this. I already heard about someone being named Scarlett that seemed to not be around anymore.
We calmly entered the school building, Ethan holding his baseball bat over his shoulder while I held my makeshift golf club that was peaking out of my backpack. I was incredibly nervous, unsure of what people would think of me. Could I stay? Would they kick me out? Am I worth keeping?
It took a small bit to get into a classroom where a couple stood. 4 other boys and 2 other girls.
Wait.
"Sue?" I asked in shock and confusion.
The girl turned to face me. "Aaliyah?" Her voice raised.
I just screamed, dropped my bag, and ran to her, hugging her with full force. "Oh my God, Sue you're okay." My voice cracked. "I thought I lost you."
"I thought I lost you too." Sue spoke to me. "Where were you when it broke out? You never came home." Sue placed her hands on my shoulders and lightly pushed me back and looked at me with a face of concern.
"I got in a car accident on my way home and blacked out. I didn't wake up until it was dark." I explained. "How did you know I wasn't home? Were you at my home? Did you see my parents? How are your parents? Is everyone okay?" I asked quickly, needing these answers.
I immediately regretted asking when I saw Sue's face fall. "I'm sorry-"
"Sue, please don't," I started to tear up. "They didn't make it did they?"
Sue looked at me with nothing but sadness. Her heart was broken and you could see it in her eyes. "My parents and I rushed over to your place with our van to pick your parents and you up. When we got there your parents were panicking because you weren't home yet. They wanted to keep waiting. We knew we couldn't. They left a note in your house telling you what was happening and saying they'd come back every day to check for you. When they got in the van and we started to leave, we got to an okay distance before like you, ended up in a car accident. What was worse was that we were immediately swarmed by zombies. If they weren't killed in the crash they were eaten." Sue began to tear up. "I was the only one who made it."
No tears were able to fall. They just built up at my waterline but were quickly drying up. Why couldn't I cry? Was I in too much shock? Were they really dead? Are they really gone? At the moment it hadn't hit me yet until the room became blurry and I couldn't see straight. I felt myself stumbling slightly before hearing mumbled voices around me that seemed to be in panic yet I couldn't hear a single word that was spoken by anyone. And, once again, the world fell black.