She awoke with a start, her heart hammering in her chest. At first she didn't know what was wrong.
Had she had a bad dream? Had it all been a dream?
Slowly memories of yesterday filtered through her mind. Her gut began to drop, her heart race picking up as she felt bile rise.
Please be a dream.
She rose out of her bed, her covers, damp with sweat, falling to her lap. She went to get up only to trip as her legs were tangled in the blanket.
She fell forward to the floor, reflexively holding her hands out to stop her fall.
"Sonofabitch!" She yelled, rolling to her side while holding her hand to her chest. The once dull throb came back at full force, slapping her back to reality. It hadn't been a dream. Everything had happened. She had killed people-
The door burst open, showing a ragged Bailey.
"Joe?! Are you alright-" her voice died down as she noticed the withering Joe on the floor, whispering curses left and right.
"What the hell are you doing on the floor?" Bailey asked as she scrambled forward to help her stand, Joe gave her a small glare and huffed.
"I fell." She grumbled, hissing again as she accidentally clenched her hand. Bailey looked down and frowned, noticing the blood splotches appearing in the once clean bandage. Last night Bailey had re-wrapped her hand after Joe and her had showered. They decided to leave Sarah, seeing as she had already passed out on the bed.
"C'mon, I'll rebandage it. But if you keep opening up the fresh scabs it'll scare." Bailey trailed off at the end, blinking tiredly. Looking closer, Joe noticed bags under Baileys eyes. She had almost missed it with her tan skin.
"I don't think scaring is the worst of our problems." Joe said, glancing to the covered windows as she sat on the couch with a small groan. Bailey went to her kitchen table where she had left the first aid kit she had had the previous night.
Joe glanced to the spare room, which held Sarah.
"Is she still asleep?" Joe questioned, looking down at the watch on her wrist, only to notice that it's hands stopped at 6pm and the glass was cracked.
"Yeah, I checked on her last night. She was about the same but her fever seemed to have risen. Also the power went out, so I lit some of your candles." Bailey sat next to Joe on the couch, carefully beginning to unwrap Joe's appendage.
Upon further inspection Joe noticed that the lamp was indeed off and her lavender scented candle was lit on her coffee table, along with some tall ones she had gotten from a wedding years ago.
"D'you get much sleep last night?" Joe asked, looking away with a hiss after getting a sight of her hand. It was raw and bloody, it looked like she punch a grate.
"No. Neither did you I take it." She commented, Joe snorted, leaning her head on her couch.
In truth, she had slept. But it was restless, and her mind was blank. And that scared her.
She always dreamed, she was dreamer. Sometimes waking up and thinking of her dreams was the highlight of her day. But there was nothing.
She yawned, rubbing her face with her left, and undamaged hand. As Bailey worked in silence, Joe began to trail off in thought.
It was quiet. Very quiet. Not just inside her house but everywhere in general.
No car horns, no noise of traffic, people talking, people screaming. There had been a lot of that earlier. But now?
Nothing but… silence.
"Do you hear that?" Joe asked, looking pointedly to her covered windows. Bailey froze, hands still applying a fresh layer of gauze.
"Hear what?" Her voice was tinted with confusion and a bit of fear.
"Exactly." Joe said, standing up as Bailey finished with her hand. She quietly walking towards her windows, her footsteps deafening.
"What are you doing?" Bailey whispered in panic, taking a small step back while eyeing the curtains fearfully. Now held a finger up to her lips and let go a quiet 'shh'.
Slowly she pulled a small crack open, leading into the street. Her heart dropped to her stomach.
There were bodies, laying half- half eaten in the street. Their organs in piles outside of their bodies. There were people- things eating the dead peoples organs.
She stumbled back, getting one last glance at the sky, dark grey smoke billowed up in different streams, seemingly filling the sky.
She fell to her ass with a gag, her hands flying to cover her mouth to prevent herself from screaming, scared- no, terrified that the- things outside would hear her.
"Joe?" Baileys voice broke, tears already streaming down her face as she helped her shuffle back away from the window.
"Joe?! What's going on?" Bailey said more panicked, glancing frantically between the window on the stricken girl. Joe swallows thickly.
"I- there-" she breathed ruggedly, fumbling to stand up, Bailey following her lead. She roughly ran her hand through her hair, the other hanging limply.
"There eating eachother.. in the streets." She harshly whispered, pacing slightly. The colour seemed to drain from Baileys face as she looked back at the window, the to Joe.
"Eating? Wh-where are the police? The S.W.A.T team?! The army?" Bailey whispered back quickly, trying to find some, any solution to what the fuck was going on.
"They're gone Bailey! Just-.. shit." Joe breathed out, slumping on the couch. Bailey slowly sat down, while giving slow, hesitant glances to the window.
"Gone?" Bailey said, voice just above a whisper. Joe didn't respond.
There was thump and then a groan. Joe's heart stopped. Slowly, both she and Bailey looked towards the spare room where the noise had sounded. Bailey gulped as Joe stood, quietly walking towards the door.
She halted in front of it, looking back to Bailey as the woman stood. She pointed at the gun and Bailey nodded, side stepping toward it and tossed it to Joe, who caught it and fixed her grip.
She closed her eyes a moment, gaining her composure. Grasping the handle with her left, she help the gun up in her right. Ignoring the agitating feeling it gave her.
With a deep breath she opened the door.
Instantly she was greeted to the sight of Sarah, laying on the floor.
She stepped forward, her heart rate steadily increasing. Sarah groaned, rolling onto her side. Joe froze.
"Sarah..?" Joe asked, scared to take another step forward.
"Yeah?" Sarah grumbled from the floor, coughing afterwards. Joe let out a huge sigh of relief, tossing the gun on the bed to help Sarah stand up.
"Bailey!" Joe called. The woman ushered in, a relieved smile in her face. Joe and Bailey both made eye contact. They had both feared the worst.
Bailey went to Sarah's other side, reaching out to help only for Sarah to scream as she made contact. The scream lasted antagonizing long and Once Joe was aware of what she was doing, she slapped her hand over Sarah's mouth, who whimpered, her arm hanging limply.
"What the hell-" Bailey began, only to be cut off as loud thumping and growls sounded from the window.
"Fuck." Joe spat, rushing forward, eyes wide. Bailey quickly grabbed onto Sarah, blindly following Joe.
"Joe?" Bailey asked, looking to the window with terrified eyes. They stood in the hall for a moment, Joe completely dumb struck. They were going to get in.
They were going to rip them open and eat them-
"JOE!" Bailey screamed as the window shattered and one of them fell through.
Without thinking Joe pivoted to the right, stumbling towards the staircase. The groaning and shuffling only made them stomp up the stairs quicker.
"There!" Joe yelled, referring to one of the bedrooms. They battled into the room, Bailey slamming the door shut behind them. Joe dropped Sarah to the floor who groaned. She rushed forward and began to push the queen sized bed in front of the door.
"Bailey help me!"she urged the woman, who stepped beside her and helped push. They stepped back, panting once they finished. Joe turned away as footsteps began to ascend the stairs, accompanied by hungry growls.
"Shit, shit, shit." She swore, pacing back and forth. Bailey crouched down to Sarah, frantically rubbing her back as if that would make everything alright, looking to Joe for help.
Joe stopped, staring out the bedroom window. Looking over the roofing, she could see people- the dead ones walking towards her house. Ice filled her veins. They weren't safe here. They needed to go, now.
Bailey cried out as hands began to bang on the door.
Joe yanked the window up, looking out on the roof. Then to the house next door. She looked back at her two companions.
"We can do it. Well jump on the roof of my neighbor, and hide in there." She spoke, walking back and helping Sarah stand.
"The roof? We're going to jump-"
"We don't have any other choice!" Joe cut Bailey's protests. As valid as they were they didn't have a choice. It was either jump or die. There was no way in hell she was dying before she got to her brother.
"Ok." Bailey said shakily, jumping as another harsh bang landed on the door. It was rattling hard now.
Joe stepped out first, got her footing and then began to help Sarah out, who wobbled slightly. She held the woman as Bailey herself climbed out.
"Close the window." Bailey did as told, them carefully made her way over.
The three woman slowly shuffled towards the edge of the roof. Peering down once they made it. A few of the dead ones had noticed them on the roof, and began to crowd together, reaching up feebly. They looked back as the door inside the bedroom slammed open, the sound of growls intensifying.
"Ok, I'll go and then Bailey you'll go, and then Sarah you'll go, and we'll help pull you the rest of the way up."
The distance wasn't far, with it only being around 5 feet, she was somewhat confident she would make it.
With a deep breath, Joe jumped, landing on her side with a grunt.
"C'mon Bailey." Joe wheezed, standing up. Bailey made sure Sarah wouldn't fall on her own, before jumping over. Joe helped her stand once she found her bearing.
The window shattered and Bailey gasped as a dead one came out with it.
"Sarah, jump!" Joe urged, holding her hand out, quickly glancing down at the growing pile of dead ones under them.
Sarah stumbled before jumping. As she made it to the other side, her foot slipped. And she was rugged down by gravity.
Joe yelled out as she grabbed Sarah's arm, Bailey holding on too. Sarah screamed, looking down terrified as the group adjusted and began reaching for her.
"Pull!" Joe wheezed, her voice dying with fear.
The dead one on the roof came tumbling down, bumping into Sarah as it plummeted. A dead one grabbed Sarah's foot, eliciting a scream. Bailey looked at the growing pile of dead ones with huge, wild eyes. She looked to Joe.
"Forgive me." She said. Joe looked at her confusingly, only to widen her eyes in horror as Bailey let go. Just as she was about to be tugged down, Bailey wrapped her arms around Joe's mid section, pulling her away from Sarah. Her grip slipped. Sarah fell.
"Sarah!" Joe screamed, however it was covered by Sarah's one of agony. The dead ones ripped into a withering Sarah. Joe gagged as Bailey began to pull her backwards.
"Forgive me." Bailey repeated.