The drive to my aunt Shelby's house is. . . eventful. Especially since I got shotgun, which angered my brothers, but other than that, with my brothers and dad, everything is always eventful. Our mom left us for some guy that I'm told was super sexy. Now it's just me and my brothers and my dad. Life isn't so bad I guess.
"Izzy!" My oldest brother Carter calls. From the truck bed. I open the window so we can communicate easier. "I bet ya $10 that the cowboys are gonna win." He says.
The reason we're going to my aunt's is because our TV broke (courtesy of my brother Colton) and there is no way in hell were going to miss the game. Tonight's game is the cowboys (my dad, Carter, Colton, and another one of my brothers Colbys team) and the falcons (mine and my last brother Cruzs team. Not to mention our home team).
Yeah, this is going to one hell of a game. "Deal." I say. We spit and shake.
"Ya idiot!" I hear Colton shout. I look back in time to see a few of his poker chips fly onto the road behind us.
"I'm sorry, man!" Cruz puts his arms up, trying to defend himself. We all know Colton has anger management issues but there's no way in hell we can afford a counselor or something of the like.
"Ya ain't playin' with my poker set no more!" Colton yells back, picking up his cards and the rest of his chips and placing them roughly in the brief case.
"What was that that just came out of your mouth boy?!" My dad says sternly.
Colton sighs, exasperated "I'm not letting you touch my game again."
"That's right, in this family we talk right." My dad adds.
"Actually," Colby says, pushing his big black glasses up on his nose, "The correct way to say it is 'we speak correctly.'"
We all ignore himbecause we know he'll stuff his face back in the book in his hands if we do. Colby is nothing like the rest of us. His favorite sport is chess. His favorite thing to do is read. He's the biggest germaphobe that's ever lived. He wears his Sunday clothes all the time. Our favorite sport is football. Our favorite thing to do is hunt or fish. We love the mud and dirt. We live jeans and tshirts.
Even though Colbys different, we love him the same. He's family. We're all family no matter what.
"Izzy, hand me a beer." Carter says.
"Ya know a beer ain't gonna help with that hangover." I say as I give him the beverage out of the cooler by my feet.
"Incorrect little sis. I'll be fine after I drink this beer, but in the long run I'm gonna drink more." My brother might not always be sober but he's always been there for me.
I chuckle and lean my head against the window. We should make it just in time for the game. My aunt and her kids live closer to the city than we do, so it's quiet the drive. Her kids (my cousins) are Mia who's 6 and Christen who's 10. They're both younger than me but not by too much. Since they live farther away, we plan on staying the night.
Carter is my oldest brother at 21. Coming next is Colton at 19. Third is Cruz who's 18. Then Colby who's 17 and me who's 15.
My dad turns up the radio as my favorite artist Luke Bryan comes on. He's singing shake it for me. That's my favorite.
"Ah man! Dad ya know what happens when this dog crap singer comes on!" Cruz grumbles as I start to sing.
"Somebody's sweet little farmers child,
with a cattle in her bud, to get a little wild,
ponytail and a pretty smile,
rope me in from a country mile,
so come over here get in my arms,
spin my around this big ol' barn,
tangle me up like grandma's yarn,
yeah yeah yeah!"
"Shut up!" Colton yells at me.
"Make me!" I yell and continue singing.
Once the song is over, a Dj comes on "Hello, now before the next song comes on, I just want you guys to hear about the attacks. There have been sightings of diseased people who are known to be dead and eating alive people! No that wasn't static, these diseased beings are feeding on other humans. As for now, you shouldn't worry, the government has everything under control. But I do recommend that you-" Before he could finish, my dad turned the radio off. There was silence in our truck.
"Dad?" Carter whispers.
"I know." I watch his knuckles get white as he grips the wheel.
They're hiding something. And it's not like last winter when they hid that 14 point buck.
"Guys, we're going home tonight." My dad says. We're in such shock that he makes the U-turn before anyone says anything.
"Why?" Cruz whines. "The government have it under control!"
"An' when have ya known the government ta have anythin' under control?" Colby snaps.
"Dad!" I jump in, "Please! It's gonna be dark by the time we get home! We'll miss the game! How are we supposed to know who wins?!"
"Y'all's safety is more important than some stupid football game." His eyes don't wander from the windshield.
"What's going on?" Colton asks, obviously catching on that something's not right.
"Shit!" My dad curses as the truck beeps to let us know we're out of gas. The engine sputers to a stop in the middle of the high way. We're an hour from our house. Two hours from Shelby's.
My dad pounds a fist on the dashboard.
"It's fine dad. Look over there," Colton says pointing to a truck similar to ours, just newer, a few hundred yards infront of us. "We take that and we'll be on our way."
"Ya want ta steal a car?" I ask. I mean, I'm not surprised, it's Colton.
"It won't go ta waste. We'll use it ta get home then use it ta pick up this piece of junk tomorrow." He says smacking the side of the truck roughly.
"Come on." My dad says and we start towards the other vehicle.
"If my assumptions are correct - and they usually are - then this is grand theft auto." Colby states. I roll my eyes, "Which the consequences include steep fines up to $5,000 and-"
"Shut up." Colton snaps.
My dad spits on the pavement as we get to the truck. He starts to the door and falls back immediately, "What the shit?!"
I wander up behind Carter to look inside the vehicle. I stumble and am caught by the arm by Cruz.
In the car are two decaying bodies. There are flies and blood stains around and both bodies seem to have been here a while.
"What the hell happened?" Carter chokes out.
The drivers body moves. The jaw cracks and a growl escapes it's lips. It lunges out the window. It grabs my arm and reaches to bite me as I squirm to get away. I see my life flash before my eyes. Suddenly Carter lands a punch it the monsters jaw just before his teeth sink into my flesh. I pull my arm away and feel for a bite, even though it's obvious nothing's there. I let out a shaky breath as my dad and brothers crowd around me.
"Is that what the Dj was talkin' 'bout?" Cruz stammered anxiously.
"Yeah." My dad says shortly.
"How do we kill it?" I ask.
"Well the thang is, it's already dead." Carter says, "'Parently it's a disease ya get from bein' bitten or scratched by one of tha infected. They make ya sick and ya die of a fever. After a while. . . ya come back. But as one of those."
My brothers and I stare in wonder. My dad and Carter must have figured this out when they went to the city on Tuesday.
"How do ya make it dead fer real?" I stammer.
"Ya kill the brain." My dad utters looking only at the decaying monster lunging for us through the window.
"I got an idea." Colton says.
We stand back. Colton opens the door of the truck and the monster falls out. His decayed body thumps. Colton stomps it's brains out. Blood spurts everywhere. All over Colton's new Frye Billy pull on's and up his blue jeans. I saw the blood. Then I smelt it. The smell of old, rotted rust.
It was absolutely disgusting.
"Stop!" I yell, pulling Colton off of the squished brains, "It's dead. Ya can stop now."
I look to the west. There's only a few hours till sunset.Then I looked to the east and see Atlanta. Just the top of the tallest buildings.
"What 'bout tha other one?" Colby asks, pointing towards the other body.
"Look over here." My dad says from the other side of the truck. I jog around the bed and look into the passenger seat. The second decaying body has a knife through this side of it's head. My dad pulls it out with a squishing sound. I wince in disgust.
"That is absolutely revolting." Colby says simply as my dad wipes the knife on the ankle of his muddy jeans.
"Yer so girly." Cruz spits then starts walking back towards the truck.
Slowly, hesitantly, the rest of us follow. My dad and Carter stay back, to get the gas from the truck and place it in ours.
"What's the plan?" Carter asks my dad. He's now claimed shotgun and I'm to scared to argue.
"Atlanta." My dad says. He starts the engine and continues driving towards the city.
"But what if the city's full of those. . . thangs?" Colby utters nervously, "If I'm correct, and I usually am, then the city will be full of those. . . ahem. . . beasts."
"What makes ya say that?" I ask slightly annoyed. The wind blows a few strands of hair into my face, I brush them out of the way.
"This seems like an invasive disease. Meanin' its gonna be bigger in the city's. We'd do best back home." Colby says, matter-of-factly.
My father and Carter seem to mull this over. "Alrigh'." My dad decides. "I just want y'all to know I love y'all. Y'all are my everythang."
I feel a little uncomfortable, in my family we don't usually share emotions like this. "I love y'all too. Y'all are my boys." I say, making them laugh.
A/N - This is a bit of a longer one - shot, but I was planning on actually posting it about a month ago, but I hadn't even started chapter 2 yet, and I had no idea for the plot. Anyways if you want this story, review 'Izzy and her brothers'.