The sky was darkening in varying shades of purple and pink. A girl moves silently down a residential street where abandoned and burned vehicles peppered the cracked pavement. Her blue=green eyes scanning, always scanning. First sign of movement she'd take cover behind the closest tree or car.
But nothing moved.
No life of any kind.
Just empty streets and houses.
Zoey Moss spots a Victorian house near a cul-de-sac and decides to see if it was unlocked.
It is as she pushes the red color door open and enters the dark house.
Dank, musky odors fill her nostrils. Something is rotting as she cautiously moves through the living room. The furniture covered under thick layers of dust. Upon entering the expansive kitchen, she sees what was causing the icky smell.
Spread out on the large island table are fixings for a meal. She couldn't recognize what the items are for the green molds have taken over.
Stepping around the island, she crosses over to the closest counter and began rummaging through each cupboard, both upper and lower.
The only items salvageable are a can of spam, and a sealed container of unsalted peanuts. She shoves them into her pack and slips it back over her right shoulder.
Quietly walking down a hallway, she spots a portrait of a family on the wall.
Stopping for a moment, she studies their faces.
A couple no older than mid 20s, and their two younger children, a girl probably five, and an older girl whose hand draped over her younger sister's shoulder.
A knot forms in the pit of her stomach, and she quickly looks away.
They reminded her too much of her own family.
Tears threaten to spill as she blinks her eyes furiously to hold them back.
She had a family once.
Before any more thought could be formulated, something catches her attention as she turns her head to the left and froze.
She stands in the middle of a hallway which near the center is a narrow, long box window. Beyond the glass, across a short yard to a house next door, a figure of a child stands alone.
He looks to be no older than five. His blonde hair matted with mud. His clothes tattered and dirtied. Streaks in red and brown covered his wide face; but it's his eyes that stand out.
They no longer held any color, just a white film that completely encases the eyeballs essentially blinding the boy.
Oh, crap…crap…crap…the words keep repeating in her mind as her eyes widen.
She is keenly aware of her breathing as she tries to slow it down, but to no avail as it quickens instead. If she is not able to control it, she fears she'll start to hyperventilate, and he will surely hear her then.
The boy continues to stand, his face now raises towards the sky as if he is trying to see something.
She isn't sure how long she remained there, but it isn't very long before the boy's body slowly disappears into the murkiness as the sun vanishes behind the distant tree lines.
Breathing in and exhaling as slowly as she can, she steps away from the window and back into the kitchen.
If there is one boy, there will certainly be more since they rarely hunt alone. She isn't going to be able to leave so she might as well find a spot in the house for the night.
Knowing she didn't want to stay on the main floor, she heads for the stairs in the living room, and her right foot presses down on the first step.
To her horror, the action resulted in a loud creak of the board.
Nearly an instance later, the front door shook from something impacting it from outside.
Oh, damn!
With no choice, she bounds up the stairs, races down the hall, turns a corner and sees another flight of stairs and dashes for them, taking three steps at a time until she reaches the top, and come to a complete stop.
Straining, she listens for any noise from the ground floor.
The pounding has stopped.
This means either they've given up, or they are inside the house.
A cold shiver runs down her back as she scans for any way out and spots a door at the end of this hallway.
Upon reaching it, she turns the knob and opens the door revealing a narrow set of stairs. Closing the door behind her, she moves up yet another set of stairs which end at yet another door.
She opens it and finds herself in the attic.
This is it. There is no more running. She's now stuck with no other way out.