Ch. 1
'Pilot Ep. Pt. One'
Opening her eyes, the auburn-haired teenager looked around her, her surroundings were unfamiliar, to say the least, a thick mist rolled along the ground, obscuring her feet.
Continuing her search, this all seemed otherworldly, a fantastical, bright light shone through the mist.
A man donning a dazzlingly white suit, complimenting his gray hair and goatee, trimmed and styled to perfection.
Watching the man move closer, he moved with elegant grace, while this man seemed perfect, he also felt approachable.
"Hello, Summer," the man said with a beaming smile, filled with a love that she couldn't place, it seemed to be almost fatherly.
"Uh, hi," Summer said, awkwardly as she shuffled her feet, nervously.
"Today's a big day, I hope you're ready," the man spoke in a calm voice, soothing, Summer figured he should be a narrator with such a voice.
"I... Definitely am," the teen said, playing along with whatever this conversation was.
With a loving smile, the man sighed at the thought of what was to come. "I have a question I wanted to ask," the older man said.
Summer shrugged her shoulders and pursed her lips awaiting the question, she didn't seem to know him, so what could he possibly ask for.
"How far?" The deep-skin-toned man asked in a warm, inviting voice.
"How far what?" The newly eighteen-year-old asked, clearly confused.
The man walked by her towards a brilliant light. "All will be clear in time," The man said with a smile continuing towards the light the man stopped walking abruptly and turned to face her with a look of sadness now gracing his features.
"I don't understand... What do you mean... How far?" The girl asked again.
"I am sorry for what will come," The man said with all honesty.
"Now wake up," The man said with a small smile before turning and walking into the light.
[Idaho Falls, ID 2012]
'BZZT BZZT BZZT' a digital clock's alarm sounded off.
Groaning and pulling the blanket over her head.
"Why..." the girl whined quietly, before turning to the alarm clock that read eight o'clock.
The girl swung her feet down to the carpeted floor, she looked at her calendar and sure enough, today was the day, Graduation day she stood quickly now fully awake at the prospect she walked to her dresser which held up a mirror with many pictures taped along the edges she kissed two fingers and placed them on a particular picture showing a young man and herself at a rodeo.
"Today's the big day man..." The girl said to the picture.
"Wish I knew where you were," the soon to be graduate said to the picture, longingly.
"Wish I'd get to see you today," The girl said before she started brushing her hair, once done she got up and stepped away from the dresser, and towards her closet, opening the sliding door, she looked at her options for a moment before grabbing out a white button-up shirt with short sleeves, and a pair of black jeans, a flannel would be set aside for if it got colder out, slipping into the clothes, she stepped out the door, immediately a flash of light dazed the girl.
"That one's a keeper," a middle-aged man said with a chuckle, looking at the picture on his phone, his daughter was growing up.
"Dad?" Summer exclaimed as she blinked away the stunning effects of being bombarded with a flash camera.
"I thought you had to leave early today?" The girl said, exasperated.
"We did, but we wanted to see you before we left, we'll still make it to your graduation," A woman said, with a smile.
"Right," the girl said, wishing her brother could be there.
"Gotta go to the bath--" the girl started.
"Hold on," Her father interrupted, looking a little vexed. "Someone here to see you..." her father finished, sounding perturbed as he motioned to the living room.
The young woman walked through the hallway, and as soon as she was in the living room she saw the man from the picture, her brother.
"Blake?!" Summer screamed in joyful shock as he stood up from the couch.
"What's up Lil sister?" Blake said with his arms open, the siblings met halfway, the young man enveloped Summer in a hug.
"It's so good to see you!" The girl said, ecstatically, squeezing tighter at the thought of him being here.
Releasing her from the hug, Blake mimed having a microphone. "We're here with Summer Christiansen, asking her how it feels to be graduating!" Blake said in a mediocre impersonation of the local news anchor.
"I can't wait to graduate!" Summer said, looking up at him still trying to believe he wass right there in front of her.
"I didn't think I'd see you today!" Summer exclaimed, smiling ear to ear.
Blake put his invisible microphone in his back pocket.
"The world would have to end for me to miss this day," Blake said with a genuine smile.
Summer scoffed. "I'd miss it if I could get away with it!" Summer said, looking at her parents who were giving her a stern look.
"What? Why would you do that? This is a big day!" Blake said, with enthusiasm.
"You literally grabbed your diploma and left," Summer said, thinking her brother was crazy.
"Fair," Blake said, dropping the façade.
"Let's catch up while the old folks go check on their hotel staff guess people are getting sick." Blake offered, ushering his sister to the couch.
"It's probably nothing, just the flu or something," Harold said, grabbing keys off the coffee table. "Keep your feet off this!" Harold added knowing his son's shenanigans.
"Alright, alright!" Blake said, putting his hands up in surrender.
"Behave you two," Edith said in a motherly tone as she was being pushed out the door.
Waiting for the door to close Blake looked at his sister. "So, wanna hear a story about how I went cliff-hanging on a remote mountain in Colorado?" The young man asked, noting Summer's enthusiasm.
"Ya! We got time," Summer exclaimed, setting her phone on the coffee table.
Two hours had passed of Blake telling Summer the adventures he had while backpacking and mountain climbing any chance he had.
"And that is how I became the most interesting man in the world!" Blake said, matter of factly.
Summer just stayed seated resting her back on the couch with her phone in hand. "Man... Must be nice..." Summer said, wondering if she would like his lifestyle.
Not knowing what to say next Blake stood up from the couch.
"Well, time to go... Ready?" Blake asked, stretching his arms before letting them fall to his sides.
Summer let out a sigh. "Ya... But I wanna see if mom and dad are about done first," Summer declared looking at her older brother.
"We'll take dad's car," Blake announced, picking up keys belonging to a Mercedes-Benz.
"Hold on! Why aren't we taking your car?" Summer asked, fearful of her father's wrath.
"My car's alternator doesn't recharge the battery, I haven't had time to fix it, or the money," Blake informed her. "Besides, by the time he figures it out, it'll be too late!" Blake added, with a devilish smile.
"You're gonna be in so much trouble!" Summer said, wondering why her brother had to do these things.
The siblings walked out of the white-painted, one-story brick house.
Jumping into the vehicle, Summer fastened her seatbelt and motioned with her forefinger that Blake should do the same.
After getting the idea, Blake complied before starting up the expensive vehicle, a devious smile as the engine came to life.
"Let's see if I remember my way," Blake breathed, backing out of the driveway.
"Your gonna get us lost aren't you?" Summer said, in a joking manner.
"Nah, lost is something I don't do well," Blake answered, proudly.
"Bull," Summer said, with a chuckle.
"Nah, I know my directions," Blake announced, gesturing in all directions with no hands on the wheel for a second.
"We're gonna die then since you're taking your hands off the wheel," Summer said, in a snarky manner.
"Nah, no way I'm drivin'," Blake said, with an indomitable confidence.
The siblings bantered throughout the car ride, ranging from past road trips to local stories around the neighborhood.
After a few minutes of driving, the siblings found themselves stopped behind a traffic jam.
"Traffic jam before rush hour..." Blake said, unamused.
"Must be families traveling to see their loved ones graduate?" Summer guessed
.
"The school doesn't have that many graduates," Blake said, putting the car in reverse and proceeding down a different road.
"What's with the cops?" Summer asked, seeing police in riot gear at the front entrance to the hotel.
"Uh," Blake pulled up to the door. "They're on to me?" Blake attempted to joke before rolling the passenger window down prompting an officer to approach the vehicle.
"Are either of you sick?" The officer asked, getting straight to the point.
The siblings exchanged looks of confusion. "No... We're not," Blake answered, honestly.
"Get out of your vehicle we'll have to search you." The officer said, opening the door to the vehicle as the other police officers converged on the vehicle.
"Wait! What?!" Summer yelled, immediately overwhelmed by the police that had now pulled her out of the vehicle.
"What the fuck!?!" Blake exclaimed, being pulled out of the vehicle as well.
"Any bites?" An officer asked, one of his comrades as they began to commence a strip search.
"Bites? What are you-- hey!" Summer exclaimed as the officers pulled up on her shirt checking her over.
Blake reached over and grabbed the closest officer to himself and attempted to pull the officer away from his sister.
"Watch it, shit head!" Blake yelled with a warning in his voice until one of the officers slammed his head into the roof of the car.
"Do not resist sir!" One of the officers ordered.
Feeling a warm liquid on his head, Blake blinked as he saw that it was blood, his blood. "Wha- what the fuck?!" Blake moaned in pain as the police continued their hunt.
After the frisk, the duo was forced into the hotel and into a room.
"This is bullshit!" Blake fumed, confused with this predicament.
Summer sat on the bed trying to gather her thoughts. "We just need to tell them our parents run this hotel, right?" Summer half asked, her older brother.
"I don't know," Blake admitted, stepping away from the door and sitting on the bed next to his sister.
As soon as Blake sat down the door opened up again they saw an assault rifle pointing in and a bag being handed into the room Blake stood up getting in front of his sister.
"What the hell is going on?!" Blake demanded.
"It's under control, '' the officer dismissed the question, tossing the bag to Blake.
"Here are some supplies, food, meds, if me or one of my partners come to the door, we will identify ourselves, If no one identifies themself, take that board and bar the door," The officer ordered the duo, pointing at the board laid in the corner.
"Our parents run the hotel!" Summer yelled.
The officer looked at her with a look of indifference. "Good for you," The officer answered, snarkily before shutting the door.
Blake sat down on the bed again. "Stupid!" Blake shouted, before sighing and falling back in the bed.
Summer got up from the bed and walked over to the bag finding exactly what was advertised. "Hey," Summer called to her brother who popped his head up in response.
"Hm?" Blake half answered, looking at Summer.
Pulling something out of the bag Summer looked to the injury her brother had sustained during the encounter with the officers. "Let me look at that," Summer said, gesturing to the now drying blood on her brother's head.
"Oh, ya, right sure," Blake said, sitting up and scooting to the edge of the bed again.
She checked his head over and dabbed a wet cloth on the wound.
"Ah! What is that?!" Blake hissed, staying still, fighting the urge to recoil.
"Alcohol," Summer informed her older brother.
"Well, it burns," Blake complained.
"Don't be a baby," Summer said, continuing her work.
Blake sat there in thought while she cleaned his head up. "What do you think they meant?" Blake asked, looking up at Summer.
"What do you mean?" Summer asked, not understanding this out-of-the-blue question.
"They asked if we were sick, why?" Blake elaborated, moving his hands to emphasize.
"I mean, this is a quarantine," Summer answered, gesturing to the room around them.
"I don't know, that seemed to mean something else to me," Blake said, doubt evident in his voice.
"Ya... maybe," Summer said, setting the rag down and picking up a sewing needle. "Hold still," Summer said, readying herself and the needle.
"Whoa, what the fuck ya think you're doing?!" Blake almost screamed when he saw her get close to his head with the needle.
"Blake, stop!" Summer said, in an authoritative voice.
"Just gimme a band-aid!" Blake yelled, crawling away from his sister. "Jeez!" Blake exclaimed when she gave up chasing him with a needle.
"You won't like it," Summer informed Blake, over her shoulder.
"A hell of a lot more than you stabbing me in the head," Blake shot back as he touched the now clean wound, a revelation hitting him. "Have you ever sewed something before?!" Blake asked, laying back on the bed holding his head wound.
"Uh," Summer hesitated for a moment. "I was just trying to help!" Summer justified, crossing her arms.
"Uh, ya, good intentions don't make you a pro," Blake said, looking at the ceiling but keeping his guard up, should his sister look to pounce on him with a piercing object.
"Ya," Summer said, sounding defeated.
"Chin up sis," Blake said, not very encouragingly.
"Here," Summer said, handing a Band-aid to Blake.
"A unicorn," Blake said, not amused.
"Well!" Summer said, throwing her hands in the air.
"Ya, ya, Fine," Blake said, putting the Band-aid on his wound.
"Gonna put your sister on the floor?" Summer asked.
"Nope," Blake said, rolling onto the floor with a thud.
The hours passed by, Summer was woke up by Blake, who seemed very tense.
"There was shooting, a lot of shooting!" Blake whispered, pointing to the window with a shaky finger.
The tense situation escalated when something seemed to run into the door to their room.
Summer immediately looked at the door and listened, trying to focus on what was behind the door.
"They aren't identifying themselves," Blake told her as they tried to figure out who was on the other side of the door.
"Hey, uh, who's there?" Blake called out through the door hearing nothing but moans and groans that sounded like it could be an injured person.
"Hello?" Blake called, again this time met with the sounds turning into growls, almost inhuman growls, monstrous growls.
Then the door started rumbling as someone hit it, then another, then many people were now hitting the door.
"G-go away!" Blake yelled, yielding no results.
"What do they want?!" Summer asked, fear in her voice.
"I don't know!" Blake said, trying to figure out what to do.
"GO AWAY!" Summer screamed as the pounding became more intense.
The door was rattling in place, barely able to stand the stress it was under.
"Shit, that ain't gonna hold!" Blake exclaimed, stepping over to the door putting his body against it.
Summer could see the door starting to give way, the silhouettes of several heads could be seen but no features could be discerned.
"Ffuucckk" Blake cried, straining against the assailants on the opposite side of the door, looking for something to bar entrance with. "The board!" Blake exclaimed, remembering the board the officer told them to use if needed.
Blake let off the door for a moment before immediately slamming himself back into the door as it had given way.
Summer was now crying in horror. "Summer get the board!" Blake ordered, getting bumped off the door for a split second.
Summer ran to the 4x4 board and handed it to Blake who quickly slammed it into place. "Just... hang in there... just hold on!" Blake tried to soothe Summer in between grunts of effort and heavy breathing. "Go get in the bathroom, lock your ass up!" Blake shouted as the roar of the intruders rose in volume.
"Blake, no!" Summer said, sobbing as she held her hands to her head scrunching her hair in terror.
"I ain't goin' anywhere I'll get you when it's safe, don't come out until then, alright!? Now go!" Blake yelled as he shoved into the door again, trying to keep the attackers at bay.
Sobbing, Summer did what she was told, running to the bathroom and locking the door. Summer hid in the bathtub, silently sobbing as minutes turned into hours, she couldn't remember when she stopped hearing any noise from outside the bathroom. Did they get in? Did they go away? She didn't know, she hoped Blake would come soon, Summer was more afraid for her brother than for herself.
One half down another to go. I'll have it up in a little bit!