Chapter 2: Bitter Reality

Her eyelids flew open the next morning. For a split second she forgot about everything but when she saw her mother's lifeless eyes everything came rushing back.

"It's a nightmare it has to be…wake up, wake up!" She shouted hitting herself. "I don't want this to be true…" she looked over at James and waited for him to jump up and scare her. She wanted him to say this was all a big prank but the minutes passed and he remained still. Her eyes began to water up again and she got up and ran away from their lifeless bodies. She didn't know where she would go but she wanted to be as far away from this village as possible. Her hands covered her eyes wanting to block everything out. Her foot hit something and she fell over someone. Bernice didn't move from the spot she landed on, she was afraid to open her eyes and see she was lying on a dead body. But this one was different it wasn't cold it was warm. She opened her eyes and met blue sparkling eyes.

"Jim…" she whispered, he blinked twice before moving out from under her. She saw him holding Luca. She noticed Luca's eyes were wide open like her mother's…

"H-he's sleeping right?" She stuttered ignoring the fact that his eyes were open. Jim shook his head slowly and gripped his brother tighter. Bernice felt a pang of guilt wash over her Luca had left with that woman. Now he was dead her hands shook she was such a coward she was too afraid to go after them. All she did was fall asleep after seeing Luca leave with the strange woman she looked at Jim. He was probably the only living person besides herself. She waited for Jim to say something or do something but he didn't move an inch from his spot. The sky turned grayer and grayer, Bernice couldn't take it anymore she got up and left. Seeing Jim like that made her realize that this wasn't a bad dream. Her family was dead and the only thing left to do was to at least bury them. So she headed back home grabbed the shovel, picked out the spot to bury them and one by one dragged their bodies there. James was the easiest but seeing his face with no grin made her shed a few tears. It took her longer to drag her mother but once she got her there she decorated her with flowers. Her father was last and took her nearly an hour to drag there since he was at the front of the village. Like she did with her mother she closed his eyes and began digging the holes.

Bernice looked down at the three lumps on the ground she had gotten three tiny crosses from a nearby store and carved in her families names. It had all taken her most of the morning it was already noon. She hadn't seen Jim at all since the morning even when she went to get her father. She decided she wouldn't shed another tear besides what good would any of that do? It wouldn't bring her family back from the dead. She turned away from their graves and went to look for Jim. She found him in the same place in the same position still clenching his younger brother Luca.

"Jim…" Bernice said but he didn't answer. "…we need to bury him." Jim slowly turned to look at her.

"I can't," he said tears falling from his eyes.

"Then I will." Bernice said walking over to him she touched Luca's cold arm but Jim backed away from her.

"Don't touch him!" He shouted. "I…I'll bury him on my own." Jim said getting up. Half an hour later Jim stood alone looking at the small lump on the ground it had a tiny cross on top. It seemed more depressing to Bernice Luca was the only family he had. Her eyes widened when she felt water hit her forehead. She looked up to see the sky grayer than ever, raindrops began to fall around them. She looked back at Jim who didn't seem to notice the rain.

"Jim…" she started. "Jim we should get out of this rain," Bernice said reaching for him she slightly tugged at his sleeve but he jerked his hand away.

"No! I don't want to leave him alone." He said dropping to his knees. "I don't want him to be alone…" he whispered Bernice couldn't take it anymore.

"He's not alive Jim!" she yelled. "He can't feel loneliness."

"Yes he can because he's alive!" He said turning to face her.

"Jim-" Bernice started.

"I-I'll dig him up and you'll see!" He said crawling to Luca's grave. Bernice grabbed him and held him back.

"Don't you get it Jim! We're the only ones left!" Bernice shouted as he trashed around he elbowed her in the jaw and knocked her back. She glared at him got up and started to walk away she heard something approaching her fast she turned around as Jim dropped to his knees.

"Don't leave me!" He shouted tears running down his cheeks. "Please don't ever leave me! I-I can't stand this emptiness! I don't want to be alone." He crawled to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Bernice's vision began to blur and tears rolled down her cheeks. Soon she was on the ground crying with him.

"I…I'll never leave you. I don't want to be alone either." Bernice broke down she clutched Jim's shirt afraid that he would disappear if she ever let go.

They spent the night in each other's terrified grips. He held on to her the whole night without moving she moved an inch and his arms wrapped tighter around it was almost suffocating. They spent four nights the same way they never left his house they had enough food to last them about a week and they tried not to think about the village.

"We have to leave," Bernice said on the fourth day. "I can't stand living here," she said looking at Jim.

"But where will we go?" Jim asked.

"To London we can buy a house." Bernice suggested.

"With what money?" Jim asked her.

"The villagers must have money saved up we can…we can take it." Bernice said feeling guilty.

"You mean we have to go back?" Jim said in a worried voice. Bernice sensed the fear in his voice and thought for a minute.

"I can go by myself-" she started but Jim interrupted her.

"No! You said you'd never leave me!" He shouted grabbing her wrist.

"Ouch Jim stop that hurts!" Bernice shouted trying to free her wrist but his grip tightened.

"You're gonna leave me if I let go," He whispered. Bernice was getting annoyed with him now who did he think she was? She looked up at him about to tell him off but once she saw his eyes she felt a chill run down her back. He didn't look stable something was terribly off about him why hadn't she noticed before.

"I-I'm not!" She tried to sound tough but there was fear in her words. Her wrist started to really ache. "I promise I'll never leave your side, Jim please." He closed his eyes his grip began to weaken.

"Let's go together." He whispered still holding her wrist. They walked back to the village in silence Bernice cursed herself for being afraid of him. 'I never feared James and he was way stronger than Jim!' she thought to herself. 'I need to get away from him…As soon as I find enough money I'll knock him out and run for it!'. They reached the village and saw the first of the corpses.

"Let's pick their pockets," Jim said finally letting her wrist go. Bernice tried to rub the pain away she could see her wrist already bruising.

She felt weird taking money from dead people not to mention they were beginning to stink. She hesitated at first but after going through five people she began to get used to it. She tried the hoses next Jim right behind her trail making sure she never got out of eyesight. She gasped seeing some familiar faces she bit her lip as she jumped over their bodies to get into their home. She stumbled and fell 'serves me right for stealing from dead people' she thought as she got up.

"Walking on them is much easier," she heard Jim say from behind her. She looked back to see him on top of the dead body she had tripped over. Anger flared up inside her how could he disrespect them like that?

"These people where my neighbors and friends please respect them," Bernice said.

"But they're dead they can't feel this anyway." Jim said kicking the corpse.

"Stop!" Bernice shouted pushing him outside the house he stumbled and fell.

"Why should I?!" Jim screamed angrily. "I'm just treating them the same way they treat me and Luca-" he stopped got up and walked away from her. She noticed he was walking off towards the direction where they had buried Luca. 'This is my chance!' Bernice thought she turned towards the opposite direction and began running she looked back to see if Jim was after her but saw no one.

"Goodbye Jim-" she bumped into someone she fell back some of the money fell out of her pocket. She looked up to see she had run into a large man with a shaved head she didn't recognize him.

"Well what do we have here?" The man said reaching for her she got up and tried to run but he grabbed her braid and pulled her back.

"Augh! What do you want!" She shouted.

"Where are your parents?" He asked she could faintly smell alcohol.

"My…parents…" she whispered. "They're here with me! My dad will beat you up if you don't let me go!" she lied.

"Yup everyone in this town is dead." Another man said walking towards them. The man pulling her hair smiled.

"All but one." He said turning Bernice around. "How much you think we'll get for her?"

"What?" Bernice said in disbelief they were going to sell her? Her dad had told her about men who sold children and she should be careful and stay home and learn how to be a perfect wife instead of running around with boys.

"I-I'd be worth nothing," Bernice tried to argue the man holding her braid stuck his fingers in her mouth he got closer. Bernice started trashing around trying to get loose.

"Pink gums, I'm sure you'll be worth somethin'" he laughed.

"Screw you I'm not an animal to be sold!" Bernice yelled angrily.

"Shut her up." The other man said walking away the man holding Bernice smiled and knocked her out.