Chapter 12: The Suicides
"You shouldn't be here," the man's voice was deep and full of tenor.
The ex-project noted that it was the same voice from the transmission. The broad-shouldered man lowered his gun from the boy's temple, and Alice and Claire were both able to take a shaky breath.
This time when the man spoke Alice could tell his voice was close to breaking. "You sh-shouldn't be here, you need to-to leave." The woman with dark circles under her eyes glanced up at Alice and Claire quickly, and then turned her attention back to the little boy pulling him into a desperate embrace; her weeping amplified.
Alice really looked at the group, and suddenly their situation became clear. They were a family; a husband and wife, and their young son. All bitten, Alice thought. The tall man had flesh peeling off of his neck, the woman's hands were covered in bites, and the child, only eight or so, had a bloody piece of cloth wrapped around his ankle.
"Wait – just wait," Alice pleaded softly this time.
The pale man seemed to get some of his composure back and replied with coolness. "Let's talk outside."
Alice let the man cross through the doorway first and she noticed that the back of his shirt was stained with circular patterns of blood; Claire was next out, then Alice who sealed the wooden door as she left.
"What happened?" Alice asked and patiently waited for the answer.
The man placed his pistol in his waistband, but Alice only holstered one of hers, the other held calmly at her side.
"Yesterday we were attacked by a horde, about 20 in size or so." The husband fiddled with the cuffs of his green flannel shirt. "My wife and son were playing outside when they ran in suddenly, my wife told me they were being followed…and the next thing I knew we were overrun. We held them back over there," he pointed to the barrack by the luggage rack. "But there was too many of them, they went after my boy." At this the man's eyes teared up, "I tried my best to shield him."
The blood stains on his back, Alice thought.
"My wife pulled a few of those monsters off me, and got our son to safety."
The bite marks on the woman's hands.
"But it was too late, he was already bitten…"
The child…
By now Claire was crying silently, but somehow Alice was still keeping it together.
The father finished his story quickly, "I killed the rest – you'd be surprised what a dead man can do," at that he laughed falsely. "We burned the bodies, cleaned up a bit, and spent our last hours together. So now you know why…"
Why you put the gun to your little boy's head, Alice finished for him.
Claire spoke up dramatically. "There has to be something – something we can do!" The redhead was close to hysterical.
The man responded to the compassion as gently as he could. "It's too late for us; you two should be on your way, there's nothing you can do."
"Yes, there is. There is something I can do," Alice responded. Claire looked to Alice, hopeful. But the man shook his head.
"I can't ask you to do that," he said.
"You don't have to," Alice said firmly.
Claire was confused and it wasn't until Alice's next statement that she understood.
"I'll give you time to say goodbye."
The husband nodded, and spoke his thanks. "If there's anything you need, just take it. I am truly grateful." Then he walked back into the room, shutting the door behind him.
"Alice, there has to be another way!" The redhead exclaimed.
"There isn't," the taller woman was cold in her reply, she had to be. Alice brought up her pistol and checked the cylinder to make sure it was fully loaded. There could be no mistakes; Alice promised herself there wouldn't be.
Claire tried one more time to beg for the family's lives while looking into Alice's clouded-over eyes, "Don't do this." But then the door opened and Alice was already walking towards it, gun in hand.
The last thing Alice said to Claire was harsh, and commanding to the point that the she knew the redhead would obey.
"Stay here."
Alice walked back through the doorway, then shut and locked the door from the inside. She turned around and found the family in a final embrace, whispering words of I love you. The husband and wife shared a familiar kiss, before they both chastely kissed their son and took hold of each of his hands. Then the boy made eye contact with Alice, he looked right through her and she saw his fear.
The child was turned away from Alice as his mother said in a comforting tone, "Look at me, honey." Finally the husband nodded to Alice and he looked back at his son, a regretful smile on his face.
Alice lifted her gun and aimed it steadily at the brunette haired boy.
"I love you, son," was the father's last pronouncement.
The ex-project expelled three shots in quick procession, the sound was more than deafening. She couldn't hear the family fall to the floor one by one. First the boy; then the mother; then the father. Their blood collected into one liquid mass, its red growth engulfing the gold metal bullet-casings and creeping ever towards Alice's booted feet.
Alice brought the pistol to her head; she could feel the heat from the recently used barrel on her temple. An image of the little boy's brown eyes seared into her soul. She shut her own eyes and imagined how easy it would be. The ex-project had been pulling triggers for years; this would be no different. A previous thing she had said wafted back into her thoughts, I'll give you time to say goodbye. Then through the door she heard a voice speak softly.
"Alice."
Claire, arms wrapped tightly around herself on the other side of the closed door, visibly recoiled at every gunshot until she counted three. A minute passed and she tried to speak, to call out Alice's name but she struggled to form the syllables. What she finally managed to say was barely a whisper and a shaky one at that.
"Alice."
A fourth and final gunshot rang out.
"Alice!" Claire sprinted the few feet to the door and twisted the handle with all her might. She screamed again, absolutely terrified, "ALICE!"
Don't kill me...and please review.