Immediate Survivors

by Cenz Barone

  Grant wished someone from within the house would have come out, it would have made it so much easier but in this momentarily lapse of focus from Grant, the man had turned the key and he said to Grant "She is tied up just relax" offering to Grant a means of pacification. The man opened the trunk and within a split second his wife had sprung up when she sensed the boot was loosened up and she made her way out as the man hearing his kids cry shouted at them to stay back. Grant could now see the woman was indeed possessed and her hands were no longer tied up but were dangling from her wrists in cut through rope. Grant felt sick as he was right, this woman was possessed or one of those maniacs outside attacking people. The man shouted at Grant as his wife slowly tried to stand up from within the boot "Take them with you. I will bring my wife after I have tied her up again”. Grant screamed at him “Are you fucking crazy, she can’t come with us!”

  The kids were crowding around Grant as though siding with him, who appeared rational, but this was instinct on behalf of the kids as Grant argued to the man “I cannot let you bring her inside the house with me. Look at her mate she is fucked”. Grant heard footsteps now and he turned to see it was Kenny with Elise coming down the house frontal path, those within no longer able to tolerate the danger Grant was in. “Grant you better hurry up” called out Kenny to which Elise added "Get in the house Grant, you cannot do anything more". Grant stood there paralysed with the two children near him hugging around his hips as he said "I have to bring in the kids". The children now saw their father grabbling with their mother and their mother fell from the boot onto their father, and both were now wrestling on the road before the boot of the car.

  "For fucks sake Grant get back into the house" Kenny shouted as he was surveying the streets and felt so awful for the kids, Kenny added to the kids “You come with us to, both of you” but the children did not wish to leave their parents, no matter what was happening it was still their parents who were with them and with that the children left Grant and shouted out for their mother and father to stop fighting. Grant was helpless as then they all heard a loud thud and distant noises. Grant, Elise and Kenny who were the most aware stared at the top end of the street, where the source of the noise was emitting from. And they saw four of the possessed people, those dead things, those people who had so many names allotted to them walking down the street. “Run” shouted Kenny but Grant was still paralysed unsure what to do, he saw the man wrestling with his wife, and the two children crying their eyes out unable to understand why their parents were fighting.

  The two children were shouting for their mother to stop as the father was caught between trying to prevent his wife's jaws from clasping down on him as she was trying to bite his face, as well as trying to calm his kids and get Grant to take his children away. The man also wanted help but it was all a blur to him because he was crying at how awful his wife looked.

  Elise screamed "Grant come on". Grant ignored Elise trying to get him back to the house with encouragement, and Grant perked up and rushed to the children and grabbed them by the respective arms as he said "We have to go. Someone is coming. Hurry up” Grant was dragging the two children as the man and his wife continued to fight and the four possessed people down the end of the street were getting closer. The man then hit his wife in the face with an upper cut which sent her onto her back and he became emotional and pleaded to her "I am so sorry baby. Please forgive me. Remember I told you I would get you help. I have found a place we can rest, there is a van here we can use it to get you to someone, to get you to a doctor. Baby please, listen to me. I love you" he continued to plead as his wife slowly stood up, her eyes with that deadened glare and her skin all discoloured. She was staring at her husband who remained cautious before her and it was obvious she was possessed and horrific in facial expression, even if the husband did not want to admit it, but how could he, it was his wife, his love and the children it was their mother but Grant was pushing and wrestling with the kids but they were fighting against him and his efforts to separate them from their parents.

  Kenny was holding his hunters rifle and was holding it pointing it towards the four slow moving people heading to them, he was not at all expert in firing but moved it between the four people who were now half way to them and the woman who was staring at her husband, who was one of those things. The man noticed Kenny moving the gun back between his wife and up the street, so the man stood in front of the line of Kenny's sight on his wife and warned Kenny "Take your gun away from my wife, damn you" the man seemingly uncaring about who was approaching them from up the street, let alone the danger it posed to his kids.

  The man then turned back to face his wife who just stood there, motionless. Elise was by this time near Grant trying to help him with the kids. Cherie stood in the doorway watching the commotion and muttered under her breath "This is madness" Cherie unable to go out, she needed to be closer to the front door of this house so she could escape and shut out this horror.

  The boy of the two kids kicked Grant in the shin and shouted "Let me go". Grant let him go holding his shin from the pain of the boy's kick which was profound. Elise went to Grants aid and the girl rushed with her brother towards their parents and then Elise took hold of Grant and pushed him back towards the house as Grant was now distracted by the kick to his shin, as though it knocked sense into him. Kenny kept the hunters rifle trailed between the woman who now he was blocked from seeing properly due to the man in the way, and the children near her, and also the four other things heading towards them. It was only how slow the four people were walking down the road which made them not be near the group outside the house at this present moment with any speed, but their speed was misleading, four could easily turn into a sudden surge of forty.

  Kenny was sweating so much he did not know what to do and his hands were shaking involuntarily. Kenny noticed Elise dragging Grant who was looking back near the car where the two children were now on top of their father and mother fighting at them to stop as both husband and possessed wife tangled, with the father of the children trying to control and subdued his wife. Kenny glanced at this sight and saw the desperation as the mother was now holding the man down.

  Grant though was now inside the house pushed solely by the strength of Elise and Kenny was the last inside as Elise held Grant within, not wanting to lose him, she was forceful in keeping him close to her. Cherie stood there amazed at the insanity of what had just taken place. Kenny lastly inside slammed the door shut and as he did so, Grant called out "Those kids, their kids" Grant sounding incoherent thinking the children needed rational adults when their mother was a crazy possessed person and their father was just crazy. But at this time they heard a loud cry from the man. The foursome went towards the door and stared through the gaps of the windows within the safety of the house to look outside and saw the father holding his neck having pushed his wife away, he had blood rushing down. The woman, the children's mother went towards her little girl and tackled her onto the floor, she screamed did the little girl "Mammy are you okay". And then the boy with more awareness than his younger sister shouted "Mammy leave her alone".

  The man was standing there shouting aloud for help and he rushed towards his wife trying to get her off their daughter but at this time the four people outside who had been attracted to the noise reached the family and began to attack them, assisting the mother in the slaughter. It was horrific as their screams and cries were heard. Grant banged and hit the door, smashing it with his fists until he drew blood from his knuckles, such was his anger and aggression at what was taking place outside and he foolishly went to unlock it but Cherie and Elise pushed his hand from the doorknob.

  Grant went again for it but Kenny this time shouted at him "Grant leave it be, they are gone" as Kenny raised his hunting rifle to point to Grant which did not make him flinch and Kenny did not want to do this but Elise then slapped Grant hard in the face which startled him, she was trying to snap him out of it and the blow of her slap made both Kenny and Cherie flinch.
Grant held his face feeling the burn, and all the four within the house heard the horrific noises outside being broadcast as the children screamed and the groans and sickening possessed people were heard getting excited at the kill.

  Grant was hyperventilating and weakly said "We have to go...we have to go help... to help them" his words became more incoherent as his tears streamed down his face and became weaker, when he slowly accepted those he was with were right. Grant was making no sense and then he slid down the door and started to breakdown, tears flooded his eyes as he cried heavily. Elise also had tears in her eyes. Kenny was looking at Grant and felt himself becoming emotional especially as he heard the screams outside, mainly of the children, Kenny lowered his hunting rifle by his side and said to Grant with regret “Why did you do that mate” but Grant had no reply, Kenny was as cut up as everyone else at what was happening outside. Kenny sniffled and wiped his tears away as Cherie gulped observing this scene as she like the others heard the crying of the children outside, and the blood curdling noises of those outside being butchered. It was too much to take. None could look to see what was happening outside anymore, it was enough to just hear it.

  Elise stunned and mortified at what was happening went near Grant who was sitting down near the door and she placed her hand onto his shoulder, trying to comfort him as he let his tears and wailing continue until he was blubbering like a baby. No longer was he trying to maintain a sense of decorum, a sense of control, now he was humane, scared and vulnerable. Kenny looked at Elise, Elise who was trying to calm down Grant, but she herself was losing her own stability and composure before Grant’s breaking down into grief. They all could still hear the children outside and the massacre they all knew was taking place continued. Kenny felt exhausted and he then glanced up at Cherie who stood there holding a steel bar in her left hand that she found in the house, an otherwise harmless piece of household furniture now a weapon of violence. Cherie at least seemed detached and then she broke her eye contact from observing Grant wail, unable to control his tears was Grant. For so long he had held this group together and now he just broke.

  Both Cherie and Kenny were looking the most facially at ease, even though within they were worried about those things coming to the house and banging on the door, but the distraction of the family being destroyed outside was enough for them to bear. Kenny was breathing deeply and continued staring at her. Cherie noticed that Kenny was now looking at how tightly she held her steel bar. Kenny eased off gripping his own hunting rifle at the sight, taking stock from Cherie and her intensity to ease his own concerning the hunting rifle. Cherie began to ease her own grip and then said wanting to temper this scene, and to escape the brutality outside, as it was clear the slaughter of that family was almost over due to the crying and screaming becoming less.

  Cherie said “It is best we move away from the door. There is nothing we can do for them anymore. We just have to hope those people out there move on". Almost coldly she said "Shall I make some tea?”. Elise glared up at her, like unable to process Cherie offered to make some tea, which Kenny panting just focused dazed in the area of the front door she was at. Elise now continued to stroke Grant's shoulder, he was not caring about crying, but he covered his face to wipe away the shame. Elise now glanced back up at Cherie thinking it was odd she said shall she make some tea for them all, but Cherie was defaulting back onto what she hoped would be a means to end this situation they were all in, near the front door and all that was happening outside.

  But this was all Cherie could offer, she kept glancing at the door did Cherie, the last thing she wanted was those things to come banging at the door, even though they had boarded the door up. Kenny nodded and replied "Tea sounds alright. Do you want help, I take sugars sometimes but it depends on how I feel, right now maybe on sugar, not two but I can help". Kenny was just hoping to dispel her nerves but he was so rattled himself that he wanted to control his own nervousness. Elise studied them both as she stroked and held Grant who was still wailing, as the lowering cries and screams for help of the children, and their father outside became distant. Elise thought are they serious in discussing tea but all they were doing was subconsciously trying to impose normality into an otherwise unreal situation.

  The facial expression of Cherie was stoic, like she did not hear Kenny in his full reply to her, then Cherie answered finally "I do not need help I can do it" so Kenny told her “Alright, tea would be nice Cherie, two sugars and a little bit of milk for me. I won’t help”. Kenny had to laugh at himself at how normal the conversation was considering the circumstances of two children being murdered outside the front door with their mother killing their father but it was nervous laugh. Elise meanwhile stood up from having her hand on Grants shoulder and said shocking both Kenny and Cherie with her command of having a stable tone "I take no sugar with lots of milk. Grant will take it as it comes. Do you understand?" she said looking directly at Cherie, Elise could see Cherie had watered eyes.

  Cherie herself further eased out of her intensive state of mind and just nodded and Kenny saw Elise glance at him. Elise appeared weary to him in her stance but her eyes were displaying her concern for Grant who was her primary concern, and without another look or word Elise went back to tending to Grant who had not moved but was sitting with his back to the front door. The cries and moans outside now, no longer heard from the family and their attackers. Finally Kenny let the hunting rifle leave his grip of any strength and he slung it over his shoulder. Kenny now walked away from the passage near the front door, no longer wanting to imagine what was happening outside. Elise and Grant remained there for a bit more as Elise sought to console him. It would be a long night no doubt from this point.

  Chapter 11 - A Waiting Game

  An hour had passed and now the noise from outside the front door had long since gone. Kenny sat alone deep in his thoughts. He was sitting before the kitchen table with his shoes resting on a chair in front of him. What a liberty he thought, sitting next to a stranger’s kitchen table and with his dirty shoes on their seat. He was looking out of the window which was directly positioned into the backyard, the big light was off in the kitchen but the oven light was on so a small illuminated beam was seen. He had opened the curtains of the kitchen so he could just watch the outside, even though it was dark and miserable weather wise, it tantalised him. The intensity from earlier on concerning the drama to do with Grant and his insistence about helping those strangers had evaporated and now all he wanted to do was relax.

  Meanwhile in the lounge Cherie flicked through the channels as she stared at the television, her gaze upon the television like a trance, almost like those people outside who appeared in their own trance ways, yet she was consciously aware about what was happening around her. Cherie was flicking through the channels for two seconds before moving onto the next channel, she was just going through the amount of channels without any reason or rhyme, all he was aiming for was some answers. No longer were normal TV stations showing their customary shows at this time and it appeared some of the news networks were either off air or something had happened with a screen saying no signal, and the words were in bold white letters with a blue backdrop amongst these stations. It was as though, just as some citizens endured and experienced the chaos around them so too did the powers the citizens all looked towards for answers experience. Although as Cherie noted from her channel hopping, some of the music channels still showed music videos, which were no doubt still on their programmed loop.

  Elise and Grant were upstairs in the master bedroom talking in private at this point. Elise sat on the bed as Grant held her hands, involuntarily for comfort. Elise offering them to her colleague who had himself experienced a small breakdown following the massacre of the family earlier on. Grant was still so tense. To Elise, to be near Grant in the state he was in meant she was drawing comfort from being beside someone she knew and by being alongside him she was comforting him, which meant he was experiencing some semblance of keeping it together by her maki
ng sure he was okay.

  She wanted to be stable for him when everything around them was falling apart, especially when he appeared to be losing it when he had been such a rock for her during their ordeal from their work place up until this point. Grant had been quiet for so long and was just rocking back and forth, Elise remained beside him, holding his hands, accepting of it was she. Grant asked Elise, his tone all disjointed "Have you tried phoning your husband Elise?”. Elise shook her head and replied “No, I am afraid if I do that there will be nobody to answer and I will be worried more than I am now about him. Wondering where he is and what he is doing".

  Grant could see she was trying to think of the what if relating to her husband. He wanted to lighten the mood for them both, so he said "Imagine if your husband and my wife came in and saw us right now" referring to themselves sitting on the edge of the bed of a strangers house and holding each other's hands. Elise laughed briefly but then sniffled as she wiped her nose and added "I am sure they will just be happy to see us alive and healthy". Grant glanced across at the window of the bedroom which had its curtains open, the room was in pitch blackness.