Immediate Survivors

by Cenz Barone

  At this moment Kenny was stunned as he looked into the garden of the house Grant was trying to gain access to via the garden door and stated to Elise “Hey look, there are people leaving the house”. Elise was amazed that there were people leaving the house, some of those they spoke to on the phone no doubt, they could tell due to the way they moved which was different from those things attacking people.

  Grant handed Cherie the plank of wood and stated “I am going to try and climb over and open it from the inside”. Cherie took the wood and told him “That is insane” at this point Grant and Cherie heard Kenny’s voice, he was shouting from the bedroom window “Some people are coming out of the house”. Grant stopped himself at hearing Kenny’s voice and Cherie was relieved this had stopped Grant from going to scale. Grant then shouted “Over here, come to the back door, just dodge them and open the door” those in the garden who escaped the house were heard shouting and screaming as those things were inside at different parts and four people ran out of the house dodging past the people on the lawn, another two also ran, one of whom was caught and attacked, the other persons did not go back. Kenny and Elise watched this unfold and despite it being dark they could make out the shadows and movements.

  Those who bypassed the things in the lawn and were lucky enough to escape had run to the back door and fiddled with the lock and they opened it quickly as they ran into Grant who stood there seeing the terrified faces of those who escaped the house. Kenny and Elise watched for more people from the house but it was clear those things inside had caught a few people trying to escape and were distracted by eating and attacking at them. Cherie pointed towards the opposite house from which she and Grant had come as those first arrivals spotted it and ran inside the open door, Cherie was checking the left and right as Grant saw more people rush out of the house from the open garden door and he saw there was far more of those things than he remembered but he also noticed more people were trying to escape, Grant knew it was foolish to go inside so he just called out to them to head towards him and they braved the rush past those things, it was like a game of rugby but without a ball and just trying to avoid being tackled.

  Meanwhile upstairs Elise made her way from the window, Elise saw people from the other side streaming into the garden of the house she was in and Kenny asked her “Where are you going Elise?”. She answered as she reached the door “I have to help Grant” but Kenny protested in response “He’s okay down there, Cherie is with him. I need you up here with me watching out”. Elise just shook her head “It is over now Kenny. We have to bolt up the door”. Kenny looked confused as Elise said loudly pointing across towards the house they were looking at “Does it look like anyone else is coming from the house?” Elise referring to the view of the garden and the patio of the house where those people were stuck, and Kenny said “No it doesn’t” those things had now all covered the garden and seemed to be going inside the house so Kenny decided to pick up the phone leaving it off the speaker and shouted “Is anyone inside the house” but all was heard was faint screaming and shouting and pleading as though people were being attacked within the house and then the phone went dead. The dial having finally gone off somehow, Kenny placed the phone down as he went towards the window resting on it, he heard Elise had moved away and her footsteps disappearing further away.

  Chapter 13 - A Fuller House

  Just six people had managed to safely bypass the dangers from the other house and dodged the murderous things in the garden to reach the house across the back alleyway. Grant was back inside the house at this present time with Cherie by his side. Kenny was still in the back bedroom watching over the lawn, he watched as those poor souls who tried to escape were being feasted on by the things that scaled the small fences between the terrace houses to reach the garden and were now he knew from memories of similar experiences, all likely opened up. Kenny went towards the lights switch and he knew Grant and Cherie were back inside having seen them run in from the lane. He put the light switch off finally and was once more in the dark of the room. He shook his head and his morale was lower than it had ever been. Kenny muttered to himself “Those sorry bastards. God help us” he closed his eyes as the screams became more terrifying due to the window being open and was carrying the screams of those people being eaten alive in the garden across the way from him. He closed the window and rested in silence with his hands on the windowsill.

  Downstairs Cherie and Grant both were quietly standing around with the group in the lounge. In total there was 3 guys and 3 girls, all of them looking of university age like Cherie and Kenny, Grant and Elise being a little older. The new arrivals were also wearing evening wear, ready for a night out, the boys in smart casual wear and the girls in short dresses, obviously dressed up for a party. None had spoken yet, all were exhausted, and Grant gave them space. Cherie stood there holding the hunting rifle, she was patient. Grant finally spoke up and sincerely asked “Are you people okay?” they nodded back to him out of breath, most of them were shaking “Is anyone injured” Cherie asked coldly, her tone not noticed by them. “I am” replied one of the boys as he added “I was bitten by one of those people, on my way out. He almost took my hand from me. What kind of drugs are those pricks doing to be biting people” he lamented. And without hesitation Cherie lifted her weapon pointing at the boy who cried and screamed out “What the fuck lady?” so did his friends follow suit, some stood up scared and all of them producing a chorus of “Are you fucking crazy!” “Don’t kill me lady” “We are okay, we are okay”.

  Grant jumped in front of Cherie and whispered “What the hell are you doing?” Without hesitation Cherie answered “He is going to turn into one of them, move Grant. I am not staying in the same house as one of them! We brought them over here fair enough but we need to ask this question and address this situation. You know it and I know it”. Grant knew she was right but to Grant they looked okay as the boy pleaded “I am not one of them, please don’t kill me, it is just a scratch” he was begging with his eyes to not be harmed, and whimpered. Cherie bluntly stated “No, anyone who gets bitten is infected”. Clearly some of the new arrivals were confused “What do you mean one of them, turn into one of them and being infected you make it sound like...” said one of the girls but Cherie interrupted the girl who said this and echoed Kenny’s earlier on heated proclamation about what was happening, as she said “Fuck the radio and TV, it was a risk bringing you people here but we did it” Cherie and her coolness gone by this point.

  Elise was herself after having left the bedroom Kenny was in, was by the stairs taking her time walking down and deep in thought but she like Kenny heard the shouting down stairs and made their way down. Kenny coming out of the bedroom noticed Elise who was in the midsection of the stairs, and he asked her “What is going on?” Elise answered “I am unsure”. Kenny without a word made his way down the stairs with Elise leading the way. As they went downstairs within the kitchen things were picking up in intensity. Cherie with a gun pointing at Grant with six people behind him who were all by this time standing up behind him. Cherie who usually was cool, as far as Grant had known her which wasn’t long was very much deadly serious. Cherie stated angrily “Grant you have been acting silly lately, don’t you dare stand in my way. I have seen someone die and come back to life, anyone who is bitten turns, and anyone who dies turns”. Grant was lost for words and before he could reply he noticed Kenny and Elise near the doorway. Kenny could tell what was happening on sight as Cherie was outlining why she was pointing the gun. Kenny spoke up “Cherie this is wrong! We cannot shoot him, he is still alive”. “Barely” she viciously said and then Cherie emotionally said “I don’t want to do it guys, I really don’t, but I have to”.

  Grant told Cherie “These people have just gotten here and you are doing this now”. He was amazed as Elise did not like Cherie pointing the gun in Grant’s direction and spoke up “Cherie stop pointing the gun at Grant”. Grant was purposely standing in the way of the gun and was trying to reas
on with Cherie but she was not moved and Kenny was looking at the six arrivals, his first look at them, but he could not focus and the 6 new arrivals were all quiet at this point listening in. Even though they were grateful to be in a secure house or so it seemed on the surface, this was not at all what they anticipated as being a welcome. Cherie said seriously to Grant “Grant I am not pointing this at you but you are standing in my way”. The boy who said he was injured hid behind his friend who was wrestling with him to move away from him, as Grant shouted “Cherie put the gun down”. Cherie then turned to Kenny and asked him “You support me right, you more than anyone have been telling us about what happens when someone is bitten”. Kenny looked at the guy who Cherie was aiming for and said “He is nowhere near looking like one of those things”.

  A girl who arrived stated “Please don’t hurt us”. Kenny despite him being erratic earlier decided to step up, he could see Cherie like Grant was fearful but for different reasons, so he gambled and stood in front of Cherie with the gun pointing at the group, Kenny was in front of Grant and said to her seriously “Fine Cherie but if you are going to kill him, then you are going to have to kill me to”. Kenny came forward towards Cherie unsure why he was doing this but he saw the fear in the new arrivals, all of whom were around his age and he found it unfair what was happening so he said “I was bitten outside of a restaurant, the hotel I told you all about”. Grant, Elise and Cherie all were shocked he said this, as Kenny noticed their looks of surprise and also horror. Then before Kenny could say anything more another girl stepped forward and stated “I was bit to, on my leg, you have no right to kill us, the authorities might have a cure for whatever the fuck you think is going on” her tone hurried at Cherie.

  Cherie though ignored the girl and was looking at Kenny who stood there seriously, having disclosed he had been bitten. He took another step forward “Would you shoot me? I have been with you for a while and nothing has happened to me. I am nowhere near being dead and I don’t feel sick or ill”. Cherie had a tear stream down her face as she quickly switched the gun to Kenny. Aiming it directly at his head, her voice had betrayal laced in it “You should have told us Kenny you were bitten. I was travelling in a fucking van with you for all that time” her voice breaking as her hands throbbed. Kenny then said to her “We don’t know what impact being bitten has superficially. All the bites I have seen are on people severely injured, people have been mauled. Sure it might bring sickness but I don’t feel anything. We cannot just shoot people who are alive. That is fucked up and murder”. Elise did not know what to think and Grant was standing there unsure if Kenny was telling the truth but Cherie shook her head “You bastard Kenny, you should have fucking told us” hatefully Cherie said.

  Kenny raising this issue and presenting himself as being bitten seemed to get through because Kenny had not displayed any symptoms of what those things had. Cherie felt her grip on the gun easing off and then she broke down into a heap, tears flowing as she made muffling sounds and wanted to prevent herself from crying in front of everyone, but her grip on the gun had become so weak it was going to the side at an angle and Grant gingerly stepped forward and gently took hold of the gun until he snatched it away from Cherie. Cherie was angry at him as Kenny approached her “It is okay” he was going to comfort her but she shook her head and he went to embrace her but she pushed him away and pointed at him and aggressively said “Fuck you Kenny. It is not okay. You put us all in danger. Stay the fuck away from me!” she pushed away from him and brushed past Elise near the doorway and went to find a quiet place in the house. At this point it was just the six new arrivals, Grant, Elise and Kenny. Kenny watched her go and Elise saw how upset he was, Kenny noticed then that Grant was looking at him suspiciously unsure what to think. But the six newcomers relaxed a little.

  Grant turned to them all holding the hunting rifle at this point, all six stared at him and they were dead silent unsure what more was going to happen. Kenny lowered his head as Elise quietly observed the new arrivals. Grant told the new arrivals “Make yourselves comfortable” was all he could offer, which seemed ridiculous after what just happened with both their escape to this house and with Cherie. Kenny was about to move away from the kitchen but then Grant approached him and said with a whisper “I need to speak with you later”. Kenny knew this was about what he disclosed as having being bitten. Kenny just walked away from the kitchen and went into the lounge, he glanced down the corridor where Cherie likely went to find a room, and did not seek to go after her, Kenny felt awful after what just happened, and realised he had never had a gun threateningly pointed at him before, it was a horrible experience. Grant and Elise nervously remained in the kitchen with the new arrivals, to continue to speak with them and also get them some food, to mainly settle them. They needed the house to be a harmonious place, and not like it appeared to be across the street during the phone conversations.

  Chapter 14 - Bitten Consequences

  A little while later the six new arrivals were resting in various parts of the house but in the living room only Kenny, Elise and Grant were present, all three sitting in silence. The threesome wondering what else was happening outside. It was striking to the three that none of the six arrivals had asked about any of their friends they left behind in the house they had ran from, it just showed how in such a situation friendships did not matter and it was all about self-preservation but they could not be blamed. It was also ironic that none of those they spoke with on the phone had made it across, what also was telling was how the six new arrivals were extremely naive to what was happening outside, it was clear they had been stuck in that house since this whole thing began, which might have been a couple of days thereabouts but must have felt like a lifetime for them all. So much of what was said to them by Grant and Elise was hard to digest for the six new arrivals.

  In the lounge Kenny held his arm, looking at it after having lifted his sleeve to expose a gnash. He was bitten he thought but for some reason his health had not deteriorated. Grant sat opposite him, concerned for him while at the same time afraid of what might happen and equally as angry as Cherie was he but Grant kept it to himself and did not showcase this anger. It was deeply irresponsible Grant thought, at least the fact Kenny had not disclosed this to them considering they were in the van for so long. Grant could understand why Kenny might have hidden it but it was Kenny who was the one who told them all so many times about witnessing people being bitten or murdered rising up as one of those things. Grant was still so confused. Cherie meanwhile was by herself in the dining room area towards the front of the house, and the room she had fled to after the confrontation with the group. She was sitting near the table holding a bottle of juice she found in the fridge and she sat there in silence with a candle, staring into the flame, trying to gauge a sense of normalcy out of the frightful events, because she was prepared to kill the boy, the girl and also Kenny.

  Those people she thought to herself are strangers, none of them can be trusted, none of them can be counted on, but who else could be trusted. Her friends who she knew and her family members were God knows where and possibly dead or possibly killing other people like this mass hysteria appeared to make people do for no logical explanation, and that was terrifying in itself to her as a possibility, as much as the idea they were all dead. Cherie put her head into her hands and let her tears flow down her palms, she had been crying on and off since the confrontation in the kitchen. She muttered “What the fuck is going on”. Much of what Cherie was addressing was not just the situation outside but what she was prepared to do, to murder people.

  While in the living room Elise and Grant were still sitting opposite Kenny, who knowing he told them he was bitten, knew they would be on edge but neither had asked him anything yet but there was more to what Kenny had said than originally conveyed. So breaking the silence Grant asked “Do you feel anything mate?” Kenny shook his head and replied “I cannot tell exactly if I was bitten or scratched or if I just knocked my arm, it happened when
I was out in the street, I was jumped by one of those things and two more came on by, not outside the diner as I made out. I fell on the floor and automatically assumed I was bitten, I only just escaped. Luckily for me someone else came along and they got distracted, the other person was not so lucky though”. Grant further flustered by Kenny’s explanation asked him point blankly “So you don’t know if you have been bitten, let me have a look at it Kenny”.

  He placed his arm on the table for both Elise and Grant to observe it. Elise stared at it, scouring the flesh and trying to determine any sign of a bite. She spoke her mind as to what she saw and said “I cannot tell. It does not seem like a bite, no bite marks I can make out”. In his defence Kenny replied “It has been nearly two days and I feel fine, I honestly don’t know if I was bitten. I just thought I should say it because Cherie, I mean she could have blown that guy away. He is alive and not dead. I mean he is not like those things outside, he did not look sick either, if he has been bitten we will know soon enough, it happens fast, right”. Elise whispered though, leaning towards Kenny but also addressing Grant “That boy though Kenny, he doesn’t look good at all. They have put bandages on him now but I saw the skin around the injury and it is getting paler and his eyes are going really weird, I don’t know how long he will last. Even his friends are talking about his features changing. Whatever happened in that garden was definitely a bite, you can tell by the wound he has. Using him as a comparison to you Kenny, I don’t think you have been bitten, going by how fast that guy is changing. Cherie could have killed you though Kenny, why did you stand in front of her like that if you were unsure? You know what happens when someone dies, they go crazy and it always starts with a bite, with a scratch from one of those things I am unsure but a bite it is the end” Elise unable to believe she was saying things like this.