How It All Ended

Chapter 5

I made it out of the back door just as that group outside made it into the front of the home. I couldn't even turn around to try and say goodbye to Rich.

One member of the group saw me trying to leave the house, "There's another one!"

The arrow pierced through the door right as I slammed it. I made sure to lock the bottom lock before I closed the door to try and buy me some extra time.

I hurled myself over the fence of the yard to my left and did the same with the next fence. I then heard the back door of the home I had just ditched open.

"There he is!" I heard someone from the group shout. I couldn't tell if it was the prick that shot the arrow at me or not. And, to be honest, I wasn't about to turn around and check.

Then came a loud bang. I dropped to my face, and I felt the bullet fly over my body and hit the fence beside me. I got back to my feet and leapt over the gate, and dashed towards the street out in front.

I hurried along the side of the house and peeked around the corner, looking towards the home I just left. A few members of the group were dragging Cal's lifeless body out of the house. They dumped Cal's corpse on the front lawn and went back inside. I absolutely hated having to leave Rich behind, but there was nothing I could do, and I had to keep moving.

My house was right across the street from where I was hiding. All I had to do is get past that group, and I'd be okay, I hoped. When It looked like the group was all in the house, I decided to move. Unfortunately, the group didn't close the front door behind them when they went back into the Anderson's home. There was a chance that they'd spot me running across the road, and I didn't want that group to see where I lived.

I edged out from the house and inched closer to the street. Looking towards the home Rich was still in, I couldn't tell if those attackers were looking at me or not.

"Screw this shit," I thought. I sprinted across the street, ran up my front porch, and got back into my house.

I damn near collapsed when I made it into my living room. I locked my front door and went right back into my basement. The people that attacked Rich, Cal, and I didn't seem to notice me, and I wasn't followed.

I sat there for what seemed like hours, staring blankly at my basement wall. Before I knew it, the sun was starting to set. I decided to go upstairs before it got too dark for me to see anything out there. Those attackers didn't see me running into my house, it turns out, and they didn't get into my home. My place was quiet and empty. Looking out towards the Anderson's home, I couldn't really see what was going on; the house was just out of my view.

"Damn it," I whispered. I walked away from my front door and decided to spend the night in my basement.

It was damn near impossible to get any sleep that first night that I was all by myself. I didn't want to sleep on a pile of old clothes, and the basement floor wasn't all that appealing to me, either. I think I might have nodded off for an hour, sitting on my basement steps, but that was about it. As soon as daylight was creeping through my basement windows, I headed back upstairs to try and check things out.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath when I tried to look outside after I got back upstairs. I couldn't see the Anderson's home without at least opening my front door and going out onto my porch. "Rich, I'm sorry, man," I said as I walked away from the door. I headed back downstairs to check on my supply situation.

Examining my supplies, I realized that if I was careful about it, I had enough to last a few weeks. After the supply check, my focus turned to my broken living room window: I felt that I needed to try and barricade it somehow.