Hush (Venom Epidemic, #1)

Chapter 03 - The Outbreak.

          (Back To The Present Time...)

          Katrina could feel the heartbeat pumping frantically against her chest. She was afraid it might burst out of her ribcage if she didn't calm down her breathing. So she focused on taking deep, careful breaths and let them out slowly whilst driving. She changed gears and drove down to the street that her house was sitting, waiting, and welcoming.

          She was driving now at a steady speed as she studied everything and everybody around her. Everything looked normal as did the people in her neighborhood were, as if nothing horrible had happened. The trees were moving along gently with the soft breeze. The flawlessly cut hedges around the front gardens were sitting perfectly guarding the colourful plants in their soils. The houses all sat there.

          People were walking and talking and going with their business. Some toddlers were playing on the small lawn outside of their house, their mother laughing with them, and their dog was happily tagging along. An old couple were sitting on their usually occupied places and watching the world go by, munching on biscuits and sipping their tea.

          Nobody seemed to know what was going on. Perhaps it wasn't happening here. It was cloudy and the sun was hidden behind the darkening clouds.

          She looked to her left and saw her Fleur desperately sob to herself. She shook her shoulder desperately. "Fleur! Fleur!" she urged in a hushed voice, "We're here. Let's get out." Why weren't the people over here doing something? she asked herself, looking through the window screen.

          Fleur snapped out. "What?" she cried fearfully.

          "Let's go inside my house," Katrina urged again and got out of her car.

          Fleur, still crying quietly now, did as she was told and followed her friend outside. She closed the door after her and stood next to Katrina. "What's wrong with them?" she whispered, scared. She had her hands clasped together near her chest and kept fidgeting with her hair. She sniffled loudly.

          Katrina locked the car with a click on her keychain and the car beeped. "I was thinking the exact same thing," she responded uncertainly. She turned to Fleur and asked her to come inside her house. They both needed to calm down and figure things out.

          Her house was a semi detached house, like the rest of them. She gestured her friend to follow and waved nervously at her neighbours, who were calling her to come over sometime, but she wasn't in any condition to even consider that yet and pretended not to hear.

          They walked past the metal gate that clanged after them, not loudly, and Fleur quickly made sure that the handle wasn't left open. The small path was set in a softly waved course – with smooth stones – but they refused to follow the trivial rule and crossed to the front door hastily. Katrina's eyes darted to her left and right while her right hands pushed into her bag for the house keys.

          "P – Perhaps I had imagined it all?" Fleur asked herself with a small, hopeful yet in denial, smile. She was getting hysterical.

          Katrina fished around of those keys impatiently. "That's some imagination she has there," she said indistinctly. "I wish I could have imagined it all as well. And now I'm talking to myself! I never talk to myself!" She realised that she was shouting.