THE DAY THE WORLD FELL

CHAPTER THREE

The streets outside were eerie and still. The streetlights were dulled to a dim nightlight and the streets washed with the falling rain and the sky dark with nightfall and clouds. Noe of the stars was visible, and the moon had hidden itself from the ugly of the earth.

"It's way too quiet Nix." I spoke through the silence and pulled her attention from the phone in her lap. "Something don't feel right."

"I mean yeah, obviously the current situation has made things different and the rain is pouring. So, I find it hard to believe anyone would be out in this in normal circumstances." she went right back to reading something on her phone.

"Nix there aren't any other cars on the road anywhere. Did we miss something?" Nix looked around the streets and nodded.

"You're right. There aren't, we need to move a bit faster, I need to be with my family asap" she looked increasingly freaked now. She didn't go back to her phone, just kept on watching the streets. I sped up and watched the roads for anything and anyone. I was beginning to feel a sinking feeling in my gut. As soon as we rounded the corner of her street, I understood what it was for. A pickup truck had wrecked into the front of one the houses across the street. A fire was blazing despite the rain and there was still no one around. No bodies in the wreckage and none on the ground as far as we could see. 

"Austin STOP!" Nix pointed to the top window on the front of her house. Danny and Willie were waving frantic for attention. Danny pointed at the wreck and then turned to point at the back of the house. "What are they trying to say?" 

"I haven't the slightest clue. Wait. He's trying to say something about the backyard and the wreck. OH SHIT!" it dawned on me. The people in the wreck must have turned and wandered around the back yard. I looked over at her and just shook my head. "We are going to have to run for the house and pray these things aren't fast."

"What? Why?" asked Nix. She didn't put two and two together yet, "Is there some of the creepies out here? I don't see anything. Wait, they're in the back. Crap crackers on a crap stick. Okay we need to park as close as possible." I agreed and pulled as close to the front door as I possibly could. Then we darted for the door that Danny had just yanked opened. 

He slammed the door behind me and locked the dead bolt. "I'm glad y'all are alright." he said before engulfing Nix in a hug. 

"We are fine, but if the rain doesn't put that fire out then we will have a big problem." Nix walked to the window and peeked out through the curtains. "It seems we have company on the way."

"What do you mean? The dead?" asked Danny. "Let me see." he peered out and immediately went to the door and looked through the peephole. "They're alive. We gotta help them." he looked back at me and gave me a look.

"It's not my call. Nix what should we do?"

"Help them of course." she motioned for us to move. "Open the door, let them know we are here."

With that, Danny opened the door and waved his arms like a lunatic. The people started pointing at something and yelling. They were too far for us to hear, and the rain wasn't helping. 

Danny ran out to meet them in the street. We understood them now. The dead driver was just out of site but close enough to sneak past Danny and into the doorway of the house.

"Shit! Austin!" Nix yelled as the man lunged after me. I didn't have time to move. I just reacted and held him back. He kept snapping his jaws at my flesh. He was so close now that I could smell the death on him. His breath was terrible. His strength was unimaginable. It took everything I had to keep him from biting me. His hands gripped my arm and held tight. 

I heard Nix coming up behind us and within a matter of seconds I heard woosh and a thunk sound and the man was on the floor. Nix had swung a wooden baseball bat and hit him in the head. I looked up to see Danny drenching wet and panting as he reached the threshold. "Nix are you okay? I didn't see him. I am so sorry." He grabbed her up causing her to drop the blood-soaked bat to the floor. They just sat there embracing for a while. Soon the group of people were at the yard and walking toward us. I waved them in, "It's okay now. I think he's down. Let's get this door shut." I had to move. Had to walk off the shock I was feeling. My head felt a little numb and my stomach threatened to drop. I walked over and hugged Nix, "Thank you sis. I don't think I could have held him back any longer.