When I Die

Ch.3

Perry

I cautiously opened my eyes to see the yellow lines on the roads passing by or was it us passing by?

"Where are we?" I asked sitting up. When I had fallen asleep? 

The memories of my parents came back and I felt my heart shatter all over again. I must have passed out after Keith took me out of the room.

"Half way to the capital." To my surprise, he looked over at me. His expression was different from earlier. 

"Don't pity me." I said sternly. I knew that look. It was the same one I had gotten before. 

"I don't." Keith turned his attention back to the road.

"Bullshit." This guy was a shitty liar, but then again, most men were.

"I have no reason to pity you. Now go back to sleep." I rolled my eyes and sat up. 

We sat there quietly. All I could hear was the wind blowing outside of the car.  My thoughts kept going back to my parents. The awful site. 

I knew one day, my parents would have died. I had always expected it to be when they were in their 80's and it be peaceful. 

"Pull over." I said after a few minutes of silence. Keith ignored me and I unbuckled. I asked him to pull over again and he ignored me. Asshole. Who did he think he was? I didn't know him. I didn't owe him shit. He chose to open that door and he chose to drive me home. Now Im choosing to fucking leave.

He kept driving and I opened the door. Keith immediately slammed on the breaks and I hopped out. I hadn't realized how weak I felt. My legs gave out almost instantly. I fell to the ground and the palms of my hands burned. 

Could today be any worse? 

Before I could push myself up I felt a warm arm around my waist and I was pulled to my feet. I swayed and Keith kept his arm where it was. 

"Get off." I swatted at his arm and as soon as he moved. I began to feel dizzy again and reached for Keith's arm. My ego would be bruised after this.

"Just let me help you," He said softly and I nodded. I had no where to go. Sam never told me where her cabin was. My only family was gone. 

Keith gently picked me up and carried me back to the jeep. Opening the passenger door, He slid me inside and placed the buckle over me. I mumbled a thank you before I drifted back into the darkness. 

***

"Mom..." 

The smell of fresh banana nut pancakes fill the air around me. If this was a cartoon, I would one hundred percent be floating in the air. 

I stretched and pulled the bright blue sheets up to my chest. By 10 o'clock this morning, it'd be 80 degrees. But its 7 right now and only 50 degrees. In other words, I was freezing. 

"Perry Kit! Time for breakfast!" I heard my Mother's sweet voice calling my name and I couldn't help but smile. What insane person wakes up this early and decides to make breakfast? 

My mom. That's who. 

"Coming!" I shouted and threw my bare legs over the side of my bed. The wood floor was going to be freezing. Man, Sometimes I wish I thought ahead and wore socks. I hopped off the bed and quickly ran into the carpeted hallway.

"Yeah fuck you floor," I said and flipped it off. Yes I was 18. Yes I was flipping off inanimate objects. 

I skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen where my mom was standing at the window and my father was at the table. His face was covered by the newspaper. 

"Good morning!" I said and took a seat at the other end of the table. Both of them grunted a good morning and went back to what they were doing. My mom sat a plate of hot pancakes in front of me and went back into the kitchen.

"Thank you," I said before digging in. Gordan Ramsey had nothing on my mom. She was a fantastic cook. 

I took a few bites before looking back up. The room was darker now. Almost as if there was a red hue to it. "Did you change the lights or something, Dad?" I asked and sat my fork down.  I looked towards my Dad who was now face down on the table. 

I stood and walked over to him, calling his name. He was getting old. 

Before I could touch him an ear piercing screech sounded and my head snapped towards the source. 

My mom was standing in the doorway. Her back was all distorted and blood was oozing from every single pore. 

"Mom?" I shakily called out to her. She stepped forward and screeched.

"Perry, Its just a dream." She spoke but it wasn't her voice. It was a man's. I felt something tug on me.

"Get off!" I yelled and opened my eyes. I was out of breath and my heart was pounding. 

"You're safe. Its okay." Keith had a hand on my shoulder and the other on my thigh. We were parked on the side of the road.

"What happened?" I asked and tried catching my breath. 

"You fell asleep. Must've had a bad dream." Keith was back to his neutral tone. I guess the pity party was over. 

I nodded and sat back in the seat. Keith put his hands back on the steering wheel and switched gears into drive. 

"Where are we going exactly?" I asked. He told me Salem but he didn't tell me why. 

"To a medical center in Salem. They're supposed to be a safe place." Keith handed me his phone and told me to look at his photos for the screenshot. 

"How do I do that?" I asked. I knew how to scroll when I was handed something but how did I open an app?

"Do what?" Keith asked, he looked genuinely confused. Poor baby didn't know my parents were anti-technology. 

"I have never had a phone. How do I open an app?" I asked, looking at the phone. It was cool how everything fit into this skinny little thing. 

"Gimme," Keith demanded and I placed the phone back in his hand. He pressed on the screen a few times and handed it back to me, "Don't scroll. Its a screenshot." 

I repeated back what he said in a mocking tone and began reading the 'screenshot'. It was all about the virus and how you can head to this medical laboratory for shelter. But there were some restrictions. No one who had diseases or conditions could go. No one who was over the age of 60 could go and absolutely no babies were permitted.

So this facility would just turn away children? That's messed up. 

I hit the power button on his phone and gave it back to him.

"Do you have conditions?" He asked and I shook my head no. Despite never going to the doctor and rarely the school nurse, I was healthy. I weighed what I should, I had no acne, and I was never really sick. 

"Good." And back to the silence we went. I was warming up to being in silence. Sam always talked too much- which wasn't a bad thing. But when I was with her, I couldn't even think. It saved me energy though. 

Im not sure how much time had passed before we were sitting still outside of a gigantic white building with barbed wire. What was this place?