Every Two Years (Completed)

6

10 months later...

She runs back through the living room, keys jingling in her hand. She runs past the kitchen, through the hall and practically jumps over the stairs leading to the room.. Her twisted ankle screams as she trips on the threshold of the door, but she doesn't slow down. She holds the keys out to show everyone. Almost two years have gone past and finally they can get out.

The key ring is huge, with more keys than locks on the door, but even the thought of how long it'll take doesn't kill her high.

That cheerful smile is smashed away as she sees the small pool of blood on the floor, but nobody is in it.

"Where is He?" she asks, but nobody answers. "The plan was for you guys to stay here in case he wakes, and if he does, to beat the shit out of him again. There's no way he could take on nine kids with weapons. So where is he?"

Whitney steps up, part of the bed ram in her hand. There's a bit of blood on it. "We did! He got up, and we started hitting him, but not everyone is as strong and brave as you. And he went crazy. Nat..."

Nat looks around the room, stops and looks at each kid again. Her heart sinks as she counts only eight kids and then counts eight again.

"Where's my kid?"

No one answers.

"Where's my kid?!?" She runs into the empty bathroom even though she can see from far away that he's not in there.

"He took him," Whitney says. "He was groaning, and we only froze for a second, but when he got up, we started hitting him. But it was like he was possessed. Then he grabbed Ty and went upstairs."

Nat's vision tilts as she tries to wrap her head around what Whitney is saying.

"And you didn't help him?!"

"I didn't know if you had found the keys yet. So I thought he was going to go up there and drag you back like usual. Or..."

"Or he was going to kill me and Ty and you didn't want to die too?"

"Fuck!" Nat spins around and runs to the door. "Well, time's up. He is going to kill all of us, anyway. So now we need to get Ty and get out of here."

"Ty's probably already dead," Whitney says. "Let's just get to the door and get out before he comes back."

Nat whirls on her so fast, grabbing her shirt and yanking her forward, their faces only inches apart.

"Say it again." Nat forces the words through her teeth. "Say it again. I dare you."

"I'm sorry."

Nat lets her go and runs back to the bathroom. She takes the tank lid off and smashes it against the doorjamb until it breaks in half. With her weapon, she walks back to the front of the room.

"We find Ty, and we get out," Nat says to the room. "Grab your weapons and stay behind me. If he finds us—"

"Sorry for the dramatics," the man says, swinging the door open. His face is red as blood runs down from his forehead. One of his eyes is swollen shut, but he laughs broadly, blood gurgling out of his mouth as he limps down the stairs. Something crashes down the stairs behind him..

Without stopping his merry laugh, he tosses it into the room.

Nat looks at it. She sees a hand with its fingers bent in different ways. A face with blood smeared from the mouth to the chin, Green eyes blink open and closed, and primitive grunts make the Adam's apple rapidly bob up and down.

Her eyes are unfocused as her body moves on its own. She can feel her hands cut open as she squeezes the broken tank lid. As if she's outside of her body, she watches herself launch at the man. Her arms pull back over her head and she swings down.