Bitten

It's a Wednesday night; I should really be doing my homework right now. I guess I'll do it all tomorrow during lunch. I combed my hair to the side nervously.

We were outside the House of Torment, my new friends and I, waiting to be let inside for a good scare. There was a shrilling scream from the house causing me to jump and Steven laughed at me. Rebecca and Mia were twirling their hair giggling at the boys behind us. I sighed along with Steven who was watching the girls.

"This blows," he muttered.

I gave a small smile then moved forward just ten feet away from the giant black door. Its menacing entrance swallowing its victim's whole. I adjusted my glasses slipping on my sweaty nose. It was only the first house and I was going to nearly pee my pants just standing next to it. Not that I don't like scary things, which I don't, but I play enough zombie games to know that 100 percent of the stuff in that house is fake. That, of course, doesn't stop the wanting urge to cover my ears and run.

"Jack, come here," I turned to see Mia waving her phone at me standing in front of the most realistic zombie costume I've ever seen, better than the ones you see on famous TV shows. "Come take a picture of me with this guy."

The man stood outside of the metal railing with slow wobbles. His groans and moans penetrated the sound of everything else I forgot where we were for a while. I gingerly took her phone and aimed it at her cheeky face. She stood in front of the zombie man with a fake scared look. Clicking the button, the end result was better than I expected. The lighting fit perfect over Mia's face but dark enough to give a gloomy, scary look of the zombie's head peeking over her shoulder. His mouth was agape right over her neck and his arms extended over her like a marionette.

I started walking to give back Mia her phone but a startling scream slipped the phone out of my hand and it went crashing down, almost in slow motion. Face to face, I saw Mia missing a crescent of her neck, spewing out more blood than I thought was possible. Her eyes were lost and black no longer were her bright hazel eyes dancing with life. I took a shaky step back hitting someone in the process.

I turned around slowly and there was Steven with a hard expression on his face pulling a terrified Rebecca. Steven grabbed my wrist and yanked both me and Rebecca in the direction of the gaping hole of the first house. For a minute, I actually didn't want to go inside the house for fear of what was inside but then I remember there was a flesh eating zombies on my back, so I sprinted in faster than I have in a long time or ever in my life. By the time we got inside, closing the big door behind us, I was wheezing for breath in the humid damp house.

I looked around at Steven and Rebecca. Rebecca was distraught and looked like she was going to puke; I took a step back from her. Steven held a protective arm around her then looked at me intensely with the stare he usually gives his football jocks when they try to pick on me before school. In that moment I noticed that none of the screams were coming from inside the house they were coming from outside. I wanted to hide away in a ball from the world.
Steven had closed the door behind us but it didn't sound like it was going to last long. Loud thuds like thunder repeated to hit the door. It seemed to rumble the entire house like an earthquake.

Silently between breaths Steven said, "We need to get out of here."

I nodded in agreement but I didn't wanna move. In my head, there was a picture of me sitting at home on a lonely Wednesday night doing my homework with a glass of juice by my side. Dad would be upstairs typing away angrily trying to finish by his due date and Mom would be on the altar in the living room smiling patiently eternally. I almost cried. Almost. I wouldn't let myself now.

There was a loud creak like nails on chalkboards that invaded the tiny space we were standing in. The big black door came slamming down with hands and mouths reaching our way. Steven shoved me hard up the stairs, but he never followed. I looked back from the top of the stairs and he was down there trying to grab Rebecca from her frozen stance watching the zombie cascade in.
Then I watched Steven leave her there after his failed attempts to try to carrying her with decaying hands grabbing at them. She was enveloped in the wave. I couldn't even see her fluorescent pink shirt anymore, she was gone.

"Run," Steven screamed sprinting up the stairs fullforce like he was about to tackle someone on the field.
I ran like never before through the scary maze but it was all a blur rushing past me.

I could hear Steven breathing hard. I wasn't even sure if I was breathing. Steep, steel staircases stopped me in my tracks and Steven came barrelling into me. My shin connected with the bottom step and I yelped. Steven didn't stop to ask, though, he continued to ram me until I limped my way as fast as I could up the stairs.

There were erratic turns ahead and I got lost in the clouds of smoke. Soon I was so caught in confusion as everything fused together like I was in another universe. I could no longer feel Steven's breath on my neck and pounding of his feet on my heels. I wanted to look back but I was scared out of my mind. This almost felt like one of my video games but more realistic. There was no health meter or backpack menu where I kept all my possible weapons. I could almost imagine a virtual map in the corner of my blurred vision guiding me into nothing.

A big, red exit sign stopped me from going any further, allowing me to finally come to my senses. It was completely silent. Just my ragged breathing filled the air. Steven was no where in sight and I wasn't sure if I should press on or stop. My shin was still screaming from earlier I probably didn't have a choice but to stop and rest from however long I was running.
I sat on the floor and assessed my throbbing shin. There was a huge gash across it that bloodied my black slacks. The pain was starting to talk to my nerves and I was for certain that I was going to cry this time. My lungs were about to explode; every part of my body reacting to what was happening like I was going to have a heart attack. I could feel everything at this point the air getting colder, my sobbing headache, and how badly I was shaking inside and out.

After several minutes, which passed by like hours, Steven never showed and a strong feeling told me that a six foot football player would be sufficient by himself. Since I already had a head start I should continue on and meet him on the other side. So I started limping along inside the exit door, but it was a dead end before I realized.

My breath got caught in my throat as I turned around to catch the heavy door but I was neither strong enough or fast enough as it slipped from my slender fingers. I yelled at the door that wouldn't budge at my weak trials. Behind me was a brick wall on all three sides.

I was going to die there.

I won't get to finish my last year of high school. I won't get to get my diploma and graduate college. They may never find me here and I'll rot just like those zombies outside.

Something vibrated in my pocket and I pulled out my flip phone. Hope revived in my stomach and I searched for a signal but all I got was the bright screen to my face. I took the chance to look around if I could find anything else.

Tally marks were on the brick in red. And the word bitten in messy cursive underneath.

I swallowed hard. At that moment, the doorknob was jiggling. Unable to open it myself I watched it jiggle until it clicked open. I quickly grabbed the door with the widest smile. I wasn't going to die in a hole. I was saved. I rushed out into the arms of Steven. He growled.

Then I felt him grip me into his chest and sink his teeth into the nape of my neck.