Deviant | Milo Manheim

001

Paisley Anderson

"Hey guys!"I say as I reach my friends in front of the cinema. Wesley turns and throws his arms around me. "Hello bestie" I shake the boys brown hair before pulling away. The others greet me too. Wesley's a good friend of mine, and he has been for as long as I can remember. I used to have a massive crush on him a couple years back. His tall and muscular frame too hard to resist. That was until he came out to me as gay. It was a tough hardbreak, but thankfully that's over now. I'm also pretty sure he knew I liked him and I'm assuming that was why he told me. 

Then we have Laura, the gorgeous blonde that could honestly sell as a barbie doll if she wanted too. She's much different from her brother, Josh, in that way. He's darker skinned, black curls, dark eyes. I befriended Laura when I started highschool. I asked to sit with her at lunch and I never left her side after that. I used to think she didn't really like me, but those thoughts have long since passed. 

I only got friends with her older brother last year when Laura begged us to join her on a double date. She was too awkward to ask her crush, Thomas, out on a date so she decided it would be better if it was a double date. She knew I didn't have anyone to ask so she set me up with her brother. We ended up having a lot of fun. And it worked as well. She's been together with Thomas ever since. 

I follow the group inside and we hand over our tickets. We're gonna watch 'Army of the Dead', A nice little movie about zombies. Honestly I didn't even watch the trailer, I'm just here for the fun. 

We order some snacks before the movie starts. I sit next to Laura and share a large caramel popcorn with her. The guys sit to my right, discussing something that's on Josh's phone.

The lights get dim and the screen lights up. I nudge Wesley with my elbow as he's closest to me, letting him know they should shut up and put their phones away. I turn my own phone off as well and make myself comfortable. I stuff my mouth with popcorn and focus on the movie.

—

When we walk out of the building at 10 pm, it's completely dark outside. Only the streetlights shine dim lights on the pavement. The movie was good, I enjoyed it even though it wasn't really my favorite genre. I'm more excited about good horror movies or sappy love stories. They're kind of complete opposite's, but I like them both somehow. There's nothing better than a good love story or a good, bone rattling horror. 

"Since there are some brain-thirsty zombies out and about. Paisley, will you be okay to walk home on your own?" Josh asks, looking at me seriously. "Yeah, I'll be fine." I've walked home thousands of times and it's always gone prefect. "Besides, my phone is charged so I will call if something goes down" I smile reassuringly 

Four years ago, zombies filled the streets of Los Angeles. The first year we all lived in a lockdown, until three years ago, when they locked the zombies up behind bars. They seem to have created their own little town behind those bars, I've looked through them often enough. They have some sort of wrist band on that keeps them from "zombie-ing out", but no one's trusts them enough to let them out of their area.

"You sure?" Wesley asks, "I mean, your house is practically next to theirs" he adds. "I promise" they're being serious, I can tell. But I also know they're acting like my parents on purpose now, considering they're all twenty or twenty-one and I'm still nineteen. "Guys stop, you all make it sounds like somehow after three years some zombie is gonna show up on my porch."

"Alright, text us when you get home, yeah?" Laura says and I nod, "of course" I'm sure nothing will go wrong. Besides, zombies can't even get to the other side of the gate, maybe the movie got to their heads. 

We say our goodbyes before parting ways. I only live a couple minutes away from the cinema. I turn the corner and walk through the empty streets. It always looks peaceful at night. Though there aren't that many stars, the sky always looks beautiful, even when it's plain.

I cross the road and follow the sidewalk straight ahead. I can already see my street in front of me. Lights shining inside houses, all different shades of yellow and white.

A shiver runs down my spine as a cold breeze hits my back, creeping under my shirt. I cross my arms, trying to keep myself warm. I should've brought a jacket with me, but I stubbornly decided against it. It would've ruined my outfit. I enter my street, turning another corner, seeing my house appear. The lights inside are out and my parents are probably already asleep. They like to go to bed early since they're both doctors and have an early shift almost every day.

I let my arms hang beside me again, but as I do, I notice a figure appearing out of the dark. It grabs my arms and holds them right behind my back, pushing me against a wall. My hands still held together and trapped between my body and a fence. Before I manage to scream, someone's hand is on my mouth, muting every sound I make. I breath into the unfamiliar hand heavily, desperate for fresh air. I don't know if hands can feel dirty, but these definitely  do. 

"Shh.." A voice whispers, breathing a warm gust of air against my neck. There's a tall frame towering over me, a frame that could only belong to a man. A very tall man. From what I can make out in the dark, his hair is dark and his eyes are stained red, looking sleep deprived. "Just do what I say and you'll be fine. Now imma remove my hand, but just know that if you try to scream, I'll kill you." He states, slowly beginning to lower his hand. Everything in me tells me to scream, but nothing comes out. 

Now that his hand is no longer on my mouth, I start to realize how firm his grip is on my hands. One of his large enough to tightly hold both of mine. I couldn't get them loose even if I tried. 

"Y-you're hurting me" I regret opening my mouth the second the words are out. Much to my surprise, his face shows no reaction and his grip actually loosens. "Who are you?" I make out with a trembling voice. There's a strand of my hair partly blocking my view and even though I'm able to move my hand now, I don't dare. 

"Why don't we head for a walk, huh?" The voice says again slowly, completely ignoring my previous question. The man's body is intimidatingly close to my own. Heat radiates from his body to mine. When he moves his hand and - surprisingly gently - pushes me forward, I realize his hand had been resting on my waist the whole time since it left my mouth, the previous warmth replaces by the evenings cold breeze. I let him guide me forward, afraid of what will happen if I resist. 

His hold on my hands tightens again, but it doesn't hurt now. He's so close that I can almost feel his breath against my skin. I feel like I should cry but fear stops anything from coming out. I feel like if I give in and start crying, I might cry loud enough for him to think I'll start screaming. I obviously don't want to give him that idea. Whatever I have to do, I'll do it, I don't want to die.

He leads me through the streets, around many corners and eventually halts in front of a vent. He reaches down to remove the raster from the brick wall and comes back up. Seeing him make big movements makes me realize just how tall he actually is. 

"After you.." he states, gesturing to the vent with one of his hands. I look up at him, confused and scared. It's obvious that he wants me to crawl through, but still I look at him, hoping that's not what he means. "Stop looking like a frightened deer on the highway and get on crawling" He says, definitely annoyed. Without thinking, my head starts shaking in resistance. I can see tears forming in my eyes and I'm fighting to keep them inside.  "Oh, come on, really? I won't stare at your fucking ass, now go" he demands giving me a harsh push forward. Knowing that despite his words, he probably will look at my butt, I start sinking to the ground and crawl into the vent. I don't even know why he felt the need to bring up what he said. To be honest, that was the last thing I was, or am, thinking about. 

Instead my head is spinning with possibilities of what's waiting for me on the other side. Am I going to die anyway? 

Blinded by the darkness the night carries, I fail to notice the end of the vent and feel me hands sinking down a meter until they meet hard concrete. Despite knowing I shouldn't make a sound, a scream comes out.

| hey!! Thank you so much for reading this, I hope you enjoyed it so far! Let me know what you think, vote and comment. If you want to see specific things happen in this story, let me know and I might use it!