Finding Light in This World

4: WHAT

!Trigger warnings!
Gore

~•1st person: Charlie•~

I opened the door to my house, the familiar scent filling my nose as I entered. I walked in and didn't even bother taking off my shoes; I was too tired to even notice they were still on.

I walked into the living room and turned on the TV as I slouched down on the couch. I put on a random show and started watching it. Not even five minutes later, it turned into background noise as I slowly drifted to sleep.

~an hour later~

I jolted awake, startled by the sudden, loud sound coming from the TV. It had gotten dark in the time I slept, and I was disoriented for a moment before I came to. I rubbed my eyes to clear my vision and looked up at the TV. "EMERGENCY BROADCAST" it showed, bathing the dark room in an eerie red as it blared a loud alarm-the kind that makes you nervous.

The alarm came to a sudden stop, and a robotic voice took over. "Attention citizens of the United States!" it started. "Please lock and bar up your windows and doors. The end is upon us. I repeat, the end is upon us. An outbreak has occurred. The infected are very hostile and will not hesitate to kill you. They react to sound. They are not slow and will give chase. Stay away from big cities and those who are infected. If they were once your family, they aren't anymore." I stood up with wide eyes, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Try to find other survivors and form a group with them. Once you find shelter, do not leave under any circumstances. Good luck, and may God have mercy on us all." The broadcast stopped there, and the TV went dark; nothing played anymore.

The house was dead silent; nothing dared to make a sound. I stood still as my face paled and my anxiety rose. I had just started thinking about whether this was real or not when the window closest to me suddenly shattered and the power flickered out. I felt like everything was moving in slow motion as I raised my arms up to protect my head from the flying shards of glass that flew at me. I lowered my arms and looked at what shattered the window. My heart practically stops as I stare at the horror trying to climb into my living room.

Everything went back to its normal speed as I spoke. "What the fuck is that?!??!" I said in an extremely panicked tone as I watched the... thing cut itself on the sharp edges of the broken glass. Its head snapped up to me, and I recognized it as my neighbor.

She hardly looked like herself; most of her face was ripped off or hanging by pieces of muscle or nerves. She had gaping holes in her upper body, most likely bitten off. Her left arm was ripped off, torn from its socket where her shoulder was. Blood caked her clothes, and I could see bone. So much bone. I wanted to vomit.

"Charlieeeee," she groaned out, her voice gargling with blood. She didn't sound like the person I knew as she climbed through the window and landed on the floor with a thump.

I let out a scream, full of confusion and terror as I flinched away and ran to my kitchen. In my panic, I didn't realize that I had just trapped myself. "Charrlliieeee," my neighbor, my poor, sweet neighbor, groaned out again as I heard her footsteps. I looked around frantically, not knowing what to do in this situation. I was breathing loudly and hyperventilating, which probably wasn't the best thing to do right now.

My neighbor came stumbling into the doorway, groaning as she moved. She started toward me, and I backed up onto the counter. She ran at me, and I screamed as I reached for a wine bottle and smashed it over her head. On impact, she collapsed to the ground as the red liquid went everywhere, making me feel more guilty for her body that now lay on my kitchen floor. "No... Abigail..." I said softly as I slowly got off the counter. She wasn't getting up again, and my eyes welled up with tears. I felt like I killed her, but she was already dead, so I knew I hadn't.