𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 '𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭 - The Walking Dead Fanfic

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬

Everything that happens is a form of becoming. - C.G. Jung

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𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟎

.. 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤

The bell rung and school were out for the day. As I walked home from school, the world seemed as routine as ever, but the horizon held secrets that would soon fracture the normalcy of my life. The scent of spring flowers mixed with the distant hum of city life, the familiar sights and sounds of the neighborhood were unchanged.

When I walked through the front door, my dad was slouched on the couch with a beer in his hand, his gaze fixed on the television, while my mom sat beside him, equally absorbed in the screen.

As I set my bag down, I overheard a faint mumble from the TV about a sickness beginning to spread, barely registering over the hum of the broadcast. My dad took a swig from his beer, seemingly uninterested, while my mom sat quietly beside him, lost in the same unsettling news.

As I tried to ignore the murmurs from the TV and headed toward the stairs, my dad's gruff voice called out, "Hey, where do you think you're going?" I turned to see him squinting at me through bleary eyes, his beer sloshing slightly as he waved a hand.

As I started  up the stairs, I said, "I'm just going to my room to do homework." My dad's gruff voice cut through the air, "Homework? You should be paying attention to this crap on the news—there's some sickness spreading, and it's gonna be a real mess."

I hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, trying to ignore his tone. "I've got a lot to do," I mumbled, starting to turn away.

"Yeah, well, maybe you should pay attention," he snapped, his voice tinged with irritation. "This is the kind of thing that might actually matter soon."

I sighed and made my way away from the stairs, trying to hide my frustration. "Fine, I'll watch for a bit," I said, settling into a spot on the couch.

As I glanced at the TV, the news anchor's grave tone did little to reassure me, but I kept my focus on the screen, pretending to listen while my mind wandered to anything else.

The news anchor's voice cut through the silence, "We're receiving reports from the Centers for Disease Control about a new virus called Wildfire. It's been discovered to be spreading rapidly."

My dad grunted in response, clearly annoyed. "Great, just what we need—another disaster," he muttered, taking another swig of his beer.

I glanced at my dad, who was scowling at the TV, then turned my attention back to the screen. The anchor continued,

"The Wildfire virus appears to be highly contagious and is already overwhelming local hospitals." I watched in silence, trying to process the gravity of the situation while my dad muttered under his breath.

I found myself absorbed in the news, watching as the anchor detailed the virus's rapid spread and its impact. Just as I was beginning to grasp the seriousness of the situation, my dad slammed his hand on the remote and turned off the TV.

"Enough of this," he growled. "You're not gonna learn anything from this crap. Get upstairs and do something useful."

I opened my mouth to argue, "But you told me—"

"Enough," he cut me off, his voice sharp. "I said get upstairs and do your homework. This isn't your concern."

I turned to my mom, hoping she'd step in, but she avoided my gaze and kept her eyes on the now-dark screen. My dad's voice came again, harsher this time. "Stop wasting time. I'm not gonna repeat myself.