Why Us | The Black Phone

Chapter 4

-Finney-

I looked through the back window, seeing my friends who'd almost been attacked by one of those things.

Robin was just staring at his hands. I felt my heart pull at the emptiness behind his eyes.

"They basically beat her up, it must've hurt them as much as it hurt the kid to watch." My dad said, I looked at him, "Right now, with what the world has come to, they'll be doing that more often than they think. Eventually, you kids are gonna have to get used to it." He said, glancing at the group through the rearview mirror.

"Wow, Daddy, tough love?" Gwen said, sighing heavily as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Just... letting you know. About what might have to happen." He responded, turning onto our street.

"Do you really think it's like a zombie outbreak?" I asked as we pulled into the driveway.

"Finney, I just hit that poor woman with my truck 'n she still got back up. This is worse than an outbreak, it's an apocalypse. And we better get used to seeing more of them and killing them sooner rather than later or we'll become them." He opened his door, "And ain't no one wanna be one of them." He got out and went to open the truck bed.

"Finney?"

"Yea, Gwen?"

"Do you think we'll be okay?"

I look at her eyes, slightly welling up with unshed tears, "I don't know." And I open my door to climb out, her following not far behind me.

We reach the back as Vance helps Bruce down and Robin jumps over the side, landing in a crouch.

I watch him rub his hands against his jeans, leaving some dried red behind on the material.

I bend down in front of him, gently taking his face in my hands. His eyes look into mine. He, too, had tears wanting to fall.

His bottom lip started quivering. He licked his lips and opened his mouth, "I-" he took a shaky breath, "I have her... blood. It- it won't come off..." And my heart broke hearing how vulnerable and raw his voice sounded.

"Robin..." I whisper, moving to hold his hands and squeezing.

"Come on, kids. We gotta get inside before those things catch up." Dad said, "Move, move, move. Come on." He grabbed Gwen's hand.

I pulled Robin up off the ground, he stumbled a bit but followed silently.

Each of us ran to the door, anxiously waiting as Dad unlocked it to let us in.

We heard a scream from down the street. I looked over just as I saw a girl from school trip on a leg sticking out from under a car and fall. She tumbled down the slight slope of the road and tried to get back up but a person- no, a zombie- grabbed her ankle and bit into it.

"Finney, get in!" Yelled Gwen. She pulled my arm, also pulling Robin in, before slamming the door shut.

Vance locked it.

He looked at me.

I looked at him.

And we stood.

Looking at each other.

For who knows how long.

"Her name was Piper." He says finally.

I nod silently, "I had Government with her."

He nodded.

"She was a bitch." I said.