Having given chase after her brother for quite some time and realising the streets was quickly emptying, Ria decided it best to go no further and instead ring her father. Panting from having run this far already, she picked up her mobile and called Terry.
"Dad!"
"Ria? What's happened?"
"Oh my God, we were on our way out and then there was a crash and we were unconscious for a bit, and..."
"Slow down, Ria, explain again".
"We were in a crash".
"What? How? When?"
"Not long ago, someone stepped out in front of the car, Charlotte hit them, swerved into a shop and crashed".
"My God, is everyone okay, is your brother okay?"
"I'm fine, just some bruises, mostly superficial, Charlotte looks in a bad way and George...erm..."
"What happened to George, Ria?"
"He ran off while we were unconscious, I think he's coming to look for you".
"Shit! Shit! Shit! Okay...okay, I'll keep an eye out for him. Go back to Charlotte and if you can't do anything about her, get to safety yourself".
"What about Charlotte?"
"Your life is my priority, Ria. Of course I'm concerned about Charlotte, but I'd rather your life not be in jeopardy for her sake".
"Okay dad".
"Head east and wait outside of the city by any means necessary, do you hear me?"
"I hear you".
"Good girl, we'll talk later. Text me if you need anything". Terry hung up. Ria spun around on the spot unsure of what to do next. Charlotte was the only thing that came to mind, but before that...she spotted shops to the side and had an idea.
She stepped forth from the shops equipped with a few new batteries, a charger, a pen knife, snacks, a flashlight and other little bits that might come in handy. She spent no more than about ten minutes prowling for the items and already she spotted suspicious people in the direction George and her father had gone. There was something peculiar about them, they were twitching erratically, standing on top of cars and behaving as though they were sniffing the air, much like dogs. Pulling out her phone, she zoomed in. Closer inspection revealed their blood soaked clothes, hands filled with stomach churning bodily parts and other sights she soon regretted seeing.
She took a few photos and decided it best to make a hasty exit before they were close enough to spot her. As she ran, in the opposite direction back to Charlotte, she uploaded the photos to all her social feeds using her tag #riasinlondon and much to her surprise, not only was the tag trending, so too was she. Were it not for the frightening and worrying circumstances, she might be excited about all this, but it was directly because of this that she had become something of an internet sensation. Social success in the face of chaos and death, how bitterly ironic.
The news of her car crash, survival, brother and father's mission to save her mother were all going down a treat with her new fans, but to her it was just another reason to feel nauseous with fret. She was sharing all of this not because she revelled in the fame any more, but more because she felt she had a responsibility to, people needed to know what was going on here, what she was suffering through and in the event she didn't make it, at least people knew who she and her family were.
Upon arriving back at the scene of the crash, the streets had mostly cleared out, but there was a group of three remaining strange men dragging Charlotte towards a car. Ria ran over to them.
YOU ARE READING
Cryptophobia - Outbreak
Horor(Book 1 of the Cryptophobia series) The Ouroboros Virus has hit London, plummeting the city into a state of anarchy. As the British government hopelessly scrambles to resolve what will go on to be the beginnings of greatest known international catas...
