Infectious

2~The Car

-Quenten : 11

Four Weeks Earlier

"Come on kiddo!" My mom's voice rang from downstairs. I grabbed the large suitcase in my hands and tugged it across the carpet.

"I'm coming!" I yelled back. I pulled the suitcase out the door and saw my mother at the bottom of the stairs. She looked anxious as she glanced down at the watch on her wrist. Her dark brown hair was messy and she ran a nervous hand through it.

We were on a tight schedule. The roads were already crowded and we needed to get out soon. My mom grabbed my suitcase and I jogged after her to the car. Ellie, my younger sister, was already in the car. She was sniffling in her car seat. She hadn't wanted to leave the house but none of us really had a choice.

"Come on Annette, we're already late." My dad muttered. He pulled himself into the car and swung the door shut behind him. No one spoke as he pulled out of the driveway.

See, my family has horrible luck. We were taking a vacation from our sweaty Florida town to cooler Pennsylvania. We had barely been here a day when our town was told to evacuate.

I guess a horrible virus had contaminated some people and they want to keep everyone safe from being infected too. I still don't understand what the virus is, but my parents won't tell me anything about it.

"Damn it, John! The highway is packed! We'll never make it out in time!" My mom yelled. I flinched slightly at her raise in tone. See, she rarely yelled so when she does, it's horrible.

My dad muttered something under his breath and cranked the wheel around. I held onto the seat as the car jerked around. We were driving really fast and it's kind of freaky. I've never seen my parents act like this before.

"Mom? What's happening?" I asked quietly. I didn't get an answer.

"This is a dead end." My dad snapped. He started to turn the car around again and stepped on the gas. Our car shot down the road and back onto the highway. "This is the only way out of town. We have to wait." He muttered.

I heard distant yelling and looked out the window. Two people got out of their cars and started arguing over something.

"This can't be happening." My mother groaned. Ellie let out a whimper and I turned to her.

"It's okay Elle. Mommy and daddy are going to get us back home. You can play with your toys back there. Don't you want that?" I exclaimed. She let out an excited squeal and I giggled. Ellie was almost two. She has dark curls on the top of her head and light skin, compared to my tan.

"Quenten, Ellie, you have to stay calm. Dad is going to drive around and look for an opening." My mom said. I nodded and sat down tight in my seat. The car swerved to the left and I glanced out the window again. I saw some people getting out of their cars and running now. Didn't they know cars were faster?

My dad let out an angry groan and drove farther to the left. Cars were blocking up the highway for miles. i didn't know how were were-

BAM

...

An earsplitting screech filled the air and I was slammed forward. My seat belt caught me and a pain shot through my chest where it stopped me.

The white noise still wasn't leaving.

My vision focused and I froze when I saw the scene. The front of a car was... inside out car. It must have crashed into ours. Ellie was screaming, but not really hurt. A huge piece of metal separated us but I didn't see any blood by her.