The Unknown Virus

Chapter 3

I woke up to the smell of death. I opened my eyes, confused on where I was for a moment. I turned around, and had to stifle the scream that was rising up in my throat. Oh, god. I had forgotten. Alice and her mom....they were dead. I killed them. No, no no no. My best friend. My mommy. They were...oh god.

I pulled the covers over my head, and then peaked back out, hoping maybe the blankets would take away the horror. Alice. Sweet, sweet Alice. Her blond hair stained red from the blood that had come from her throat. Her little blue dress was ripped at the stomach, and her intestines were sprawled out around her. Her mother, whom was filled with lead, still had some of her daughters intestines in her mouth. Her eyes, now that I looked at them, were glazed over, and her blue irises had a grey-yellow film over them. Creepy.

I got up, and stood beside them, refusing to cry. I grabbed Mrs. Worcester under the arms, and dragged her outside, wishing I could have picked her up instead of practically throwing her down the stairs. I brought her to the backyard, and dropped her next to the huge oak tree that grew there. I went to the tool shed to grab a shovel, and started digging her grave. I dug it deep, maybe 4 feet at the least. I turned back, picked her back up, and lay her down to rest. I went back and got some white sheets from the shed, and lay them over her. I buried her, still keeping the tears at bay. When I had finished, I took two of the big rocks surrounding the oak tree, and set one by where her head would be. Then I dug another hole, and turned back to the house. I walked slowly up the stairs, and when I reached the room, I collapsed onto my best friend, and cried. I lost my best friend. She was practically my sister. Now, I'd never hear her voice again. Id never laugh with her again. I'd never talk about boys, or have her shoulder to cry on, or have her comforting me when I needed to get away from my mother.

I wiped my eyes, and picked up Alice, bridal style. Her head snapped back, and I had to position my arm so it was under her head more. I walked slowly to the backyard, and lay her down beside her new grave. I went back to the house, and filled a bowl with water, and grabbed a wash cloth. Then I went to Alice's room, not pausing to look around in case I began to cry again, and grabbed her favorite blue dress, which was sparkly and short, with a spaghetti straps and a black ribbon around the waist tied off with a bow on the side, and a clean pair of white tights, and her best black flats. I also grabbed both her black ribbons, a hair brush, her mascara and lip gloss before heading back out to her.

I knelt beside Alice, gently putting all the stuff I had retrieved on the sheet so they wouldn't get dirty, and began taking off her tattered clothes, until she was only in her bra and underwear, which were thankfully blood clean. I washed my friends hair, until it was once again the white blond and seemed to glow like a halo around her angelic face. I washed the blood off her throat and stomach, and put what was left of her intestines and stomach back inside where they belonged, and almost gagged when I saw the now clean gaping holes in her throat and stomach. It was almost better when it was all bloody.

Alice must've bleed out completely, because no more blood came when I had finished cleaning the blood off, so I wasn't worried about getting blood on her dress. I took her tights, and carefully put them on, along with her blue dress and flats. I then brushed her hair until it felt like silk beneath my fingers, and carefully applied mascara before closing her glassy blue eyes, and put on her pinkish clear glittery lip gloss. I took her black ribbons, and tied the longer one in her hair, like Alice in Wonderland, and then the shorter one around her neck, to cover up her neck wound. She used to put a ribbon around her neck on Halloween and when she wanted the black to bring out her pale skin. I stood up, and began crying again. She looked like she was merely sleeping.

I lay down one of the sheets in the hole, so her dress wouldn't get dirty. Then I picked up my friend, hugged her for the last time, and then laid her down. Before I put the second sheet on top of her, I went over to the red rose bush her mom had planted the year before, and pulled six roses off, six being her lucky number, and roses being her favorite flower, especially the red ones. Not caring the thorns were digging into my hands, I held them with both hands close to me, as to not break them as I carried them over to Alice's grave. I then ripped off a piece of fabric off of the sheet, and wrapped the stems so the thorns wouldn't be a bother. I placed the roses on her rib cage, with the stems touching the edge of her stomach wound. I placed her hands on the stems, so it looked like she was sleeping while holding roses. I placed the last sheet over her, again making sure the sheet would protect her from getting dirty. I climbed back out, and looked down at her.

"Oh Alice. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I wish I had been there to protect you from her. I wish....I wish you were still alive. You were like my sister. I always wanted a sister. I could be myself around you, and you were always there for me when I needed it most. I promise you, sister, that I shall avenge you. I shall kill those things, all of them. I know there are more. Our whole class was devoured by those things. But I swear, I will destroy them all. And I will find and protect Anne for you, too. I know you would've if you could've, and I know you would've wanted me to. Good luck, my friend, my sister. I will...I'm going to miss you so very much." And with that, and tears in my eyes, I buried my best friend. When I was finished, I got a pen from the house, and on the rocks.

"RIP Karen Worcester. Beloved friend and mother. Born 1982 - Died 2015."

"RIP Alice Serenity Worcester. Beloved daughter, friend, and sister. Born 1998 - Died 2015."

Then, as a finishing touch, I made a cross out of sticks, tying the sticks together with strips of Alice's tattered dress. The were Christian, so I figured they would want a cross with their headstones.

I walked into Alice's house one more time, to make sure that Anne wasn't inside. Anne was the younger twin. She had dark drown hair, with green and blue bangs hanging over her right eye. Her eyes were a golden brown, and were brought out with a light purple eye shadow. She was the more adventurous twin, too. More exotic, and always wore black. She was pretty cool, and we used to hang out together, just the three of us. Alice and Anne were close, too, so I should be the one to take care of her and tell her the bad news.

I searched every inch of the house, but I couldn't find her. Although I was atheist, I prayed that Anne was okay and not one of those things.

I left her house for the last time, grabbing a baseball bat before leaving, and started off for my house. I got there with no incident, surprisingly, and ran up the stairs. I opened the door, and instantly the smell of rot greeted me. Worried it was by some chance Salem, I closed the door quietly. I began checking the whole house. The living room had blood smears, but no bodies. Bathroom, clear. Kitchen and Salem's room were clear too. Only two rooms left were me and my parents. I looked into my room, and sighed with relief. No one was there. That meant someone was in the adult's room. I walked over quietly, and pushed the door open. When nothing happened, I slowly walked in.

Only to be attacked.