The Mutated | To Be Updated

Gotta Keep Moving

It sounded like there were people tip-toeing around on the lobby's hard-wood floor. I didn't know what to think. Part of the not being able to think, was that I was tired and sleep deprived. I lied in the bed for an hour without even thinking, and eventually fell asleep. I woke up to Xavier banging on my door 10 hours later. I woke up, washed my face, and trudged into the hallway. Everyone else was like me, in real clothes, since we didn't pack anything in the rush to survive or leave, but with bags under their eyes, and messy hair. Xavier was no where to be seen in the hallway, so I walked to everyone else towards the middle of the long hallway, and started talking to Hunter. "What's going on?", I asked him very sleepily. "I don't know, Xavier started banging on all our doors to wake us up and wouldn't tell us anything.", he replied, "Did you hear the footsteps last night?", he asked me. "Yeah, I just got too tired to get up.", I said back. Then Shyanne shuffled over to us with her eyes partially closed. "Ddyuherthstppng?", she asked us. Hunter and I just looked at each other. "What?", Hunter asked her. She stood up straight, brushed her bangs out of her eyes, and cleared her throat. "Did you hear the stepping?", she said again, still a little slurrishly. "I think that's what Xavier woke us up for.", Hunter said. "Then why didn't he wake us up last night, when they started?", I asked rhetorically. "I think we should go downstairs.", Hunter suggested. The three of us slowly walked to the door at the end of the hall. Right as I reached out to turn the door knob, we heard the door at the bottom of the stairs, that lay beyond this door, creak open. We heard heavy thumping on the stairs, as if someone was rushing up them. We started to back away from the door, and prepare ourselves for what could possibly burst through the door any second. The thumping got closer and closer to the top. Then, Xavier swung the door open and stepped in, we all let our guards down once we saw who it was. "What's going on?", Hunter asked him. "Hunter, Adriana, and you two,", Xavier said pointing to two men towards the back of the hallway, "come with me.". He turned back around and opened the door. We all started walking back down the dark stairway with Xavier leading us. I started to get nervous about what he said last night, we'll finish this tomorrow. Does he want to yell at me in front of Hunter? But why would he bring these other two men? "Last night I came down here when I heard the footsteps,", Xavier started saying, "I saw a group of people run into the kitchen in the back, so I followed them in there.", he said while leading us past two, giant, gray, swing open doors, into what was obviously the kitchen. All over the white tile floor, was body parts and clumps of skin. So the mutations did attack here. Xavier didn't pay much mind to it, and lead us to the back where there was a freezer room. The big door was locked, so it must've been strapped up, or locked somehow from the inside. "They've turned off the cooling system, so they just stay in here until there's no one in the lobby.", he said. They must've seen us coming through the parking lot, and panicked. "I've tried knocking it down but it's no use. It's solid steel.", Xavier announced to the few of us. Just then we heard whispering from the inside of the freezer. "We're not going to hurt you. We're humans. We need your help, actually.", Xavier told them. More whispering. But then the sound of chains rattling against the steel door, and a single *click*, could be heard. The big door slowly, and noiselessly, was pushed open, out towards our direction. It revealed a short, chubby old man, probably in his early 50's, a short, chubby woman with white curly hair semi-circling her round face, probably the same age, and a girl, probably 9. The little girl hid behind the older couple, and they all shuffled further back into the freezer. "I need you to tell me something,", Xavier started,"when did the monsters attack?" "Ab..about half a week ago.", the older man said with wide, watery eyes. "They said they were trying to wipe out the country.", the woman finished with a tender voice. "They taLKEd?!?!", Xavier yelled. The little girl jumped behind the couple. "Sorry, they talked?", he asked again, more gentle this time. "They were scary, but they mumbled to each other. It sounded like they were scratching their throats when they mumbled. But they didn't have any mouths, I..", the woman started to trail off, and her frail hands started to shake but immediately stopped when her husband reached over and grabbed her hand in both of his. I looked between the couple and caught the little girl looking at me. As soon as my eyes met hers she shuffled further behind her grandparents, if that's who they were to her. "Ma'am, if you'd like we can find a room for you, your husband, and your granddaughter on the same floor as all of us.", One of the men behind us said. I'd almost forgot they were here at all. "No, the monsters went up there.", the little girl squeaked as she stepped out from behind her grandparents, still holding on to her grandfathers hand. "They're gone now, I promise.", I assured her. "Okay.", said the man. We all walked back to the lobby, and waited for Xavier to find a key for the third floor, somewhere around the entrance desk. Then we walked to the dark staircase, and went up the dusty stairs. Everyone one else, it seemed, had been waiting for us to walk into the hallway. Shyanne and the other men and women came to greet the couple and their granddaughter. Xavier pulled the rest of us to the side of the hall, and began,"What the hell, now the monsters can communicate? We're gonna have to leave soon. We can't stay here forever." "So when do we leave?", the tall man asked. "Soon. Tomorrow at latest.", pronounced Xavier.

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AN

I'm so sorry it took almost three months to update.
This chapter was almost finished in December, but I just gave up. I started to read the fifth wave, and realized how similar they were, so I didn't want to upset anyone who had read it. If it wasn't for the encouragement of my friends, and internet friends, I probably wouldn't have ever written again.
Thx guys, You're all awesome!

~Brianna L.
(BriannaL7)