The Hunted

The Neighbourhood

"COME ON!" I scream in frustration and allow myself to look up once again. They're so close. 5 meters and then God knows what will happen to me. Is it really the end for me? I hear a loud growl from on of the "its" and I know that in any second I could be gone but I keep persisting with the car. The engine starts. I immediately jump up and slam my good leg onto the accelerator, this runs over a few of the "its" but it doesn't matter to me I need to get out. I turn around once more to meet the gaze of my parents. They look disappointed. Not the way your parents would look at you to scowl for some stupid thing you did but more like the disappointment you get when your at a restaurant and see the food which you ordered only to see it given to another. They look at me as though I am their food. Not as their child.

I speed down the street I need to move. Away from whatever those things were. I drive for about a mile before my vision starts to blur once again. I pull over and tear my jeans to check on the flesh wound. Using the tested bit of my jeans I tie a knot. Whilst doing so I cry out I cry out in agony. If there was anyone still left in their homes I bet I would have scared the life out of them. My leg still aches but at least there's pressure now applied to it. I start the car up again and drive around town hoping to see any lights on in homes. From a distance I see some more military men shooting. At this point I'm almost certain the "its" aren't the only thing their shooting at. The army, where we put our trust in to protect us from harm are shooting at us.

The men get into their cars. They're moving. Coming this way. I pull over hop out of the car. I hide in the nearby bushes and wait for the soldiers to pass by. When they do I see heavy artillery, a fair amount of men, some injured but none with the bite-like marks I saw at the stadium. They drive down the road and I follow them. They stop by this fence which appears to be new but lazily or hastily placed into the ground. They get out of their truck. I duck behind nearby hedges., ignoring the pain in my leg I peer through the leaves to see a man on the other side of the fence and what appears to be the leader of the truck converse. After a minute or so and the exchange of cards and pieces of paper the man within lets the truck through. I look beyond the fence and-its...a familiar looking neighbourhood. I think its Alicia's. I've got to get inside the fence. Maybe I'll be able to sleep knowing the "its"will have to make a ruckus before getting in there.

I look back to where the truck just was and its gone. Huh. Spent to long thinking. Ok. I just have to figure out how to get in without letting the soldiers see me. The fence goes around the neighbourhood so maybe if I just walk past this checkpoint it won't be as heavily guarded or checked. Seems good enough for me. I check the guard. He will definitely be able to see me when I move. Ok...so I need a distraction so I can get past. I could shake the bush but he'd definitely know that someone's here and probably get all trigger happy on me. I need a better plan. So I just stay and stare at the guard hoping there's a change in shifts or something to help me sneak through. I could use my last 2 bullets to distract him. Or I could save the bullets for the "it's" and not some soldier. I could just make a run for it. I could...oh wait never mind. The guard is very distracted at the moment. There's some lady sucking at his face. Didn't need to see that.

Well now the guards distracted but I don't how long that's going to last, I mean he's either going to have a guard switch for him to do things with this lady or hopefully just stay like that for a little longer so I can sneak past.

I get up to move. The pain in my leg rushes up. The piercing screams from my leg make me nearly scream in pure agony. I swallow it down and run. It's more like a limp run, I run past the guard and find an area with no guards. I make the mistake of putting my right leg up first. The metal from the fence scratches into my flesh wound forcing me to cry out. Thankfully no guards show up. I jump down now within the walls of the fence.

I go into the closest house. No light are on. Then again the power IS out. I wonder who lived here. I wonder when they'll come back. I only now realise how dark it is. What time is it? I grab my phone from my backpack and use the torch to look for some candles. after lighting one I look for the bedroom so I can rest my leg. I walk through the hallway and look at the pictures hung up. I stop at a picture of a husband and a wife. They seem so happy, so peaceful. I continue looking through and I stop at a hook in the wall. Huh, someone must of taken it down. I walk straight ahead and see a bed. Drowsiness overcomes me...I didn't know I was this tired. I place the candle down beside the bed and collapse into the bed. Before I know it my eyes are closed and I'm in a deep slumber.

I wake up to the sunlight on my face, open my eyes and sigh. Yesterday wasn't some weird messed up dream. My parents really have changed into something else. And my leg still really kills from yesterday. I bury my head in my hands and push my hands through my hair. "What the hell is going on?" I say under my breath. I pull my backpack off and tip all of its content out. I have a pistol with only 2 bullets, a dying phone, a jacket and a bottle. Excellent. What the hell am I going to do with this stuff. I'm an English major who knows a bit of French. I'm not a trigger happy, apocalypse ready soldier! The sound of a door opening grabs my attention. I grab the pistol and point it at the door ready to shoot at what comes through next.