Living Amongst The Dead

Chapter 11

Calem started to jog towards the cabin which wasn't that far away. He was so excited to get there he didn't even wait for me to catch up.

When we got to the place it was quiet except for the chirping of crickets that were somewhere nearby. I decided to do the polite thing and knock. I rapped my knuckles against the worn wood that made up the door.

I tried turning the handle. Click! It was unlocked. "Do you think we should go in?" Calem's voice was nervous and quiet but I knew what we should do. I pushed open the door and stepped inside, followed by Calem who shut the door behind him.

The place was actually very clean and neat. It was simple as well as comfortable. The room that we were currently in looked like a lounge room. It had an orange rug with two brown armchairs in the corner and a worn sofa with two cushions.

I could also see a little kitchen and there was a hall that lead to a room with five sleeping bags. There were also some candles that lit up the room.

"This place is actually pretty cool." I said to Calem as we sat on the sofa. "Do you think that people live here? I didn't see a single soul along that highway and this place seems pretty deserted." Calem gave me a shrug then replied, "Maybe they're just not here right now." He was probably right. Who else could have lit the candles?

I figured the best thing to do was wait.

And so we waited. We talked until we heard a noise that wasn't coming from our own mouths. It was a low rumble that sounded like it was getting closer and closer by the second.

"I think its a car...." Said Calem, his voice laced with nerves. "Maybe it's the owners. Maybe they will let us stay with them."

Again, Calem had a good point but what if they weren't very kind to uninvited visitors. It was to late to make any decisions anyway because the noise had stopped. I put my finger to my lips to tell Calem to be quite.

There was the sound of foot steps then they stopped, right near the door. There was a creak and the door was opened.

A woman rushed forward and pointed a handgun at my head. Then an older man came into the cabin and placed his hand on the woman's shoulder. My heart was thumping so hard I thought it might leap out of my chest.

Just as I thought the woman was going to blow my brains out, the man spoke, his voice was gruff but not as stern as I thought it would be.

"Gina, put the gun down. They're not zombies, they're just kids."

The woman, Gina, put the gun down and tucked it into a belt around her waist. Then, to my surprise, she held her hand out to shake.

"Sorry if I gave you a fright there sweetie but you always have to be on your guard, these are pretty ruff times. My names Gina, what's yours?" Her voice was soft and kind. She seemed  nice enough so I took her hand and shook it.

"My name is Susan." I replied. "This here's Calem and we're from New York City."