Not Today

Chapter 7

*10:30pm*
Georgia has been way too quiet now. I sneak upstairs whilst the others are watching a David Attenborough programme. I walk towards her door and press my ear up against it. Nothing, absolutely nothing. I reach my hand down until it's resting on the door knob, contemplating whether it is a good idea. She's my friend, I keep repeating to myself, close my eyes and open the door.

Before I can even open my eyes the smell hits me, smell of rotting and blood, I cover my nose and mouth and open my eyes, the sight leaving me breathless. She's unrecognisable. Lying in a pool of blood she has clearly been coughing up, her normally brown long curly hair now coarse and red, her clothes saturated my the blood, her skin, oh her skin, peeling away and forming blisters around her thighs and knees. Her face hollow and grey. She's dead. I let out a scream and collapse to the floor. My heart feeling like it has stopped and a weight pressing down on my chest. I have never felt pain like this before.

Before I know it I am surrounded by all my friends who are stood still in the doorway. My head pounding, tears streaming down my face. How could I have let her get this bad? I thought she was just sleeping. I feel Tyler's arms wrap around me and pull me into his chest, his chin resting on the top of my head, trembling, I feel tears drop onto my head signifying him crying and small cries coming from Ruby muffled clearly by Josh.

*10:50pm*
We all sit in eerie silence on the sofa, none of us able to speak due to what we have just witnessed.
'We need to get out of here' Josh finally speaks up in a quiet whisper, loud enough for us all to hear.
'There are two dead bodies in this cabin, they're going to think we've murdered them both' Tyler says bluntly.
'That's my best friend you're talking about' I spit at Tyler, infuriated by the density of what he had just said.
'That was not Georgia up there Danni' he says gesturing upstairs 'and we did murder the other in case you had forgotten'
'I don't care' Ruby says quietly 'I don't care what the police think, I don't care what happens to us in that way, we are not all going to end up like Georgia' she builds up the courage and we all nod along.
'You're right' I say and rest my hand on her knee 'we need to go'

*11:10pm*
'Come on, let's go!' I shout upstairs and the three of them come running down the stairs with their bags in their hands.
'You guys go and put the bags in the trunk and I'll do one last check around' Josh says and we walk out.
'Goodbye Georgia' I say looking up at her window from outside 'rest in peace' and a year runs down my cheek.

Tyler takes my bag and throws it in the boot and hops into the drivers seat. I jump in next to him, Ruby behind me and he tries to get the engine going.
'What the fuck' he says confused as the car will not start. 'What is-' he says and pulls out the broken wires from underneath the wheel.
'What is it?' Ruby says trying to put her head through the gap to look.
'Someone or something has cut the wires, I don't know how to jump start' Tyler says holding the wires in his hands. We all stare at them hoping to magically fix or something but all out hope is lost. 'Maybe Josh does' Tyler says and we look over to see Josh running down the steps of the cabin with his bag.

Josh suddenly collapses to the floor, coughing and splurging. I get out and walk closer to see him coughing up blood. No no no.
'Josh!' Ruby yells and runs over to him.
'Ruby no!' Tyler shouts stopping her in her tracks. 'Don't touch him' he says fast 'Georgia could have gotten that thing by being contaminated by the guys blood right? Josh then got attacked by the same guys dog, showing a link, so if you touch his blood or anything you would most likely get it' he says, having worked it all out. Tears fall down Rubys cheeks and I walk over to comfort her.
'How could this happen' she cries into my shoulder. I just look at Josh passed out on the floor looking peaceful apart from the blood around his mouth.

We decide to leave anyway and bring Josh with us. He sits in the front, still unconscious, next to Tyler where he is unlikely to contaminate anything. We then realise that the car doesn't work. 'I don't know what to do' Tyler says, his voice shaking and breaking slightly as he hits the steering wheel to release his anger. All I can do is watch him unable to comprehend what is actually happening to us and how we are going to make it out of this place alive. Tears run down my cheeks thinking about all our possible deaths at this place, not seeing our families again, not having birthdays, not having lazy Netflix days and my heart aches.