Still breathing | Original story

Chapter Four: Left behind

Word count: 4207

I felt like a sitting duck inside the house. The predator was out there ready to attack and all they could do was be all lovey dovey. I just wanted to go to the hospital but I had to give Ella and Jack some time to hug or whatever the heck couples do when the world is ending. I shook my head at them, Jack's eyes came into contact with mine and I quickly looked away.
"I think you need a shower," Jack said in a very monotone voice.
I looked at him feeling slightly offended but as I did a piece of my hair dropped in front of my eyes and I could see the usual brown colour had shrivelled up with clumps of blood embedded into the strands. I nodded my head and made my way steadily up the stairs. Tracing my fingers up the sides of the walls as I did so, trying my hardest to get a feel of the place I've called home for sixteen years. I couldn't imagine leaving but what would happen if we went to the hospital and no one was there? What if Logan had other plans about where to go? We couldn't come back here if I wanted to, not as long as those things were still outside, it just wasn't safe.
The truth was that the chances of this thing ending were very slim and I didn't want to get my hopes up. It had all happened too quickly for the government to even think up a cure it seemed, or maybe they knew and kept it secret... even so, it was obvious they hadn't figured out what was going on and that's why they didn't make it public. They didn't expect this, they had no idea what would happen and you can't stop something that you don't understand.
I tried to look on the bright side; at least I didn't have to go to school now! No exams or jobs. No, just killing creatures daily and the fear of starvation or being eaten alive, my brain reminded me. I shook the thought away.

I went straight into the bathroom and turned the shower on full, steam blew around the room from the warm water. I rubbed my skin raw, the water splashing off me like fire as the blood diluted and washed down the plug hole. I leant against the plastic shower pane, watching the patter of red mix with the clear water, clumps of bright red fell out of my hair. I tried to forget it was blood, an actual person's blood that covered me all over. It didn't work, all I could think of was Miss. Bailey in my kitchen. Only one floor away, her blood still on the floor and trailing down the cupboard. Never again would she see the light of day. Or her family, not that she had much of one anymore. She had kids who live far away, she's a widow. But someone, out there, is missing a mother, maybe even a sister, an auntie. She could've meant something to someone and she's gone and I had ended it.
The hot air didn't seem to evaporate, instead, the steam began to suffocate me. It was hard to breathe, my chest caved in and I dropped to the shower floor. My hands shook in front of my face, I saw flashes of blood but when I blinked my palms were clear. I rubbed my face, trying to erase the images speeding around my head. I protectively pulled my knees up to my chest, the water still pelting against me like hail.

A bang downstairs jolted me back to reality. I straightened myself up and managed to turn the shower off. The cold seeped into my bones but, despite it, I wasn't trembling as much as I had been.
I made my way into my bedroom and breathed in the light lavender scent that still lingered in the air from the freshly washed sheets. I would miss my room, all the memories, the pictures that hung all over the walls. I tugged the towel tighter around myself as I walked over and flicked on my fairy lights, the familiar glow made me feel like I was okay - even though I knew I wasn't. I pulled on some fresh clothes and felt much more comfortable than I did before since I was finally clean, I took note of how much nicer I smelt.
I glanced around the room. The light washed over all the pictures. I wished I could take them with me, but the middle one stuck out to me most. My favourite: it was of Ella, my old friends and I at Alton Towers when I was tall enough to go on all the rides. I had the biggest smile on my little face, all my friends did actually. I tugged it off the wall and touched the picture softly, remembering the day when everything was okay. I stopped looking at the picture as I saw a tear drop had splattered on it and blinked away my blurry vision. I folded it up and put it into my jeans pocket, I had to have at least one memory. I wiped my eyes dry and took in a shaky breath, glancing at my room.