The 21st (Unfinished)

Chapter 4

Pretty long chapter...am I right? Anyways I hope you enjoy and continue reading this series. The next chapter will be out shortly.

Chapter 4

My ears strained to a horrible tug of a metal chain and a grinding sound like nails raking across a chalkboard.  I turned my head to see the big metal door that trapped us from the hallway opening slowly.  I slowly got onto my feet, turning my head to Harper who was sitting on the top bunk.  Two soldiers towered over us, marching into the bunk; Harper cowered back and put her hand over my body to block me.  I pushed her arm away and gazed at the soldiers who forced the smaller and more petite children out into the hallway. 
My breath started slow but hurried to catch up with my fear.  Harper was sinking back into the wall, forcing herself away from them.  She was like a cat who was scared of it's own shadow.  Her eyes dilated as they clasped her arm and strained her to stand.  She gritted her teeth and followed them.  Then I was picked off my feet, arms wrapped around my arms and stomach, my eyes coming closer to the open doorway.  I protested and dug my heels into the ground.  Their strength pushed me out of the congested room by two swinging doors that Harper was pushed through. 
I prepare to bust through the intriguing doors, my muscles tensing in my skin.  Without notice, I was thrown through the door onto the tile, kids swarming me.  Harper lends a hand and starts laughing uncontrollably. 
"We both thought we were going to get killed!" she chortled.
"W-where are we?"
"The new lunch room, I guess the doors weren't that strong and they escaped; got caught of course.  So they moved us to a new cafeteria where the doors are bolted and if we touch it we would get electrocuted.  The windows are bolted stuck with metal, but even if we get through that, there's electric bars that are bigger than your future." she leans back and folds her arms. 
I huffed and heaved myself up on my feet, my face turning a bright red.  "Hm."
"Come on, I found a table.  The food is as disgusting as dirty gym sock." she wrinkled her nose up and lead me to a wooden table. 
At the table was a young boy with dirty blonde hair.  His face has smears of dirt on it and his eyes close to each other normally.   His hands were small, running through his tangled short hair.  He wasn't eating his food, instead staring at it with big blue eyes.  You could see his ribs through his skin and the distress in the pools of his eyes.  I asked Harper if she could grab me something to eat and slid into the nearest seat.  I rested my elbows on the table and smiled gradually.
"Hi." I spoke softly.
He looked up, pushing his tray near me. I refused and pushed the tray back to him.  He pushed it to me and I pushed it to him.  We did this about one more time until Harper came back to break the unsettling silence.
"Well you both seem to get along...." she nervously laughed setting the tray down near me. 
I stared at the bubbling substance, it looked like a mix between mashed potatoes and overcooked egg.  I bent my head down and my nose caught a whiff of the aroma which sent me flying back.  My nose burned from the smell, I can't even explain it. 
"Have mine, it's better." the young boy finally spoke, pushing the tray near me and taking my food for himself.  I could tell the thick accent in his voice that he was from England.  No wonder he's being dramatic... he's probably from a rich family where he is always treated like royalty.  Or maybe he's used to this because he lives off of scraps on the street.  Or like me, a middle class fellow with confusion in his head. 
"Why?" I asked, dipped my fork into the mashed peas. 
Instead of responding he digged into the food without a problem.  "How can you eat that?" I roughly questioned.
I remembered the tar and gasoline smell from the food.  A smell in a bathroom in a public train station where no one has flushed and people continuously do their business in it.  Like a porta potty...a bit more disgusting though.  I bit down on the fork hard when I saw the look in his eyes, pain swelling in his tear duct.  I put down my fork and started to chew slowly, watching him dig into the breath-taking (not in a good way) grub. 
He raised his head, "They did something with me...I can't smell or taste anything.  I rather eat something horrid than eat something with a good flavor to it that I can't even taste."
"Name?"
"Xander, yours?"
"Harper," the blonde girl interrupted me.  "My friend here is Rosemary, call her Rose."
"I think I'll call you Blondie." Xander grinned at Harper.
I grunted and rolled my eyes, "So, what brought you here?"
"Maybe the same way you were brought here," he shrugged.
"Clarify." Harper leaned on the table with one elbow, chewing on the greenish hot dog she had. 
"Do I have to explain?"
"To get friends, yes."
He got up, the table jerking backwards.  "I can make friends faster than you ever can!"
Harper looked around and started to laugh hysterically and put her hand to her forehead.  "I don't see any.."
"Fine," he hissed.  "I'll tell you."
We both leaned back ready for the thrilling dream he spoke about.  He opened his lips and took a deep breath, his voice creeping up his throat gently and slowly. 
"I believe I was the first one to be tested.  My mum just left for work when my servant brought me a fresh plate of soup.  My mum and I just got in an argument before she stormed out to finish her duties.  The nanny nagged me about homework I had it due when we got back from the weekend.  Time passed by and I raced to bed, tired from a day's activities.  But I still didnt hear my Mum creep upstairs to tuck me in, since she normally does after work.  When I got up in the morning I asked my nanny if Mum was around, but she shook her head disappointed.  Right then my cook ran into the room, urgent to come into the living room in a hurry.  I did as told and on the big flat screen tv was flashing lights that hurt my gaze.  I focused in and our cook turned up the volume, a loud siren piercing my ears.  I felt as if my eardrum was about to explode!
On the screen was a young girl sitting at a table.  The sight was extraordinary, but frightening as she turned to a heriousus beast and started to attack other humans.  She bit the living flesh off of the recording man!  The breaking news cast told us that this was a footage of the terrible illness spreading across America.  I gulped with fear but remembered, we lived in England.  Then the TV spoke again, telling us it's already spread through five states in the last week.  I noticed if it was spreading that fast, maybe it could spread through England too."
"But if it didn't happen in England....why were their footages and warnings of the sickness?" I questioned smoothly, eager for an answer.
"I wasn't finished!  Anyways, after a couple minutes they told us some symptoms were getting to us in England as well.  I remembered my Mum hasn't been seen for the past night, and worried deeply about her safety.  I demanded for the workers to find her, and if they didn't, they better try harder!"
Harper quickly got into the situation, "Where was your father in all this?"   
"He left us when I was eight.  That sick idiot.... Continuing we finally found my Mum, but she wasn't in good shape.  Her leg was nearly ripped in half!  We tried to rush her to the hospital...but it was too late."
Us both gasped in fear and I whispered softly, "Did she die?"
"Oh no!  We had to cut her leg off because of the infection.  Once we got home we laid her down in her bed to get rest...and the night went on.  When I was tucked to bed, I could hear scratching and grunting noises from her bedroom.  I heart pounded like it was trying to rip through my chest.  As I opened the doorknob to see if she was ok, nothing was there.  I creeped in and turned the lights on...only to see her bed ripped up and feathers flown everywhere.  I bit my lip and slowly closed the door....I didn't want to be one of those stupid people from horror movies.  When I slowly tiptoed down the stairs to alarm my servant about this, a loud crash came from the far side of me. 
I looked to see her door smashed into shards of splintering wood.  Footsteps racing towards my heels.  I screeched and fled down the stairs, screaming as I went.  Our two servants quickly shot from their quarters and came to my rescue.  I pushed them into the kitchen and swiftly closed the door.  I cursed that there was no lock on it, but deiced my crazed mother wouldn't notice we were in the kitchen.  I tried to explain what happened but they thought it was nonsense and just a silly dream I was having.  I panicked and ran to the far side of the kitchen by the stove as my servant opened the door slowly. 
As quick as a racing horse, a scream filled the empty room and loud chewing noises following.  I pushed open the kitchen doors to the dining room.  I quickly shut the doors and took the fire stick and put it between the handles.   I slid under the table and put chairs all around me-"
"How stupid!  Why didn't you jump out the window or go into another room?" Harper protested.
"The kitchen only led to the dining room and there were no doors to lead to another room.  Also the window was set slightly high because we were on the middle level.  If I attempted to jump down, I would die doing so.  All was quiet until the door suddenly jerked forwards and slung back.  Then again and again until the bar bended to where the door was only opened a little.  I could see my Mum's blood-thirsty eyes and foaming mouth.  I started to cry when I saw my Mum like the monster she was at the moment.  I forced myself to look away, but only hearing the raging scratches of her nails made me shudder.  Soon, I heard nothing but silence.  I peeled my eyes open only to see the door cracked enough for her to escape through, but I didn't see her. 
My heart pounded and cracked like lighting in a stormy night.  I curled myself into a ball and looked all around me.  Nothing.  I clenched my teeth together and awaited the horror that might stricken me in a moment's time.  I heard slight noises as if someone was pushing all their weight down on the table.  Then my life flashed before my eyes when my Mum's hand swept down and grabbed my face, her nails digging into my cheeks.  I screamed with all the might and fought loose of her tight grasp.  She quickly fell onto her head and screeched, squirmed like a dog when they skid into a wall.  
I pushed a chair by her chest as she flipped herself over.  The ravenous animal tripped back and her fearsome fangs spit poisonous venom while she stalked closer.  She gathered all her energy into her hind legs and leapt out, spreading her arms out and unsheathing her deadly claws.  I hit my head on the table and cursed just as she toppled over me, biting at my shoulder.  I kicked the man-eating beast off and climbed onto the table.  I cried, 'Mum!  Mum it's me!  Mum, please don't hurt me...it's your little boy, Xander!'
Soon I realized that wasn't my mom, that was a pitiful varmit.  A hideous fiend.  My whole body shook like a rattle on the top of a rattlesnake's tail.  I tried to act fast but just to see my loving and caring Mother, never dared to bring pain to a fly, tear open my her own child's flesh made me vulnerable to hurt her.  She jumped onto the chair and hissed with hunger.  I stuttered back and knocked over a vase.  I broke the vase and took a shard of glass.  Last thing I knew I dug the glass shard into her head.  Her limp body fell to the ground and white foam like mousse you put into your hair dripped from the corners of her bleeding lips.  I raced to the phone and called 911, told them about the story as fast as my lips could talk me too."
"That's worse than me..." I whispered.
He nodded as tears filled his tear duct.  He wiped his gray sweater sleeve across his face.  I stood there with a stern face as he asked me how I got here. 
"Not as worse as you.  Just my sister and mother murdered innocently in front of my eyes."
"Sister? Thats harsh." he replied solemnly. 
I hesitated to speak back.  I felt my throat tighten but I didn't want to be dramatic and cry.  I gulped down my sorrow and nodded hastily.  He snorted and poked his deformed food.  After a moments silence, memories flooded back to me. 
The sun seeped in the bouncing cart as my body shook with fear.  My vision doubled like when you're in a 3D movie without your 3D glasses.  Voices echoed through my mind...haunting and teasing me.  Prodded and poked at my limp body, my limp mind, my limp sense.  I tried to speak but something refused for me to utter a work.  I tried to move my arms but they connected together like sticky honey.  The bars that blocked the natures view, the nature minimizing in the distance, made it seem like a jail.  I could feel blood trickling down my forehead and hear my pleading moans to be free. 
My skin felt tight while sticky tape bit at my scrawny skin.  I tried to look down but some stick was pushing my head up.  I made out the figure and it was a gun.  It was between my breasts and pointed at my chin.  Tears flooded my eyes and I was tempted to pull the trigger to end my misery.  I could see patches of dark fill in my light eyes and my vision darkened.

"We need to get out of here." I bursted. 
Everyone at the table turned to look at me and I could feel my face getting hot with embarrassment. 
"Sh!  If you say that any louder people are going to hear us, you dimwit!" Harper grabbed me by the shirt collar and brought me down.  "Do you realize if someone heard us we would be dead by now?  And even if we tried to escape do you know how such a risky idea it is!  We don't know what's out there right now...it's the apocalypse.  This is all we got." 
Xander slammed his fists on the table and cleared his throat.  "No, she's right Harper, she has a point.  I can't stay in here any longer!  Everytime I look at their sickly faces I get the urge to rip then apart with my bare hands!"
I tore from Harper's grasp and scowled at her, "I rather die free then die a slow, tortured death."