Until The End // Phan

Chapter 14

*Alex's Pov*

Flashback

"Come on Mum, please. Please pick up the phone" I muttered to myself as I waited in the airport. I have to be at the gate in ten minutes and my mother wasn't answering her cell phone. Great.

What if something happened to her? But the virus didn't even spread yet! Or has it? Surely I would have seen something on the news. I'm sure she's fine. But what if she's not? Oh god.

~

As I boarded my plane, my phone vibrated in my front jean shorts pocket. I waited until I was in my seat and my bags were in the overhead compartment to take it out. Hopefully it's my mum getting back to me.

When I unlocked my phone, I saw a text from my Uncle Bobby. He had sent me a video.

It was a clip from the news. It's starting to spread. Crap.

~

The entire flight, all I could think about was my mother. I felt a small wave of relief when I finally landed, but my shoulders still felt heavy with the thought of something bad happening to my mum.

She's fine I told myself. I'm sure there's absolutely nothing to worry about.

I tried to ring my mum again, but a few calls later, I gave up. I had probably left her about twenty messages since I got to the airport in Atlanta.

Why the hell isn't she answering?

Instead of going to the lake house, I disobeyed my mother's orders and took a cab back to London. I had to see if my mother was ok.

~

Once we got into the city, I saw hundreds of cars filling the streets for about ten miles. Luckily, they were all trying to get out, as I was trying to get in. I probably had to wait in about two hours of traffic, but two hours is nothing compared to the amount of time it would have taken trying to get out. My cab bill was a fortune, but it doesn't really matter now, does it?

~

Once I got to my my apartment building, I ran through the surprisingly unlocked door and bolted up the stairs. My heart almost stopped when I saw my front door open.

"Mum?" I called out as I ran through the house. "Mum!"

No answer. I ran back out into the hallway when I heard something loud and heavy fall over next door. It was coming from my neighbor's flat, Nancy. Her door was ajar so I peaked in before pushing the door in any further. I saw a lamp on the floor and blood on the table it had fallen off of.

Shit.

I shoved the door and ran into the apartment, my heart beating out of my chest. The room was silent.

"Nanc- SHIT!" I screamed when Nancy came out into her livingroom from the kitchen- well, I wouldn't call her Nancy anymore. She tried to grab me and I fell over, her landing on top of me. I held my hands on her shoulders trying to shove her off of me.

Without thinking, I quickly slipped my hand off of her shoulder and grabbed the lamp on the floor next to me, smashing it over her head. She fell next to me and I grabbed one of the broken shards of plaster and shoved it into her skull, her movement finally halting as dark red liquid spilled out of her head.

I let go off the plaster that was now wedged in her skull and backed up against the table behind me, staring at her lifeless corpse.

I closed my eyes and covered my mouth, trying my hardest not to vomit. Then, as I looked at her blood stained mouth, realization struck.

Oh no. Please, no.

I stood up shaking and made my way around the corner, into the kitchen.

No.

My mother's body lie across the kitchen floor, guts spilling out of her chest.

No.

I sat on the floor in front of her body, crying so hard it hurt.

As soon as I worked up the courage, I looked through some of the kitchen drawers until I found one filled with kitchen knives.

I had to do it. I couldn't just let her turn. I tried to hold back all of my tears as I picked up the shining metal and bent down next to my mother.

"I'm so sorry" I whispered.

So fucking sorry.

I began to sob as I placed the knife on her temple and pushed hard until it was buried deep inside of her head, far enough to reach her brain.

I should have been here for her. I should have come sooner. I didn't protect her. I could have saved her. I could have saved Dad.

Before I left, I went back to my apartment across the hall and grabbed the gun buried in my mother's sock drawer and filled the chamber with bullets. She didn't have any more boxes, but I'll take what I can get.

~

As I ran out of the apartment building, I pushed all of my tears and pain and anger to the back of my mind. I'll deal with it all later.

I didn't make it far before I ran into a mob of people, a few corpses in the mix. I scanned the crowd, looking at all the terrified faces. I was about to keep running when I heard a scream louder than all the others.

"Phil!"

I looked into the crowd and saw a boy with brown hair being attacked as he lay on the ground beneath all the frantic people. It was tugging on his arm, getting closer and closer to him. He was holding onto another boy's hand with hair similar to his, but black.

"Phil!" He yelled again, the corpse just centimeters from his arm.

I ran through all the people, pushing them aside as I cocked my gun and aimed it at it's head.

BANG.

The gun rang out so loudly it made me go partially deaf for a moment. My hands shook tremendously as I looked down at the ground, the corpse flat on the pavement, blood spilling out of his head. Nobody in the crowd seemed to notice except for the two on the ground.

I decided to help them. They didn't seem like the kind of people who would screw me over, and I wanted to try to save someone's life tonight. It's the least I can do after.. I couldn't save my parents.

"Come on!" I yelled out to them through the noise of the crowd. "Follow me, hurry!"