My Only Exception

Chapter #9 Don't Leave Me

Amanda's POV

I was horrified. Staring death in all of the faces it had form of. My family and I were trapped in the attic with nowhere left to run from the living dead, who had just finished piling into the attic with us. Mayor Spangler pushed to the front of the crowd, the construction worker behind him.

"Alright. Now we decided the other day that Jim here will go first. Jim, when we start you may choose whoever you want to feed on, except the girl. Ray came to me the other day and asked that she be saved for him specifically." Mayor Spangler explained.

My eyes widened. What?! Ray had dibs on my blood?

"I wasn't going to let anyone else put their hands on you Amanda." Ray smiled.

I didn't return the smile. As the Mayor talked to the dead residents of Dark Falls about the feeding order I looked around the room for anything that could help us. Suddenly I saw the attic windows, boarded up with old shutters, beyond them I could see light. Sunlight!! The sun must have came out! I turned to Josh.

"Josh, help me get these shutters off the windows, the living dead's weakness is the sunlight! It burns their skin! That's why Ray has a bandaged hand! The sun charred his skin!" I exclaimed.

I ran to the window and went to pry off the first board.

"Stop!" Ray ordered. "Amanda don't do it! I really like you! You're the best thing that's ever happened to me since I died! Please!" He added.

I gave him a look and ripped the first board off. Everyone started wincing at the light.

"Josh help me!" I yelled, turning back to the window.

Josh turned and began helping me rip off the shutters, board by board. I heard moans of terror and pain behind us, I knew it must be working!

"Clear the room!!" Mayor Spangler called. That was the last audible thing I heard besides the dying screams of the living dead and Petey's continuous barking.

A few seconds later the room was silent. When Josh and I turned around we saw our parents looking at us in shock. We ran over to them and hugged them. Then we spotted piles of clothes all over the floor. They belonged to the undead. They had melted right out of their clothes. Mayor Spangler, Jim the construction worker, Agnes Somerset, Karen......I didn't see Ray's clothes.....

We stepped over the piles and made our way back down the stairs to the main floor.

"Everyone quick! Pack your things! ONLY your absolute necessities, we can buy new versions of everything else!" Dad explained.

I bolted to my room, grabbing my clothes and throwing them into a suitcase. I had just locked it shut when I heard voices downstairs. It was my parents and....someone else.

Grabbing my suitcase I headed down the stairs. My parents were in the kitchen talking to Mr. Dawes. He had stopped by to visit and saw that we were packing to leave. He now was trying to reason with my parents about staying in Dark Falls. Petey was growling and snarling at him.

Wait.....Mr. Dawes had a gravestone in the cemetary....he was dead too!

"Mom, dad! No! He's one of them! He's trying to get us to stay so that he can feed on us!!!" I screamed.

Mr. Dawes glared at me. He then lunged at me, grabbing my arm and started trying to bite me. Before my family could act, Mr. Dawes was hit from behind. He let go of my arm and held his head, turning around.

It was Ray! He held a shovel in his hands.

"Keep your hands off of her!" He warned angrily.