Zombsania

Part 1.0 // The Petrol Station

FEBRUARY THE 4th:
Around 15:25
DAY 3

The girl down the street had never noticed me. She had never said a word to me - never even looked at me.

But now she looked at me with pleading eyes as if I was her only saviour.

Okay, well she was only asking for a lighter - I'm not the type of boy who anyone would want to be saved by. I have a small scrawny body, and a permanent worried expression. But I'm not the type of guy to smoke either.
'You smoke?' I asked her. I hadn't heard any rumours about her smoking, but I had heard about the numerous rumours of all the guys she's been with.
'Nah, not yet.' She said.
'Well don't,' I shivered nervously, ' I mean not at a time like this. You'll end up desperate for something that you'll have a hard chance of getting.' Okay, I'm not strong but I can be kinda wise I guess.

'Alright,' she said, almost sarcastically.
'You have a family still?' She sighed.
'Nope'I put my hands in my windbreaker pockets awkwardly.
'Do you?''
'Probably not. I bolted from the house when my dad lost it. Now I'm here, haha, not much better. I probably should have just stayed inside. Would have been easier.'

So where was here exactly?
The petrol station, on the main road, that our street was attached to.

My mind falls to the poor people who fled from their families like us.

'We have food at least. There's probably people out there, who also fled from their homes who don't have any... Well you don't mind if I stay her too?'
My voice sounded meak and croakier than usual.

She shrugged,' it's not my petrol station.'
'Yeah...'

We sat in an awkward silence.

It had been three days since people started changing. Three days since I had ran from from my life, which was perfect compared to what this is.

I dropped my brothers notebook on the bench. It was the only thing that I had brought with me from my home.

Cara's eyes flick over the notebook and look back out the window, squinting, sorrow clouding her blue eyes. I follow her gaze out the window. Cars were tipped across the road, as if someone had thrown them from the sky and that was where they landed.

'How did this happen,' her cheeks had become shiny and her button nose red.
'I thought that I was the only one left, and that I'd have to look after myself. I don't want to be lonely, I didn't want it to just be me.' As if a lever had been pulled, tears exploded out of her eyes, dropping to the floor.

My chest tightened with the thought of being the only sane person left.

How do I comfort her.

Do I hug her?

I could do with a hug, myself.

She jumped down from the bench and ran to the bathroom. Still taking the time to look up at which toilet had the person with the dress on it.

It was completely silent. I expected to hear the old music playing on the radio,  or kids begging their parents for a treat.

But instead there was nothing.

I looked around the petrol station. So many lolies.

I grabbed a chocolate bar and devoured the whole thing in an instant. The sweetness filled my mouth. I needed more. I grabbed another one. The wrapper wouldn't come off fast enough.

These are good what are they?

I checked the wrapping, it's a regular Cadbury chocolate. I had never realised how delicious they were. Suddenly the 'boring' flavour had turned into the best thing that I had ever tasted in my entire life.

I shoved one more in my jean pocket and continued to look around the petrol station shop.

Against the window there was a stand that features newspapers and magazines. The title of the grey paper screamed at me 'NEW ASYLUM BEING BUILT AFTER AUXFORD OVERFLOW'. I checked the date: the first of Feburary, which was 4 days ago.

On the rack there was a various amount of magazines, featuring hot models, and boy bands. One of the magazines wrapped in plastic caught my eye. On the outside of each magazine featuring Harry Malik or whatever his name was, there was a tiny backpack - the smallest backpack that I had ever seen. Usually I would avoid magazines, because I gotta keep up my masculinity, am I right? But, no one was sane enough to judge me, when I ripped open the plastic and pulled out the brown backpack. I loosened the straps, and put it over my shoulders - it wasn't even a quarter of the size of my back, but I told myself that it would do for now - that it would fit my brothers notebook in perfectly.

The bathroom door squeaked open, and Cara walked out, her face pale, and cheeks red.

'You all good?' I asked.
'Yeah, I'm fine. It's all good.'
I squinted at her, it's obvious that she was lying. She walked back over to the bench and sat on it.
'I watched my mother die,' She choked,'I watched my father rip her to shreds. The only things I can remember from when I was younger was laughing with them. And how they'd hug me...
How proud of me they would be... They loved each other so much, yet there he was, scratching her stomach out.' She gritted her teeth and slammed her palm on the bench. I could see her holding back the tears, her jaw jutting out.

Seeing my sweet, creative little brother destroy my parents, was something of a nightmare. It was like when your having a dream that feels so real but you can tell that something isn't right... And then suddenly you fall through a trap door that was made of legs, and then you can laugh because it was just a dream. Except this time, I'm not laughing because, it isn't a dream.

Our family was no longer there - they're bodies were, but they certainly weren't.

I extended my arms to her, and she threw herself onto me, her body heaving with loud cries, her tears falling onto my shoulder.

We stayed like this until the sun could no longer pull its weight, and the night sky flipped into vision outside of the windows.