JSS

Gone

I walk in through the front door of Leahs house with Serena nagging behind me, as I walk further in the house I toss my bag into Leah and her younger sister Taylor's room.
"I'm home!" I shout as I walk into the living room and wait for a response.
"Leah?" I say walking into the kitchen, greeted by silence.
They must be outside, I open the back door and walk out, spotting Leah across the field in her back yard that leads to the woods.
She's not alone though, she's standing with Taylor and they're both walking along along the tree line like they're looking for something.
I walk off the porch and run over to them, "What are you guys doing?" I ask Leah, she spins around looking worried.
"Nikki got sent home from Bubba's because she got the virus and me and Taylor saw her walk into the woods when we got home from Ms. Dottie's."
She explains pointing into the woods.
Serena walks up as she explains what's going on.
"Okay, why don't we all just split up and look for her?" Serena suggests.
"No, since there's four of us we'll go in groups of two so we don't get lost too." I say as Serena and Leah nod.
"Okay so me and Taylor will go and you and Serena." Leah responds.
"Instead, you go with Serena and I'll go with Taylor, you guys know these woods more than me and Serena, we'd just get lost within three minutes." I explain and look up to see if anyone objects.
"Sounds fine to me." Taylor says walking into the woods, I follow behind and we leave Leah and Serena to figure out where they're going to search.
"Nikki!" Taylor calls out turning on her phone flashlight.
The sun is setting so with all the tree's it gets dark pretty quickly out here. Following Taylor's lead I also take out my phone and turn on my flashlight. "Nikki!" I shout out keeping my eyes peeled.
Something rustles in the distance, "Did you hear that?" Taylor asks and freezes in her tracks.
"Yeah, you good?" I say peeking over her shoulder.
"Can you go ahead of me? I'm not trying to get eaten by a bear." She laughs and takes a few steps behind me.
"That's comforting." I chuckle and slowly step closer to the noise, with each step, the louder the sound gets.
"Must be behind this bush." I whisper taking a deep breath and quickly shooting in front of the bush.
"Gotcha!" I yell expecting to see Nikki, Leahs little sister.
But instead I'm greeted with a hiss and a possum.
"Holy shit!" I yell and fall back on my ass as the possum runs off deeper into the woods.
"Hah, that's a way to-"
A hear a blood curdling scream and spin my head towards Taylor as she falls to the ground with Nikki on top of her.
"Nikki! Get off!" I scream shuffling to my feet and shoving her off Taylor.
"She bit me!" Taylor cries out and lifts up her arm, instead of a small bite mark, there's a chunk missing from her arm and gushing blood.
"Fuck! LEAH, SERENA, COME HERE!" I scream while trying to apply pressure to Taylor's wound.
It wasn't long before Leah and Serena come running and find us.
"What the fuck happened?!" Leah shouts.
"Grab Nikki, something is wrong with her, she fucking bit Taylor!" I yell as Nikki slowly gets back up and lunges towards us.
Nikki's breathing is raspy and her eyes are white, she almost looks dead.
Immediately, Leah hops on Nikki and holds her down with her knees on Nikki's chest.
"Nikki! Snap out of it!" Leah shouts pounding on her chest.
Nikki just keeps snapping, while Taylor keeps bleeding, "Leah, we gotta get her to the hospital!" I yell, "she's bleeding really bad."
Taylor looks around and sits up slowly.
"What am I going to do with Nikki?!"
Leah shouts while Nikki keeps biting the air.
"Put her in a choke hold until she passes out, it shouldn't take long." I say helping Taylor up.
"Here Serena, help Taylor get back to the house, I'll help Leah with Nikki."
I say wrapping Taylor's arm around Serena's shoulder.
"Got her?" I ask and Serena nods.
I let go and walk over to Leah, who has Nikki pinned on the ground.
"Okay, Nikki we're gonna let you up slowly and carefully so work with us." I tell Nikki trying to calm her down.
"You think she can hear you?" I here Taylor ask from behind.
"Hopefully" I mumble.
"Okay, I'm gonna let go." Leah says to warn everyone.
"Stay back you guys." I say shuffling back.
Serena helps Taylor walk backwards carefully, but Taylor trips and falls on her back right as Leah let's go.
Before we knew what was happening, Leah was hustling to get up and get to Taylor before Nikki could.
All of us lunge towards Nikki to get her away.
But she got to Taylor before any of us, Nikki claws Taylor's arms and rips off a piece of Taylors shoulder with her teeth.
Leah grabs Nikki by the collar and flings her to the ground while Serena cries and tries to hold Nikki down.
"I can't do this anymore." Leah whispers and wanders off.
"Leah! Get back here!" I scream while taking off my flannel and holding it against Taylor's newest wound.
"It hurts.." Taylor whispers shaking with tears falling off her face and into the puddle of blood that surrounds us.
"Hey, Taylor, look at me." I say sternly as she focuses her eyes on mine, "You're gonna be okay, you hear me? Everything is going to be fine." I say, even though I don't know if I'm telling the truth.
She's loosing blood fast and her face is turning pale.
"Promise?" She asks quietly as her voice fades.
"I promise, Tay." I lie to her as tears well up in my eyes.
"Leah?" I say as she walks past me with a rock in her hand.
"Serena, get up." Leah snaps, without question Serena let's go and runs from Nikki.
Within seconds Nikki is up and lunging towards Leah, but before she can get to her Leah bashes the rock into the side of her face sending both of them to the leafy ground.
"Serena hold pressure on her shoulder like this!" I yell quickly and running over to Nikki and Leah.
I grab Nikki by the shoulders and throw her off Leah.
Leah shoots up and pounces on Nikki, smashing her head in with the rock, over and over again. Eventually she stops moving, but that doesn't stop Leah, she keeps going, again and again, nonstop.
"Leah!" I shout to get her to stop, but she ignores me, it's like she can't hear me.
"Leah, stop!" Serena yells while sobbing, trying to help Taylor.
Leah is out of it, still smashing the rock into the mush that was Nikki's skull.
"God dammit Leah! She's dead!" I scream and push her off of Nikki.
My knees on Leahs wrists.
"You killed her! She's dead! It's over!" I scream as loud as I can, straining my voice. Suddenly, she snaps out of it, coming to realisation of what just happened.
"Taylor, where's Taylor?" Leah asks as her eyes widen and I get off of her letting her shuffle over to Taylor frantically.
"Tay! Oh my god." Leah sobs clutching Taylor face with her blood covered hands.
"I'm gonna be okay." Taylor whispers and takes a breath, "It doesn't hurt anymore, it really doesn't." She says with a raspy voice, slowly smiling.
Leah closes her eyes and cries harder.
"Leah," Taylor takes a deep breath, "I" Taylor starts coughing and wheezing, "I love you." Taylor says after catching her breath.
Leah presses her forehead on Taylors and they both begin to cry.
"I love you too, Tay." Leah cries holding Taylor in her arms.
"I love you too." Leah whispers again as Taylor slowly exhales.. but she doesn't inhale... That was it, she's gone, Taylor's gone.