Survive Or Die

Chapter 1- When it all began

It started as a normal day. Until I saw my Dad. That wouldn't be so strange if he hadn't been dead for six years. And if his skin wasn't rotten and decaying, or his eyes were clouded and dead. Not to mention his awkward limp or the way his arms hang from his side like rag dolls.
I'm able to yank a dazed Judith out of his clutches just in time and pull her into my bedroom. Mum rushes in and slams the door. "Are you okay?" She breathes.
I nod, still holding Judith by the shoulders. "Was that Daddy?" She asks.
"I-I think so." Mum gulps and glances around nervously. Luckily my window is locked and my large bookshelf is blocking the door. I catch a glimpse of Mums arm. It has a small bite mark that she's trying to cover with dead, flaking skin surrounding it and yellow puss oozing.
"M-Mum... were you bitten?" I ask, softly pulling Judith closer to my side.
"It's fine. I'll be fine." She smiles weakly before falling to the ground. She has a series of spasms and some clear liquid drip from her mouth.
I don't wait to find out what happens next.
"Mummy?" Judith cries. I frantically look around for an escape route before unlocking the door and forcing my little sister out of it. "Celia, what happened to Mummy?" She whispers as we race through the streets in my car. I'm eighteen so I have my own car and license.
"I don't know..." I trail off when I see about a dozen other things like Dad, stumbling towards us and another building. All coming from the graveyard. I know a few of them as I went to their funerals. It's a bit hard not to know someone when you live in a small town. I jerk the car down a backstreet, looking for somewhere to go. Judith sits in a disbelieving daze next to me. Surprisingly she hasn't shed a tear. For a seven year old that's astonishing.
We drive for a while more until the car lurches to a stop, out of gas. I slam my hands on the steering wheel in frustration. I see Judith looking at me with big bottle green eyes on her small, childlike face. Her eyes are full of worry and concern so I try to remain calm; for her sake. "Want to play a game?" I wheeze in one last desperate attempt at keeping her calm.
She rolls her eyes. "Games are for babies," she states matter- of- factually.
"Of course." I can't help but smile. We hesitantly get out of the car and decide to continue on foot. Luckily it's Summer and Judith doesn't get too cold in the warm night breeze. At one point her long, dry, dark brown hair gets in the way and I tie it back, letting mine go down my back. Mine is almost platinum with a tint of green from my swimming. It's quite light and limp but doesn't get in my way. Unlike Judith, my eyes are baby blue, almost white. I'm short, but luckily so is she so I will always be the big sister. We look nothing alike. She has darker features and skin, whereas mine is lighter and so are my features.
After about two hours of continuous walking she gets tired. She may be strong but she is still a kid.
We stop at a small motel. It seems deserted, which is odd because it's the only motel in Blue Valley. Once we get inside it gradually fills with voices. Human voices. Alive voices. There are people huddled in small groups, talking amongst themselves. I join one with the only person I know. Isabella. "Celia," she cries, wrapping her arms around me then Judith. "Are you guys alright?" Even in the havoc she manages to look gorgeous. Her chocolate brown hair is up in a messy ponytail, making the blonde streaks more prominent. She has a round face with two, large, russet brown eyes and a small nose. Her skin is fair but I have a feeling that after we start walking, it'll turn as bronzed as most people in this room. She is a short and stout girl but doesn't look at all unhealthy. She's gorgeous.
"What's going on here?" I ask, ignoring her question.
"No idea. But I got to see my Grandmother. That was cool," she grins.
"Who are these people?" I question, ignoring her again. I survey the group and find mostly young people. And Hayden. My twenty one year old brother.
"Hayden? Where's Millie and Sarah?" I ask in confusion. His girlfriend and daughter. He looks at the ground guiltily.
"I'm sorry. They were dead weight." He doesn't seem sorry at all. Then again, he never was that selfless.
My hands fly to my mouth. "You just left them? Hayden, how could you?" I cry. Judiths grip on my hand tightens.
Isabella carefully takes Judiths other hand. "Let's go find someone else," she says gently to her, prying her hand away. Hayden merely shrugs. "It wasn't easy. I'm not completely emotionless. But I was going to leave her anyway. She just insisted that Millie stay with her. It's not my fault." I can't bare to be around him.
"I'm out of here," I spit in disgust and trudge off.
"Everyone!" Calls an old man from where he stands on a table. Suddenly the entire room is silent, all eyes on him. He seems a bit surprised by this himself. "My name is John and I live on page street. My wife was killed by her own father just a few hours ago. My point is: most of us have lost somebody but we have to keep going on. So I say we leave first thing tomorrow. We can walk through the hills. Find somewhere safe," he says.
"Who put you in charge!" Someone yells from the crowd and suddenly it's noise and chaos again.
"We should vote for a leader!" Someone yells. "Who says we need one anyway!" Another person says. "I'm out of here!" Someone screams. A few people choose to follow them and about ten people leave. "This sucks!" There are shouts and screams coming from everywhere and I can't take it. "Everyone shut up!" I shout, above everyone else. And they are silent to my surprise. "We should break into groups," I say, making it up as I go. "We should break into groups and decide from there."
"I agree," someone yells. More and more people agree and soon the whole place is split into sections. I let out a sigh of relief and join Issy again. She has already made up a group of teens. I don't tell her bad an idea this is. We decide to sleep first and leave in the morning. I take Judith upstairs and find her a small room with a large bed. I lock the door and windows and tuck her into bed, curling up next to her.
"Celia," she says into the darkness. I can still hear talking from downstairs and the drunk shouts of men who found the liquor. "Are we gonna be okay?" She whispers softly.
I hesitate before answering. "Of course we are," I whisper. I feel her burrow into my side, hiding her face in my arm. "Goodnight, Judith." I kiss the top of her head and hear her soft, sleeping breathes soon after.