Deceased

Chapter Four

I stiffen at the flashback of my parents. The police asked a few questions, but there wasn't much they could do. Everything was being overrun and they had no place to put 16 year old me or my dead parents.  After the police had left, I remembered the knife drawer. When I checked it, it's only contents was a folded note addressed to me. I read just the first few sentences before I placed it back into the drawer without finishing it.

I left that night. Within weeks, electricity was no longer working at all. Streets were bare, besides the occasional screaming or sounds of gunfire. Stores were left empty, stripped down to empty skeletons.

I hear the noise of something rolling against the ground suddenly and am snapped back to the present. Crouching down on the side of the road, I watch a can warily. That can had been upright when my eyes had glanced upon it before.

Perhaps it was the wind. Or perhaps you're going crazy.

That was a reasonable thought. I see an old gas station up ahead and decide to stop there for a quick lunch. I'm still eyeing the can, which has now become motionless on the road. I'm about to stand back up when I hear the click of a gun behind me. I freeze, half standing and half crouching.

"That's right, sugar. Freeze just like that." The voice comes from a woman. Her voice is raspy like she smoked one too many cigarettes in her lifetime or was just getting over a very bad cold.

"I want you to stand up and then slowly turn around with your hands up, okay? Nod if you understand."

I nod, slowly turning around to face her with my hands on the back of my head as she said. I curse myself for not paying better attention to my surroundings. Nobody can afford to let their mind drift in a world like this.

"Well, aren't you a pretty little thing?" She observes, keeping her gun aimed squarely at my chest.

"I wish I could say the same to you," I quip back and snap my mouth closed.
You're such an idiot! Keep your mouth closed before you die.

She only smiles, tilting her head and studying me. "You know what? I was going to rob you. Don't worry though. I think it'll be way more interesting to just take you with me."

I grit my teeth angrily, adrenaline flooding through my veins. I see a shape behind her moving slowly through the grass, it's eyes locked onto her. "Look lady, that's not going to happen. I'm not going anywhere with you."

She cocks an eyebrow up and lowers her gun, placing it in the waistband of her jeans. She's still smiling as she says, "And what makes you say that?"

"Something tells me you'll be a little too preoccupied to worry about me," I answer, shrugging my shoulders.

Confusion flashes across her face, her eyes scanning my face and seeing the flicker of my eyes as I look past her. It's too late by the time she finally hears it's heavy breathing and growl. She's spinning around, hand reaching for the gun, eyes wide as the biter sinks it's rotten yellow teeth into her shoulder. She screams and it pierces through our silent surroundings. Not even one insect dares to move.

Moving quickly, I take out my knife and the blade disappears into the biters skull without a thought. The thing falls to the ground, and the woman sinks to her knees sobbing in pain and hopelessness.

"You tried robbing my things just like it," I say pointing at the dead biter, "robbed you of your life. Karma is such a pain, wouldn't you say?"

She looks up at me, her face full of pleading. "Please. Please help me," she begs as I shake my head sadly.

"It's too late for you."