Don't Let Me Go

Infected

Minx, Krism, Ohm, and Cry are sitting on Minx's couch, frowning at the message blaring from their TV. Apparently there's some kind of illness outbreak and everyone needs to stay inside. It states that anyone that came from out of the country within the last few days be taken to a quarantine facility immediately. Minx snorts, "Yeah, cause I'm totally going to hand over my friends. This has got to be fake."

"What if it's not?" Krism asks, looking at her wife with wide eyes, "What if there's some kind of lethal infection spreading? What if it did come from out of state?"

"Oh, calm down," Minx rolls her eyes, "If Ohm or Cry were sick, I'm sure we would be, too. We're not calling that stupid number and turning our friends in."

Krism frowns and Minx leans forward, "Yo, Ohm, Cry. Either of you feel sick?"

The boys exchange glances then shake their heads, Minx's leans back, arms crossed with a smug smirk on her face, "See, babe? All is well."

"All is not well!" Krism groans, "There's some kind of epidemic going on!"

"Where's your evidence?" Minx raises an eyebrow, "I don't see anyone throwing up in the streets, do you? This is stupid, we're going to be fine. I doubt it's as bad as they're trying to make us think it is. It's a scare tactic, we'll stay inside for a few days, and then everything will go back to normal. Some scientist was probably fucking with some kind of Ebola gene and now the government is freaking out. Just calm down, we're fine."

Krism shakes her head, crossing her arms as she leans back against the couch. Cry sighs, pulling back the curtain over the window so he can look out, "It's pretty dead out there. I don't see single person, no one's driving either."

"Everyone's probably inside, like we are," Ohm leans back, staring at the ceiling, "Do you really think something that serious is going on?"

"I don't," Minx replies, sticking her tongue out at Krism, "But she does. What about you two?"

Ohm shrugs, "I say I don't believe it until I see it."

Cry's eyes widen, "Then you better come over here."

Ohm frowns, turning to him, "What?"

Minx leans forward, eyes narrow, "You see something out there?"

Krism grabs Minx's arm, worry and fear clear in her eyes. Ohm gets up and walks over to the window Cry's standing at. He pulls the curtain back on his side, peering out. Across the street from them is a little girl, maybe seven or eight years old. She walking across her yard, the front door of the house behind her is wide open. The little girl is wearing mismatching pajamas, the shirt is covered in blood. The girl's skin is sickly pale, black veins are evident, even from how far away Cry and Ohm are observing from. Her head is down as she stumbles across the yard, so her face isn't visible. Cry looks back at Krism and Minx, "Come here, you need to see this."

Ohm frowns, eyes full of concern, "Should we help her?"

The girl stumbles and collapses on the sidewalk, still across the street from Minx's house. The curtain is completely pulled away as the four friends stare uncertainly at the sickly girl across the street from them. Ohm shakes, his mouth in a firm, grim line, "She needs help."

He pulls his phone from his pocket as he bolts towards the door. Cry moves after him, "Hey, wait! You could get infected!"

"If we don't do anything, that little girl will die!" Ohm throws the front door wide open and runs out. Minx quickly follows after her friends as Cry goes after Ohm. Krism swallows and runs after them as well. She runs right past her friends, her kindness winning over her fear as she reaches the little girl first. She kneels down, shaking, "L-little girl..?"

The girl's reply is raspy, heavy breathing, mixed with a gurgling groan. Krism gasps softly as she sees blood leak out from under the girl's head, most likely spilling from the poor child's mouth. Minx, Ohm, and Cry stand behind Krism, looking around wearily. Ohm calls the emergency number again, hoping to get an ambulance out here before the child dies. Krism swallows, slowly leaning a little closer, putting her hands on the child's shoulders. She shakes her lightly, trying to rouse her into a response, "Y-you're g-----"

The child snarls and somehow throws herself forward, knocking Krism backwards. The child sinks her teeth into Krism's left shoulder before anyone can react to what's happening. Krism screams and Minx kicks the child in the head, effectively knocking the child off her. To their horror, the child twists, contorting at an angle that should have snapped her spine. She crawls towards them again, her long, dark hair no longer covering the child's blood-stained face, and gray, empty eyes. The child shrieks like an animal, her mouth moving constantly in a biting motion. Minx kicks her back again, "What the fuck?!"

Ohm and Cry pull Krism to her feet and Cry moves her more to lean on Ohm, who heads back to Minx's house as Cry turns back to Minx. Minx is kicking the child back for the third time, staring in horror as the child contorts herself in yet another angle that shouldn't be possible so she can keep crawling towards her next victim. Just then, Cry sees a man, a woman, and two little boys, apparently younger than the girl before them, come stumbling out of the little girl's house. The infected family share the same characteristics of the little girl; sickly pale skin, black, protruding veins, gray eyes, and blood covering their clothing and mouths. The woman and two children have a few wounds on various parts of their bodies.

Cry grabs Minx by the arm as she kicks the child again and pulls her back, "We need to get back to the house!"

The two friends turn and sprint towards the house, the infected family stumbling towards them at an alarmingly fast pace. They get into the house and Cry slams the door shut, locking it, "Get upstairs! Stay away from the windows!"

Minx runs up to Ohm and Krism. Ohm is still supporting Krism, holding a white, bloody towel over the still bleeding wound on her shoulder. She helps Ohm get Krism up to their bedroom and Cry runs up after them after closing the curtain they were looking out of earlier. They get to Minx and Krism's room and Cry locks that door as well.