BrainDEAD

Chapter 1; The Tragic Events of Today

The sky was overcast, dripping wet upon the land. The deep grey hues that clouded the sky were almost depressing in looks, but whilst all were confined to their shelters, the plants flourished, sucking up the wet with their greasy tendrils, deep within the earth. A long coyote's howl could be heard from within the forest, echoing in the dark, dripping night.

And it was on this night that Sarah Burgundy sought the comfort of a shelter besides her father's old Ford Fiesta, rumbling along a dirt road, out in the middle of nowhere, blasting through the screen of rain.

She could hardly wait until real shelter could be found, hopefully within the hour. That was the supposed arrival time of her and her father to their new house.

A thunk sounded from behind them, and John jolted upright. Sarah hadn't noticed that he'd been drifting off.

"What was that?" Sarah asked him, looking around as if she would see something through the curtains of rain falling from the daunting sky, splashing down the windshield.

"Nothing, probably," he grunted back, staring into the night. The truck had stopped completely now, and he looked slightly perplexed. He looked at her, and, seeing her frightened expression, assured her that everything was fine, and they would arrive soon.

The truck spluttered back to life, but to Sarah and her father's dismay, it refused to move.

"Goddamnit..." her father muttered, pulling his flannel tighter around his body. He flung open the door to the truck and dropped out, his feet slapping the mud as he landed. He started inspecting the tires of the truck, but didn't notice anything in particular, aside from the fact that the truck was completely lodged in the mud. "For fuck's sake..." he muttered again, looking around, but all he could see was the pouring rain and clouds and trees, not a streetlight in sight, and the moon was hidden behind a swath of dark clouds.

"Needs traction..." he muttered, looking around the dirt road for some gravel. He found a patch and began picking it up with his bare hands, dropping it just before the tires. His hair was soaked by now, and water was flowing freely down his rough face. He kept on moving the gravel until he was satisfied that he had a small chance of removing his beloved Fiesta from the mud.

He hopped back in the truck, glancing at his daughter to make sure she was okay, and turned the ignition on again. The truck once again spluttered to life, and it's wheels spat up loads of mud and rocks as he pressed the gas to the floor.

With a strange sucking noise, the truck freed itself and continued to rumble along the road, and John let out a sigh of relief. He had almost been worried for a moment. But there was something else, something he had nearly forgotten about...what had been that thunk, just before the truck had become lodged in the mud? He dismissed the thought. Whatever it was, it didn't matter now. They were nearly there...

THUNK.

There it was again! John could hardly believe his ears. What could it be?

In seconds, the truck was parked on a patch of solid ground, and John was looking around the truck for clues as to what was making so much racket. He hadn't... hit something, had he? Sarah would be upset if he had, she always loved animals so...

And then, out of completely nowhere, a pair of hands gripped John around the mouth, and placed a firm elbow around his neck, to keep air from entering his lungs.

A pair of sharp teeth grasped him around the neck, plunging deep within his flesh, and suddenly, something was sucking the lifeblood from his body.

Meanwhile, Sarah had begun to grow curious about her father. It had been nearly 15 minutes, far too long of an investigation, if you asked her.

"Daaaddd!" she called out the window, but only the sound of the insufferable rain greeted her. She huffed. Was he going to make her get out in that terrible weather?

It took several moments for Sarah to decide if she was going to get out of the truck or not. Finally, after those several moments, she wrapped the blanket tightly around herself and over her head, and exited the truck.

"Dad?" She called questioningly, growing scared again when nothing but the pattering of rain met her. She squinted, trying to see through the pouring rain, but nothing could be seen...except for a dark lump lying in the middle of the road.

"DAD!" she screamed, darting forward, falling to a crouch before the body.

She clung herself to his still warm body and cried, her salty tears mingling with the rain on her cheeks.

John was far past speaking, only a small gurgle leaving his lips, which couldn't even be heard over the rain, which seemed to be overpowering her ears.

He blinked several times, as he was finding it difficult to focus on his one and only daughter, the last of his living family.

I can see them. He was barely able to string together the words in his mind, but when he did, he felt a strange warmth taking him. He was really able to see them...his family. His wife, who had been taken years prior by a terrible car crash.

Slowly, John faded, and after a few minutes, Sarah was clinging to nothing but a corpse, sobbing into his already soaking shirt.

And when a pair of arms grasped her as well, she allowed them. Because at that moment, she feared nothing. She not only accepted death, she welcomed it.

-------------------------------

BLEHHH. What do you think? This is completely unedited. Might actually turn it into a story, lol.

Hope you enjoyed it, though.

-Crynn