To The Grave

Chapter 19. Randall. Day 104.

I sat down on the bloody ground, looking at the mess we had made. Marty had his head buried in his arms and knees. His body trembled with each silent sob. Ferris held his mother in his arms, crying quietly as to not disrupt her violent chokes for air.

Winona hadn't moved an inch, her eyes still staring lost into the trees. I moved forward, pressing my weight on my hands as I moved closer to her. She moved her eyes to look at me, closing them quickly.

There was a soft groan from across the strung-out group. I looked over, watching Marty's dad start to sit up. Ferris jerked back, pulling his mom along with him. I looked back to Winona, watching her see her father come back to life. I wrapped my arms around the younger girl, trying to shield her from the sight.

I looked over watching Marty stand up, drawing the attention of his reanimated father. He stared the monster down, holding up the small handgun Ferris had hidden. Blueish arms reached out for the shorter boy. His arm jerked back as he fired the gun. The shot echoed through the silence among us. He moved his hand to wipe away the fresh blood on his face. He moved back to the ground, staring at the corpse beside him.

"He wasn't bit." Winona whispered from within my arms. I released my grip on her, letting her return to her paralyzed state.

Marty grabbed the large gun off the ground, moving over to the pile of dead. He kicked the bodies away, grabbing another rifle off the asphalt. He moved through the clusters of dead and living, picking up all the guns he could find.

"Martin, stop." Ferris shook his head, grabbing the leg of his brother.

Marty jerked away, turning to his brother. "We stopped and look what happened." He dropped a rifle in front of his brother. He made his way over to me and his sister, pushing a rifle towards me. I reached out slowly grabbing the large gun. He held the handgun out to his sister.

She remained motionless on the ground. Marty shook the gun in her face, trying to pull her out of her trance. "Winona." He shouted, dropping the gun onto her lap. He shook his head again, walking down the street. Ferris stood up walking over to Winona. He crouched down beside her, grabbing her small hand in his.

I stood up, leaving the two alone. Their mother remained on the pavement, still sobbing. Winona finally moved to her feet, holding the pistol in her shaking hands. "Go to Martin." He told her, as he turned back to his mom.

Winona rushed over to her brother, her eyes fixed on his attacker's body. Ferris pulled on their mother's arm, trying to pull her to her feet. She struggled against him, shaking her head. "Just leave me. I'm not going to save you guys."

"Mom, please. You're all we have left." Ferris' voice shook with the fear in his voice. He moved down, pulling her to her feet. He dragged her along, leading her to his only remaining brother and sister.

Our tired legs dragged each of us down the long stretch of road. We walked for an hour, trying to find a place to settle for the quickly approaching night. I felt my eyes growing heavy as I tried to walk on. A small dark town appeared in the distance. Winona began to walk quicker, passing her two brothers. I moved the gun from behind my back into my hands.

Ferris let a loud gasp out of his mouth, running forward to grab Winona by the waste and pull her back. "The car." His voice was a mixture of scared and angry. I squinted, trying to see in the fleeting light.

A large white SUV was parked sloppy against the side of a small store. Marty continued walking into the open center of the town. He held the gun up, squinting hard to be able to see. He approached the car, throwing open the door. He looked back at us, waving his hand for us to join. We slowly moved closer, holding up our guns in fear.

Marty dove into the backseat, pulling his glasses out of the cup holder in the door. He pressed them against his face, letting a small smile flash. I turned back to face the side door of the building. I crept closer, pulling on the handle. The door remained in its closed state.

Marty and Ferris joined me, pressing forward to round the corner to the front of the store. We pulled the glass door open, slowly walking into the dark building. There was the sound of movement from somewhere within.

"It sounds like someone is stuck." I whispered to Ferris. He nodded, moving further in. I followed close behind him, turning down an aisle.

A closed door hid at the back of the store echoing loud thuds as a body hit against it. The three of us came to a stop staring at the door. Ferris bolted forward pushing the door open. A body laid on the floor, a large pool of blood surrounding it. The door slammed back into place as a raspy groan poured out from behind us. Marty turned around moving his gun up.

"Molly?" He asked, looking at the mangled corpse. She opened her mouth, showing broken teeth and blood. Her hands were tied around the back of a chair as she jerked around trying to break free.

She screamed in anguish, her pale eyes fixated on the closer of her brothers. I remained still, watching Ferris and Marty. Marty pulled his gun down, looking around the room. He grabbed a large kitchen knife off a table, returning back to his sister's side.

"Wait, if she's tied up, we don't have to." Ferris grabbed his younger counterpart's arm, begging him to stop.

Marty shook his head. "She wouldn't want to be like this." He brought his arm down, stabbing the knife into his sister's skull. I turned around, looking at the dead man's body. He was beaten to death, his face caved in and pooled with a deep red liquid.

Ferris' voice turned into a loud shout. "Why, Martin?"

"So you wouldn't have to." He turned out the small door, heading into the main part of the building. I looked between the door and Ferris. His hand was pressed against his sister's face. He pulled the knife out of her head, moving his hand to her neck. He pulled a necklace out of her shirt, yanking it off. He looked back to me, wiping tears off his cheek quickly.

Marty stood behind the counter of the store, his hand pulling packs of cigarettes off the shelf. His arms quickly grew full. "Grab some." He said to the two of us. Ferris walked for the door, leaving us behind.