Miasma

Chapter Five

"Soldiers?" Repeats Chrissy.

"Yes dear. Soldiers." Clears Bill's wife.

"Is the safe zone close to here?" Asks Chrissy.

"I'm not sure. But I have a feeling its not close either. So far we have not encountered any of those things in here." Says Bill's wife to Chrissy looking at Bill.

Chrissy makes a big sigh and stared at Bill's house. The house is made out of brick. There were barb wires covering each window except the second level. 

"Where are your grandkids?" Asks Chrissy.

"They are inside. Come, let us not spoil the food." Says Bill's wife.

They went inside the house and shared food that noon. Chrissy was still wandering about his grandkids. Brian went upstairs while the couple and Chrissy was busy talking in the kitchen. Every room was empty. He started to think where his grandkids are?

Brian was not aware that Sofia followed him...

"Sofia are you okay?"

"I don't feel good." Says Sofia while rubbing her tummy.

"C'mon let's head down stairs to your mom."

Chrissy was standing by the stairs when both of them came down. Brian explains to Chrissy about Sofia's tummy ache. The couple encourage them to head on upstairs, and so they did.

After a couple of hours the couple is talking in the kitchen.

"Do you think they notice?" Asks Bill's wife.

"I'm not sure, but they are too tired to think about that now."

"Have you fed them?" 

"I tried giving them food, but they are not interested in this kind of things. They want human flesh."

While they are busy talking, Brian was listening by the hallway. He went outside and look around. The only thing that's standing in the yard was a tool shed. He approach it and finds the two grandkids tied with chain in their arms. They are zombies. Brian pulls his gun and points to one of the grandkids.

"If you pull that trigger, I will have to kill you." Says Bill Standing behind Brian.

"What kind of people are you? Why are you doing this to them?" Asks Brian in disbelief.

"We can't kill them. We all ready lost their mother. She's our only daughter."

"But these are not your grankids anymore. I mean, look at them. They are zombies."

"But they are still our grandk----

A shot fires to one of the zombie. Another one came behind Brian through his chest. Brian immediately falls down to the grass. 

Chrissy was awaken and saw how Bill shot Brian. She woke up Sofia, but Sofia was knocked out. As soon as she reach downstairs, she saw Bills wife standing by the door facing towards Bill. She immediately pointed a gun to the back of her neck.

"What kind of people are you?"

"We are like you. We are parents as well. We can't kill them. We have to protect them." Says Bill wifes.

"Your husband just shot Brian. He is just a kid as well." 

It's clearly that these couple are not thinking straight, Chrissy realizes. 

"You won't be able to go far away from here. Those things are everywhere." Says Bill.

"You lied to us. YOU ARE LIARS!" Yells Chrissy and grabs Bill's wife shirt from behind.

"Brian is not all wasted. He is helping my grandchild stay alive." He pulls the other door to show Chrissy what is happening.

The other grandchild was devouring Brian. Just when Bill tries to close the shed, Chrissy fires at him and his wife screams. Bill's falls to the ground immediately. 

"You are going to stay here. We are not taking you." Says Chrissy pointing a gun to her.

Bill's wife just cried hysterically. Chrissy got in the truck and back out the driveway. They drove through the town and Chrissy finds herself bursting into tears. She cried because of Brian. Brian had to die just like his mother. As soon as she turns into a street, she notices dozens of the zombies barricade with barb wires. She knew it would not hold them because they immediately sense her. 

"Sofia are you okay?" Asks Chrissy.

"Sofia, sweetie... are you okay?" 

Sofia did not response at all. She tries to get out where the zombies are and pulls over the other block.

"Sofia, sweetie." Asks Chrissy while she rubs her daughters arms and shoulders to wake her up.

The barricade that was blocking the zombies gave out and they head out towards Chrissy. Chrissy rubs the tears away from her eyes and then she sees the zombies gaining distance towards her. She tries to start the truck, but to her surprise the gas meter is empty. She starts to run carrying Sofia in her arms away from the zombies. She is now lost in her tracks.

"Please... please wake up." Cried Chrissy in panic.

"Wake-up. Wake-up... WAKE-UP!" She slaps her daughter's face.

She could hear them coming but her body does not want to move. 

"SOFIA!" She shouted shaking her unresponsive daughter.

She wipes her tears and carries up her daughter with her might as she runs away from the terror that's closing in on her. 

"Almost there... Sofia, honey? We are almost there." Whispered Chrissy to her daughter while running heading to no where but a thick mist.

She couldn't see anything. I'ts been three days and no one has come to rescue. The thought of that made Chrissy break down in tears. She could hear them closer behind her. 

"Is this it? WHY?"  She asks herself as she turns around to face the horror that's chasing her.  

Her head started to spins like falling inside a well. There she saw a very bright light. She saw two shadows calling her. 

"Chrissy, this is Eric. Stay strong..." A man's voice almost like her husband.

"Mommy, I want you to know... I love you very much." A little girl's voice that sounds like Sofia.

"Give me your hand." The man says and tries to pull her arm.

"GIVE ME YOUR HAND." The sound finally wakes her up.

The growling noise she was hearing before turns into a sound of gunshots and a helicopter infront of her. Then Chrissy saw a man infront pulling her inside the chopper. 

She was in a panic and completely shaken. But first thing she looks for was Sofia.

"Sofia? Sofia? Where is my daughter." 

"Everything is okay... Your daughter is right here. She was unconscious before, but now she is responding a little bit." Says a soldier next to her. "There was a bright light covering around you and your daughter. I've never seen anything like it before."

"A bright light?" Asks Chrissy.

"Yes mam. I think it's your savior."

"Mommy?" Moans Sofia.

"Sofia, sweetie... Mommy's here."

"I saw daddy and he put his arms around us to keep us safe."

The soldier next to them could not believe what he just heard. He continues to monitor both of them on the way to the safe zone. They were brought far away from the disaster. The place has the tallest barricade she had ever seen. The place itself is protected by a shield which has a filter generating for air.  There were small houses, trees, and other live plants. There are small buildings and a few churches around as well. But the ones that made Chrissy and Sofia happy was seeing alive and functional people. It was like a miracle city.