Buzz

Not with me

Will POV

I found myself on Sherman Street , a quaint street lined by houses to the left. These houses seemed identical, having Spanish, brown tiles lining the rooftop. Soft cream coloured outer walls, balconies on the second floor. I walked down the middle of the streets, admiring the carnage.

To the right was a grossly unkempt park - weeds springing up like monsters waiting to frighten someone. I focused back on the wreckage on the street of this once quiet neighborhood.

All I had on me was my backpack containing: my baseball bat, three cans of food and water respectively and the sleeping pills. My knives were strapped to my body - cleaned and sharpened.

I twirled one around my fingers, admiring it's weightlessness and danger. I paid no mind to the Cannibal thrashing around in the overturned car I passed. I could hear the crunch of the glass as it tried to get free by dragging itself out.

A glanced around my surroundings. I was approaching a street leading to several buildings of various establishments. A hardware store with its display window shattered. A florist with withered flowers outside and paper littering the sidewalk. A small café with its tables flipped over - some thrown into the display case - and it's chairs thrown into the street.

Probably an attempt by the previous customers to keep the approaching Cannibals away. It didn't work. This street - Patrick Steeple street - lead either East or West. I turned down the street leading East. I walked past a flock of abandoned cars - blocking not only the street but the sidewalk too.
Some doors were simply left open.

I was approaching the roadblock of cars and was about to jump over car to car when an ominous wind blew from behind me. My muscles tensed and I whipped my head around, the street was still empty - except for the lone paper skidding along the street like a tumbleweed.

I checked my time - 5:48 am.
I need to get to a rooftop soon, it's dangerous to be on the street in the first place. It's a miracle that I haven't encountered any yet.

I hopped over the cars and sped up to a quick jog. I passed more overturned cars, or regular ones with smashed windshields. One even had a door ripped off...

What the hell could've done that?

I passed random stores with shattered windows, or wooden doors bashed in. It all felt liberating yet fearsome to see the rundown state of a once populated street.

I continued East until I decided that I should be smart and not reckless. I entered the first building I found that was a similar height to its neighbours - luckily most people didn't listen to the military broadcast or else this door would be locked.

Silently I walked up the stairs - the sunlight had started peaking over the horizon, illuminating my disorganized surroundings. Papers literally covering the floor, tables tipped over - the computers that were on them cracked on impact with the ground. A water-cooler had been shoved over - soaking the carpet.

Yet no Cannibals.

I went up floor by floor. The stairs to each floor were used as replacements for the elevators - which no longer worked with no electricity. I exited the stairway - thinking that I had finally reached the roof.

Well that's what I wanted myself to believe as the reason why I left the stairway. This floor was obviously not the roof as there were more stairs leading higher up the building. I left the stairway because I heard the thudding, the bumping and the groaning coming from this floor.

And I wanted to kill Matt. I wanted to kill the Matt Cannibals. I wanted to kill the betraying, Matt Cannibals.

I cautiously opened the door to the floor while withdrawing three knives. It sounded like there were only three.
I checked my time - 7:23 am.