Mist

Chapter 1: The New World

The gray sedan sped down the deserted road. The surrounding trees were painted in orange, red, and yellow shades - the first sign of fall. Behind the wheel sat Oscar. He had dark brown hair and matching dark brown eyes. Next to him, in the passenger seat, sat his wife, Arlene. She had her dark blonde hair tied loosely away from her pale face. Her bright blue eyes, scanning the road. In the back sat Sarah, Oscar's only child together, and Arlene's third. Sarah was a young fourteen-year-old with her father's eyes and her mother's complexion. She sat with her eyes closed, listening to the music blasting from her earbuds.

"Turn down here," Arlene said, pointing to a sharp turn to the right.

Oscar took the turn and continued down the road, looking in his rearview mirror to make sure the car behind him had followed.

The car behind them was a white Jeep Grand Cherokee, driven by Arlene's oldest daughter, Marley. She had just turned nineteen two weeks prior to the outbreak and had received the vehicle as a birthday present. She had blonde hair and blue eyes like her mother. Alex, Arlene's only son, sat next to her in the passenger seat. He had drifted off to sleep halfway on the road trip and had been sleeping since. He had his father's black hair and hazel eyes.

Oscar was Arlene's second husband. They had gotten married fourteen years ago and had one child; Sarah. Marley and Alex belonged to Matt; Arlene's late husband. He had died when Alex was two and Marley was six. Alex and Marley were closer to each other than they were with Sarah. They liked her and Oscar, but they felt a stronger connection between them and their mother.

After twenty long minutes of driving, both vehicles had made their destination at a large farmhouse. It was a two-story building with decorative flowers in neat and tidy flower beds. Despite the first eighteen days of hell on earth, the house looked untouched.

The survivors all stepped out of there vehicles and approached the house.

"Marley, watch your siblings. Your mother and I are going to go in and find Grandma and Grandpa, stay here," Oscar asserted, as he climbed the steps to the front porch, followed by Arlene.

Oscar peered in through the glass window on the door before opening it and stepping inside.

"Lauraine?" He called out, receiving no answer.

Arlene, who had now entered the house. Stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a knife off the counter. She joined Oscar once again inside the mudroom.

"Stay close," Oscar whispered and continued deeper in the house, checking in every room they passed.

The entire first floor had been thoroughly searched and no sign of Arlene's parents. They moved to the second floor and did another sweep, to no avail. They returned to the first floor and approached the basement steps.

Oscar and Arlene looked at each other and agreed without speaking, that descending into the basement was the only decision they had. If no one was home, they'd stay anyway. They needed to make sure it was clear. Oscar took the first step. The wooden steps creaked under their feet as they made there way down. The basement was cold and dark, with concrete floors and rock walls. Arlene reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small flashlight, which she clicked on and illuminated the dark place. The basement was small and cramped and it was made up of three rooms, two thin unfinished walls separated each. They approached the door leading to the second room. As Oscar reach for the doorknob, something leaped itself into the door from the other side. Whatever was on the other side began to make deep, raspy, groans.

"Oh god, what if it's-," Arlene looked up at Oscar, searching in the dark, trying to find his eyes.

"Arlene," Oscar looked at his wife. "We don't know if it's them, could be someone else," he reassured her.