Lifeless

Chapter 4

I grabbed a small bag from somewhere in my room, and dumped some crackers and bottled water in it. We probably won't come back into this house anymore, so might as well grab as much food as I can. 

Glancing around the tiny hut I have called 'home' for the last 15 years, my gaze landed on a photo frame which held a photo of me and Mum. It was when we were celebrating my tenth birthday. I was blowing out the candles on the cake while Mum gave me a hug and everyone else was clapping happily.

I smiled a little. It felt good reliving those good times I had with Mum and everyone I grew up with. 

Now, they were all gone. I would never see them again. My hearth ached and tears prickled my eyes-

No, Hayley, don't go there. Don't cry. You are supposed to be strong, right? 

I took a few deep breaths to compose myself. I decided to bring that photo with me. I want to have a reminder of Mum and everyone else I knew. 

Looking at the lifeless body on the floor, my heart ached again. There was this indescribable pain in my heart, one that comes with losing a loved one. I kneeled down next to Mum, and gave her one last hug. 

I will never get to see her again, or hear her voice again, or feel her warmth again. I would do anything, anything, to have my mother back by my side again, to tell me that things will be alright, and that she loves me no matter what, and that everything will be okay. 

Because, I am downright terrified. Almost everyone I know had just died, and I just found out I have a gene in me that enables me to live, and that some people are hunting down people like me. People with the gene. 

It's... it's just a lot to take in. 

I cried into Mum's shirt. This will be the last time I will ever get to do this. Whenever I was upset, I would just cry into her shirt, and she would just hug me back till my sob subsided.

Oh, how I miss those two loving hands. I could almost imagine her warm hands on my back as I cried and cried and cried.

All of a sudden, I felt someone touch my shoulder. Mum? I turned around, only to see Jonas standing behind me. My heart sank a little. Of course, Mum can't come back from the dead, can she?

"Shall we go?" Jonas asked awkwardly. I guess he just didn't know what to say to me. 

"Just... just give me a moment," I told him. I wasn't ready to leave my comfort zone, to leave my house. Not yet. 

I dried my tears, bent down and kissed Mum on her cheeks. "Love you, Mum," I mumbled, my words a barely audible whisper as tears rolled down my cheeks again. 

I then noticed there was this bracelet on her right wrist. Mum said that it was a gift from my Dad before he died from a sickness years ago. I unclasped it, removed it from her wrist and wore it on mine. I feel slightly calmer while playing with the bracelet on my wrist. Maybe it's because I feel connected to my parents by wearing it. 

Taking one last glance around my house, I walked out the front door to find Jonas standing by the door, waiting for me. I hugged him. It hasn't been easy on either of us, losing almost everyone we knew in a day. 

I pulled myself away and took in a deep breath. "I think we should go now." He nodded.

The longer we stay, the more painful it would be for us to leave. 

We walked hand in hand, getting solace from the fact that we weren't alone, that we were in this together.

We walked away from our home, and into the unknown.