The End of Us

Chapter 1: Day 1, 10:25pm, -William Michaels

It was as if I was looking at the devil herself. Instead of red horns and a tail, she looked almost entirely human. Almost. This creature before me was pale. The sun seemed to have never touched her skin. Her body looked withered as if she was never fed. Her glazed over soulless eyes held a hunger that made goosebumps pop up all over my skin. No matter how much this devil scared me, I was also eerily drawn to her. I couldn't help but move closer to the glass that separated us. Every step I took seemed to draw her attention more to me. She rushed towards the glass, teeth baring and her body trembling. I gulped. When my brother would mention his experiments I always assumed he meant on animals. That he was trying to cure cancer, or trying to regrow dead cells... I never once thought that he was creating something that even God would fear.

She started to pound on her cell, trying to break the glass to get to me. With her hitting the cell more pounding started up in the other cells. With one of them knowing I was here, they all knew. It sounded as though the inmates were ready to make a prison break.

"WILLIAM," My body spun around hearing my brother shout my name "move away from the cell. Now!" The fear that resonated in his voice was something I had never heard before. I took a step back away from the cell just as he instructed. My brother pushed past me and went straight for the cell. "What are you doing down here? You didn't touch anything did you?"

"I'm not stupid enough to touch anything."

My brother scoffed. "Yet you were stupid enough to come down here. The AX series is dangerous, William. How did you.. even... " His eyebrows furrowed as he started to push a sequence of buttons on the panel that was connected to the glass cell. "You touched something."

"I did not!" My voice raised making the creature in the cell act more sporadic. She was doing all in her power to get out of the cell.

"This isn't right." As Thomas messed with the control pad, a burst of electricity shot out shocking my brother's hand. "Shit!" He quickly clutched his hand, a wide-eyed expression coming onto his face. A loud click then erupted from the door that grabbed all of our attention. Especially the attention of the creature inside. "Shit shit shit.'"

I took a few steps back to the doorway that entered the hall. "Thomas..?" My voice sounding uneasy.

Thomas rushed to another panel that was placed on the far wall. As he kept typing in sequences to the panel, I watched the woman. Her pounding had completely stopped. She moved over to the door of the glass cell. A small smirk came upon her face making red flags go off in my mind. Her hand gently placed on the glass, and as if the door had registered her intentions, the glass slowly began to slide open.

"Thomas!!" I yelled for him, panic beginning to set in.

My brother quickly looked overhearing the panic in my voice. As he looked away, another burst of electricity shot through the panel he was working on. Loud clicks from each cell in the hall echoed. In sequence, every other creature I could hear pounding suddenly stopped.

"We have to go." My brother rushed over to my side and grabbed my arm. The woman took a step out of her cell, a low hungry growl emerged from her mouth making my legs weak. Thomas dragged me out of the room as quick as he could, hitting a large red button on the way out. Alarms started blaring in the facility. Thomas glanced behind us, a hopeful look changing to one of dread. "The emergency switch didn't close the doors.." He focused his attention forward and pulled on my arm harder, making me pick up my pace. Other scientists, some with guns and some without, rushed past us. I felt like I needed to hide, but my brother wouldn't slow down. Thomas led me through the halls and the elevator that I came through. Never once stopping as his coworkers tried to call out to him. He kept pushing through until we were making our way away from the building.."They should be able to contain it. We have a protocol. It's safe.." Thomas kept muttering to himself. I couldn't tell if he was trying to reassure me or himself.

"Thomas, are you going to explain to me what the hell is going on?" My courage slowly returned the further we distanced ourselves from the building.

"I.. I." He disregarded my question entirely. Turning his fear onto me, like it was my fault. "Why don't you ever listen to me? I told you not to leave my office and I find you down in a restricted section of the building!" He came to a sudden stop and turned around quickly, making me bump into him. "Do you have any idea what you have done?!"

My face felt hot with anger. I hate being accused of something I didn't do. "I told you I didn't touch anything!"

"You were the only person that was in that section since I was for the last week. Don't lie to me!"

I shoved him lightly, my breath getting shallow. "I'm not lying you dumbass! I got tired of waiting for you and I took your badge and decided to go exploring! Why would I even touch anything when you have a fucking monster that looked like it was about to eat me if it got let out!?"

Thomas went silent. His dark brown eyes that always seemed riddled with sleep, were piercing glares deep into my soul. I could tell he was debating in his mind if I was actually telling the truth. His hands reached out and gripped my shoulders, his knuckles turning white. "William-" Thomas opened his mouth, but the words that started out disappeared with countless screams originating back near the building. A chill ran down my spine, and I could hear my brother's heart pound in his chest. I tried to turn back to see the commotion, but my brother's hand forced me to look back at him. "We have a protocol... We... " His hands started to tremble, he gripped my shoulder tighter before he dropped to his knees. "I'll fix this." Thomas scooped me up into a tight embrace I could feel my gut churn... "I have to go back to help. If I hurry it will be alright.."

"Thomas-"

"We have a breach in containment. If I don't go help, then millions of people could die." My brother gave me such a disappointed smile, that tears started streaming from my eyes. "Go home and get the black box underneath my bed. In the box, you will find a gun and ammo." A loud car crash made me jump and cling to my brother. My grip matching his. "I love you. I won't be gone long, and I'll meet you at the house. I promise."

He didn't linger any longer. My brother stood to his feet and took off without giving me a second glance. I reached out to him, hoping he'd feel my silent plea to not leave me alone. But he kept going back. I couldn't say it. I couldn't tell him I loved him. I wasn't going to give him such a sappy goodbye... It wasn't goodbye.

Thomas said he'd come back to me.

He promised.