360 Days Later

Chapter 3

As we arrived in our neighborhood, it didn't look worse as the school, but there was no one around. There weren't any elderly couples outside, there weren't any kids playing around, no dogs, no cats. It was just empty.

It had a dangerous atmosphere, but my main focus was the resources we had to gather before dark.

"Alright, go to your houses and grab whatever we need," I explained to them. "Food, water, weapons, whatever we need to survive."

All of them nodded and ran off to their homes. I took a deep breath and ran to my house. As I got to the porch, I prayed that my family wasn't there. Praying that they were somewhere safe.

I opened the door and saw there wasn't anyone in the living room, which relieved me a little bit. I ran upstairs and went into my room, grabbing things and stuffing them into my backpack. I looked around my brother's and parents' bedroom, seeing whether there's something useful.

That's when I found a gun in the drawer of my dad's bedside. I knew he hid a weapon somewhere in the house. I placed it in the side pocket of the bag and went out of the room.

As I came down, I went straight to the kitchen. But there was this smell of something rotten and also a metallic kind of smell. Blood. Fresh blood. Someone was groaning. I peeked around the corner and saw a zombie. It's back was facing me so I couldn't really see the face.

Well, it's only one. I can take it down. But I can't use a gun, it'll attract attention, and those things love noise.

Something sharp and shiny caught my eye. A Knife. But it was at the counter, NEAR it.

Great. Who said it was going to be bloody easy.

I eyed the dirty bloody zombie. It looks like that it won't move. It's just staying there. If it stays at that same spot for a few seconds, I can grab the knife and stab it through the head.

Alright, let's do this.

I carefully took a step towards the thing, making sure I don't make a sound. I got close to the counter, and reached my hand for it.

"Grrr," I looked at the zombie. I stopped at my tracks, staring at that thing.

I slowly reached the knife, but when I grabbed it, the zombie turned around. But it was so familiar. But when I knew who it was, I froze. The knife dropped onto the floor, making me vulnerable.

"M-Mom?" I couldn't believe my eyes. No, it can't be. My mom wouldn't turn into this thing so quickly. No No No. This just has to be some sort of bad dream, right?

I'm going to wake up any second now.

She looked at me with those cold, dirty water eyes. She groaned loudly and made her first move.

I should have taken the knife, but again, I froze. She tackled me down onto the ground, trying to get every chance to munch the hell out of me.

I held her back, careful enough not to let my hands near her mouth. She kept on pushing herself onto me, she was, even more, stronger than I thought.

I kept holding her back, but I was still in shock. "Mom!" I called out. "Please, it's me!"

I can already feel the water about to burst through my eyes when the blood-splattered onto my face. She dropped down on me, really dead.

"Are you alright?" I looked up to see Charlotte and Blake.

I was speechless. I couldn't say anything. I sat up, holding what was once my mother in my arms.

Charlotte looked at the zombie they killed and noticed it was my mom, "I'm so sorry, Clover."

"Yeah," sorry, won't bring her back to life. "Just give me a minute. Please."

Blake looked at me with a sad expression, "Come on, Charlotte, let's give her some privacy."

Charlotte frowned but still exited out the kitchen with Blake.

Now I'm alone with her.

God, even when she's a zombie, I can still see her when she was alive. She didn't look scary. But sad.

Her icy-cold eyes looked blankly at me. She was dead. Hot tears ran down my cheeks. Why? Why was it you?! Why couldn't it be a neighbor i deeply knew? Why couldn't it someone else other than you? Mom...

"Mom," I looked at her with teary eyes, brushing her hair out of her face so I can get to look at her once more. "Who left you alone here..."

More tears came down my cheek, "Mom, why didn't you try and hide?"

"Why did you have to go?" I sobbed as I hugged her dead corpse. "I'm sorry, I couldn't come sooner."

"We still needed to have that talk tonight," I chuckled sadly, we really needed too. But now I can't have that. The last time I talked to her was when she was angry with me. Fuck, I'm so sorry, mom.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be a better daughter for you," I hugged her once more.

At the corner of my eye, i saw a photo frame beside us. I picked it up and saw that it was a family picture of all of us. All of us had big smiles on our faces and i was standing beside my mom. I chuckled sightly as i remembered that i was disturbing my mom during this photo session.

I saw bloody hand prints on the corner of the photo frame. Were you holding on to this on your last few moments, mom..?

I laid her head back down to the ground and took the kitchen table cloth to cover her body. As I covered her body, I place a rose that I took from the vase, onto her body. "You're in a better place now," I wiped the tears off my face, taking a deep breath, "you don't have to worry about the monsters trying to get to you.

I took the photo frame and stuffed it in my bag. I'll keep that as a memory... of mom..

I cleared my mind, making my head light. I needed to stay strong. Without being strong, I won't survive long. i need to stay strong for mom.

I took whatever supplies I could take: chips, food cans, water. I stuff them all in my bag. I walked pass mom and glanced once more before exiting the kitchen.

Charlotte was sitting on the couch while Blake was outside, probably waiting for Max and Judy. She looked at me with sadness in her eyes. I've seen it before. I wasn't the only one who lost a family member.

"I'm sorry," I said.

She frowned more and looked away, "How'd you know?"

"We've been best friends since we were kids. I basically know everything about you," I sat next to her while putting my bags aside. "Who was it?"

"My younger brother," she replied. Fuck. Her 5-year-old brother. He was the sweetest and most care free child you could ever meet. I remember going to her house and i would keep her brother company whenever Charlotte was busy. He would ask me all sorts of questions and then we'll play video games. He always know how to keep things entertaining. I can't imagine the pain she's going through now. "I'm so sorry," I laid her head on my shoulder as she let a few tears fall onto our knees.

"He was just on the floor," she sobbed as she held onto my hand, gripping it tightly like if I let go, she'll be dead. "Someone shot him."

"How do you know?"

"The bullets in his head."

"Oh," I pipe down, having no words to say after that. Charlotte sat upright when Blake came in.

"Judy and Max are here," he said, motioning us that it's time to go. We both nod, and he left.

Charlotte wipes her tears away and stood up, keeping a good posture, "Come on, before it gets dark."

She's always so strong. Even after she found her younger brother dead, she still stands tall. I wish I could be like her. "Yeah, you're right."

As we were about to leave the house, i tapped on her shoulder and she looked at me with a confused face, "What's up?"

"We'll find whoever shot your brother, i promise you that."