Taking risks on both sides kinda suck. To pause hoping they well come back, to hold you and give you the best kiss you've ever had. You wish they would call you if they can't sleep, or if they have a problem. To want them to want the same thing in sharing a life together. But again would you do it? It leads to why the whole happily ever situation never works. The risk involved now, may be too much. Could that person have the same feelings, or are you just going to go for it, do what you want, and then while it's happening that person is totally grossed out. Or possibly just steps back and is, no, and leaves.
In movies it's all about the risks. The person you love is getting on that plane or train and you'll never see them again, so silly, go after them. You just realized that your best friend might just be the one. Or maybe it was a quick connection with this person who seemed to click in every piece of you like a missing puzzle piece. The risk the character takes at the end pays off and you can sit there all warm and fuzzy knowing that those two will live briefly happily ever after, and then they have to meet each other's family, and all the other obstacles life throws at us when we start a relationship.
We are a selfish bunch, and we want what we want when we want it. Sex, food, money, ect. Of course for most of it we have to work for it. But I think those selfish needs cloud our thoughts on basic things, like love. Oh we've all walked down that road, putting ourselves out there just to have our heart ripped out, smashed, burned and the ashes spread around. That is why we prefer watching a movie then deal with what we have, because afraid or unwilling, we can always watch someone else take that risk, and they get the happily ever after moment. Instead of over thinking or fearing what would really happen if we actually took a step towards that risk and perhaps seeing what will come out of it.
Quote of the week:
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Munched A New Home
A New Home
The zombies noticed the guys right off, and started moving towards them. Anatha, Envy and Autumn had little time to react. They threw open the glass doors, yelling for the guys. Tune N’s bodyguards did the job they were paid to do. They got in-between the band and the zombies. Something Autumn wouldn’t have done, but, hey, the band got what they paid for. The guys finally noticed the girls screaming at them, and started running over towards the doors as girls shot the zombies that were in the way.
Busting threw the doors, the guys collapsed on the floor out of breath and scared. Autumn locked the doors her back resting against the glass. Anatha glanced at the boy band and then at the remains of their bodyguards she looked away quickly, the guys were a better sight.
“Can this month get any weirder?” Autumn asked herself. A small sound on the glass behind her made her turn her head. Her green eyes met those dead hungry eyes. For a moment she seemed sucked into the abyss of deadness. Where are you? The words caressed her mind lightly. She shook her head, and pulled herself away from the window.
Everyone was either standing or sitting while watching the zombies eat the rest of the bodyguards. Anatha looked over at her cousin who was watching the zombies, and then turned back to the guys. The only thing that came to her mind was, Oh my. Sitting in back of her was her biggest crush. She wanted to pull Envy over to the side and do the whole teeny bopper screechy thing. Envy herself didn’t bother looking out the windows, and the horror that seemed to be finishing up, but her eyes were on the guys.
Autumn turned around. “Anyone hurt?” she asked. Her voice seemed far off, as the events of the day threatened to consume her on the spot. They all shook their heads, and she barely noticed them as they did so. She closed her eyes, leaning against the glass. The glass was cool against her hot skin. She opened them, and in front of her stood the same zombie. Its dried purple lips pressed against the glass as it tried to bite through the window. Snapping at her like a dog would if she had food in her hand, although to it all she was was walking food. She stepped back, not wanting to go back to that abyss.
After half an hour of silence, Autumn decided to put down the security bars. She thought better safe than sorry. She wondered if adding five more people to their living situation would cause any problems as she reached up to press the button that would lower the gate. She held the alarm key in her hand, which was a bit shaky.
“Wait,” Linden said standing up. Linden Stables was the bass of the boy group. He stood about as tall as Autumn, five-eleven, and was six months older then her too. She saw how wide his pretty blue eyes were, his brown hair was trimmed short on his head. Shock, she thought, we all look wide eyed scared. “You can’t lower the bars. We have to leave.”
Anatha looked at him like he was crazy. “Did you not see what just went down outside? Do you not see what is out there?
“You can leave if you want to,” Autumn said cutting of Anatha, “No one’s stopping you.”
“Are you crazy?” Drake said standing up.
Autumn hit the button to stop the gates, and spun around to face him. “Crazy! Sure why the hell not? So far I’ve seen enough to drive any sane person mad in a few days. That,” She turned pointing at the remains of Tune N’s bodyguards, which was nothing but blood marks and bones, “Could be considered the last push of my sanity. So if you want to call me crazy, go ahead. Who knows, by the end we all might be eligible to sit in the same rubber room while we drool all over ourselves.”
She looked at the zombies as they came to the glass. “You guys can leave now if you’d like,” she told them. “Neither me, nor them will stop you, but we can’t help you either.”
The guys looked at her. No one knew what to say. Shocked by her bluntness, they just sat there quietly.
“We’re stuck,” Stefan said to no one in particular.
“Stefan wins the smart award of the day,” Anatha said the harsh irony made Autumn wince, and Envy snort.
“But, our families.” Linden said in a whiny tone, “We can’t stay here.” Autumn had a pretty good tie on her patience, but she knew Anatha didn’t things had to speed up before she burst.
“You have two damn choices,” She held up her fingers making a piece sign. “You either stay with us for five years,” she lowered her point finger showing them her middle finger, “or leave and get-.”
“Munched,” Autumn said cutting off Anatha. She knew exactly what was going to come out of the girl’s mouth.
“Shit,” Drake hissed. Drake Spear was the man behind some of Tune N’s songs. He wrote and helped produce some of the new material on their new album. He had long dark hair. His brown eyes watched the zombies out the windows. Anatha wondered what was going on in Envy’s mind, after all Drake was what she considered a man. She caught herself before making a face. They would always laugh when Envy told them that.
“Munched?” Stefan asked.
“Autumn’s easy way of cutting me off by saying silly shit,” Anatha replied.
“Anyone leaving?” Autumn watched the guys not really interested. The day was almost over, and it was finally catching up with her. She yawned. No one made a move. She pressed the button so the bars continued to close the rest of the way. The sun was going down. It bounced off the parked cars, blinding everyone. It seemed to make the zombies look even creepier. Even more realistic then those really good zombie movies she loved to watch, not anymore. She knew she was going to have nightmares tonight.
Autumn turned to look at the five guys as the gate lowered. They looked helpless, and she did feel bad for them. It’s going to be hard for them being away from those they love, she thought. She turned back around, and watched the gate close slowly. Can’t it speed up, she thought? Five years. The gate closed loudly, echoing through the mall, making them all jump. She felt like crying, she had never really had a life but what she had had wasn’t all that bad.
Reaching in her pocket, she brought out a leaf she had picked earlier that day. The last tree leaf I will touch for five years, she thought bleakly to herself.
They heard another security gate go down on the opposite side. Someone shouted a confirmation. Anatha shouted theirs was down. They all listened for others up above. Autumn shoved the key into the slot and turned it. The small red light came on above it. What now? Was a question they all seemed to ask themselves at that exact moment. Finally she took it on herself to speak to the guys about their new living situation.
“My name is Autumn, that’s Anatha,” she pointed to her cousin, “And Envy. We know who you are. We expect nothing from you. We have tons of food and room.” She hesitated and then added, “No one sleeps on this level.” She continued, “The main entrances are here, you know since you came in this way. Any questions?” Anatha glared at Autumn. Autumn thought she anticipated helping out on the lecture. Oh well, she thought.
She looked briefly at Rowan Reeves, who she had a crush on him and River. It was downright peculiar how destiny creeps up on you, and sinks its yellow color-coded teeth into your flesh when you least expect it. Rowan looked at Autumn, she quickly looked away. She turned so he couldn’t see the blush she knew was spreading out over her cheeks. Her shy? You bet your life.
Rowan had always done everything his way, and didn’t care if someone brought it up. He stood six-one, with black hair, although the color changed weekly, and plain brown eyes. Autumn crushed over him not because of his looks, but more about his personality. He came off as somewhat the bad boy rocker of the group.
Anatha was looking at the guys too, or rather River Osteridge. River was the baby of the band. He stood six-one too, with curly brown hair and dark blue eyes. He had muscles in all the right areas, which was fine by her. He himself seemed busy looking out the window at the drying blood thinking of his mom. What is she doing? Is she okay? Was all that ran through his mind. He looked at his fellow band mates and then at the girls who had saved their lives. Maybe it won’t be that bad, he thought. After all, at least he was getting stuck with girls for five years.
“What now?” Anatha asked.
“We go up, and see if they got someone on the CB,” Autumn started to leave. She turned back seeing no one was following. “Coming?”
The guys slowly got to their feet. Anatha and Envy whispered behind her. Autumn had the urge to cry again, with that far away emptiness threatening to overtake her. She wondered if anyone felt it too. A dark abyss. Sometimes she could feel so alone even surrounded by people who knew her.
“Can you believe it?” Anatha whispered.
“About what?” she asked.
“Them, Tune N’.”
“Oh, yeah. Weird huh?”
Anatha stared at her cousin’s back. “Weird? What’s wrong with you?”
Autumn looked at her over her shoulder. “I feel bad for them, that’s all. Actually I feel bad for us all.”
“Yeah, I understand.” But Autumn really wondered if she really did understand.
They took the stairs instead of the elevator, escalator stairs, so they didn’t have to do much walking. They went up to the fourth floor only to find it almost deserted. Moss sat in a lawn chair watching the little kids run around. He pointed to the roof after Anatha asked where everyone had gone. Autumn knew exactly where the maintenance stairs to the fifth floor were. The generators for the solar panels were up there. They were very noisy, as they walked across the room. The small group found the stairs to the roof. They went up, looking around. Their ears buzzed from the noise below.
“Wow this is huge,” Anatha said. It wasn’t until they saw the roof that they noticed how big the building truly was. She felt so tiny standing there.
“Huge place to play football,” Stefan said. Stefan Mallow was the oldest in the band. Also the shortest, standing five-five, give or take. He had black messy hair, and brown eyes.
Autumn smiled, the first one she had managed all day, a true smile, “Sounds fun, maybe we can get in a couple of games before summer hits.” She liked touch football. It could be very interesting too with some cute guys to play with.
“Sounds good,” he said giving her a small smile.
The group walked over to the other group that was made of Autumn and Anatha’s parents, family, and friends. The crowd of people looked at the group of eight when they walked up, eyeing the strangers. Autumn looked at Hazel, and she looked back giving her a faint smile. The shock was still there, but not as bad. She had forgotten everything, and that seemed good enough for Autumn. When she was ready to relive it all, she would help.
Hazel’s eyes questioned her, as she walked by. “Later,” she mouthed silently.
“Well, what’s this,” Bud asked. He was looking at the five guys.
“We decided that we had a lot of people already, so what can five more hurt? Plus we all witnessed their bodyguards get munched. I think it’s only fair we get to keep them dad, since you know, we found them,” Autumn said.
“Smart ass,” Envy said quietly behind her.
“Funny Autumn. Who did you happen to find?” he asked. He knew nothing of boy bands and pop singers. He had been a rocker since the beginning. He understood his youngest daughter liking the hip hop stuff and the pop stuff, but he didn’t like hearing it around his house.
“Well these two by me are Stefan and River,” She pointed to the two.
“And these three by me are Drake, Rowan and Linden,” Anatha finished.
“Hi,” the guys said in unison.
Lily, Autumn’s baby sister, ran over to them. “Oh my god, your..” She turned red and hid behind her mom. Lily looked just like her mom and Envy. Brown hair, and hazel eyes. Autumn always felt the odd man or lady out when out with them. She looked nothing like any of her parents or siblings. Her mom said she looked like her mother, who had died when Autumn was really little.
“What are you going on about?” Bud asked giving her a questionable look.
She stuck her head out. “It’s Tune N’,” she squeaked.
“So we got famous people in here,” Anatha’s mom, Regan, said. Regan and Anatha looked exactly alike except for the eyes. No one had an excuse for how she came out with brown eyes, that almost looked auburn which reminded you of fall leaves or a fire.
The boys didn’t say anything. “And they are modest too,” Anatha’s dad said.
“Oh dad,” Anatha gave him a what-are-you-doing look.
“Did you get anyone on the CB?” Autumn asked changing the subject.
“Yeah,” Bud said.
“Well?” She wanted to know more.
“The guy is supposed to get back to us,” he said eyeing the guys. They were all about the age of his oldest daughter. He didn’t like that.
Just then a staticy voice came through the CB. “You still there?”
“Yes,” Bud said.
“So how many of you guys are there?” The voice asked.
“One hundred,” someone said.
“Fifty,” someone else said.
“One fifty,” Bud lied. He scowled at the group whispering, “Shut up.”
“That’s a lot. So let me get this right. You guys started your own safe house, and did not report it until now?” the voice asked.
“Yes, we couldn’t make it to a real safe house in time.” Bud looked at the guys, “We were attacked trying to get into the city.” Autumn’s dad had always been a good liar. It didn’t surprise her much that he was doing it now. They didn’t want to get stuck with more people than they had to.
“Well okay you are now considered safe house one-five-five-five. When I contact you that’s what I will ask for. Give me your location so we can map out a way to get supplies to you. Do you have enough water?” The voice was fading in and out.
“Yeah, plenty of water,” he replied, and then gave the man directions.
“Your drop days are every two weeks. You get fresh produce and dairy products,” the voice said. “If there is anything you need such as a doctor or so on contact me."
Everyone looked at Bud. “I’ll ask. Stop looking at me like that,” he told them. “Excuse me I do have one question.”
“Shoot,” The person on the other end said.
“What’s going on around the US?” Everyone crowded in closer. Since the World News wasn’t on, or any other news, people were very anxious for updates.
“Are you sure you want to know?” the voice sounded tired.
Bud looked around the crowd. Everyone was either nodding their heads or whispering yes. “Yes,” He said reluctantly. Everyone had a clue it would be bad, but still wanted to know.
“We lost contact with New York yesterday. We think that the infection overtook the city,” The voice paused, and they heard static. They waited looking around with puzzled eyes listening. “Sorry, the plug fell out.” the guy came back on finally, “We also keep losing contact with Florida, but they confirm it’s their connection.”
Anatha heard the guys of Tune N’ all heave a sigh of relief. That’s good, she thought, at least that should help them sleep a little easier tonight. It’s not likely that anyone will actually get to sleep. Although being away from your family for five years would be damn hard, she couldn’t think about not being around hers, looking at her mom, dad, and stepdad. Now she could live five years without her stepdad, but her mom and real dad. She couldn’t, even if her mom is strange and mean sometimes. She slipped a peek at River. She still couldn’t believe she was stuck with him for five years, it was just. She couldn’t find the right term to finish her thought.
“They are okay,” Rowan put his arm around River. “Come on, your mom is probably worrying more about you. I think she knows you’re okay. Although.” He paused looking around at the girls, “I don’t know what she would think about you staying five years in a mall.” He winked at the Ladies. Rowan was the number one flirt of the band.
Autumn shook her head at him. He might think he’s a big flirt now, but he hasn’t met Envy. She thought as her sister walked over to them. She came over followed closely by her little friend Ivy Lee. She stopped by her.
“What did we miss?” she whispered to her sister. Envy was Autumn’s middle sister. She had short wavy brown hair, and was almost five inches shorter then her. She would probably dye her hair frequently in the mall now that she had all the resources at her fingertips.
Now her friend Ivy Lee is Envy’s twin. There are tons of physical differences, but that's really it. First off they are the same age, that’s not a difference. Ivy Lee has long, down past her butt, blondish-brown hair, and she is four feet five. She also has a baby. It’s hard to except that that big baby came from that small thing.
“What now?” someone asked. Autumn’s dad was off the CB, and everyone stood around staring at each other.
“I say we all go to bed,” Anatha’s mom said.
“Good Idea,” Autumn said and was first to the stairs. She was really tired. They had been busy all day, with messing with zombies, moving into a new home, saving a boy band and now she was downright pooped.
“I can’t sleep,” Anatha said behind her.
Autumn shrugged her shoulders, “So what. I am.” While on her way down to the third floor she thought of all the stuff she had been through that day. She waited for the shock that had been threatening her to finally sink in. She didn’t know or care if it came, and too tired to worry about it. All she wanted to do was sleep.
Autumn looked around at the stores. The idea of sleeping in a bigger store kinda creeped her out. A smaller store would be fine, but which one? Her eyes fell on the pillow store. Shrugging she went in. She created a mound of pillows, and fell quickly to sleep.
1
An hour later Autumn sat straight up, breathing hard. She had just had the mother of all nightmares. She got up looking around. For a moment she felt lost, where was she? Slowly it came back to her, she sat down and cried as the whole ordeal came crashing into her at once. Five years of her life wasted. She sat there on her thrown together bed, and wondered if everyone else was sleeping.
Most of everyone in the mall was either wide awake, or trying to slip off to sleep. Anatha sat on the hard blue-carpeted ground of Mervans thinking. Autumn had been having problems since she walked in on Hazel and her dead family. She frowned to herself. There was no treatment for a zombie bite. If you get bit, you are automatically going to become a zombie. It takes a while. Some people can go eight days, while others turn quickly. She guessed it had to do with the severity of the wound a person received. If you came up against zombies you either hope you can get away without a mark, or have them munch on you until nothing is left.
2
“What are you doing?” Mabon asked.
“I’m nosy,” Aarawn said as he pricked his finger with the tip of his dagger.
“You know what Pyrus said.” He watched as Aarawn made a small smear of his blood on the back of a mirror.
“I know, but you have to admit your curious then me.” They watched the mirror cloud up, and then they could see the inside of the mall. “Show me our sisters.” The mirror showed Autumn. She was sitting there, her eyes puffed and red. “She looks almost like you, little cat,” Aarawn said with a smirk.
Mabon ignored him and stared at his twin with interest. “We don’t have the same eyes,” he said. “Hers are green. But the hair is the same.” He reached out to touch the mirror, but the picture faded showing Anatha.
Aarawn looked at his sister. “Your right, our eyes don’t match, but we have the same hair color. How come Anatha and me get the brown copper and you and Autumn get red streaks? She’s fire, you two are just water and earth.”
He watched his sister walk around the store she had taken over. “I will protect her, for my mothers sake.”
“Your mother?” Mabon asked.
“What of it?” Aarawn turned his light grey eyes to Mabon. They were so light he almost looked blind. They darkened quickly, turning the color of thunderclouds.
“You still have the dreams?”
He looked back at the mirror as it started to cloud over again. “Sometimes, but that’s because I’m more in tuned with those things.” He looked back at Mabon, and his eyes lightened. “So where’s your cat?” He laughed shaking his long brown hair around him.
Mabon shot him a spiteful glance. “He doesn’t like spiders.”
“Sure,” Aarawn said putting the mirror down.
The zombies noticed the guys right off, and started moving towards them. Anatha, Envy and Autumn had little time to react. They threw open the glass doors, yelling for the guys. Tune N’s bodyguards did the job they were paid to do. They got in-between the band and the zombies. Something Autumn wouldn’t have done, but, hey, the band got what they paid for. The guys finally noticed the girls screaming at them, and started running over towards the doors as girls shot the zombies that were in the way.
Busting threw the doors, the guys collapsed on the floor out of breath and scared. Autumn locked the doors her back resting against the glass. Anatha glanced at the boy band and then at the remains of their bodyguards she looked away quickly, the guys were a better sight.
“Can this month get any weirder?” Autumn asked herself. A small sound on the glass behind her made her turn her head. Her green eyes met those dead hungry eyes. For a moment she seemed sucked into the abyss of deadness. Where are you? The words caressed her mind lightly. She shook her head, and pulled herself away from the window.
Everyone was either standing or sitting while watching the zombies eat the rest of the bodyguards. Anatha looked over at her cousin who was watching the zombies, and then turned back to the guys. The only thing that came to her mind was, Oh my. Sitting in back of her was her biggest crush. She wanted to pull Envy over to the side and do the whole teeny bopper screechy thing. Envy herself didn’t bother looking out the windows, and the horror that seemed to be finishing up, but her eyes were on the guys.
Autumn turned around. “Anyone hurt?” she asked. Her voice seemed far off, as the events of the day threatened to consume her on the spot. They all shook their heads, and she barely noticed them as they did so. She closed her eyes, leaning against the glass. The glass was cool against her hot skin. She opened them, and in front of her stood the same zombie. Its dried purple lips pressed against the glass as it tried to bite through the window. Snapping at her like a dog would if she had food in her hand, although to it all she was was walking food. She stepped back, not wanting to go back to that abyss.
After half an hour of silence, Autumn decided to put down the security bars. She thought better safe than sorry. She wondered if adding five more people to their living situation would cause any problems as she reached up to press the button that would lower the gate. She held the alarm key in her hand, which was a bit shaky.
“Wait,” Linden said standing up. Linden Stables was the bass of the boy group. He stood about as tall as Autumn, five-eleven, and was six months older then her too. She saw how wide his pretty blue eyes were, his brown hair was trimmed short on his head. Shock, she thought, we all look wide eyed scared. “You can’t lower the bars. We have to leave.”
Anatha looked at him like he was crazy. “Did you not see what just went down outside? Do you not see what is out there?
“You can leave if you want to,” Autumn said cutting of Anatha, “No one’s stopping you.”
“Are you crazy?” Drake said standing up.
Autumn hit the button to stop the gates, and spun around to face him. “Crazy! Sure why the hell not? So far I’ve seen enough to drive any sane person mad in a few days. That,” She turned pointing at the remains of Tune N’s bodyguards, which was nothing but blood marks and bones, “Could be considered the last push of my sanity. So if you want to call me crazy, go ahead. Who knows, by the end we all might be eligible to sit in the same rubber room while we drool all over ourselves.”
She looked at the zombies as they came to the glass. “You guys can leave now if you’d like,” she told them. “Neither me, nor them will stop you, but we can’t help you either.”
The guys looked at her. No one knew what to say. Shocked by her bluntness, they just sat there quietly.
“We’re stuck,” Stefan said to no one in particular.
“Stefan wins the smart award of the day,” Anatha said the harsh irony made Autumn wince, and Envy snort.
“But, our families.” Linden said in a whiny tone, “We can’t stay here.” Autumn had a pretty good tie on her patience, but she knew Anatha didn’t things had to speed up before she burst.
“You have two damn choices,” She held up her fingers making a piece sign. “You either stay with us for five years,” she lowered her point finger showing them her middle finger, “or leave and get-.”
“Munched,” Autumn said cutting off Anatha. She knew exactly what was going to come out of the girl’s mouth.
“Shit,” Drake hissed. Drake Spear was the man behind some of Tune N’s songs. He wrote and helped produce some of the new material on their new album. He had long dark hair. His brown eyes watched the zombies out the windows. Anatha wondered what was going on in Envy’s mind, after all Drake was what she considered a man. She caught herself before making a face. They would always laugh when Envy told them that.
“Munched?” Stefan asked.
“Autumn’s easy way of cutting me off by saying silly shit,” Anatha replied.
“Anyone leaving?” Autumn watched the guys not really interested. The day was almost over, and it was finally catching up with her. She yawned. No one made a move. She pressed the button so the bars continued to close the rest of the way. The sun was going down. It bounced off the parked cars, blinding everyone. It seemed to make the zombies look even creepier. Even more realistic then those really good zombie movies she loved to watch, not anymore. She knew she was going to have nightmares tonight.
Autumn turned to look at the five guys as the gate lowered. They looked helpless, and she did feel bad for them. It’s going to be hard for them being away from those they love, she thought. She turned back around, and watched the gate close slowly. Can’t it speed up, she thought? Five years. The gate closed loudly, echoing through the mall, making them all jump. She felt like crying, she had never really had a life but what she had had wasn’t all that bad.
Reaching in her pocket, she brought out a leaf she had picked earlier that day. The last tree leaf I will touch for five years, she thought bleakly to herself.
They heard another security gate go down on the opposite side. Someone shouted a confirmation. Anatha shouted theirs was down. They all listened for others up above. Autumn shoved the key into the slot and turned it. The small red light came on above it. What now? Was a question they all seemed to ask themselves at that exact moment. Finally she took it on herself to speak to the guys about their new living situation.
“My name is Autumn, that’s Anatha,” she pointed to her cousin, “And Envy. We know who you are. We expect nothing from you. We have tons of food and room.” She hesitated and then added, “No one sleeps on this level.” She continued, “The main entrances are here, you know since you came in this way. Any questions?” Anatha glared at Autumn. Autumn thought she anticipated helping out on the lecture. Oh well, she thought.
She looked briefly at Rowan Reeves, who she had a crush on him and River. It was downright peculiar how destiny creeps up on you, and sinks its yellow color-coded teeth into your flesh when you least expect it. Rowan looked at Autumn, she quickly looked away. She turned so he couldn’t see the blush she knew was spreading out over her cheeks. Her shy? You bet your life.
Rowan had always done everything his way, and didn’t care if someone brought it up. He stood six-one, with black hair, although the color changed weekly, and plain brown eyes. Autumn crushed over him not because of his looks, but more about his personality. He came off as somewhat the bad boy rocker of the group.
Anatha was looking at the guys too, or rather River Osteridge. River was the baby of the band. He stood six-one too, with curly brown hair and dark blue eyes. He had muscles in all the right areas, which was fine by her. He himself seemed busy looking out the window at the drying blood thinking of his mom. What is she doing? Is she okay? Was all that ran through his mind. He looked at his fellow band mates and then at the girls who had saved their lives. Maybe it won’t be that bad, he thought. After all, at least he was getting stuck with girls for five years.
“What now?” Anatha asked.
“We go up, and see if they got someone on the CB,” Autumn started to leave. She turned back seeing no one was following. “Coming?”
The guys slowly got to their feet. Anatha and Envy whispered behind her. Autumn had the urge to cry again, with that far away emptiness threatening to overtake her. She wondered if anyone felt it too. A dark abyss. Sometimes she could feel so alone even surrounded by people who knew her.
“Can you believe it?” Anatha whispered.
“About what?” she asked.
“Them, Tune N’.”
“Oh, yeah. Weird huh?”
Anatha stared at her cousin’s back. “Weird? What’s wrong with you?”
Autumn looked at her over her shoulder. “I feel bad for them, that’s all. Actually I feel bad for us all.”
“Yeah, I understand.” But Autumn really wondered if she really did understand.
They took the stairs instead of the elevator, escalator stairs, so they didn’t have to do much walking. They went up to the fourth floor only to find it almost deserted. Moss sat in a lawn chair watching the little kids run around. He pointed to the roof after Anatha asked where everyone had gone. Autumn knew exactly where the maintenance stairs to the fifth floor were. The generators for the solar panels were up there. They were very noisy, as they walked across the room. The small group found the stairs to the roof. They went up, looking around. Their ears buzzed from the noise below.
“Wow this is huge,” Anatha said. It wasn’t until they saw the roof that they noticed how big the building truly was. She felt so tiny standing there.
“Huge place to play football,” Stefan said. Stefan Mallow was the oldest in the band. Also the shortest, standing five-five, give or take. He had black messy hair, and brown eyes.
Autumn smiled, the first one she had managed all day, a true smile, “Sounds fun, maybe we can get in a couple of games before summer hits.” She liked touch football. It could be very interesting too with some cute guys to play with.
“Sounds good,” he said giving her a small smile.
The group walked over to the other group that was made of Autumn and Anatha’s parents, family, and friends. The crowd of people looked at the group of eight when they walked up, eyeing the strangers. Autumn looked at Hazel, and she looked back giving her a faint smile. The shock was still there, but not as bad. She had forgotten everything, and that seemed good enough for Autumn. When she was ready to relive it all, she would help.
Hazel’s eyes questioned her, as she walked by. “Later,” she mouthed silently.
“Well, what’s this,” Bud asked. He was looking at the five guys.
“We decided that we had a lot of people already, so what can five more hurt? Plus we all witnessed their bodyguards get munched. I think it’s only fair we get to keep them dad, since you know, we found them,” Autumn said.
“Smart ass,” Envy said quietly behind her.
“Funny Autumn. Who did you happen to find?” he asked. He knew nothing of boy bands and pop singers. He had been a rocker since the beginning. He understood his youngest daughter liking the hip hop stuff and the pop stuff, but he didn’t like hearing it around his house.
“Well these two by me are Stefan and River,” She pointed to the two.
“And these three by me are Drake, Rowan and Linden,” Anatha finished.
“Hi,” the guys said in unison.
Lily, Autumn’s baby sister, ran over to them. “Oh my god, your..” She turned red and hid behind her mom. Lily looked just like her mom and Envy. Brown hair, and hazel eyes. Autumn always felt the odd man or lady out when out with them. She looked nothing like any of her parents or siblings. Her mom said she looked like her mother, who had died when Autumn was really little.
“What are you going on about?” Bud asked giving her a questionable look.
She stuck her head out. “It’s Tune N’,” she squeaked.
“So we got famous people in here,” Anatha’s mom, Regan, said. Regan and Anatha looked exactly alike except for the eyes. No one had an excuse for how she came out with brown eyes, that almost looked auburn which reminded you of fall leaves or a fire.
The boys didn’t say anything. “And they are modest too,” Anatha’s dad said.
“Oh dad,” Anatha gave him a what-are-you-doing look.
“Did you get anyone on the CB?” Autumn asked changing the subject.
“Yeah,” Bud said.
“Well?” She wanted to know more.
“The guy is supposed to get back to us,” he said eyeing the guys. They were all about the age of his oldest daughter. He didn’t like that.
Just then a staticy voice came through the CB. “You still there?”
“Yes,” Bud said.
“So how many of you guys are there?” The voice asked.
“One hundred,” someone said.
“Fifty,” someone else said.
“One fifty,” Bud lied. He scowled at the group whispering, “Shut up.”
“That’s a lot. So let me get this right. You guys started your own safe house, and did not report it until now?” the voice asked.
“Yes, we couldn’t make it to a real safe house in time.” Bud looked at the guys, “We were attacked trying to get into the city.” Autumn’s dad had always been a good liar. It didn’t surprise her much that he was doing it now. They didn’t want to get stuck with more people than they had to.
“Well okay you are now considered safe house one-five-five-five. When I contact you that’s what I will ask for. Give me your location so we can map out a way to get supplies to you. Do you have enough water?” The voice was fading in and out.
“Yeah, plenty of water,” he replied, and then gave the man directions.
“Your drop days are every two weeks. You get fresh produce and dairy products,” the voice said. “If there is anything you need such as a doctor or so on contact me."
Everyone looked at Bud. “I’ll ask. Stop looking at me like that,” he told them. “Excuse me I do have one question.”
“Shoot,” The person on the other end said.
“What’s going on around the US?” Everyone crowded in closer. Since the World News wasn’t on, or any other news, people were very anxious for updates.
“Are you sure you want to know?” the voice sounded tired.
Bud looked around the crowd. Everyone was either nodding their heads or whispering yes. “Yes,” He said reluctantly. Everyone had a clue it would be bad, but still wanted to know.
“We lost contact with New York yesterday. We think that the infection overtook the city,” The voice paused, and they heard static. They waited looking around with puzzled eyes listening. “Sorry, the plug fell out.” the guy came back on finally, “We also keep losing contact with Florida, but they confirm it’s their connection.”
Anatha heard the guys of Tune N’ all heave a sigh of relief. That’s good, she thought, at least that should help them sleep a little easier tonight. It’s not likely that anyone will actually get to sleep. Although being away from your family for five years would be damn hard, she couldn’t think about not being around hers, looking at her mom, dad, and stepdad. Now she could live five years without her stepdad, but her mom and real dad. She couldn’t, even if her mom is strange and mean sometimes. She slipped a peek at River. She still couldn’t believe she was stuck with him for five years, it was just. She couldn’t find the right term to finish her thought.
“They are okay,” Rowan put his arm around River. “Come on, your mom is probably worrying more about you. I think she knows you’re okay. Although.” He paused looking around at the girls, “I don’t know what she would think about you staying five years in a mall.” He winked at the Ladies. Rowan was the number one flirt of the band.
Autumn shook her head at him. He might think he’s a big flirt now, but he hasn’t met Envy. She thought as her sister walked over to them. She came over followed closely by her little friend Ivy Lee. She stopped by her.
“What did we miss?” she whispered to her sister. Envy was Autumn’s middle sister. She had short wavy brown hair, and was almost five inches shorter then her. She would probably dye her hair frequently in the mall now that she had all the resources at her fingertips.
Now her friend Ivy Lee is Envy’s twin. There are tons of physical differences, but that's really it. First off they are the same age, that’s not a difference. Ivy Lee has long, down past her butt, blondish-brown hair, and she is four feet five. She also has a baby. It’s hard to except that that big baby came from that small thing.
“What now?” someone asked. Autumn’s dad was off the CB, and everyone stood around staring at each other.
“I say we all go to bed,” Anatha’s mom said.
“Good Idea,” Autumn said and was first to the stairs. She was really tired. They had been busy all day, with messing with zombies, moving into a new home, saving a boy band and now she was downright pooped.
“I can’t sleep,” Anatha said behind her.
Autumn shrugged her shoulders, “So what. I am.” While on her way down to the third floor she thought of all the stuff she had been through that day. She waited for the shock that had been threatening her to finally sink in. She didn’t know or care if it came, and too tired to worry about it. All she wanted to do was sleep.
Autumn looked around at the stores. The idea of sleeping in a bigger store kinda creeped her out. A smaller store would be fine, but which one? Her eyes fell on the pillow store. Shrugging she went in. She created a mound of pillows, and fell quickly to sleep.
1
An hour later Autumn sat straight up, breathing hard. She had just had the mother of all nightmares. She got up looking around. For a moment she felt lost, where was she? Slowly it came back to her, she sat down and cried as the whole ordeal came crashing into her at once. Five years of her life wasted. She sat there on her thrown together bed, and wondered if everyone else was sleeping.
Most of everyone in the mall was either wide awake, or trying to slip off to sleep. Anatha sat on the hard blue-carpeted ground of Mervans thinking. Autumn had been having problems since she walked in on Hazel and her dead family. She frowned to herself. There was no treatment for a zombie bite. If you get bit, you are automatically going to become a zombie. It takes a while. Some people can go eight days, while others turn quickly. She guessed it had to do with the severity of the wound a person received. If you came up against zombies you either hope you can get away without a mark, or have them munch on you until nothing is left.
2
“What are you doing?” Mabon asked.
“I’m nosy,” Aarawn said as he pricked his finger with the tip of his dagger.
“You know what Pyrus said.” He watched as Aarawn made a small smear of his blood on the back of a mirror.
“I know, but you have to admit your curious then me.” They watched the mirror cloud up, and then they could see the inside of the mall. “Show me our sisters.” The mirror showed Autumn. She was sitting there, her eyes puffed and red. “She looks almost like you, little cat,” Aarawn said with a smirk.
Mabon ignored him and stared at his twin with interest. “We don’t have the same eyes,” he said. “Hers are green. But the hair is the same.” He reached out to touch the mirror, but the picture faded showing Anatha.
Aarawn looked at his sister. “Your right, our eyes don’t match, but we have the same hair color. How come Anatha and me get the brown copper and you and Autumn get red streaks? She’s fire, you two are just water and earth.”
He watched his sister walk around the store she had taken over. “I will protect her, for my mothers sake.”
“Your mother?” Mabon asked.
“What of it?” Aarawn turned his light grey eyes to Mabon. They were so light he almost looked blind. They darkened quickly, turning the color of thunderclouds.
“You still have the dreams?”
He looked back at the mirror as it started to cloud over again. “Sometimes, but that’s because I’m more in tuned with those things.” He looked back at Mabon, and his eyes lightened. “So where’s your cat?” He laughed shaking his long brown hair around him.
Mabon shot him a spiteful glance. “He doesn’t like spiders.”
“Sure,” Aarawn said putting the mirror down.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Munched- The Plan
The Plan
Autumn got her big idea before martial law was proclaimed, and it had something to do with Tune N’. After the concert, they decided they were going to the grand opening of the new mall. As she sat there thinking about it the mall got her attention. It said the mall was the mall of tomorrow. The first one built in California of its type. The News at Five held a small special on it before the zombie situation got too out of hand. Its location was very secluded. A nice drive from any town. Between Los Banos and Merced.
She went online to its website, and found the site very interesting. The mall was the first to be totally self-solar powered, and first in a new wave of malls to help the environment. It had its own water supply too. The website got into technical details on everything it could perform, and also stated it would be good enough for people to live in if ever a disaster struck.
She sat at the computer, rereading the disaster sentence. They were in a perfect disaster. Her family had visited one of the closest safe houses in the area, the closest being Madera or the other choice Stockton. They decided that they needed another plan fast since the zombies were slowly showing up in California. The so called safe houses were a joke. To many people shoved in a bunk area with cots and mattresses on the floor. Autumn could not see herself sharing three bathrooms with all the people in there. Of course it was set up as military outlets, so it was heavily guarded, and they had heavy fencing being put around the grounds itself so they could cultivate food,
The mall would be perfect it would make a safe house for her family and some close friends. It was large enough too. Four stories, starting on the first level, play land, and the rest of the floors livable. She drafted a plan. A plan that would, hopefully, keep her alive. Online, she sat at the computer studying the mall’s floor maps. She studied all the main entrance ways. Once inside she didn’t want to worry about zombies sneaking up on her while she slept and also easy exits if it was necessary. After she saw all main, maintenance, and emergency exits, she printed out the blue prints. Once in the mall maybe they would find the original blue prints that the website didn’t show. There was a huge list of stores and shops too. Printing it out, she thought, better safe than sorry.
This mall had it all, she thought as she looked over the maps. Two major super markets, and all the other necessities they would need. They would probably have to grab some more stuff just in case. After looking back over everything on the website, she closed down the computer, and felt a pang of sadness. Her life, her dreams, were they gone? She shook her head, she had no time to think of it. The first zombie had made its way into their town it had to be just be a matter of days before all hell broke loose.
That night Anatha’s family came over so they could talk about what they were going to do. While everyone else was rushing around to get into a safe house, they were thinking about their own safe house. They knew they could not live in one for five years, let alone five months. Autumn discussed her plan with the family, no one objected the idea. So the next thing to do was get packed and rolling. They really had no time to waste.
1
The first thing they needed, supplies, so they could go straight to the mall. They borrowed a diesel truck, okay, they took it, but no one stopped them from taking it from the yard. Some of the family knew how to use a gun, so they got the job of keeping an eye out for zombies while the others got the stuff they needed.
The zombies were starting to take over California slowly but quickly. It wasn’t like the movies. These zombies were once alive, not dead worm filled corpses that climbed out of their coffins buried six feet under the ground. Autumn counted about four zombies she had shot while the others were getting all their supplies onto the truck. She had never really thought her good aim would actually be used to kill the reanimated dead. They looked so human, it felt almost wrong, until you saw their eyes, their dead eyes, and their emotionless faces. Their skin gave off the look of normal, until you saw the wounds, bite marks on the throat, arms, and legs. Nasty opened sores that had crusted over.
Their supplies were simple, some extra freezers and food. They hit stores that were not hit by other people who thought they too could survive the zombies by locking themselves into their houses. Autumn knew that wouldn’t work, haven’t they watched any of the movies? Soon the power and water would be turned off, same with gas. She didn’t know how that stuff worked and didn’t care to look into it. Maybe after the zombies were all gone, she’d check, but now they had a place with all that.
By the time they had finished, they had enough food to feed more than an army for five years. Hopefully it didn’t all get spoiled sitting in the freezers for all those years. She has stocked up on some basic cookbooks, home reference books, and some others. She didn’t have much medical knowledge though. She then thought of her best friend Hazel, she was going through college to be a RN already a certified nurse.
Holy Shit! Her mind screamed. She hadn't heard from her in a few days. She had to go to Winton and get her, she had too.
2
Bud drove her into the small town where Hazel lived, which was a twenty minute drive out of their way. The place usually alive at night with crack and meth heads was a chaotic scene of people running and looting in the late afternoon. They ran into her dad’s friend Howard at the stop sign at Willow and Winton Way.
“Look. I didn’t get a new kidney to die, Bud,” Howard was saying as Autumn looked around nervously.
“Why not come with us?” Bud said.
“You got something better than those fucked up safe houses? Fuck, no drugs, I might as well just stay here.”
“We got something real good, and it leaves us free to do what we want,” he said as Autumn rolled her eyes. Bud drew a small map and handed it to Howard. “We are leaving as soon as we can.”
Howard looked at it. “I got to get some stuff, but we can be there in a day or so. I have to find my sister.” Bud nodded and after saying goodbye drove to Maple Avenue, while Autumn brooded over the ‘we’ part Howard mentioned. Hazel lived on Oxford Circle, which was right off of Maple.
She heard the gunfire first noticing the zombies second. “Hazel!” Autumn screamed getting out of the truck when her dad stopped. This was not a place for people to live with a zombie outbreak at hand. Half the people in town were seriously messed up, and if they came into contact with a zombie they’d think it was another crackhead.
“Autumn, watch yourself out there,” Bud said as she got to Hazel's front door, she nodded looking around quickly.
A small Mexican man with a neck wound stumbled towards her. She pulled out the small pistol she had on her, and shot it in the head without hesitating. “Hazel!” She knocked on the metal security door, or rather beat on the white metal. “Hazel, you there?” Autumn didn’t hear Hazel’s dogs barking behind the door, or any sound at all.
Her heart sank, but then a small voice replied, “Autumn?”
She slowly opened the security door. Gun out, ready. At that moment she felt like her gun toting book idol, Leslie Miller. A small feeling of hope broke the uneasy feeling she had in the pit of her stomach, as her hand lingered on the old rusty door knob. She stopped as soon as she had the door open enough to see Hazel.
“Autumn?” Hazel walked a couple steps towards her and sat down hard covering her face in her hands as she sobbed. Autumn heard a gunshot. She turned to see that her dad had dropped a zombie that was getting a little too close to the door. Realizing she still held the knob keeping the screen open to anything, she closed it.
Turning back to Hazel, She noticed the blood all over the floor. “Hazel, are you hurt?”
Hazel’s eyes were glazed over when she looked up at her. She could see the first basic signs of shock. She had taken a first aid class two months before. Not because of the zombies either, just to do it. Hazel shook her head. Her long bleached hair flapped against her red tear streaked cheeks. Sitting where she was, she pointed into the direction of the hallway, the direction where the trail of blood got thicker.
Although she didn’t want to go, her feet dragged her towards the hallway, following the trail. She turned the corner slowly, and peered into Hazel’s sister’s room, nothing out of the ordinary in there. She continued following the blood trail, afraid of what she was going to see at the end. It led into Hazel’s room. The door stood ajar, and there were bloody hand prints all over it. Autumn pushed the door open the rest of the way, trying not to touch the blood.
So much blood. At first her mind couldn’t register what she was seeing. There was so much blood. Finally she saw the bodies. Dead, bleeding, a body, actually everything was covered in blood, another body. She then noticed the bloody shotgun laying on the ground. Walking into the room, she saw the bodies were missing heads. It was Paul, her fiancé, and her mom and dad, she noticed them by Paul’s work shirt and her mom’s nurse outfit. The puzzle came together. Hazel’s mom must have gotten bitten at work, she didn't have time to go over and look for a wound.
The president’s scientists reported that a shot to the head was all that was needed to kill them. Turning, she walked out of the room, not bothering to close the door. Hazel was still sitting in the living room sobbing quietly. “Hazel, where is Becky?”
She said nothing, but stared at the back door with her wide glossy hazel eyes.
“Please Hazel you have to tell me. Is she with a friend?” Hazel opened her mouth, and instead of talking she screamed. The scream, long and sharp, hurt Autumn’s ears. Turning to the door, her eyes got wide. Becky was banging on the other metal security door.
“No!” Hazel cried. “Autumn! Kill it!”
She stood there staring at Hazel’s little sister. Becky’s neck wound flowed with ruby red blood, as her pale lips pulled back from her teeth trying to bite at the security door. Holding up her pistol and aiming it, her hand shook just a little as she watched Becky. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. She liked Becky. But it’s not Becky anymore, her mind told her. The thing at the door moaned loudly. She pulled the trigger. Hazel let out a small sob behind her, as the thing that used to be Becky fell to the floor lifeless.
3
Autumn had her stuff packed. There wasn’t much she could take along, but she did fill her trunk and a small suitcase with bits and pieces of her life. Not much clothes, after all they were going to be in a mall. What she did grab was a lot of her collectibles, things she would never be able to replace, which held a meaning to her, memories that had made her the way she was. Even though her parents were going to lock up their house, there could be a chance that people could still break in, or something drastic could happen and it could all be lost.
Autumn's leafy green eyes took one last look at her room, and ran over to grab her feather pillow in her Rainbow Bright pillowcase. She couldn’t forget that, the pillowcase alone was about twenty or so years old. Pausing, Autumn looked at her reflection in her mirror, she saw that her curly red streaked blondish brown hair actually looked pretty good for once. What a shame, she thought. That had just made her feel miserable.
She was going to be stuck in a mall for five years without anyone there. She did have Hazel and her cousins, but she was a grown freaking woman, and well dating had not been one of her specialties, but now it was going to be non-existent. Autumn took one last look at herself in the mirror before leaving the room. Damn curly hair, maybe she’d try a straightener in the mall and see if it works. If it didn’t, no one would say anything anyway.
She pushed back the curls lying against her cheek behind her ear, and walked out not glancing back at her room. She paused making sure she grabbed her teddy bear, breathing a small sigh of relief as she felt it inside the pillowcase. She could not forget Billy bear. She stopped looking at a picture of her when she had been at least ten. She carried a lot of the same features of that ten year old. She still kinda felt like that awkward ten year old. Always the tall girl, always the weird one, thinking weird stuff, never following the crowd, she had always felt different, she shook her head, why had she thought of that at that moment? She had no clue.
4
As everyone got together they took a small convoy of vehicles, and closely followed the diesel. There were a number of car wrecks and zombies along the back streets, which they thought might be safer then the main roads. There were a lot of army trucks and people around the main roads. Autumn knew they had to get indoors soon, because the zombies were going to get out of hand, you could only tell by how many were aimlessly roaming the streets and fields.
At that moment they could take care of the zombies since there weren’t that many, shooting them in the head if they came to close. They didn’t have to stop, and if they did Autumn planned on staying where she was and not going to get bit, would not even vision being in that kind of situation. She would die first, that she was sure of. Being a zombie until she rotted away spooked her more than anything else could freak her out. Anatha told her that she wasn’t going down without a fight. As long as she could, she would take as many of the zombies with her. That livened up the group, giving them all a good laugh, since they knew she really meant it.
That day was supposed to be the actual grand opening of the mall. The plan was to take the mall at whatever means. It was bigger then she had imagined. She looked at the mall, as they got closer, it was huge. It sat all alone, no houses nearby. There were a few cars parked around the enormous parking lot. The designer of the mall wanted a lot of parking space, so many people would come and spend a lot of money. Bad timing since the economy was going through a very slow period, and not many people wanted to spend much money just in case.
Wouldn’t they laugh if they knew people were going to live in there? To the side of the mall stood a three story parking garage, it was almost as tall as the mall itself. The mall would let them hide from each other, avoid each other and still be safe.
They drove up, squashing a zombie in the process. Autumn, Anatha and a few others jumped out of the back of the Chevy truck Autumn’s mom was driving. They looked around. Nothing but zombies littered the parking lot. “Tell dad to move the truck up to the doors,” Autumn said to her mom.
“It’s clean up time!” Moss, Anatha’s younger brother, shouted as he opened fire with the large gun he had been tweaking on within the past few days. It roared angrily spitting out bullets when he hit the trigger not just cut zombies in half but turning them into goo.
“Careful with that thing you little shit,” Anatha said with a growl.
“Killing me some zombies,” He sung to himself as he moved away from the group.
“Let’s clean up so we can get inside,” Autumn said.
Anatha paused. “You think there are zombies inside?”
Autumn thought as she shot a zombie. “Moss, Check inside!” She yelled. A gunshot rang out, and something wet hit her cheek. She looked at the headless zombie crumpled on the ground beside her, and then at Anatha. Her ears rang.
“Warn me before you shoot something that close!” Anatha nodded smiling as she turned away. Autumn felt the dead brain matter slide down her cheek, wet and slimy. She quickly wiped it off with her shirt. “Eww!” She rubbed at her cheek giving herself a mental shake.
Moss stopped in the main entranceway of the mall, he turned saluting them. Autumn gave a slight shake of her head, and fired at a zombie walking up to her.
There were Zombies inside, but not as many, mostly maintenance people and store employees. The shooters separated taking different floors. Autumn and Anatha’s dads were able to help now since the truck was parked outside. After they had dealt with all the zombies, Moss looked around. “So what do we do with the bodies?”
“Bonfire,” his dad told him. He grabbed an arm of the closest corpse and started pulling it towards the main doors.
“We need to get the stuff in,” Autumn said looked at the main clock on the wall by the elevators. “It’s getting late.” Some got to work, while others help with the bodies. Autumn decided she would help with the unloading, she really didn’t want to be close to a fire of dead bodies.
5
When everyone was inside and safe, all the supplies were put away and store, it was finally time to lock up. Anatha, Autumn and Envy were in charge of the front main entrance. They were locking up as a big bus pulled up sort of close to the door, but not close enough. The three stood there staring in surprise.
Who on Earth could it be? Anatha asked herself. They looked at each other.
Who was stupid enough to be here? Autumn asked herself. Autumn noticed the zombies walking over to the bus. They just keep coming, she thought.
“Does somebody else know about our plan?” Anatha asked.
Autumn looked at the bus, “Nope, or at least not that I know of.” She stopped. “Howard and his family are coming, but I don't think that’s them.”
“If that’s not them, then who?” Envy asked.
The doors to the bus opened and the guys from Tune N’ walked out. They stood there looking like scared sheep, as the zombies surrounded them. Why would they be here? They thought at the same time. The other thing they thought of, at any moment they were going to watch their favorite singing group, get munched. Autumn looked at the key in her hand. Looking at each other, they decided on doing something. Even though they didn't get along real well they had always had some sort of telepathic power when they were together. Mostly they never really noticed it much, but today, both were glad they shared it. The thing they did agree on is that they couldn’t sit there and watch as the group got munched on. Not if they could prevent it.
Autumn got her big idea before martial law was proclaimed, and it had something to do with Tune N’. After the concert, they decided they were going to the grand opening of the new mall. As she sat there thinking about it the mall got her attention. It said the mall was the mall of tomorrow. The first one built in California of its type. The News at Five held a small special on it before the zombie situation got too out of hand. Its location was very secluded. A nice drive from any town. Between Los Banos and Merced.
She went online to its website, and found the site very interesting. The mall was the first to be totally self-solar powered, and first in a new wave of malls to help the environment. It had its own water supply too. The website got into technical details on everything it could perform, and also stated it would be good enough for people to live in if ever a disaster struck.
She sat at the computer, rereading the disaster sentence. They were in a perfect disaster. Her family had visited one of the closest safe houses in the area, the closest being Madera or the other choice Stockton. They decided that they needed another plan fast since the zombies were slowly showing up in California. The so called safe houses were a joke. To many people shoved in a bunk area with cots and mattresses on the floor. Autumn could not see herself sharing three bathrooms with all the people in there. Of course it was set up as military outlets, so it was heavily guarded, and they had heavy fencing being put around the grounds itself so they could cultivate food,
The mall would be perfect it would make a safe house for her family and some close friends. It was large enough too. Four stories, starting on the first level, play land, and the rest of the floors livable. She drafted a plan. A plan that would, hopefully, keep her alive. Online, she sat at the computer studying the mall’s floor maps. She studied all the main entrance ways. Once inside she didn’t want to worry about zombies sneaking up on her while she slept and also easy exits if it was necessary. After she saw all main, maintenance, and emergency exits, she printed out the blue prints. Once in the mall maybe they would find the original blue prints that the website didn’t show. There was a huge list of stores and shops too. Printing it out, she thought, better safe than sorry.
This mall had it all, she thought as she looked over the maps. Two major super markets, and all the other necessities they would need. They would probably have to grab some more stuff just in case. After looking back over everything on the website, she closed down the computer, and felt a pang of sadness. Her life, her dreams, were they gone? She shook her head, she had no time to think of it. The first zombie had made its way into their town it had to be just be a matter of days before all hell broke loose.
That night Anatha’s family came over so they could talk about what they were going to do. While everyone else was rushing around to get into a safe house, they were thinking about their own safe house. They knew they could not live in one for five years, let alone five months. Autumn discussed her plan with the family, no one objected the idea. So the next thing to do was get packed and rolling. They really had no time to waste.
1
The first thing they needed, supplies, so they could go straight to the mall. They borrowed a diesel truck, okay, they took it, but no one stopped them from taking it from the yard. Some of the family knew how to use a gun, so they got the job of keeping an eye out for zombies while the others got the stuff they needed.
The zombies were starting to take over California slowly but quickly. It wasn’t like the movies. These zombies were once alive, not dead worm filled corpses that climbed out of their coffins buried six feet under the ground. Autumn counted about four zombies she had shot while the others were getting all their supplies onto the truck. She had never really thought her good aim would actually be used to kill the reanimated dead. They looked so human, it felt almost wrong, until you saw their eyes, their dead eyes, and their emotionless faces. Their skin gave off the look of normal, until you saw the wounds, bite marks on the throat, arms, and legs. Nasty opened sores that had crusted over.
Their supplies were simple, some extra freezers and food. They hit stores that were not hit by other people who thought they too could survive the zombies by locking themselves into their houses. Autumn knew that wouldn’t work, haven’t they watched any of the movies? Soon the power and water would be turned off, same with gas. She didn’t know how that stuff worked and didn’t care to look into it. Maybe after the zombies were all gone, she’d check, but now they had a place with all that.
By the time they had finished, they had enough food to feed more than an army for five years. Hopefully it didn’t all get spoiled sitting in the freezers for all those years. She has stocked up on some basic cookbooks, home reference books, and some others. She didn’t have much medical knowledge though. She then thought of her best friend Hazel, she was going through college to be a RN already a certified nurse.
Holy Shit! Her mind screamed. She hadn't heard from her in a few days. She had to go to Winton and get her, she had too.
2
Bud drove her into the small town where Hazel lived, which was a twenty minute drive out of their way. The place usually alive at night with crack and meth heads was a chaotic scene of people running and looting in the late afternoon. They ran into her dad’s friend Howard at the stop sign at Willow and Winton Way.
“Look. I didn’t get a new kidney to die, Bud,” Howard was saying as Autumn looked around nervously.
“Why not come with us?” Bud said.
“You got something better than those fucked up safe houses? Fuck, no drugs, I might as well just stay here.”
“We got something real good, and it leaves us free to do what we want,” he said as Autumn rolled her eyes. Bud drew a small map and handed it to Howard. “We are leaving as soon as we can.”
Howard looked at it. “I got to get some stuff, but we can be there in a day or so. I have to find my sister.” Bud nodded and after saying goodbye drove to Maple Avenue, while Autumn brooded over the ‘we’ part Howard mentioned. Hazel lived on Oxford Circle, which was right off of Maple.
She heard the gunfire first noticing the zombies second. “Hazel!” Autumn screamed getting out of the truck when her dad stopped. This was not a place for people to live with a zombie outbreak at hand. Half the people in town were seriously messed up, and if they came into contact with a zombie they’d think it was another crackhead.
“Autumn, watch yourself out there,” Bud said as she got to Hazel's front door, she nodded looking around quickly.
A small Mexican man with a neck wound stumbled towards her. She pulled out the small pistol she had on her, and shot it in the head without hesitating. “Hazel!” She knocked on the metal security door, or rather beat on the white metal. “Hazel, you there?” Autumn didn’t hear Hazel’s dogs barking behind the door, or any sound at all.
Her heart sank, but then a small voice replied, “Autumn?”
She slowly opened the security door. Gun out, ready. At that moment she felt like her gun toting book idol, Leslie Miller. A small feeling of hope broke the uneasy feeling she had in the pit of her stomach, as her hand lingered on the old rusty door knob. She stopped as soon as she had the door open enough to see Hazel.
“Autumn?” Hazel walked a couple steps towards her and sat down hard covering her face in her hands as she sobbed. Autumn heard a gunshot. She turned to see that her dad had dropped a zombie that was getting a little too close to the door. Realizing she still held the knob keeping the screen open to anything, she closed it.
Turning back to Hazel, She noticed the blood all over the floor. “Hazel, are you hurt?”
Hazel’s eyes were glazed over when she looked up at her. She could see the first basic signs of shock. She had taken a first aid class two months before. Not because of the zombies either, just to do it. Hazel shook her head. Her long bleached hair flapped against her red tear streaked cheeks. Sitting where she was, she pointed into the direction of the hallway, the direction where the trail of blood got thicker.
Although she didn’t want to go, her feet dragged her towards the hallway, following the trail. She turned the corner slowly, and peered into Hazel’s sister’s room, nothing out of the ordinary in there. She continued following the blood trail, afraid of what she was going to see at the end. It led into Hazel’s room. The door stood ajar, and there were bloody hand prints all over it. Autumn pushed the door open the rest of the way, trying not to touch the blood.
So much blood. At first her mind couldn’t register what she was seeing. There was so much blood. Finally she saw the bodies. Dead, bleeding, a body, actually everything was covered in blood, another body. She then noticed the bloody shotgun laying on the ground. Walking into the room, she saw the bodies were missing heads. It was Paul, her fiancé, and her mom and dad, she noticed them by Paul’s work shirt and her mom’s nurse outfit. The puzzle came together. Hazel’s mom must have gotten bitten at work, she didn't have time to go over and look for a wound.
The president’s scientists reported that a shot to the head was all that was needed to kill them. Turning, she walked out of the room, not bothering to close the door. Hazel was still sitting in the living room sobbing quietly. “Hazel, where is Becky?”
She said nothing, but stared at the back door with her wide glossy hazel eyes.
“Please Hazel you have to tell me. Is she with a friend?” Hazel opened her mouth, and instead of talking she screamed. The scream, long and sharp, hurt Autumn’s ears. Turning to the door, her eyes got wide. Becky was banging on the other metal security door.
“No!” Hazel cried. “Autumn! Kill it!”
She stood there staring at Hazel’s little sister. Becky’s neck wound flowed with ruby red blood, as her pale lips pulled back from her teeth trying to bite at the security door. Holding up her pistol and aiming it, her hand shook just a little as she watched Becky. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. She liked Becky. But it’s not Becky anymore, her mind told her. The thing at the door moaned loudly. She pulled the trigger. Hazel let out a small sob behind her, as the thing that used to be Becky fell to the floor lifeless.
3
Autumn had her stuff packed. There wasn’t much she could take along, but she did fill her trunk and a small suitcase with bits and pieces of her life. Not much clothes, after all they were going to be in a mall. What she did grab was a lot of her collectibles, things she would never be able to replace, which held a meaning to her, memories that had made her the way she was. Even though her parents were going to lock up their house, there could be a chance that people could still break in, or something drastic could happen and it could all be lost.
Autumn's leafy green eyes took one last look at her room, and ran over to grab her feather pillow in her Rainbow Bright pillowcase. She couldn’t forget that, the pillowcase alone was about twenty or so years old. Pausing, Autumn looked at her reflection in her mirror, she saw that her curly red streaked blondish brown hair actually looked pretty good for once. What a shame, she thought. That had just made her feel miserable.
She was going to be stuck in a mall for five years without anyone there. She did have Hazel and her cousins, but she was a grown freaking woman, and well dating had not been one of her specialties, but now it was going to be non-existent. Autumn took one last look at herself in the mirror before leaving the room. Damn curly hair, maybe she’d try a straightener in the mall and see if it works. If it didn’t, no one would say anything anyway.
She pushed back the curls lying against her cheek behind her ear, and walked out not glancing back at her room. She paused making sure she grabbed her teddy bear, breathing a small sigh of relief as she felt it inside the pillowcase. She could not forget Billy bear. She stopped looking at a picture of her when she had been at least ten. She carried a lot of the same features of that ten year old. She still kinda felt like that awkward ten year old. Always the tall girl, always the weird one, thinking weird stuff, never following the crowd, she had always felt different, she shook her head, why had she thought of that at that moment? She had no clue.
4
As everyone got together they took a small convoy of vehicles, and closely followed the diesel. There were a number of car wrecks and zombies along the back streets, which they thought might be safer then the main roads. There were a lot of army trucks and people around the main roads. Autumn knew they had to get indoors soon, because the zombies were going to get out of hand, you could only tell by how many were aimlessly roaming the streets and fields.
At that moment they could take care of the zombies since there weren’t that many, shooting them in the head if they came to close. They didn’t have to stop, and if they did Autumn planned on staying where she was and not going to get bit, would not even vision being in that kind of situation. She would die first, that she was sure of. Being a zombie until she rotted away spooked her more than anything else could freak her out. Anatha told her that she wasn’t going down without a fight. As long as she could, she would take as many of the zombies with her. That livened up the group, giving them all a good laugh, since they knew she really meant it.
That day was supposed to be the actual grand opening of the mall. The plan was to take the mall at whatever means. It was bigger then she had imagined. She looked at the mall, as they got closer, it was huge. It sat all alone, no houses nearby. There were a few cars parked around the enormous parking lot. The designer of the mall wanted a lot of parking space, so many people would come and spend a lot of money. Bad timing since the economy was going through a very slow period, and not many people wanted to spend much money just in case.
Wouldn’t they laugh if they knew people were going to live in there? To the side of the mall stood a three story parking garage, it was almost as tall as the mall itself. The mall would let them hide from each other, avoid each other and still be safe.
They drove up, squashing a zombie in the process. Autumn, Anatha and a few others jumped out of the back of the Chevy truck Autumn’s mom was driving. They looked around. Nothing but zombies littered the parking lot. “Tell dad to move the truck up to the doors,” Autumn said to her mom.
“It’s clean up time!” Moss, Anatha’s younger brother, shouted as he opened fire with the large gun he had been tweaking on within the past few days. It roared angrily spitting out bullets when he hit the trigger not just cut zombies in half but turning them into goo.
“Careful with that thing you little shit,” Anatha said with a growl.
“Killing me some zombies,” He sung to himself as he moved away from the group.
“Let’s clean up so we can get inside,” Autumn said.
Anatha paused. “You think there are zombies inside?”
Autumn thought as she shot a zombie. “Moss, Check inside!” She yelled. A gunshot rang out, and something wet hit her cheek. She looked at the headless zombie crumpled on the ground beside her, and then at Anatha. Her ears rang.
“Warn me before you shoot something that close!” Anatha nodded smiling as she turned away. Autumn felt the dead brain matter slide down her cheek, wet and slimy. She quickly wiped it off with her shirt. “Eww!” She rubbed at her cheek giving herself a mental shake.
Moss stopped in the main entranceway of the mall, he turned saluting them. Autumn gave a slight shake of her head, and fired at a zombie walking up to her.
There were Zombies inside, but not as many, mostly maintenance people and store employees. The shooters separated taking different floors. Autumn and Anatha’s dads were able to help now since the truck was parked outside. After they had dealt with all the zombies, Moss looked around. “So what do we do with the bodies?”
“Bonfire,” his dad told him. He grabbed an arm of the closest corpse and started pulling it towards the main doors.
“We need to get the stuff in,” Autumn said looked at the main clock on the wall by the elevators. “It’s getting late.” Some got to work, while others help with the bodies. Autumn decided she would help with the unloading, she really didn’t want to be close to a fire of dead bodies.
5
When everyone was inside and safe, all the supplies were put away and store, it was finally time to lock up. Anatha, Autumn and Envy were in charge of the front main entrance. They were locking up as a big bus pulled up sort of close to the door, but not close enough. The three stood there staring in surprise.
Who on Earth could it be? Anatha asked herself. They looked at each other.
Who was stupid enough to be here? Autumn asked herself. Autumn noticed the zombies walking over to the bus. They just keep coming, she thought.
“Does somebody else know about our plan?” Anatha asked.
Autumn looked at the bus, “Nope, or at least not that I know of.” She stopped. “Howard and his family are coming, but I don't think that’s them.”
“If that’s not them, then who?” Envy asked.
The doors to the bus opened and the guys from Tune N’ walked out. They stood there looking like scared sheep, as the zombies surrounded them. Why would they be here? They thought at the same time. The other thing they thought of, at any moment they were going to watch their favorite singing group, get munched. Autumn looked at the key in her hand. Looking at each other, they decided on doing something. Even though they didn't get along real well they had always had some sort of telepathic power when they were together. Mostly they never really noticed it much, but today, both were glad they shared it. The thing they did agree on is that they couldn’t sit there and watch as the group got munched on. Not if they could prevent it.
Munched-Infection
Infection
“So what did I tell you?” Autumn told everyone in the room.
“What the fuck?” Autumn’s dad, Bud, said.
“I was telling the truth. Look, the proof is on the news.” Autumn pointed to the TV.
“Everyone, come here and watch,” Anatha called out. The family came in from the backyard BBQ.
“I’m reporting here from Cameria Texas,” The fake blond news reporter with oversized brown eyes said. “Where the first reported outbreak from South America is showing up here in the United States. To my right, are Tony and his wife Bambie. Tony was injured by one of the infected. So Tony, what happened?”
The man looked awfully sick, and his Barbie shaped bleached blond wife held onto him like a scared twit. “We’s outside enjoyin sum beer with some of m’friends when we see this fella come walkin’ up to us.”
“He wasn’t walkin, more a shamblin,” his wife interrupted.
He nodded. “I thought maybe he’d had some kinda accident, so I walked over to him. Soon as I got myself a good look at the fella, I knew he wasn’t well,” The man’s voice came out unsteady. He started to wobble on his legs. “Top it off, the sick bastard bit me!” Tony touched the wound on his arm. His eyes rolled up into his head as he passed out.
“Sir, you okay?” The reporter asked squatting down by him.
He let out a small moan. “Don’t worry Hon,” Bambie said. “He’s been doing this for three days.” She too squatted by him as the shakes started. “He’ll come out of it right soon.”
Just then, Tony sat straight up looking disorientated. He didn’t look around, just kept his head straight. Eyes unblinking, the cameraman let out a small whistle. Tony’s eyes were back to normal, but there was a far off expression on his face. To Autumn, he looked sort of hungry.
“Come on babe. Let’s go home.” Bambie said trying to pull him to his feet. She was having a hard time since he outweighed her by three hundred pounds.
Screams came from behind the reporter. She stood up turning to look away from Tony. “My god. Those men over there are attacking those children!” Bambie was still trying to help her husband to his feet. The people watching TV would have noticed the slight change in the man. Autumn’s family stared at the TV with wide unbelieving eyes.
Bambie was now looking at the men attacking the children giving up on her husband. “My lil Sylvie's over there! One of you fancy city people have one of those cell phone things right?” She looked around with frightened blue eyes.
No one noticed Tony. Even the cameraman wasn't looking. He suddenly swung around violently, grabbing the reporter. Before she could scream, he sunk his teeth into her neck. The cameraman or one of the crew let out a loud scared scream as the he ripped a chunk of the reporter's neck off. He looked at his wife, chewing what was in his mouth, blood and saliva dripping from his chin. Bambie had placed her hand to her mouth, but the loud shrieking noise she made wasn't muffled by it.
He let go of the reporter. The camera man had dropped it, so you saw the reporter scratch at the messy wound to breath as Tony shambled for his wife.
“Tony?” Bambie said in a small voice before her husband attacked her.
The news went back to Sally behind the desk, her small usually pretty face white as a sheet. She said nothing, speechless, like everyone else who was watching.
Autumn sat there too. She had read it, but now actually seeing it she didn’t want to believe it. Envy ran to the bathroom to get sick. Her dad went into the kitchen to pour himself a drink. He decided on the heavy stuff they had been saving behind the cleaners under the sink. Anatha and the others just sat there dumbstruck.
“So what now?” Anatha asked. She felt numb, as the horror of what they watched slowly sunk in. “What do we do?”
Autumn shook her head flipping off the TV.
1
The bag lady pushed her cart into a rundown abandoned house. A tall man hiding in the darkness walked out into the small amount of light coming from the boarded up windows. The lady stopped dead watching him. His brownish blond hair shown with natural red streaks as he walked into the light, which made it easy to see his crystal blue eyes glitter as the light flashed on them. He looked almost like his father, him and his sister had the same colored hair but the eyes were wild and different.
“Mabon, have you been waiting long?” she asked trying to quiet her little mangy dog from barking.
“Not long, what news do you have?” he asked his voice light and friendly, but she knew how dangerous he could be if he wanted to.
“The time has come for you to take over guardianship of,” she said pausing to look at the birthmark on his power arm, a perfect upside down triangle; it could have been a tattoo, but he had been born with it, the element of water. If the Dark Lord had known that, two were born male he would have been looking for them too. So far, the evil witch only knew of the females.
His eyes followed her. “You know where she is?”
She nodded, “I am the only one who knows.”
“Why wasn’t I told? I have waited so long, almost sure I would never,” he stopped. The pain in his chest was too much. He had lost his mother and father, and now he was going to meet her, finally, after so many years. He had thought of her, of what they would say, of all the stories they would stay up late telling each other. He had yearned to be in her life since he could remember, always feeling alone, being different.
“You still must not come into contact with her, not yet.” She noticed he was going to argue and held up her hand to silence him. “Please, Mabon, you must look after her and the other. I know how long you’ve waited, but she must be protected first. I feel a great evil is going to come to pass, and they need someone who can watch over them.”
“Why will you not do it?” he asked.
“I am old, and I have been their watcher for twenty years.” She sighed. “Plus, I need to keep an eye on Moorgun. I feel she is getting closer to them.”
“Pyrus, when can I meet her?” he asked as his thoughts went to the now grown Autumn.
“When this evil that is stirring is over,” she said looking at her dog.
“Is there anything else you want of me before I leave?” he asked.
“I need you to get Aarawn to help you,” she did not look at him as she said it.
“Why?” he asked a bit aggravated. He and Aarawn never saw eye to eye, and she knew it.
“He too will find this interesting.”
And then an idea came to him, and he almost didn’t ask. “He is the other?”
Pyrus nodded. “Make it clear to him he must not speak to her unless it is really necessary. They must not know anything about us until they are in their full power.”
He gave a quick nod, “I understand. Where must I go?” She gave him the directions before they separated. She went back to the parking lot. If only Moorgun knew how close she is to them, she thought almost sadly.
“So what did I tell you?” Autumn told everyone in the room.
“What the fuck?” Autumn’s dad, Bud, said.
“I was telling the truth. Look, the proof is on the news.” Autumn pointed to the TV.
“Everyone, come here and watch,” Anatha called out. The family came in from the backyard BBQ.
“I’m reporting here from Cameria Texas,” The fake blond news reporter with oversized brown eyes said. “Where the first reported outbreak from South America is showing up here in the United States. To my right, are Tony and his wife Bambie. Tony was injured by one of the infected. So Tony, what happened?”
The man looked awfully sick, and his Barbie shaped bleached blond wife held onto him like a scared twit. “We’s outside enjoyin sum beer with some of m’friends when we see this fella come walkin’ up to us.”
“He wasn’t walkin, more a shamblin,” his wife interrupted.
He nodded. “I thought maybe he’d had some kinda accident, so I walked over to him. Soon as I got myself a good look at the fella, I knew he wasn’t well,” The man’s voice came out unsteady. He started to wobble on his legs. “Top it off, the sick bastard bit me!” Tony touched the wound on his arm. His eyes rolled up into his head as he passed out.
“Sir, you okay?” The reporter asked squatting down by him.
He let out a small moan. “Don’t worry Hon,” Bambie said. “He’s been doing this for three days.” She too squatted by him as the shakes started. “He’ll come out of it right soon.”
Just then, Tony sat straight up looking disorientated. He didn’t look around, just kept his head straight. Eyes unblinking, the cameraman let out a small whistle. Tony’s eyes were back to normal, but there was a far off expression on his face. To Autumn, he looked sort of hungry.
“Come on babe. Let’s go home.” Bambie said trying to pull him to his feet. She was having a hard time since he outweighed her by three hundred pounds.
Screams came from behind the reporter. She stood up turning to look away from Tony. “My god. Those men over there are attacking those children!” Bambie was still trying to help her husband to his feet. The people watching TV would have noticed the slight change in the man. Autumn’s family stared at the TV with wide unbelieving eyes.
Bambie was now looking at the men attacking the children giving up on her husband. “My lil Sylvie's over there! One of you fancy city people have one of those cell phone things right?” She looked around with frightened blue eyes.
No one noticed Tony. Even the cameraman wasn't looking. He suddenly swung around violently, grabbing the reporter. Before she could scream, he sunk his teeth into her neck. The cameraman or one of the crew let out a loud scared scream as the he ripped a chunk of the reporter's neck off. He looked at his wife, chewing what was in his mouth, blood and saliva dripping from his chin. Bambie had placed her hand to her mouth, but the loud shrieking noise she made wasn't muffled by it.
He let go of the reporter. The camera man had dropped it, so you saw the reporter scratch at the messy wound to breath as Tony shambled for his wife.
“Tony?” Bambie said in a small voice before her husband attacked her.
The news went back to Sally behind the desk, her small usually pretty face white as a sheet. She said nothing, speechless, like everyone else who was watching.
Autumn sat there too. She had read it, but now actually seeing it she didn’t want to believe it. Envy ran to the bathroom to get sick. Her dad went into the kitchen to pour himself a drink. He decided on the heavy stuff they had been saving behind the cleaners under the sink. Anatha and the others just sat there dumbstruck.
“So what now?” Anatha asked. She felt numb, as the horror of what they watched slowly sunk in. “What do we do?”
Autumn shook her head flipping off the TV.
1
The bag lady pushed her cart into a rundown abandoned house. A tall man hiding in the darkness walked out into the small amount of light coming from the boarded up windows. The lady stopped dead watching him. His brownish blond hair shown with natural red streaks as he walked into the light, which made it easy to see his crystal blue eyes glitter as the light flashed on them. He looked almost like his father, him and his sister had the same colored hair but the eyes were wild and different.
“Mabon, have you been waiting long?” she asked trying to quiet her little mangy dog from barking.
“Not long, what news do you have?” he asked his voice light and friendly, but she knew how dangerous he could be if he wanted to.
“The time has come for you to take over guardianship of,” she said pausing to look at the birthmark on his power arm, a perfect upside down triangle; it could have been a tattoo, but he had been born with it, the element of water. If the Dark Lord had known that, two were born male he would have been looking for them too. So far, the evil witch only knew of the females.
His eyes followed her. “You know where she is?”
She nodded, “I am the only one who knows.”
“Why wasn’t I told? I have waited so long, almost sure I would never,” he stopped. The pain in his chest was too much. He had lost his mother and father, and now he was going to meet her, finally, after so many years. He had thought of her, of what they would say, of all the stories they would stay up late telling each other. He had yearned to be in her life since he could remember, always feeling alone, being different.
“You still must not come into contact with her, not yet.” She noticed he was going to argue and held up her hand to silence him. “Please, Mabon, you must look after her and the other. I know how long you’ve waited, but she must be protected first. I feel a great evil is going to come to pass, and they need someone who can watch over them.”
“Why will you not do it?” he asked.
“I am old, and I have been their watcher for twenty years.” She sighed. “Plus, I need to keep an eye on Moorgun. I feel she is getting closer to them.”
“Pyrus, when can I meet her?” he asked as his thoughts went to the now grown Autumn.
“When this evil that is stirring is over,” she said looking at her dog.
“Is there anything else you want of me before I leave?” he asked.
“I need you to get Aarawn to help you,” she did not look at him as she said it.
“Why?” he asked a bit aggravated. He and Aarawn never saw eye to eye, and she knew it.
“He too will find this interesting.”
And then an idea came to him, and he almost didn’t ask. “He is the other?”
Pyrus nodded. “Make it clear to him he must not speak to her unless it is really necessary. They must not know anything about us until they are in their full power.”
He gave a quick nod, “I understand. Where must I go?” She gave him the directions before they separated. She went back to the parking lot. If only Moorgun knew how close she is to them, she thought almost sadly.
Munched- The End
The End
Over in the small third world countries, where poor people drink murky water and bellies grumble every day, a couple of men dressed as doctors entered into small hospitals. They ignored the weeping pleading mothers begging for them to help their sick children. They all entered into small storage rooms, where the meager hospital supplies waited to be used.
In a diminutive town in Chile, three fake doctors looked at each other. “Do you have the time?” One asked the other. Their eyes looked glazed over as if tweaking on some good drug. It could have been said that the look in their eyes was insanity, but only they knew the secret. The secret of a woman with floor length midnight black hair that veiled around her luminescent skin, and what she had done to them. What she had promised. A seductive dream they would kill for, exactly what they were doing.
The taller man looked at his watch, and saw it was two minutes until noon, Pacific Time. “We're on time,” he said in a dreamy voice. The promise of touching the woman again drifted through his mind. Although in hers, she knew she would never see any of the slaves she sent out. Her magic of corruption would soon spread like a California wildfire.
One of the men opened a small box and took out a small liquid bottle. Each grabbed a syringe filling them with the liquid from the black bottle, and inserting the liquid into medicine and IV bags. They were to wait and witness if anything worked, and walked quickly out of the hospital. Only a nurse saw the woman’s slaves in Iraq, but she thought nothing of it.
1
Moorgun waited in front of her altar, while her barely dressed followers sat on their knees before her. It was a little after noon, as the visions started to fill her. Images filtered in her brain like a badly cut film. Her Lord promised to show her what the potion she created would do, as he had shown her how to make it, although, she could no longer remember the full ingredients of the potion, and only remembered grinding the puffer fish. She watched her slaves, waiting in dingy lanes and alleyways. Soon, she knew, something would happen. The potion would attack the sick quick, and from there the sick would infect the living.
Her master could show her this, yet not the two girls who should have been hers years ago. Hers to train, bend in the ways of her. The two who would bring an end to all nice and pure. She smiled watching as a doctor hooked in her poison to a sick man. The Dark Lord promised her this would work, and this would help her find her promised. They would help bring Arawen back to full power on Earth. After so many years of being trapped, he would finally be welcomed upon his new home, and he will take her. Her body ached badly for him as she thought of his dark hair, wild eyes, and muscular body. She will rule with him, and he would make her immortal.
She watched the sick man shake, the nurses ran over and doctors were called. After the shakes, his blood would slow until it stopped altogether, and his organs would fail, but his brain would live. Every liquid in his body will carry the infection, and just a small bite to another human would cause the corruption to spread until it overran the world. And the search for her chosen would finally be at an end. It had been so easy.
She watched as the sick started to rise with a huger they had never felt before. Animal. They only thought of flesh. “Feed, my pets,” she snickered.
Her yellow brittle nails scratched along the oak altar as her Lord entered her. She felt his cold touch in a place only he could touch. As she screamed out in pleasure, her followers bent their heads to the ground. Their Priestess had achieved the goal and was being rewarded. They envied her, longed to be thanked by the Lord, wanted to please her to please him. He touched her one last time, and her scream was heard above the small parking lot they practiced under.
A short bag lady with frizzed out white hair pushing a shopping cart paused. She listened to the scream, and a thought passed through her head.
It begins.
2
“Envy your VCR isn’t working for me,” Anatha was trying to shove in her new blank tape. Her eyes burned with hateful, as she tried to stuff the tape into the VCR.
“If someone had ordered the new cable box with the DVR in it we could just record it on that,” Envy said as they both shot Autumn spiteful looks.
Autumn looked up over The Chronicle, which she was reading. “Don’t beat it Anatha. It won’t work if you keep beating it like that,” she said going back to the article which had been the main reason for her grabbing the paper.
“Autumn, fix it, please,” she pleaded, “Tune N’ is going to be on in a couple minutes.”
Tune N’ was one of the hottest boy bands out at the moment. Autumn hated to admit it, but she liked them as much as Anatha and Envy did. Well not really that much. Anatha was obsessed, and she was mildly obsessed, Envy, was just an ass-kisser, and always went along with Anatha. All the young girls loved Tune N' and the other hot boy band, Boy Toyz, but lately Tune N’ had reached new levels. Their new album had broken all previous records in its first week out. Autumn loved the album. It had to be one of her favorite CDs to listen to.
The girls were a bit old to fit in with the Tune N’ crowd, but no one complained. Autumn was nearly twenty-seven and Anatha and Envy just turned twenty-five. The obsession they shared was actually new to her, since she was a die-hard Melon Pop fan. Anatha had liked Tune N’ since the youngest of the singers looked a lot like her favorite actor, who is now married. But in all that was the only thing the two had in common. Autumn didn't enjoy being around her cousin for too long. She seemed always angry about everything. That and there was just something about her that Autumn just didn't like. Not really nice things to think about your blood cousin, but she could not fight the feeling.
Autumn picked up the universal remote that was lying by her, and pressed the VCR power button. It came to life. “You forgot to turn it on,” she told Anatha without taking her eyes off the article she was reading. “It was a miracle you actually found a new blank tape. I thought they didn’t make those anymore?”
“I had a few put away. I didn’t know my VCR was going to take a shit. Why are you reading that crap?” Anatha came over and sat by Envy who had grabbed the remote.
“She likes all the stupid stories,” Envy said.
“Better then listening to all your drama,” Autumn said to herself.
“Huh?” her sister asked.
“Nothing. I read this for the truth,” Autumn replied self absorbed in the article.
“Whatever,” Anatha said rolling her eyes, “Nothing truthful is ever printed in there. It’s all crap.”
“Sometimes its crap, but even some crap is fun to read. Check out this article,” she said handing her the paper.
Anatha took some time to read the article, and gave it back. “Like I said crap. Can you really believe zombies are taking over South America?” She asked.
“There have been worse things. Plus why can’t it be true?”
Envy shook her head, “You really believe that stuff?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I find it odd.”
“It’s all odd. That’s why it’s in The Chronicle. They after all print anything and everything odd and strange, it’s their motto.” She turned the channel. “Put it down, Tune N’ is on.”
Autumn put the paper down on the coffee table and sat back. “Speaking of Tune N’, do you know they’ll be here for the grand opening of the new mall.” Anatha stared at her cousin in disbelief. Autumn smiled at her, knowing her cousin would react to that.
“No way,” Anatha finally managed to say.
She nodded. “Yep, it’s in a month. By the way, press record.”
“Wow,” Anatha said reaching over grabbing the remote off Envy's leg and pressing record. They sat back and watched the Tune N’ concert.
Over in the small third world countries, where poor people drink murky water and bellies grumble every day, a couple of men dressed as doctors entered into small hospitals. They ignored the weeping pleading mothers begging for them to help their sick children. They all entered into small storage rooms, where the meager hospital supplies waited to be used.
In a diminutive town in Chile, three fake doctors looked at each other. “Do you have the time?” One asked the other. Their eyes looked glazed over as if tweaking on some good drug. It could have been said that the look in their eyes was insanity, but only they knew the secret. The secret of a woman with floor length midnight black hair that veiled around her luminescent skin, and what she had done to them. What she had promised. A seductive dream they would kill for, exactly what they were doing.
The taller man looked at his watch, and saw it was two minutes until noon, Pacific Time. “We're on time,” he said in a dreamy voice. The promise of touching the woman again drifted through his mind. Although in hers, she knew she would never see any of the slaves she sent out. Her magic of corruption would soon spread like a California wildfire.
One of the men opened a small box and took out a small liquid bottle. Each grabbed a syringe filling them with the liquid from the black bottle, and inserting the liquid into medicine and IV bags. They were to wait and witness if anything worked, and walked quickly out of the hospital. Only a nurse saw the woman’s slaves in Iraq, but she thought nothing of it.
1
Moorgun waited in front of her altar, while her barely dressed followers sat on their knees before her. It was a little after noon, as the visions started to fill her. Images filtered in her brain like a badly cut film. Her Lord promised to show her what the potion she created would do, as he had shown her how to make it, although, she could no longer remember the full ingredients of the potion, and only remembered grinding the puffer fish. She watched her slaves, waiting in dingy lanes and alleyways. Soon, she knew, something would happen. The potion would attack the sick quick, and from there the sick would infect the living.
Her master could show her this, yet not the two girls who should have been hers years ago. Hers to train, bend in the ways of her. The two who would bring an end to all nice and pure. She smiled watching as a doctor hooked in her poison to a sick man. The Dark Lord promised her this would work, and this would help her find her promised. They would help bring Arawen back to full power on Earth. After so many years of being trapped, he would finally be welcomed upon his new home, and he will take her. Her body ached badly for him as she thought of his dark hair, wild eyes, and muscular body. She will rule with him, and he would make her immortal.
She watched the sick man shake, the nurses ran over and doctors were called. After the shakes, his blood would slow until it stopped altogether, and his organs would fail, but his brain would live. Every liquid in his body will carry the infection, and just a small bite to another human would cause the corruption to spread until it overran the world. And the search for her chosen would finally be at an end. It had been so easy.
She watched as the sick started to rise with a huger they had never felt before. Animal. They only thought of flesh. “Feed, my pets,” she snickered.
Her yellow brittle nails scratched along the oak altar as her Lord entered her. She felt his cold touch in a place only he could touch. As she screamed out in pleasure, her followers bent their heads to the ground. Their Priestess had achieved the goal and was being rewarded. They envied her, longed to be thanked by the Lord, wanted to please her to please him. He touched her one last time, and her scream was heard above the small parking lot they practiced under.
A short bag lady with frizzed out white hair pushing a shopping cart paused. She listened to the scream, and a thought passed through her head.
It begins.
2
“Envy your VCR isn’t working for me,” Anatha was trying to shove in her new blank tape. Her eyes burned with hateful, as she tried to stuff the tape into the VCR.
“If someone had ordered the new cable box with the DVR in it we could just record it on that,” Envy said as they both shot Autumn spiteful looks.
Autumn looked up over The Chronicle, which she was reading. “Don’t beat it Anatha. It won’t work if you keep beating it like that,” she said going back to the article which had been the main reason for her grabbing the paper.
“Autumn, fix it, please,” she pleaded, “Tune N’ is going to be on in a couple minutes.”
Tune N’ was one of the hottest boy bands out at the moment. Autumn hated to admit it, but she liked them as much as Anatha and Envy did. Well not really that much. Anatha was obsessed, and she was mildly obsessed, Envy, was just an ass-kisser, and always went along with Anatha. All the young girls loved Tune N' and the other hot boy band, Boy Toyz, but lately Tune N’ had reached new levels. Their new album had broken all previous records in its first week out. Autumn loved the album. It had to be one of her favorite CDs to listen to.
The girls were a bit old to fit in with the Tune N’ crowd, but no one complained. Autumn was nearly twenty-seven and Anatha and Envy just turned twenty-five. The obsession they shared was actually new to her, since she was a die-hard Melon Pop fan. Anatha had liked Tune N’ since the youngest of the singers looked a lot like her favorite actor, who is now married. But in all that was the only thing the two had in common. Autumn didn't enjoy being around her cousin for too long. She seemed always angry about everything. That and there was just something about her that Autumn just didn't like. Not really nice things to think about your blood cousin, but she could not fight the feeling.
Autumn picked up the universal remote that was lying by her, and pressed the VCR power button. It came to life. “You forgot to turn it on,” she told Anatha without taking her eyes off the article she was reading. “It was a miracle you actually found a new blank tape. I thought they didn’t make those anymore?”
“I had a few put away. I didn’t know my VCR was going to take a shit. Why are you reading that crap?” Anatha came over and sat by Envy who had grabbed the remote.
“She likes all the stupid stories,” Envy said.
“Better then listening to all your drama,” Autumn said to herself.
“Huh?” her sister asked.
“Nothing. I read this for the truth,” Autumn replied self absorbed in the article.
“Whatever,” Anatha said rolling her eyes, “Nothing truthful is ever printed in there. It’s all crap.”
“Sometimes its crap, but even some crap is fun to read. Check out this article,” she said handing her the paper.
Anatha took some time to read the article, and gave it back. “Like I said crap. Can you really believe zombies are taking over South America?” She asked.
“There have been worse things. Plus why can’t it be true?”
Envy shook her head, “You really believe that stuff?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I find it odd.”
“It’s all odd. That’s why it’s in The Chronicle. They after all print anything and everything odd and strange, it’s their motto.” She turned the channel. “Put it down, Tune N’ is on.”
Autumn put the paper down on the coffee table and sat back. “Speaking of Tune N’, do you know they’ll be here for the grand opening of the new mall.” Anatha stared at her cousin in disbelief. Autumn smiled at her, knowing her cousin would react to that.
“No way,” Anatha finally managed to say.
She nodded. “Yep, it’s in a month. By the way, press record.”
“Wow,” Anatha said reaching over grabbing the remote off Envy's leg and pressing record. They sat back and watched the Tune N’ concert.
Monday, June 30, 2008
I feel that I lost...
I feel I have lost. Who started the game I never wanted to play? Lost at everything. I can't seem to keep things going. I feel like I'm breaking down little by little. Life, work, family each eating me with their sharp teeth, taking pieces of me so there is nothing left. Sometimes, I want to cry, and sometimes I want to die. Sometimes I want to run away so fast, but I have no place to go. A room, a dirty cluttered room. My bed. I want to run away and not be me. I want to be someone else, something different, someone new. I want to win, and it seems so hard to believe in I can't breath. I am drowning in a scornful world. Trying to break the surface. I feel that I lost.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Opposite Side Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Friday came on them quickly like most weekends. Weekdays were usually uneventful. But on the weekends that’s when the good stuff went down. But Friday was the full moon. And full moon meant every Opposite went neutral. You broke neutrality and you got an automatic death sentence, no excuses. Everyone usually all took off to some deserted campsite or most went to Yosemite.
The bears liked Yosemite, which was known for seeing bears all the time. The wolves were torn between there and the hills were the other camp areas were. Even on a neutral night they liked being away from Supervisors.
Supervisors had strings everywhere. Up high, down low, in dirty drug alleys to the capital. So on full moons usually Yosemite was closed down to only Opposites. Supervisors patrolled just in case a human got to close. And sometimes it happened from time to time.
Leslie and Colin watched as Patrick tried to get his third ball in the basket. It bounced off the rim. “Well that sucked,” Colin said. “We should go back to the balloon darts.”
Full moon always came with a carnival. Cheap rides and thrills, before the moon made even the most powerful change. A few howls rode the spring winds; some of the wolves in the crowd raised their faces and sniffed. Wolves liked to mate on the full moon, tons of exceptions can be made when you are no longer human.
The three walked along the games, while the carnies shouted for players and more importantly money. Leslie’s hair rose as she felt the call. Her eyes looked at the moon, shining brightly above the valley, and then moved down to the crowd. Nathan walked through the crowd, his second and third standing on each side of him like good enforcers. No matter where you went or what kind of wereanimal you visited all clans were the same. You had your king or queen/ their mate if they had one, their enforcers then the alphas, and then the pets of the group the lessers. But unlike the wolves, which Jonathan was all powerful, Nathan gave the Bears a say to a point. Letting them vote for, what the world sees as a school council. You have the secretary, the treasurer, ect.
He stopped as did his two enforcers. “Hi guys, having fun I see?” Nathan said noticing the stuffed animals Patrick carried.
“Totally all his,” Colin said. “He’s trying to get the big one.”
“Aren’t we all,” Jorge, Nathan’s third said with a warm smile directed at Patrick. Leslie and Colin noticed the exchange of smiles between them and the wink. Leslie saw neither Nathan or Albert hadn’t noticed. Actually Albert seemed to be glaring at her. He leaned in and whispered something to Nathan.
“Now is not the time,” he said in a low voice. He left the two enforcers and walked over to her. “Can we talk for a second?”
“Sure.” She handed her stuffed monkey to Patrick’s ever growing mound and walked off with him.
Nathan had no destination in mind, he just walked. “Don’t mind Albert, he’s just mad about the whole basement thing.”
She snorted. “I’m still mad.”
His hand moved. Her heart started to speed up at the thought of him touching her. Her body yearned for his touch, and oh so much more. It made her skin heat up; just then the call of the moon hit her, making her knees weak. Nathan grabbed her making sure she didn’t fall. The power of it went from her into him. He looked at the moon, his eyes turning that green-gold which she now thought of as his bear eyes.
He closed his eyes, and shivered. “Not yet,” he said to himself and opened his eyes looking at her. “You feel her? You feel the moon.”
“I do, always have. I’ve never told anyone.”
“Blood witches are touched I know, because I heard you guys have more power on the full moon, but not touched like a wereanimal. That is how I feel her. You don’t change?”
She shook her head and stepped away from him. “No, but my skin feels on fire at times.”
The moon touched her once more. And again her knees felt as if they were going to give in. He grabbed her, and guided her behind a group of big redwoods. She pushed him away. “You have to stop touching me.”
He studied her in silence for a while. “It’s been worse since-”
“This is the worst it has ever been.” The moon called her again, and she grabbed onto the tree. Her eyes closed tight pinching out a tear as her spine bowed in pain. And then a calming hand seemed to smother over her. She opened her eyes. Nathan wasn’t touching her, but his hands ran up and down her body. His eyes were focused as his hands moved. The pain left. She let go of the tree only to collapse in his arms.
“I can only stop the pain for so long. You have no beast, but you are going through the change. The symptoms anyway.”
“Oh excuse me,” a man said as he rounded the corner. He was a rather normal looking man. He stood five-eight, with brown hair cut short, he wore slacks and a nice jacket that fit the cold weather of the valley. His head seemed more oval and heavy than normal, giving it an almost ancient look. Cavemany. No wrinkles, but laugh lines, around the moth and eyes. And they all knew that he loved to laugh. His nose seemed almost bulbous in shape, but it was his eyes that made him seem more then what he was. White, no pupils, no nothing. It creeped Opposites and humans out all the same.
“It’s okay Mr. Forever. Leslie is feeling ill.”
“My dear, the moon seems to be affecting you more than normal. I find that very interesting.” He lit a cigarette, and took in a deep drag. “Sorry the girls don’t like me smoking around them, says it’ll kill me.” He laughed.
“You know that I feel the moon?”
“I know a lot of things.” Mr. Forever is and has always been known by that name. It’s rumored that he had been around since the earth was created. Some whisper he is God, others say an angel, banned from heaven. No one knows much, other than if you need a question answered you can go to Mr. Forever, but some time the price can be much pricier.
“I’ve got bear in me don’t I?” Leslie asked.
He gave a raspy chuckle that turned into a big belly laugh. He finally calmed down. “That is what I like about you Leslie. You just come right out and ask questions. Never once asking about the price. You also don’t seem scared or weirded out by me.”
“You weird me out Mr. Forever. I just don’t have time to play around.”
“Good answer. I like that. From what I remember your great uncle was a bear, he had no children, but from what I remember, which is hard for a man my age,” he said with a small smirk. “your line goes on for some time of bear and blood witch.”
“I can’t be both,” she said.
“No. But you can have the bear tendencies. You are like a mix-breed. Your body fought the blood, and made you a blood witch instead of a bear. Rare, I do say since the bear blood I thought would be more dominate, since you do come from a very long line of very powerful witches. Each taught to suppress the power, and for a while the werebear only came out. But now it seems your blood wanted to be a were-blood-witch. You should bring the boys over one night, and we will talk more about this. For now, experiment, maybe you will get more powers, maybe you have already started to see them, maybe there is more of a change waiting for you.”
“I don’t think I need any more power.”
He tsked her. “My dear, we both know deep down that everyone wants more. Next week, I will be looking forward to it.”
They watched as Mr. Forever disappeared into the darkness. “I think Mr. Forever might like you.”
She shivered at the thought. It wasn’t a very nice thought, having the oldest being in the world like you. “Are you jealous?” she teased.
He gave her a thoughtful look. “Perhaps.”
She knew she couldn’t hide the flush that she felt. But before she could say anything. Carlotta and Rich walked by. Leslie reached out and grabbed Nathan pulling him close, so they wouldn’t be seen. “Is the strength new?” he whispered.
She shrugged. “I guess.” She watched them disappear around some bushes. “Come on.”
“Leslie, this is all neutral.”
“I know but still, come on.”
They followed behind them at a good enough distance not to be detected. They finally found themselves hiding in some thick brush. In front of them were a bunch of werewolves. Jonathan sat alone on a fallen tree trunk. He seemed to be shaking as if cold. Carlotta, hitched over with age and smelling of herbs, stopped close by their hiding spot. She leaned heavily on her cane as Rich talked.
“I can’t keep making this. I am running out of supplies, soon I’ll be all out,” she said.
“I’ll help. We can do it together. We have already passed it along, and it’s going to make you a lot of money.”
“I like money, and if you help then maybe we can get a lot more done. Here,” she pulled a small bottle of liquid from her pocket. “Jonathan looks like he needs it. But unless I can get new supplies there isn’t going to be more.” She turned and left.
Rich went over to Jonathan. He took out an insulin syringe from his coat pocket. He stuck it in the bottle, and checked by the light of the moon to make sure he had it right. Jonathan struggled out of his shirt. Wereanimals only needed jackets to look cool and fit in with the regulars. Rich took the syringe stabbing it into Jonathan’s arm. Jonathan shoved him away hard, and threw back his head, and howled.
“I smell bear,” he said as he looked around. His eyes swept by them twice.
“We are in bear country,” James said.
“I think someone saw what happened. Go check.”
This time it was Nathan who pulled Leslie along. She ran with him, not quite as fast, but enough to keep from falling on her face. He pressed her up against a tree, and pressed his lips hard against hers. From the corner of her eye, she saw a wolf briefly stop to watch. She kissed him back with just as much ferocity. She closed her eyes, hoping the wolf had left, and actually wanted to enjoy the kiss. But Nathan pulled away. His eyes were now more of a goldish green, they were large and bright.
“It’s time,” he said in a whisper. “Get back to Colin. You don’t want to see this.”
“Don’t think I can handle it?”
He shook his head. “I don’t want you to see me do this, the change is hard.”
She gave him a small smile. “It’s in my blood remember. You change, I can take it.”
He shook his head, and before she could blink an eye his t-shirt hit her in the face. She grabbed it, as he unbuttoned his jeans. She turned around then, face beat red. “You can take it huh?”
“I’m giving you privacy.” She heard him move behind her. He let out a small groan. And a small groan escaped her lips, as the moon call hit her again, hard. Nathan used his power and took the call for her. Then there was the sick wet sound, and the sound of breaking bones. She turned around to face the huge bear looking at her with those lovely gold eyes. She had never seen him or Patrick in bear form. He was huge like all bears, the size of a pony.
He turned his head, as if wondering if she was scared. She moved to him hand out. His large tongue licked it. She ran her hands through his unbelievably soft brown fur, that electricity still there traveling up through her arms.
“I bet you have to get to your clan,” she said. He gave a small roar.
“Have fun, I’ll see you later,” she said and watch him bound off into the trees.
Sound behind her startled her just a bit; she turned but not quick enough as pain exploded in her head, she didn’t see stars or birds. But as the darkness ate her, she felt another pain, which didn’t belong to her. She knew who it belonged too. She passed out before she could call out to him.
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