We sat on the kitchen floor together, our clothes drenched in our sad tears. The images would not leave my mind; my dead Mothers body, my dead Fathers body... i would never forget that sight for as long as i lived.
Connor was utterly still at my side. My arm was draped around him for comfort, but i wasnt sure what kind of comfort i could offer in this dark moment in time. He was only four, and already he had lost a big sister and both his parents. He didn't deserve that...
"Come on..." I mumbled weakly, sniffing uncontrolably and fighting back more frightened sobs. If i was so be bluntly honest, i would tell you that i had no idea where i was going. The only place i ever felt safe had become a place in my nightmares and would feature in my dark dreams for years to come.
Connor rose and stared up at me through his big blue eyes. His cheeks were blotchy and stained, streaked with tiny paths of water. He just looked so sad! So, so sad...
I picked up the weeping toddler and kissed his forehead, rocking his shivering body gently back and forth. "I will never let anything happen to you..." I promised in a soft whisper. I had already failed my little sister, i would not fail Connor too.
I placed him back down and smiled at him, although it wasn't much of a smile; more of a straight line. "Stay here, alright? Don't go anywhere..." I picked up my heavy schoolbag and emptied its contents in the middle of the kitchen floor. Pencils, pens, books, rubbers and pieces of paper scattered everywhere, but i didn't care. I took my empty bag to the fridge where i gathered as much food as i could; cheese, yogurts, ham, salad, bread, juice, bottles of water... anything that was edible.
Once i was convinced i had grabbed anything and everything i could, i turned around to make sure Connor was still standing where i left him. He was, thank the Lord.
"Okay... food, check. Clothes..." Oh God; i was going to have to go upstairs. Could i really make myself do that?
"The clothes washing done." Connor reminded me, his sentence terribly structured as per usual. He was right, nonetheless; there were clothes hanging out to dry in the living room. I nodded, ignoring the lump in my throat and dragged the much-heavier-than-it-had-been back through the kitchen and into the hall. "You're right, Connor." I took his hand along the way and squeezed it gently. He hung onto my fingers like if he didn't, he would fall into oblivion.
We walked from one room and into the other, and just like i had hoped, there were piles of unironed clothes at the side of the couch. Aren't i lucky that im a slob who waits to do ironing until no one in the house has clothes...
I neared the pile and grabbed a handful of Connor's clothes, placing them neatly into his 'Thomas the Tank Engine' backpack. "Is that too heavy?" I asked, glancing down at his petite frame. "Nope." He threw the bag on his shoulders and seemed to be able to hold it firmly. I then grabbed a handful of my own clothes and stuffed them into my already-full bag. I had to cram everything in and when i managed to zip it up, it was literally bulging at the seems.
"Okay, okay..." I sighed for a moment and stood up straight, re-thinking my options.
What do we do now? Where do i go? I don't want to take Connor somewhere that would prove to be dangerous... but i had a feeling that staying put would be even worse.
"Granny?" Connor piped up from his calm state with a questioning look on his innocent face. His eyes were suddenly hopefull, but i didn't share his feelings in the slightest.
"Granny... Granny lives far away, Connor." I muttered. It was true; our Grandmother lived all the way out in Bakersfield, and unless there was a special bus that was running despite the recent mass killings, i doubted we could get there. Alive.
"What if she alive?" He asked again, proving to be very pestistent in the fight to see Grandma.
"Then she will find us." I smiled hesitently at my brother, ignoring the are-you-off-your-rocket look he was giving me. I swear, sometimes that boy was way too smart for his own good.
But maybe he was right. Was going to Grandma the best choice? There was no where else to go, after all, and perhaps this revolution had only begun in Los Angeles..
"Okay, we'll just have to see where we end up... im sorry Connor, i truly don't know what else to do. We can't stay here, whoever-" I couldnt make myself say it; it was hard enough to visualise it. "They might come back. And to be perfectly honest, im not too keen on being here if they do."
"Okay..." He nodded in response. Of course, he had just no idea of what kind of trouble we were in and it wasn't a surprise; he was only four! He couldn't be expected to carry a burden such as that, could he?
"Alright, let's get moving..." I threw up my heavy backpack and shouldered it. It was so heavy! I could feel tins of beans sticking into my back, the metal denting my skin like knives. Still, it was food and i had a feeling we were going to need all that we could grab. I took Connor's had again and we walked through the house and to the front door.
I couldn't help but hesitate at the threshold, my eyes scanning the enviroment for any sudden movements. As far as i could see, the coast was clear. From beyond the quiet houses, screams and crashes were still faintly audible. It was frightening to think that there were mass murderes out there, out on a killing spree with the inhabitants of Los Angeles. Who were these freaks anyway? All i remembered was the glinting fangs, the deathly-pale palor of their shimering skin and the crimson eyes that looked like Death personified.
With another tight squeeze of Connor's hand, i stalked forward and he followed. The street was as we left it; unhabited, strewn with damaged objects and totally quiet. From the city, clouds of black smoke were being lifted into the air by the summer breeze and polluting the beautiful sky, making it seem darker than it really was.
"We should get as far away from that as possible..." I muttered to myself, twisting on my heelsto face the opposite direction. I was so tense that i could have been mistaken for a marble statue; i knew for a fact i looked terrible as i had spewed in the sink. "Let's go, Connor... and remember, keep your eyes peeled for anything that moves, okay?"
Connor nodded and slipped his thumb into his mouth, a habit he was yet to shake. Normally, i scolded him for this, but in all honesty; we had other things to worry about... fatal things to worry about.
We managed to make it down three blocks before our walk was disturbed.
A woman literally jumped out of no where and grabbed the back of my shirt. I screamed and twirled round, shoving back Connor so that he was behind me. The woman looked deranged; her grey hair was straight, yet it was singed at the edges and streaked with crisping blood, her clothes had been ripped and town from all angles and her eyes were wide and frightening.
"Are you insane! You can't be walking the streets, you stupid girl! They'll get you!" She began mumbling things i couldnt comprehend, but as far as i knew; she was not one of those bloodthirsty beasts; she was human.
"Where should we go, then?" I asked her, although i didn't rust her in the slightest. Still, she was the only human we had met in since we ran from the heart of L.A, so was it wrong to want to trust her?
"Follow me!" The woman screeched, her high voice echoing in my ear. She jogged across the grass like a monkey, half crawling for some of the short journey. Great... the only person that is remotely human is stark-raving mental! "Come on! There is no time to stand around!"
I glanced down at Connor, pondering to myself. "What do you think?"
Connor merey shrugged his shoulders and looked after the woman, following her unnatural movements with his sparkling blue eyes. I sighed to myself and walked hesitently forward towards the house the mental woman had dissapeared behind. The house was quiet, but unlike the others, the windows and doors remained intact. I neared the front door and peered in the letter box, but before i could announce our arrival, the door opened abruptly and revealed young man with a gun.
He pointed the revolver at my forehead, smack bang between my eyes.
