The Apocalypse

Old Friends

"Well then," Cade disappointedly thought aloud. "There's only a bit of rain so..." In reality, it looked like the heavens had just spit open and we're releasing every last drop of water on the planet down upon the town. The thunder and lightning was insanely intense and was everywhere from miles away to the cornfield right in front of their base camp. Power, unsurprisingly, had gone out not long before the start started. It was one of those things you just hoped would come back on. The winds were so intense, the rain was literally coming down sideways and made a huge pocked of nothing on the opposite side of their home where you could store an entire mattress store.
"As much as I want to go, I'm not driving in this," Megan stated. "If someone else drives, sure, but not Alex."
Alex shot her a dirty look and began to raise his voice. "Why me? What about Cade or Holden?"
"Because I trust Holden with my life and Cade just lacks a license," She smugly spat.
"Not too sure about that second, but definitely the first," Cade chuckled.
"Well, we may be here a while," Henry stretched and plopped down on the couch. Right as he did, the rain stopped. It fell in one last shattering splat and came to a halt. The winds died to nothing and the lightning stayed in the clouds, watching from its heavenly home.
"Maybe Henry's so fat, his gravity moved the clouds and stopped the storm!" Ethan fell over laughing.
Henry made a hand motion and proceeded to state, "I literally don't care if you live or die, ape." Cade chuckled at that and walked off.
"I'll see you in a few minutes to leave. There's no way this storm is coming down again," he waved and walked for the garage. Lane got up and walked to the garage with Cade, starting another conversation. Holden and Collin trailed behind them.
"Why don't you just stay here this time Ethan. I'm sure Max is still at centennial and we all know he's your c-" a Henry was cut off by Ethan screaming "REEEEEE" and charging at Henry. Megan and Alex fell over laughing at that sight and barely made it to the garage.
"I'll stay here," Alex barely got out through his laughs as Ethan and Henry fell into the garage. "I'm honestly not sure if I could take any more of that." He wiped his eyes or tears of laughter and closed the door leading in.
"We still need him to click the garage back, so I'll go get him," Cade told Megan as he got out. Megan, still laughing as she watched Henry keeping Ethan pinned in the back, just barely managed an ok.

After a good half an hour of trying to teach Alex how the garage worked and getting the truck out, everyone was tired of waiting and glad to finally leave. The rain mixed with the heat of summer caused the humidity to go through the roof and made breathing almost literally breathing in water.
"I hate summer," Holden mumbled. "Especially after a storm like that."
"Normally I like humidity, but this is too much," Cade agreed.
     "Well I think it's fine," Megan countered. "It reminds me of happier times."
     "When the air literally was water in a pool," Lane whispered to Collin.
     "What was that?!" Megan shot.
     "Nothing!" He laughed. "That concerns you," he whispered.

     After following the route forever imprinted in her brain, they ended in the rundown and broken Centennial teachers' parking lot which now looked like a grassy box. They pulled up to the door which was now shattered and weathered by time. Megan pulled out the keys and it all went silent.
     "Do you hear that?" Lane asked.
     "Hear what?" Holden loudly asked. "I don't hear any-" Lane cut him off by bopping him on the nose. Holden squirmed uncomfortably but got the message. They all listened as hard as they could. Megan heard it next and her hair stood on end harder than ever before. It sounded like... crying. She could now hear each individual sniffle and whimper. Soon, she heard a soft voice that seemed to be talking to it.
     "Come on!" Lane whispered. They approached the door and he peeked inside. His mouth fell to the ground.
     "What?!" Megan shoved Lane out of the way and stared in. She too soon had her mouth hanging open.
     "Let's go in," Cade recommended. He pulled the broken door and it swung open with a loud scraping noise, ten times worse than that at the store where they got their weapons. They walked in to see the place as a mess. The pool water was a deep shade of green covered with vines hanging from the ceiling. Everyone scanned the room.
     "Oh my God, Alex?!" Megan shouted. There he was, hanging over a softly crying Max with Justin off to the side making a knife from tiles torn from the deck.
     Through all this time, Justin still looks fine! Megan thought. Justin also had a look in his eyes that radiated "I've seen things, ski don't mess with me" and that pierced the gang as they walked in.
     "Why are you here?" He asked.
     "I could ask the same to you," Alex called back.
     "Don't even start with that you group 4 peasant." Justin screeched. He wasn't taking anything from anyone at the moment. The knife of tile looked sharper than the sharpest blades ever made and would clearly draw blood with just a touch. He stared them down, observing them from top to bottom.
     "Justin, we're not gonna attack you and you know that!" Megan yelled. He pondered that for s few seconds and broke down crying.
     "I'm not meant for this!" He cried. "I never wanted to stay, I told him leaving was better, but Alex wouldn't leave Max!" Everyone's eyes fell on Alex who was using a needle of tile, strings from a torn vine, a washcloth, and a bucket of water to address Max's wound. He was attempting to sew the chunk of flesh back on.
     "Alex, please. I'm not gonna make it, just-" Max coughed, squirting blood on Alex's shirt "Just please, leave for me."
     "I'm not leaving you!" Alex whispered. "Get that thought out of your head!" Max closed his eyes and went back to shivering.
     "I've tried too, Alex is too dedicated to saving him," Justin cried a lot softer now. "I know he's not gonna leave and neither of them can live on vines for much longer." He looked even more broken, if that was even possible.
     Shaking suddenly filled the pool as the sound of rattling chains made a noise louder than the door. It was followed by a scream from something long dead. The gang dumped and looked around until Collin pointed to the Men's locker rooms. Behind the chain door was the same zombie like creature that attacked Max before. It looked like it was about to get out! 
     "Oh, I know that thing looks like it's about to escape, but trust me, it's not," Justin told them as he now has regained his mental state. "Nothing's gonna happen: I know it."
     "I'll trust you with that,but not willingly," Ethan reluctantly spoke. At that exact moment, Max spoke again.
     "I'm not doing this anymore, especially not with Ethan," Max inhaled sharply and jabbed his exposed threat, puncturing it, he immediately exhaled everything and began suffocating. He turned blue, then purple, then stopping all movement to Alex's screams and the sound of chains falling to the ground. Not only had Mad just committed suicide by breaking his throat, the zombie creature had broken the only thing between them and it.
     "Why!" Alex screamed in pain for the loss of Max. "What did I do to deserve this!" Streaks of tears ran down his face. The creature ran for him.
     "I accept death with open arms, I'm ready to leave this world!" He screeched. The zombie sank its teeth into the back of Alex's neck and ripped his throats out, leaving a hole where it used to be. He fell dead to the floor in an ever increasing pool of blood as the zombie looked towards Justin and the gang who were still processing what has just happened. It charged for them with the blood of asked dropping away from the teeth of knives.
     "This is the end," Justin whimpered.
     "No, it's not," The gang seemed to say in unison. They pulled out and prepared weapons they had barely used before, ready to kill what was already dead. They would not lose this. They would win for the revenge of Alex and Max who had been stripped from the world too early, no matter how badly they were treated by them. This matter was about pure, raw, hateful revenge.