Fatal | The Second Life I [COMPLETED]

Chapter 5: Acquainted

The house's first floor was mostly boring but had a lot of supplies. The pantry was stocked, so I would be able to hold out here until the others arrived.

I walk into the laundry room and find an assortment of shoes, jackets, and a backpack. It must've been a kid's, as there were binders and homework inside. Mine now. I shoved as much food in there as possible before heading to the second story.

The main hallway curved left and back, with 5 doors. The first led to a dark bathroom. The next 3 were bedrooms, and the final one was a Master's bedroom. It had 3 windows facing towards the street, a big bed, a closet, and what looked like an attic door.

Inside the closet was a lot of clothing and shoes as expected. But there was an open metal safe, stainless steel and smelling like new. Inside was a Glock 19 Pistol. The safe looked to house a couple more guns, but I assume whoever was here took those.

I smile and take the gun, clicking on safety. My dad always went to the range with me. I would always try the stupidest reloads that looked cool but didn't work. I had gotten good at aim; something a lot of kids my age couldn't claim.

Right.. my parents! Of course, due to my vacation, they had left for one of their own in Europe. Oh god... where are they? Are they ok? I sit on the bed, trying to hold back a scream. My situation couldn't get worse than this.

I hope.

I get up after several minutes of stress headaches and open the attic door. I pull off the latch, and the stairway comes flying forward almost at a lightning-fast speed towards the window. It stops with a slam and I notice small indents where the metal beams touch the wallpaper.

"Smooth," I say to myself, climbing up into the attic. It wasn't very hot, but there wasn't much up here beside a door to a rooftop garden. I walk across the thin wooden plank walkway and push down on the door latch. It opens up, and I walk onto the balcony. It was pointing towards the opposite alley... that Ash died in.

Oh god, that was my fault, wasn't it? I didn't hit hard enough. I could've used more strength and smacked it into Queens. But I didn't. And that resulted in Ashley's... turn. That was the most disturbing thing I've seen all my life.

I walk back inside and close the door, crawling down the stairs. I hold onto the attic door cable this time, and I don't create a sound akin to a bomb explosion this time. Then I see something out in the street. It was one of the things.

I need a name for them. Zombie is way too inaccurate. These things were more than zombies. But I'm a lazy person. Maybe Mons? No. That didn't ring a bell. Z's? That should work. It's intimidating enough to describe the glowing veins and eyes. Why did they have to look so gross?

I fall into the bed, exhausted and stressed. I was safe for now, but I still hope inside that this was all a big dream. How can this even be real? Monsters are pure fiction. It can't be real. After about an hour of going bad, and forth in my mind, my eyes shut and I drift to sleep.

...

I wake up to a clock saying 11:11. There was a little blue dot lit in the lower right corner of the display. It was my clock at my house in Tulsa, and that dot meant PM. I don't know what compelled me, but I stood up from the bed and looked back.

11:11 still. I tried to push the buttons that would change the time, but nothing worked. After a bit, I wandered over to my bedroom door and opened it slightly. The house was pitch black and the only sound was of a clock. The massive wall clock was making a sound, but its arms were paused. It was stuck at 11:11 as well.

I walked into the living room, noticing a faint figure in the shadows on the other side of the room. I could tell it was a person. It didn't move, but it had a depth to it. The surrounding furniture didn't match its position.

"Hello?" I ask, and it moves towards my back door, slowly and gracefully. It disappears behind a wall, and I hear that door swing open. The old hinges sent echoes through my entire house. They bounced back and forth unnaturally. Other than that, there was no noise at all.

I looked to my left, seeing out of my front door. There was nothing else outside the house, and it was like the house was floating in the middle of nowhere. I turned back and walked to the back door, stepping outside.

I feel no atmosphere, no wind, no anything. The wind chimes seemed to be paused and were chiming the exact same note indefinitely. Even the fire in the fireplace was still. In fact, now that I realize, everything is paused in time.

I look to my left, where my shed would be. I can hear the quiet conversation from the place, and then the doors open. There are 6 doors marked with Evan, Zach, Caden, JP, Nick, and Ashley's names. Each door got one of the names. Ashley's door was the only one open.

And that's when a window shatters to my left, and I look just in time to see an infected, one-armed, horrifying Ashley sprinting right for me.

...

I jolt up in the bed, processing all of my senses in an instant. I first realized I was in a very weird dream. A clock near me says that it's 7:43 PM. Then I hear what sounds like glass shattering. Just like the dream. And then... conversation.

My house is being broken into.