Dining With the Dead

The Beginning to an End

This is my first story so please try to cut me a little slack.

If anyone has some ideas to make it better please let me know.

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Chapter 1

It figures that my last chance at getting a good night’s sleep would be interrupted by my brother.  I remember waking up to his voice as he tore me away from the last pleasant dream I would ever have.

“Travis,” Zach said “Get up, grab the animals, and put them in your car. I’m going to wake up Rachel. We need to leave now.”

                Zach is My Brother, he’s twenty three and only two years my senior. He has blonde hair, blue eyes, and standing six foot one, he’s only a few inches taller than me.

“What’s going on?” I asked him crawling out of bed and searching my dark room for clothes, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darkness

“The police are outside and they’re saying there has been some sort of outbreak.  So like I said, we need to get out of here.” He said turning to leave.

“Where are we going?” I asked still struggling to get a pair of pants on in the inky blackness of my room.

He turned around in the doorway and with an annoyed look on his face answered “We’re going to the High School, the officer said we are to report there and more will be explained in time. So just hurry your ass up.”

                As soon as he walked away I finally succeeded in putting on my pants and I ran down stairs, snatching up our cat, Butler, who sat lazily on the half wall.  He was sitting unafraid and apparently unaware of the impending danger lurking around us.  After placing him in the back seat of my Santa Fe, I ran back inside for our two dogs, Patience and Persistence.  Only after putting them on leashes and walking them to the car did I notice the abundance of sirens filling the air.  There were so many police lights flashing red and blue, they lit up the 2 a.m. sky like fireworks on the fourth of July.  I sprinted back inside to see my still half-asleep sister trudging down the stairs with a grumpy look on her face.  I took her expression to mean she too was upset about being forcefully woken up in the middle of the night.  She too was unaware of the potential disaster we faced.  I watched her through the window as she stormed out to the car, opening the backseat, pushing her cat aside, and promptly falling right back to sleep with her head against the window.

                A loud thudding drew my attention from Rachel to the stairs. Zach came rushing down with two duffle bags in hand.

“I’ve packed some clothes for us.” He said quickly. “Grab your keys and let’s go. We’re driving to Maddie’s to follow her family to the school.”

                Throwing me a bag, he motioned me to go to the car.  Grabbing my keys hanging on the magnet on the fridge, I rushed out to the car.  After slinging the bags into the back I hopped in the driver’s seat and once Zach was in we backed out of our driveway and headed out our neighborhood.  At the entrance we were flagged down by two officers who slowly approached my door.

“Yes officer?” I said.

“You headin’ to the school?” he said with a slight Texas twang.

“We are.” my brother answered.

“Where are you Parents?” he asked, shining his light peering into the back seat  at our still passed out sister, and tail wagging dogs.

“They are both in China on Business.” My brother stated.  “I’m taking care of them.” Motioning to my sister and I with his thumb.