Barely Alive (#JustWriteIt #SuperCharged)

Chapter 7 - Anthony Hanson

"The day will come when I need you. And that day may be today."

*Five years earlier; Five years into the apocalypse*

"Anthony!" a panicked voice yelled. "Anthony!"

The small boy shot awake.

"Shantelle?" the boy asked.

The young male was none other than ten year old Anthony Hanson. He had dark brown hair and eyes a shade darker. He was African-American, originally from Uganda. He walked towards the door and went to open it when a girl burst through the door. She grabbed the child into a hug. She had pale skin with red hair that mocked fire perfectly and bright green eyes. Her parents adopted the boy when he was a toddler. Once the apocalypse struck, the redhead escaped with the five year old and they survived on their own for five years.

"Holy crap. You're okay," Shantelle breathed.

"Why? What did you see?" Anthony asked.

"I saw a crap ton of zombies coming to town. I thought they maybe had found our base and killed you," Shantelle sighed. "Let's go. We have to leave."

Anthony looked around the room nervously. Shantelle tried to drag him from the room. Anthony wasn't moving.

"Tony! Come on! We have to go!" Shantelle screamed.

"What if they did get me?"

"I can't hear you when you mumble."

"What if they did get me?" Anthony asked, loudly and clearly.

Shantelle stopped trying to drag the ten year old. She looked up at him. Even though she was five years older than him, he was the taller of the two.

"Where are we going? Have you thought this out?" Anthony demanded.

Shantelle released him arm only now and pressed her hands together.

"What choice do we have?" Shantelle asked.

"We have the choice of fighting or running. And I don't run."

"Then how the hell did you get first place in kindergarten track?"

"We run or we fight. We're in an apocalypse. We aren't babies. We can do this. We-"

"Stop!" Shantelle screamed. "We aren't fighting. We're running! Got it?"

Suddenly, the door broke down. Shantelle and Anthony quickly turned to see a horde of zombies stumbling through the door. The two exchanged a look.

"You still wanna fight?" Shantelle yelled.

Anthony responded by running up the stairs to the second floor with Shantelle in tow. They reached the ladder to the attic and Shantelle pulled the string which pulled the door down and released the ladder to the floor.

"Ladies first," Anthony offered.

Shantelle gave him an unimpressed look before pushing him up the ladder. She started to climb when the zombies managed to grab her. They pulled her down the ladder.

"Shantelle!" Anthony yelled.

The redhead broke through the crowd and started to climb. She screamed as one bit down on her ankle. She kicked it off, knocking it down on the other zombies.

"Hurry Shantelle!" Anthony yelled.

Shantelle looked up into Anthony's innocent eyes. She couldn't tell him the truth.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

She suddenly slammed down on the ladder and broke it off near the top. She fell down.