Still breathing | Original story

Chapter Four: Left behind

I rushed down the stairs but stopped myself from feeling the old wallpaper on the way. I looked to see that Jack and Ella were still where I had left them, in the exact same position. I cleared my throat and they turned my way.
"Are we going yet?" I questioned Ella, biting my lip and avoiding eye contact with Jack.
"Your hair's still wet," Jack cut in before Ella could speak, pointing at my soaking hair.
"Um, but the hospital?" I said it like it was a question but there was really no need for it, we needed to go to the hospital and honestly I would go out with soaking hair and risk a possible cold if it meant getting to my family sooner.
"What about the hospital?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow at Ella who told him about it. Shouldn't he have already gathered that our parents weren't here? Hadn't Ella told him our mum was deathly ill and in the hospital?
"We need to get started with our plan then." Jack nodded, putting a finger to his lip in thought. He looked directly at me. "You go and dry your hair, eat and then we'll go get your parents."
"And Logan," I added with a mumble but he wasn't listening, he was already talking to Ella about how he had the car and how we could be there shortly. He saw I was still standing by and waved a hand at me indicating for me to move on. I hated doing what he said but one thing to know about Jack was there was no arguing with him and drying my hair like he suggested just brought me one step closer to him driving us to the hospital.

In the kitchen, I saw the body had been moved but a trail of blood was still left behind, it extended to the back door. I breathed out a sigh of relief, I didn't think I could face it again. The memories were bad enough.
I searched the room but couldn't find the hairdryer even though I remembered leaving it on the side when I used it last, I bet Ella had moved it. I sighed and reached for something that would keep my hair out of my eyes and the wetness from running down my face. I grabbed my cap. It would have to do and at the very least it'd be useful in the summer - if I survived until the summer. It was January, I hoped it would become summer soon because rain was inevitable. Heck, even snow was a possibility. If it rained we'd get cold, if we get cold we risk hypothermia, if we get hypothermia we become weak and would most definitely die. I realised I was being quite morbid and stopped my thoughts there. I had watched too many horror films and they were messing with my brain.
I stalked over to the cupboard, bent down and began to empty the cupboards. Organising the piles of food between tinned foods, snacks and 'need to eat because they will go out of date soon's. I heard light footsteps, that could only possibly belong to Ella, close by. I looked up to see her staring down at me. Shortly after she bent down to my level. Quiet filled the room as I concentrated.
"How are you so organised?" She asked me after a moment of me sorting out cereal into food bags.
"I'm trying to not think about what's outside," I replied grimly as I put the last of the food in the bag. There wasn't much food, maybe two weeks worth, we hadn't had time to go shopping yet and we don't usually buy in tons of Christmas food like most families as we're usually away for the holidays.
"I think I have something to help," Ella announced and jumped up from the floor, I began to twiddle the food bags between my fingers as she left the room to get whatever it was she thought would help.

"You're back quick." I noticed as I heard someone at the door, except it wasn't Ella.
"What are you doing?" Jack's gruff voice sounded sharp.
"Jus-Just you know, getting food," I stuttered. He crossed his arms over his chest.
"Going somewhere nice?"
"Out there." I gulped. "I thought we made that part clear."
"Not forever, we'll be coming back here after." But it's not safe here, we need to find people and then get to a place with lots of food and high walls.
"Why?" I questioned as I stood up.
"Didn't you see the news? The guy said we shouldn't go out." He got up close to my face, so close a little spit was spattering onto my face which was disgusting. I put my hand on his chest to push him away from me, the distance still short enough to feel his hot breath on my face.
"You know that them things will come in and won't hesitate to eat you." I pointed towards the spot where the infected had previously been, my voice wobbled. "You can either go out there and survive with us or rot in this house. Either way, I'm leaving."
I backed away when I felt a sudden sharp pain tingle up the side of my face and I fell to the floor. I cupped my cheek and stared up at Jack who was breathing heavily, his hand becoming bright red.
"Don't boss me about, you're nothing but a little girl!" He spat.
We both heard a step creak above us, Jack leant down and whispered to me, "and if you dare tell Ella what happened here, well let's just say I can make you both suffer more pain than what you're in now." He slowly ran his thumb across my sore face, my breath hitched. "Got it?"
I nodded and he dropped his hand away from me, a smirk plastered on his face.

"Here we go, took me ages to find them but- Remi what happened?" I looked up to see Ella dropping two backpacks on the ground and rushing over to help me up. As I stood up Jack never once stopped holding eye contact with me, his eyes were narrowed slits. He was challenging me to say something that I would regret.
"I fell backwards," I lied, Jacks lips curved into a half smile.
"Your cheek is bright red!" Ella continued, grabbing hold of my cheek too roughly as she examined it.
"I hit it on the floor," I said and she let go.
I knelt down and turn back to the cupboard I was emptying previously. I stared at nothing in particular and, after a moment, the silence was broken by Ella returning to her backpacks and picking them up.
"Thought we could use these to carry the food in," she said and tossed me one, it landed just shy of my knee. I didn't attempt to put stuff in the bag, I didn't know what Jack would say if I did. Although, I was sure he wouldn't try and hit me again or raise his voice with Ella in the room.
"What are you on about?" Jack asked sweetly, making me feel sick. "We can't leave, you're not well." Even though Ella was up on her feet and moving about she looked pale, she was used to hangovers but that didn't mean she stopped getting the physical effects of one.
"I promised Remi we'd find Logan after going to the hospital," Ella explained as she began to shove food into one of the bags. "Thought we'd need some food for the journey."
Jack didn't reply and Ella finally sensed the tension, she looked to me and I hid my face with my cap. She then turned to Jack who stood firmly in his place.
"We can hardly stay here."
"You can't move around much yet," Jack stressed and rolled his eyes. It seemed like he was scared of going outside and was making up any excuse not to leave. It was odd to see him scared, which was probably why he was trying so hard so conceal it. Ella stared at him, he sighed and uncrossed his arms. "Fine, but Ella you do need to rest up. If Remi is so determined to go then she can just get into the car with me and then we'll come back for you."
I sucked in the air sharply, was he being serious? He couldn't possibly believe that I would get into the car with him after everything that had happened barely two minutes ago?
"I'm not leaving Ella," I mumbled but what I meant by this was 'I'm not getting into the car with you.' If I'd have said the latter I was sure conflict would have been the outcome.
"Jack honestly I'm fine, I know you're worried but there's nothing to be worried about," Ella told him comfortingly.
If anyone could get through to him it was Ella and I was so glad she was there to talk some sense into him. Although for all I cared he could stay there and starve just so long as we got the car, which may sound harsh but honestly it'd just be karma catching up to him.
"Okay. Okay, but if something happens to you I won't forgive myself," Jack said, realising he had lost the discussion and not looking too happy about it. "Get some stuff packed and we'll get going."
He sulked off into the living room whilst me and Ella finished up.
We shuffled our backpacks on and walked into the living room to see Jack peering out the window.
"Infected surrounding my car," he informed us.
"We might need weapons," Ella said and rushed over to Jack, she also looked out the window. "Definitely need weapons."
"Any ideas?" Jack asked.
"Knives work," I suggested almost instantly, not thinking about the cons of using that type of weapon to kill things but more remembering what damage they could do.
"That's all you can come up with?" He scoffed like a knife was the most insignificant object imaginable. It wasn't my fault I never went to zombie fighting school, I don't exactly know what weapon a professional would choice in our position. The only thing I could think of were guns but we weren't in America, we didn't have a gun shop nearby that we could just slip into and pick up an AK-47 or a Scorpion or just some type of sub-machine gun that would kill any of those things that we came into contact with. All I could suggest was something that I knew would kill those things.
"What weapon then?" I asked.
"A bat, an axe, anything really," Ella suggested, grabbing the keys for the shed.