Those Left Behind

One.

Nina nodded, "But what if she's sick, I don't feel like catching whatever she has. ......could we just quickly check on the kids home to the kids they'll be wondering.. We will need to come back to meet the Ambulance when they arrive."

The two reluctantly turn away from Maggie and head slowly down her driveway. Arden twists her head round, Maggie continues to chokes and twitches, looking almost hungry when she looked at her. Arden shivered in disgust, she felt bad for her but there really was nothing they could do if she was contagious................., she turns back and they keep walking. They turn into Nina driveway and see a pair of shaken up faces sitting on the steps in front of the house, Felicity's cheeks streaked with tears.

"Soo?", Imogen intoned, "Is Maggie ok?"

Arden nods almost feverishly, "She's fine, go inside and play in Felicity's room, don't go on the deck"

"We are just going to wait with her until the doctors come to look after her. Corbin is here if you need anything.", Nina reveals.

"Noo, Nina please stay here, I'm scared.", Felicity whimpers. Clinging onto Nina's waist. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying.

"Saaame!", Arden drawls, Nina nudges her hard in the side and she winces, "Sorry.", muttered unsympathetically?

"There's nothing to even be scared about, go inside with Corbin."

"But she looked so.. Sick, are you sure she's ok?"

Nina nods firmly, "Nothing to worry about, get inside. The doctors will be here soon, we need to go back to her."

Arden gives a pointed look to Imogen and she watches and understands Arden firm look pulling Felicity softly into the house.

"Good.", Nina states and turns back to Maggie's house. "Do you thin- something's not right about this..her."

"She looked disease ridden, like I feel awful saying it but she- that isn't right. I haven't seen anything like it"

Nina nodded in agreement, "But you'd think that if some crazy dangerous illness was going around, we'd know about it? Like on the news?"

"Not necessarily, I don't want to jump to conclusions but there's a shit tonne of stuff the government is hiding from us to keep people from freaking out. Actually now I'm just freaking myself out", Arden shudders, "God poor Maggie."

Instead of walking right round, the two teenagers jump the fence into Maggie's property, only to see Maggie inching towards them on two feet, one arm completely dislocated and mottled with purple and yellow discolourations.

"Ahhh...Maggie?", Nina's eyes widen comically at the sight of her elderly neighbour limping at them. The loud whining sound of a siren echoes round the small culdesac much to rosie and Arden's relief.

"Hold on Maggie, uh please just stay there, we don't want you to hurt yourself any more than you... already have."

Maggie didn't seem to even recognise Nina, though they had been neighbours since Nina moved when she was four. Now being seventeen there was no way Maggie could not know who she was. But Maggie wasn't.. Maggie, she looked like her but there was no way in hell this glazed eye body was her cute elderly neighbour.

"Please mag- ohmygod!", Nina watched in horror as maggie tripped over her own feet and went sprawling, face first onto the hot tar seal. She could almost feel the gravel under her own cheek. She goes to rush forward to help when Arden grabs her shoulder, "Don't!"

Nina looks back on her, "I can't just watch her trip over herself, she must have a fever or hallucinating. It's -its inhumane to just watch her like this!"

Arden nods her head back at the ambulance driving up the curb and into Maggie's' driveway, "She's not our problem anymore."

Nina spluttered in indignation, "Not our problem? She's been a family friend for the past thirteen years-"

Arden pulls her back, grasping for her hand and practically dragging her down to where the ambulance had parked. Nina huffed, she could see where Arden was coming from but she still thought she was being highly insensitive, for the first time since they found Maggie Nina felt tears prick in her tear ducts, like a movie screen she could see Maggie lying in a pool of blackened blood, her clothes in tatters and her skin a washed out grey. Black dotted her vision and she swayed towards Arden who quickly pressed an arm round her side and forced who down until she was sat against the fence with her head between her legs. "Breathe, Neen!", Ardens voice almost echoed, giving her a headache but also soothing the ache in her temples. Her breath, ragged and uneven becomes slightly calmer. Ardens hand on her shoulder she could hear her friend talking to someone. "She's fine... panic attack... in shock... we found."

She tried to regulate her breathing and she focussed her gaze on a rock beside her shoe. She wonders where that rock would be 100 years from now. The ache in her lungs subsides and she lifts her head slowly to meet Ardens eyes. "You good now?"

Nina just nods, still to upset to speak. She watches as a thin man in a oversized blue uniform, a few badges decorating his chest pocket. "Good afternoon misses. I'd like to speak to the 111 dialer or the person who found Miss Chester.

Arden hoists herself up using the fence, giving the officer a tight lipped smile. He gives her a small once over much to her disgust and lifts out a hand to her which she grasps rigidly. "Good afternoon, my name is officer Frenly. You are.."

"Arden young"

"And your sister?" he asked nodding at Nina.

"Best friend" Arden corrects, "Nina Abbot. Nina called the ambulance but l'll answer any questions."

The officer nods, "That's perfectly fine, miss Young, please tell me what happened from when you found her."

Arden launches into the story of how the two ten year olds had screamed and how her and Nina had gone to check on maggie. Finishing with Maggie's attempt at being a perfect zombie for halloween. The officer nodded, and questioned when he felt she was sparing the gory details.

"Ok, i think that will be all, thank you for your time, Miss Young, Abbot." he nodded, looking satisfied

Arden side stepped in front of him, "but do you know what's wrong with her?"

The officer shakes his head solemnly, "I'm sorry miss, I couldn't tell you even if I knew," he trudged in his large boots back to the police car.

"Liar," Arden hisses, "Piece of crap,"

"Arden!" Nina scolds quietly, her voice coming out not as stern as she anticipated.

Arden just rolls her eyes, crossing her arms almost childishly but not before shooting her a quick smirk.

"Well if he won't tell me...' she trails off, pointing a suggestive look over at the ambulance.

"Arden..." Nina warns, "Don't do anything stupid"

"Nina..." Arden mocks, "I won't, but aren't you curious?" She then dips down, grasping nina by the arm, pulling her up and dragging her down the driveway.

"Hey! Mister!" Arden waves a hand at the ambulance worker, "Uh, sorry have you ever seen this before? Will she be okay?"

The man blinked slowly, staring at the two seventeen year olds, they stare back unwavering.

"I'm sorry miss, I'm just doing my job" the ambulance worker tells her.

Arden kisses her teeth in annoyance, "But you didn't look at all surprised when you saw her" she tells him stubbornly.

"Arden, shush..let them do their job.", Nina shoves her again and looks apologetically at the man. Nina knew Arden would be skeptical about the robotic answers the cops gave her.

"Miss...?"

"Arden"

"Miss Arden, I cannot legally tell you, you have to be next of kin or have been specifically asked for by the patient. As the patient is currently unresponsive, I cannot help you", he then brushes past her and loads himself into the ambulance, hitting the back of the van. The ambulance pulls away with its lights on and disappears around the corner.