ELPIDIOS: The Heir Must Survive - A Zombie Novel

CHAPTER 21: Towards Diandre

"I guess," I look around to the desert figuring out the location before answering her. "somewhere outside of the ground zero town and the next town before the interception into Diandre."

"What?" Violet blinks confused over my answer. She presses her head, shriek for the pain.

I hand over her a bottle of water. "Here." She snatches it from my hand immediately and gulps it down her throat, finishing the entire bottle within seconds. Violet wipes her lips with the back of her left hand and throw the empty bottle to the back seat. She looks around to the empty, cold desert before turning back to me.

"We're going home?" She asks for confirmation, blinking her eyes few times to help clear her visions.

"Where else?"

"What? What happen? Where's the rest?" She finally said looking around, lurking at the back seat, the empty road behind us.

My lips press shut and tight and my eyes are well keep on the road.

"They left us." I finally told her.

"Where they go?" Violet continues staring to my face without blinking, a motion of her in demanding her question to be answer.

Fail to ignore her, I demand her to stop asking about them. I feel guilty for shutting her down but whenever I think about that man, my anger rise up. I'm afraid of hurting Violet if I lose my senses again. It never happen before but for the past few days, I had lost the control of my body. I glance at the corner of my eye, seeing her staring out of the window. I don't want to know what she's thinking.

I can't let anyone did anything to Violet. Not again. I was careless last time. No more.

We reach at the next town at dawn, 30 minutes till sunrise according to the timer at the vehicle's dashboard. The town was derelict. Empty, soundless, too quiet. The noise of the engine break the silence of the empty road. The streets are surprisingly bare. No souls, no living dead, no animals, not even flies, the houses were dark, no lights, nothing. Not even the street lights were working. I stop at junction called High Street towards the Birkbeck Road. Honestly, I don't know if its the right way to get to the Diandre but anxiously, I presses the fuel. Sigh inwardly, clenching the steering wishing and hoping for the last time at that dawn, praying that whatever lies in front will not disrupt my disoriented feelings and thoughts and my judgment on the matters live or dead.

"Aren't we moving?" Violet's voice sound wheeze and disturb. She tries to be relax and emotionless but clearly that doesn't work on her.

"Let me take a moment here." I reply without facing her.

"Don't you feel something is not right? It's too quiet don't you think?" Violet notices the peculiarity of the town.

"You think so too? Just pass over this town and we reach Diandre." I claim unsettle with my own decision.

"I know."

I fix my seat and press the fuel pedal gently moving the car entering the street. Passing the dark, eerie neighbourhood, I feel chill down my spine, bristling the hair back of my neck. The darkness and creepiness consume all the happy thoughts and beautiful memories I had on this street, the neighbourhood I grew up. The green trees when the snow melt as the spring visits, the bright warm heat from the sun when June come, the orange reddish street from the fallen leaves, followed by the laughter of children jumping and messing the sidewalk. Despite the temperature can drop at any day, at any time, every upcoming season has their own magic. All of that dies within a second in this darkness. Will it change when the sun take its place?

I press the fuel thought the street only to stop unexpectedly. "What! Why are we stopping? Drive! Drive DK! Why did you stop?" Violet asks panicking as the vehicle slowly slow down and stop at the middle of the street. The engine is still roaring at the empty and silent dawn, the lights from the car is still piercing through the dark street.

"You stay here." I say to Violet as I move to the back seat and rampaged the back car. Her nervous face turns to horrific as she seen me getting out of the Hummer.

"What do you mean stay here? Where are you going?" Violet quickly removes her sit-belt and jumps out to follows me.

I pull the hood and raise it open. I flash the inside, scanning through to find the water tank and check the water level. As I stuck my head forward to see the water level, Violet moves to my left and bump to my head to see what I was seeing. "What? Is it okay?" she asks innocently to the car's part despite not knowing what is the problem, her head moves around the parts, squiting her eyes to see the dark, hidden parts of the car.

I slowly push Violet's head away from the engine so I can take a better look. I take off the tank cover and peep in to see the inside. "It almost reach to half." I whispers under my breathe.

"What? What is?" Violet bobbed up. Jumping forward, bumping my back to try to see what I have at my sight.

I grab the water bottle that I placed on the top of the hood, uncover it and fill our remaining drinking water into the tank. Before I can fill the tank into limit level, Violet surprisingly grab my arm with a soft yell, spilling the rest of the water to the ground.

"Why in the world would you did for?" I aghast to her action as I pull hard my arm from her fingers. There's no more water left in the bottle I hold, the ground is wet with the spilling water and Violet is still looking like I just wear my old-pop boy band shirt to our family annual dinner. Full of disbelief.

"That's our last drinking water bottle. We have no idea how far is the next available store, we have to save until then. Why would you waste on it?" Violet points at the empty bottle in my hands. Her face distort with disbelief and disappointment.

"Without the water, WE CAN'T EVEN MOVE AT ALL! We're stuck here now! Is that what you prefer!" I outburst my anger, the empty bottle in my hand flew over as I slam it to the ground. "I am deeply astonishment to your ignorant. WAAUUWW!!!" I barely contain my frustration to Violet. I clench both of my fists hard, my chest raise up and down as I try to cool down from the disappointment I feel towards my sister.

"So,"

"Are we stuck here?" Violet let out the words carefully, her voice contains nervousness, followed with shakiness.