The Ruins

Prologue Part 1

Tick Tock

Tick Tock

Melody sat on the couch, boredly waiting for her older brother Tom from Virginia. He's such a people person, and when his longtime friend called him for terrible news, Tom always there. His friend's wife is very sick from a deadly disease- cancer. When Tom announced it, he wanted to give full support for his friend but didn't want to leave Melody alone however, she let him go. She's fine of her being alone.

It's a usual habit of being alone.

It's a habit since she's alone in the house. Their parents been divorced before, living in different continents, their mother had a huge drinking problem, abusing herself for destroying the relationship. She didn't make it from the liver disease. Everyone was devastated; Melody clearly didn't understand a lot before because she was only eight years old and death wasn't a discussion her parents talk about. So it left Tom to take care of her but occasionally, she's all by herself.

Tom is in University of Georgia, now taking a degree in Law Enforcements. Tom enjoys the career path, he wanted to be police officer as a young boy, wants to help people, to become what Melody said, a true American but a British American. With this course, Tom is not much around the house.

The door slams while Melody lays there to see a tired curled hair brunette talking on the phone. "I know Bill, it's just- he'll have a harder time now. He's been better after he stopped drinking and cheating but with her conditions, it will be breaking him more. I have try to help my friend- I know you hate him but he's a good man. Okay, goodbye."

He sits down, pinching his nose as Melody leans closer. "How is he?" He looks at her with his tired but crystallizing baby blue eyes. "He's okay. Wish I could of been with him more but he told me it's fine and I have to take care of you."

She rolls her eyes. "I'm fourteen years old. I can handle myself."

"Sure." She then leans over the drawer to grab the gift. She gives Tom a small black casket box, grinning. "Happy nineteenth birthday Tommy." He opens to reveal a golden watch. He picks it up, investigates at it then taps the screen. "It's broken."

"What?" She yanks his wrist to see the hands moving. "Oh, har-har." She playfully hits his shoulder. He puts it on, gesturing it. "Where did you get this?"

"Drugs. I sell hard-core drugs."

"Well, you better pay the mortgage if you are."

They talked about his friend; depressing it was so she moved on to a movie which Melody adored over the teenage werewolf romance called 'Wolf Among Twilight'. Tom grunts in horror, watching the movie painfully until Melody finally fell asleep in the middle of the movie. Tom shuts the tv off and gingerly lifts her up, taking her to her girly pink, 'Wolf Among Dawn' postered room. He places her into her bed, kissing her delicate head.

"Goodnight, baby girl."

- : - : -: -

Melody wakes up; still dark. She looks at the alarm, reading only quarter after two. She rubs the crust in her eyes. Tom should be sleeping or studying.

Walking into his room, it's empty. The bed is a mess; blankets are ruffled, newspapers on the floor, closet wide open, and the television is on, casting the news. "It appears that what we initially reported as riots seem to be somehow connected to the nationwide pandemic--We've received reports that victims afflicted with the infection show signs of increased aggression and--"

Suddenly, an explosion is cast behind them, causing the channel to shut down. Then another explosion, set outside the window where the city is.

It's happening near her home. She needs to find Tom.