Hide and seek

Few surprises

Before I leave, I change into the only other pair of shoes I have left (which aren't even technically mine but Daniel's). Just wearing them makes me feel more at ease when I'm out searching. They are more wrecked and torn than my own and are slightly too big for me but I wear them anyway. I then also grab a rucksack to put the food inside if I find any and sling it over my shoulder. When I step out of the front door I lock it immediately, I never use to understand why when Daniel did it but he told me that a lot of people's homes are no longer safe because of the damage the evil creatures do. So there are always people waiting to take over your house if you don't secure it.

I walk down the small steps and onto the road to take a look around. My neighbourhood is nothing like it use to be, a place where I felt safe to run around and not worry when it got dark. No-one on my street were particularly close before everything happened, so as times are now it is completely every man for himself. You can't count on anyone here to save you, no matter what your circumstances are. Even though I am a fifteen year old, teenage girl it doesn't matter.

It makes me sad to think about how people have become, I always thought that in situations where any day could be your last that humans would look out for one another. But I can hardly talk, the guilt twists in my stomach as I think about the woman from last night again. I was scared so I did nothing, left her to die without a single ounce of help from anyone. As I walk down the road I look for a house that appears empty so I can begin. I can tell fairly quickly what houses have people inside by seeing boarded up windows, just like my own. It is a futile attempt to keep the evil creatures from lurking around too close, however they are not stupid, they can smell us, I know it. Personally I think they are allowing us to live now because they want to pick off the easier prey first. The people that think they can run away and find somewhere safe and the people that don't make it back in time to get indoors at night. Once they are all gone the filthy demons will come for us and there is no hope then. None what so ever. I just hope that when they do eventually find me that they will kill me quickly.

After walking through several different streets I find a house that looks promising. My heart starts to seize in my chest as I notice the door is left slightly ajar. The darkness inside the house keeps me frozen where I stand. Going through houses was so much easier with Daniel, I never once felt petrified like I do now. Recently I have started to feel braver venturing into houses but all that bravery is washed away now that I face this particular house.

"What are you doing?" a quiet voice appears from no-where.

Startled I spin around to see a little girl with blonde hair looking up at me. "Bloody hell! You gave me a heart attack!" I exclaim, clutching my chest.

The girl looks up at me with blue innocent eyes. "I'm sorry." She giggles. Her face is smudged with dirt, which makes her blue eyes stand out even more.

"What do you want?" I ask.

"I was wondering if you'd help me find my brother Eli?" She squeaks.

"Uhm.. I'm sort of in the middle of searching for food."

"Oh! Well I can help you there! My brother is great for finding some. I'm sure he would help you." She smiles sweetly.

I look back at the house and think about going in there alone. "Ok. I'll help you." I smile back.

"Hooray!" She grins. "My name is Olivia by the way. What's yours?"

"Katherine." I laugh.

"Ok Kath. Where shall we look first?"

"Well..first. Where and when did you see him last?"

"It was in the early hours of this morning, I was still in bed when I saw him leave. He told me he was going to search for Mum. He also said he wouldn't be long at all. Twenty minutes he said! tops! And now it's been two hours I can't wait any longer. I don't like it in the house alone." Olivia frowns.

"Well he might already be back there and worried about you. I'll tell you what, lets go back there together and I'll stay with you till he comes back. Ok?"

"Alright. You promise you wont leave me?" Olivia says nervously.

"I promise, just show me the way."

"Olivia grabs my hand and leads me further down the street, we then cut through a few paths and after five minutes she stops and points to the house in front of us. "That's it." She smiles. She lets go of my hand and walks up the path, opens the front door and stands in the hallway. I follow her inside when I'm suddenly pushed down, my head smacks hard against the wooden floor. I hear the door close behind me, I turn and look up to see a blonde haired, scruffy boy pointing a knife at me.

"Give me the rucksack." He snarls.

"What the hell is going on? There isn't anything in my rucksack!" I yell, squirming my head to see where Olivia is.

Olivia walks over to the boy "She's lying. When I found her she said she was in the middle of searching for food." She turns to look at me. "Which means you have already found some." Her smile is nothing as innocent as what it was ten minutes ago. I realise now that I have been played. 

"I'm telling you, you two are wasting your time on me. I have no food, you can check." I sit up and throw my rucksack over to them.

They immediately rip it open and see that it's empty like I said. The older boy kicks the wall next to him and curses. I can't help but smile about how their scheme has failed. "Can I go now?" I say.

"Yes, just leave." The boy barks, he pulls open the door.

"Eli? Olivia? What's going on?"

I look up to see that standing in the doorway is the boy from the field.

"It's you." I say, shocked. I realise that the picture that I found earlier today of the woman and girl, the girl is Olivia.

The boy ignores me and stares at Olivia and Eli.

"What is it Riley? Did you find her?" They both ask in unison.