Time to Survive

That Was You Guys?

  What was that awful music?

I opened my eyes, the sun blinding me through the window. I sat up quickly, my mouth dry and everything still aching.

Why was it so loud?

I shuffled out of bed with a frown, glancing down at the awful night dress my mother had bought me but I'd never worn.

Until now.

I grimaced, and shuffled to the closet, pulling on some night shorts and a t shirt that had once been tight but now hung loose. I went to the bathroom, grimacing at my reflection; the scratches on my face were now faint red lines, but they weren't pretty.

I cupped my hands under the faucet, quickly slurping down what water I could, my throat protesting intensely. When I could move my tongue without dust poofing, I started down stairs, my ears aching at the lyrics that I couldn't understand because it sounded like someone was eating their microphone.

Everyone was gathered around the kitchen table, even the ones I didn't know, and the music was too loud for them to hear me walking in.

God it was awful.

I grimaced, opening the fridge and pulling out the purple Koolaid someone had made. I poured myself a glass, and watched everyone as they argued.

Literally no one knew I was standing at the island staring them down.

I shook my head, putting the Koolaid up and walking back to the livingroom.

I glanced down at the carpet, amd stopped, exasperated.

Turning the rug around and dragging the couch over it was not going to get the stain out any quicker.

I jumped as the music suddenly screamed again, spilling Koolaid down my arm.

No more!

I whirled, and slammed my glass down, jerking the iPod off the speakers and tempted to drop it in my drink so I wouldn't have to listen to that awful noise anymore. Everyone turned as the music abruptly stopped, looking surprised.

"Don't you do it," Ricky gasped, rushing toward me. "Thats my baby!"

"It sounds awful," I rasped, my voice low and hardly audible.

He looked hurt. "How can you say that? We were an amazing band!"

That was them?

Oops.

I snorted, and lifted my drink to my chapped lips as I handed the iPod to him, shaking my head.

"How do you feel?" Chris asked, Kieran standing beside him, both of them trying to be in the middle to show leadership.
I shrugged, deciding not to speak if I didn't have to.

"Your throat should be better in a couple days," Devin told me. "Your color is better."

I frowned as I looked at the group. I had thought there was more of them.

"Do you like the carpet?" Balz asked, his lips twitching. "The stain is gone!"

"You just... turned it around," I rasped, rolling my eyes. "Putting the couch on it doesn't make the... stain go away."

"I told you she would notice," Ricky nudged him, and Balz scowled.

"Well at least we tried," he grumbled, and I chuckled.

"Kelsey," my eyes flicked to Kieran as he strode around the edge of the table and to me, "can we talk?"

No, I didn't wanna talk to him about Chase. I could barely talk as it was, and it wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation to have.

"She can barely speak, giver her a day or two," Chris told him, glaring. "You'll only make it worse right now."

"I just wanna know about Chase," he said softly, ignoring Chris. "Why didn't he make it? You have. What happened?"

"He... I wasn't..." I didn't wanna talk about him, I missed him so badly. I looked down at the counter, tracing the pattern with my eyes.

"Just what happened? That's all I want to know," Kieran sighed. "Did you finish him off?"

I bobbed my head, rubbing my arms.

"How did he get bit?"

"Scavenging," I croaked. "He left... Early. I didn't... I didn't know he... I wasn't there..."

"He went off on his own?" Kieran frowned. "And one of those monsters got him?"

I nodded, my nails digging into my palms. "I tried... To help but... He went... So fast..."

"They go quicker now," the girl I didn't know sighed. "Two days and they're done."

He hadn't even been two days.

I wiped my eyes hastily, not wanting to cry in front of everyone, and Kieran slipped his arms around me with a sigh.

"It's okay, Kelsey Maye," he comforted me. "I'm sorry I brought up the bad memories."

I shrugged, pulling away from him and lifting up my drink before leaving the room quickly. I glanced at the shattered windows.

"It's safe to unlock," Balz called to me. "We would've but we didn't know the new code."

I would have to write it down again. I huffed, setting my drink down on the table and stepping back into the kitchen to scribble it down on the notepad.

I bumped the phone as I did, and I heard the long beep before the answering machine cut on.

"Kelsey? Baby, did you make it?" My eyes shot to the phone, and I froze, hearing Chases voice. "Please tell me you did! You need to call me, don't come back here! Shits getting bad --- I love you ---."

I ripped the phone from the holder, frantically slamming all the buttons just so it would stop. I could hear sirens in the background, people screaming, and I panicked, hitting every single button until it the mechanical voice told me all messages were deleted.

I tossed the phone down, practically running from the kitchen and up the stairs, not pausing to unlock anything. I shut my door quickly and leaned against it, squeezing my eyes shut against the pain.

Please, I don't wanna cry anymore.

I don't wanna be sad anymore.

I slipped to the floor with a sob, wrapping my arms around my knees.

Why had that been on there? Why did he call? That must've been when I'd first come to the cabin to find my family; I hadn't stayed at all after I'd found them all dead, so I'd never checked the phone.

God, Chase, why had you been so careless?

Why did you have to leave me too?

"Kelsey?" someome pounded on the door. "You okay?"

I ignored them, hoping they would just go away so I could grieve in peace.

Now that I thought of it, I had never grieved him. I'd cried here and there, but everything had been so hectic, and I'd tried so hard to forget...

I hadn't just sat down and cried.

And he deserved that.

He deserved to be grieved because he'd been such a wonderful person.

"Kelsey, come on, open the door."

"GO AWAY!"

"Open the door!"

"No!"

"Kelsey," I recognized Chris's irritated voice. "I swear to God if you don't open this fucking door ---."

"You'll do what?" I hissed, my throat burning at every word I spoke. "What will you do that will be so spectacular? Break it the fuck down, I don't care!"

He made a frustrated sound, and I could hear someone talking to him before he walked away.

"Kels," it was Devins soothing tone. "At least come and eat, I know you're hungry. I need to make sure you're throat is better after all this yelling."

Fuck him, I crossed my arms sulkily and didn't respond.

"Will you at least let me come in? Chris went back downstairs."

Chris was such an ass.

I huffed, then climbed stiffly to my feet and unlocked the door, irritated. Why couldn't they leave me alone for just a few minutes by myself? There was no peace in this house with all of them.

I didn't even want to be in this house anymore; I couldn't escape all the memories of my family.

I opened the door slowly, glaring at Devin.

He gave me a smile. "That wasn't so hard, was it? Now why don't you come downstairs and get some food?"

I shook my head; I was hungry but my throat was aching.

"Would you like anything else to drink?"

I shook my head again.

"Fine then." he sighed. "But we're all gonna have to have a meeting soon. Your friend and his girl are wanting to leave, and we'd prefer it if they went."

My eyes flicked to his face. Lose Kieran again?

"And our supplies are low, so some of us are going to have to return to the city to scavenge; we've raided the surrounding cabins we could reach by foot. We're all going to have to make a decision."

Well I sure as fuck wasn't going to stay here.

If they were going back to the city, so was I.