When the Sun Goes Down

I looked up as Murphy roughly pushed a t - shirt into his duffle bag. The four bags that crowded the small table were stuffed so much I was surprised they didn't burst at the pressure. All of the canned goods we could find and fit into the bags were there, along with shirts, jeans and underwear. Knowing that within a few minutes we would be fleeing Boston forever only made me frown. This was where Mama lived and where I came to visit.

I didn't want to see it go. I was used to being in Louisiana, where I could step into my back yard and have target practice in a bathing suit. I brushed my hair back with my slender fingers and let a soft sigh escape my lips. I looked up as a rough hand was placed on my shoulder. I forced a small smile as Murphy said, "Don't worry, Adrienne. Thing's will look up soon."

"I only hope so."I whispered.

"Here's the plan."Noah placed his hands on the table."The boys, Romeo and I take me van. Ya lass' take yer car. We stay close, no pit stops."

Noah reached into his coat pocket and pulled two walky talkies from within it. He turned each of them on, making sure they were both on the same station. He handed one to Mama and the other to Connor.

"Ya lass' need anythin',"He stated softly."ya give us a call. We'll be right behind ya."

"You guys drive safe."Mama cupped Connor's face in her hands gently and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"We will Ma."Connor frowned."Ya do the same, alright?"

"Will do sweetheart."She forced a smile before giving Murphy and Romeo the same treatment.

Noah took Mama by the hand as I shifted our bag onto my shoulder. It was rather heavy, but I needed only to get it into my car and that would be it.

"Ya be safe, Angel. We'll follow ya to Jersey. Any problems, ya give us a call on the walky."He pressed a warm kiss to her forehead before pulling her into a hug."I promise we will do our best to keep ya safe."

I looked toward the guys and gave a nervous smile. It would only be a matter of time before we come face to face with this disease. I looked in Romeo's direction as he stated, "What about my car?"

"Fuck yer car."Connor spat.

"I love that hunk of fashion, if you don't mind."He glared.

"Oh, yeah, hunk of fashion."Murphy rolled his baby blues before throwing his bag over his shoulder."Let's get goin'."

I let my hand brush against my hip, making sure that my pistol was still hung in between my jeans and skin. Connor, Noah, Murphy and Romeo each had a pair of silencers strapped to their breasts, which were easily hidden underneath their pea coats. We were ready for a fight, if I could give it that justice. I looked toward Mama and gave her a comforting grin.

"You ready, Mama?"I asked softly.

"I guess I can't say no, can I?"She smiled.

"Stay close to me, Mama. We're just goin' to get into the car and go, okay? You have everythin' you need?"She patted her pockets and gave me a warm smile.

"I'm okay, Adrienne. Don't worry."She tried her best to comfort me, but that was the only thing I wasn't feeling right now.

No words were spoken as Noah opened the door. He had peeked his head into the hallway, finding no one but a deserted floor. We cautiously made our way to the stairs and began our decent. The apartment complex seemed eerily quiet as we snaked our way to the bottom. I tried to keep my eyes open for anything suspicious, but everything looked to be that way. I grew nervous as I saw more and more doors wide open or broken into.

Blood smears were caked along the walls, finger prints and hand prints plastered against random areas. Our walk was a long one, but once we made it to the front doors, I breathed a sigh of relief. I scanned around the room, making sure everything was safe for us to walk through. I could almost hear my heart racing in my chest as I took in a deep breath. I kept my hand steady on my hip, making sure I was ready for anything.

I didn't know how these sick people reacted, but judging on my experience earlier, it wasn't very calm. They seemed to move sporadically, as if they were hyper, and held a lot of strength. I faced an elder woman nearly twelve hours ago and she was pushing my own strength. It made me wonder what younger victims had to offer. Connor and Murphy looked through the small glass along the side of the door, gaping in awe when they saw deserted streets.

According to them, this was not like Boston. Their streets were normally littered with people and animals of such. Yet at this very point in time, it was like a ghost town. I swallowed hard as I let my fingers lace around the butt of my gun. I was willing to pull it out at any given second. You may consider me trigger happy, but if it kept us all safe, then it would be better in the long run. I watched as the twins pried open the doors slowly, making sure it didn't creak under pressure.

Things seemed to have been going rather smoothly so far, but I didn't keep my hopes up. Noah had parked illegally on the streets, giving them the advantage. I was only a few cars down, but it was far enough away to make me nervous. I looked back at the guys as they opened the side door, throwing their bags in quickly. Romeo and Murphy jumped into the back as Connor and Noah stole the front seats. I turned back toward Mama, tensing quickly.

She reached for the door handle, but I was unable to stop her. The silence was broken as my car alarm rang throughout the streets, sending me to panic and reach for my keys. Mama jumped back, startled by the sudden noise. I opened up my car door, jamming the keys into the ignition. The streets fell silent once again, but not for long. I unlocked the doors and stopped as a muffled noise echoed into my ears. I turned toward Mama, asking, "What is that?"

I turned back toward the van and my face grew white. The noise seemed to get louder quickly and I knew exactly what it was. It was a roar of a crowd - a rather hungry, diseased crowd.

"Shut yer door!"Noah tried desperately to start the van as I threw my bag into the back.

"What is it?!"Mama cried.

"A group!"I pulled the gear shifter into reverse, backing up quickly into the car behind me.

The roar of a car startled me and through my rear view mirror, the guys made their way toward me. I let out a scream as a bang hit my window, which forced Mama to shout.

"Drive, Adrienne!"She yelled."Drive!"

I pushed the gear shifter into Drive and took off down the road. I watched from my peripheral vision as this man's hand slid down my window, leaving a clean streak of clotted blood behind. My stomach turned at the thought as dozens of the diseased chased down our cars. We speeded off down the road, breathing a sigh of relief when the crowd disappeared behind us. The quiet air was broken as the static of the walky came in.

"Ma, Adrienne."It was Connor.

Mama picked up the walky and spoke into it.

"Yes?"She asked softly.

"Way to leave us back there. Could've been eaten' fer all ya care."Muffled laughter echoed into the walky, which forced Mama and I to laugh out of nerves.

"At least they still have their sense of humor."Mama grinned.