Kill or Be Killed

I am woken from a deep sleep from a loud knock on my door. I am confused to why my father is yelling at me, demanding I get out of bed on my day off. Half asleep, I look to my right at my digital alarm clock on my white bedside table. I groan in annoyance seeing that is 7:30am.

Dressed in his military uniform, he orders, “Get dressed and pack your bag Rachel.”

My heart drops as he refers to my emergency bag. For as long as I can remember, my father has drill into me and my brothers, to have an emergency bag ready in our closet. The bag is to be filled with the basic essentials for any disasters. He is preparing us for bad scenarios such as war, natural disasters, etc. I know it is a military thing; to be one step ahead.

“What’s going on?” I question concerned, climbing out of my bed.

Shaking his head, he informs me sternly, “There is no time love. Move.”

I nod my head, hearing deep voices on the other room. He takes his leave so I can get ready. I quickly get dressed and added some more clothes and items to my emergency bag. I grab my phone off the bed side table, I notice I have missed phone calls from my boyfriend, brother and friends.

I stop dead in my tracks as the sound of gun fire and screams fill my ears. My heart rate increases dramatically, wondering what on earth is going on. I quickly make my way out into the kitchen, which is connected to the dinning room in my father’s house. I am only meant to be staying here for two weeks to house sit whilst my father is away.

“Rachael, listen to me. You are going with these men,” my father informs me with his hands on my shoulders, looking directly into my eyes.

However my eyes divert to the television in the back ground. My eyes skim the head lines, I do not believe what I am reading. I look to my father confused, questioning if I am awake. The headlines state a emergency alert, saying the dead are alive. Claiming there are zombies, eating people.

Placing his hands on my pale face, my father makes me look directly at him. He has always been a man of few works, but I have never seen him this side of him. I simply nod as he continues to inform me that I will be meeting up with my older brother, Joe and I am to stick with him.

“I love you pumpkin” he informs me with a kiss on the forehead.

It takes a few moments to find my words, before I muster a sentence together, “I love you too.”

The soldier next to me grabs my arm and leads me out of the house when my father gives him the nod. I do as I am instructed, walking the soldier who is obviously in a hurry and following his orders from my father.

I cannot begin to describe the mayhem going on outside. People are running around, packing their cars and panicking. I jump as I hear more shots fired within a few metres in front of me. I am escorted into the army unmog parked outside my father’s house.

I take my seat down next to another solider inside the unmog, his surname written on his uniform; Johnson . He looks over to me and gives nods with a small smile, the dark circles under his eyes are evident of how exhausted he is.

As the loud, grunting engine starts up, I ask out loud, “Where are we going?”

“Well maam, now that the dead are walking and eating the living, we must take you somewhere safe,” Johnson informs me, shaking his head in disbelief.

I take a deep breathe in, as his words sink in. I nervously play with the hem of my shirt and close my eyes as the sounds of panic from the town fill my ears. Fear begins to pump through my veins as I cannot allow this new reality to set in.

There are no words exchanged as we drive, I look out the back of the unmog, looking at my old high school as we drive past. I nibble down on my bottom lip anxiously, my mind wondering into a million places. I cringe as the unmog travels over bumps, the hard seats harming me.

I grab the vibrating phone out of my pocket, my heart rates increases seeing my boyfriend’s name flash across the screen. The driver begins yelling something about bracing yourself, however it’s too late as everything becomes a blur. The unmog suddenly flips onto it’s side and all us inside, are thrown around like rag-dolls.

I hit my head against the metal seat, and then moan in pain as I land on top of my bag. My phone continues to vibrate in front of me, I stretch my arm out to grab the phone and wince in pain as I do so.

“Why haven’t you been answering your phone? Where are ya?” his thick southern accent filling my ears, questioning me desperately.

“I-I don’t know,” I mumble in the phone, still feeling dazed as I close my eyes, in attempt to stop the world from spinning.

I hear him sigh heavily into in the phone, before he questions me further, “Are ya at your fathers?”

“No,” I inform him softly, before continuing, “I was pick up by some soldiers. I think we are about 5 minutes down the road from the my high school, towards our bar.”

I wipe my forehead with my free hand, again wincing at how tender my head is. I groan seeing the fresh, crimson blood on my fingers.

“Stay there and look after yourself. I’m on my way,” he demands, I can hear his brother in the background.

“Daryl?” I mumble into the phone, black spots forming in my vision.

“Yeah?” Daryl replies.

“I love you,” I tell him, struggling to get the words pass my lips.

“I love you too, Rach. Now stay there, Merle and I are on the way,” he exclaims before hanging up, leaving me back into the world of the dead whom are feeding upon the living.