America the Lost

It didn't take long for me to run home. I was so excited to tell my parents that I could barely contain myself.

"Mom! Dad! I did it!" I burst through the front door and searched for them when I got no answer back.

"Mom?" I walked into the kitchen and looked around. "Mom, where are you?" I called out.

That's when I noticed a long trail of blood leading out of the kitchen and into the living room. The blood was smeared across the white tiled floor and then it was dried into the carpet beside the leather couch. I opened the drawer underneath the sink and pulled out a knife. I held it at my waist then followed it.

"Mom? Dad," I called out again.

A loud crash filled my ears and I determined that it came from upstairs. I ran over the blood and to the staircase. Quickly I threw myself up the steps two at a time until I got to the top.

All the family pictures were either on the floor or missing. None of them were on the walls leading down the hall. I stopped in front of a bloody handprint planted on the wall itself.

My heart was in the pit of my stomach. Dozens of assumptions were running through my head. The optimistic part of me believed everything was okay, but the pessimistic part knew it wasn't. I pushed past the fear and continued on my way. My hands were trembling while my body desperately tried to stay up with each step.

Another crash and this time it was from the master bathroom in my parent's room. I raised my knife and slowly twisted the door knob.

One…Two…Three!

I pushed the door open and held the knife out in front of me. Out from behind the door a male zombie turned around and faced me. This zombie was bald and had a long piece of flesh hanging from its mouth. Fresh blood ran down its chin and onto its torn forest green shirt. Its eyes were as white as snow, but the skin around them was so sunken in that it looked like it hadn't slept in years. It reached one arm out toward me showing the two missing fingers. The stub of its other arm moved forward then hung loosely at its side. The zombie's arms and legs were skin and bone meaning its body hadn't had enough protein to build muscle. That didn't matter because its mouth was so powerful.

I glanced past it and saw a body laying face down on the tile floor. Instantly my instincts kicked in. I ran at it then kicked it in the chest so hard that it stumbled back and tripped over the body. It lost its chunk of flesh from before and clearly wanted more. Its jaws snapped wildly at me as it moved to stand back up.

I quickly brought my foot down onto its chest to prevent it from standing up then slammed the knife into its head before it could use its hands to overpower me. Within seconds the fight was over and the body lay motionless.

I looked down at the body with its back completely eaten to the bone. The white of the spine peered through the flesh. Blood pooled around the body all the way down to the legs where the calf was torn off and lying between its two legs. The shorts were so torn that they were barely on it and the shirt had the whole back completely removed.

I reached over and pulled the body till it flipped over and faced me. As soon as I saw the face I dropped to my knees and started hyperventilating. My dad's mouth was wide open and his eyes were lifeless. His skin was as pale as the off-white floor beneath him and blood covered almost every part of his skin.

My chest burned and my breathes quickened. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my inhaler then took a deep breath of it. I set it down on the floor then buried my face into his chest and cried hard than I ever had.

I sat on the floor beside him until it got dark outside. I cried so hard that my head throbbed. I was too scared to look around the house for my mom's body. If my dad didn't make it then she didn't.

"Peyton? Are you home?" I could hear Tony calling my name from downstairs.

I didn't want to move, but I knew that I had to. I stood up to my feet and got one last look at him. That's when I noticed something bunched in his hand.

I reached down and pulled it free to find a piece of paper crumbled up in a ball. After unraveling it I saw that it was a letter to me.

Dear Peyton,

I only have a little more time before the drugs kick in and I pass out. They got to me and gave me a shot before I could fight them off. I can hear the zombie banging on the door. There's only a matter of time before it gets in while I'm passed out.

Listen carefully. Get off this island and find answers. Rodney is hiding something that I couldn't figure out. That is why he sent people to attack me. This was no accident. Please be careful and follow your gut. You need to finish the job, Sweetheart.

I've trained you for this day. Find his secret and get your mother back. They took her and threatened to kill her if I didn't comply with the shot. I had to let them do it to save her life. When you find her please tell her that I love her and that I'm sorry this had to happen. If they followed my final wish then she is still alive and it is your job to find her. She won't be on the island anymore because that would be too easy.

I'm starting to lose focus. Peyton, Sweetie, I love you so much. I can only hope that you find this note and do as I say. Good luck and I will always be with you. You are the best daughter any father could ask for and you never cease to make me proud. I will always be in your heart, Sweetheart.

I held the note in my hands and brought it to my lips. It took every ounce not to start crying or even shed a single tear. I had to be strong for my dad. He died being strong for the family. My whole body trembled and for an instant I was numb.

"Peyton! Are you home? The door was open!"

I felt a too familiar feeling in my chest that was building up and becoming overwhelming. My breath quickened once again and I fell against the bathroom door. I pulled my inhaler out and took a deep breath of it once again. My panic subsided and I left the room.

I was alone now without my father to guide me like he did before. Who was I going to ask when I needed help? Who was going to help me find mom?

"Peyton, what's wrong?" Tony met me at the top of the stairs with a look of concern. "Where did all that blood come from?"

I tried to find my voice, but I only choked on my words. I felt like my chest had been cut open and every organ had been ripped out.

"Peyton," He grabbed my shoulders, "What's wrong? You look like you've been crying. Where did all the blood come from?"

That only made my eyes water again. "My dad, he's dead. A zombie…"

"How did a zombie get free?" Tony face showed how shocked he really was.

"I don't know," I lied. I couldn't show him the note. I couldn't show anyone what I found out.

"Where's your mom?" My stomach dropped. How would I explain that?

"There's a lot of blood. I think it got to her before my dad."

Suddenly a thud filled our ears. It was coming from the bathroom again. I knew deep down exactly what it was, but I wanted to believe it wasn't true.

"Stay here, Peyton. I'll take care of it." Tony pushed past me.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. He gave me a look of concern. I shook my head at him then walked toward the bathroom.

My dad was crawling out of the bathroom with a new found craving. His eyes were white and his jaws snapped violently at me. His arms reached out toward me and his let out a screeching moan that made my ears ring. The calf had moved so that I could see a piece of skin that was still attached as it dragged behind him. My stomach felt queasy when I remembered what I had to do.