Status: Try out my story ya'll!
Radioactive
Chapter Thirty One;
"Does this deafening silence mean nothing to no one but me?"
---
Matt squeezed his eyes shut, waiting to feel something. Waiting for a bullet to be put through his head. But nothing happened. He stood there in silence with his eyes tightly closed for another long moment before he felt arms wrap tightly around his neck, almost knocking him off his feet.
"You're okay!" Amaryllis' breathed in relief.
When she pulled back, he slumped against the wall, leaning his head back against it, letting out a panicked, breathy laugh in relief. He lifted up his arm to check again, although by now he was sure he was safe. His arm was red and bloodied and stinging, but he knew none of the blood was his. "Do me a favor," he said in a tight voice as he stepped over the bloody zombie body and clambered out into the yard, "and don't tell Harper about this."
As they skirted around the RV and up to the gate, Amaryllis glanced towards him, her voice hardly audible. "I don't think I could have killed you." He didn't answer. He wasn't quite sure how.
The crowd of zombies outside of the fence had multiplied. But luckily they didn't seem to know where the front of the gate was, and they all were crowded together about twenty feet to their left, banging against the fence. Dead zombie bodies, having been electrocuted until their brain completely fried, littered the ground. "We're going to throw the gate open and make a run for it." Matt told Amaryllis, and she answered with a brisk nod.
"On five." Amaryllis said with a grimace. They both grabbed onto the handles of the gate. "1. 2. 3. 4. 5."
They wrenched open the gate, immediantly turning on their heels, darting across the green back to the RV. The moans and growls behind them quickened, the zombies excited by the new potential source of food.
Matt threw himself around the rv, throwing open the door. He waited until Amaryllis threw herself inside before he followed, slamming the door shut behind them.
Harper had already started the RV. She slid into the passenger seat, letting Matt take her spot. He quickly switched it into drive and jerked the steering wheel. The RV creaked and groaned as it spun around. The zombies spilled in through the gate, not moving as the vehicle came screeching towards them. They threw themselves at the side of the RV. It hardly slowed as it bumped into them and they fell under the wheels, causing the people inside to be roughly bounced around. Two of the zombie horses could be seen chasing after them as they sped off down the road, through miles and miles of wheat fields and empty scenery.
-*-*-*-*-*-
Taniss turned down the TV as the alarm on his phone blared out across the room. It signalled that his parents would be returning home from their party soon. He entered the kitchen and pulled back the curtain to look out the window, his eyes widening at the sight of the car already parked in the drive way. It was empty. He hadn't heard anyone come in. A door slammed from the other room. He was running through the hallway into the living room in an instant, sliding to a halt in the entrance way.
A large figure loomed over the tiny girl, wrapped in a small blanket, that he had left on the couch. Taniss stalked confidently across the room and gave the burly man a shove. He must've been drunk, 'cause he stumbled before regaining his footing and turning to glare at his son.
"Don't touch her." Taniss spat darkly.
The man looked unamused. "I have not had a good day. I'd suggest you leave now before things get worse for you."
"I'd be glad to. But i'm taking her with me." He backed up a few paces, not daring to turn his back on the man.
Craig Carter hadn't been this drunk in over a year. Taniss preferred not to think about what had happened the last time he was. His father pulled back a fist, but it was easy to deflect in his clumsy state. "Dad, stop it, you're drunk."
"It was one hell of a party." Craig said with a grunt, clutching onto the back of the couch for support, his gaze flitting over his son.
Taniss took his chance to scoop his sister up off the couch. He wrapped the disney blanket tighter around her as he dodged his fathers next attack and skipped stealthily around the couch. Before Craig could realize what was happening, Taniss was running up the stairs. He threw open the bedroom door, his heart clenching at the sound of Scarlett sobbing into his t-shirt. He set her carefully down on the bed, pulling the chain around his neck out of the safety of his shirt, and unlocked the chest at the end of the bed. It was padded comfortably with blankets and pillows, and had two teddy bears inside.
He glanced up as he opened it. Scarlett was kneeling at the edge of the bed now, peering into the chest with a look on her face that could only be described as fear. She glanced up at him with tear soaked eyes.
"We're going to play a game." Taniss told her, fighting to keep his voice steady. He could hear his father roaring angrily downstairs.
"I don't like this game anymore." She said with a sniff, tiredly wiping her eyes.
"It's a fun game." He assured her, offering her the brightest smile he could muster. "You're my princess, remember? Like Rapunzel, locked away in her tower. I couldn't build you a tower, so this will have to do."
She shook her head, her green eyes wide in dismay. "But this isn't fun."
He could hear his father clambering up the stairs. Cursing under his breath, he ducked to the right, reaching under the bed to pull out the bag of lucky charms he had stashed under there. "But I brought a snack this time."
Her expression changed to one of delight, and she held out her arms. He plucked her up off the bed, and laid her down in the chest, her head rested softly on the pillows, her dirty blonde hair framing her tiny face. "I love you, princess." He told her softly, planting a kiss on her forehead. He caught a glimpse of her shoving a handful of lucky charms hungrily into her mouth as he closed the lid.
He was just tucking the key back into his shirt as the door was thrown open, slamming against the wall. He hardly had time to bring up his hands to defend himself before his father was on top of him, his belt swinging in a high arch above his head.
The door to the bedroom at the back of the RV swung open, interrupting the flashback that had Taniss shuddering from something other than the cold. "Taniss?"
He shifted a little to glance in the doorway at Amaryllis, who hovered there, unsure. He didn't answer her. "Are you alright?"
He turned away, tucking one arm under his pillow. "I'm tired." He said absently, his voice not sounding quite like his own.
She ventured further into the tiny space, standing at the end of the small bed, her arms crossed. "Taniss, are you alright? I'm not trying to pry, but I think--"
"Can I sleep now?" Taniss asked harshly, although his voice wavered.
Nodding stiffly, Amaryllis backed from the room, letting the door click softly shut. She made her way to the front of the RV, holding onto the back of the passenger seat to keep herself upright as it bounced along the highway. She stayed silent until they reached the interstate, which had thankfully cleared up considerably. "Somethings wrong with Taniss."
"Yeah, we've got that." Matt answered dryly.
She fixed him with a hard look. "What are we gonna do about it?"
"What is there to do about it?" He countered, and she realized he had a point. Instead of saying this, she turned on her heel and slumped into the booth seat, pulling her knees up to her chest. There had to be something she could do.
-*-*-*-*-*-
Taniss didn't reveal himself until five hours later, and even then it was only because he had to use the bathroom. He voiced this to Matt, who nodded, giving him a blank look before taking the next exit. Taniss hovered behind his seat, staring out the windshield as the RV coughed and spluttered beneath them.
"We really need gas, anyways." Matt said, turning down the radio as he turned into the nearest gas station. Gas prices weren't important now. Everything was free, if you were willing to fight for it. Luckily the gas station appeared to be empty.
Amaryllis was out the door before the others had even stood from their seats. She was already pumping gas as they clambered out the door and stood, stretching their tired limbs. Taniss came around the side of the RV and stood there as she filled the tank, seeming almost unsure what to do with himself until Harper peeked around the vehicle and shot him a worried look. "We're going inside, are you coming?"
He nodded and walked off, leaving Amaryllis alone. After a minute, she followed them to the door, surprised to see that they were still standing in front of the RV, an awkward silence engulfing them. "We decided to wait for you." Matt explained.
They started towards the door. A low growl came from the side of the building. Their voices must've attracted the nearest zombie, and it shuffled around the corner. It was missing both an arm and an eye, but it was still just as much of a treat. Matt reached back, cursing to himself when he remembered that his gun was left in the RV.
Amaryllis wasn't armed either. Only Taniss was, and he made no effort to protect any of them. He only stared at the zombie, a strange, horrified look on his face. Amaryllis took action. In one swift motion, she had lifted his t-shirt, yanked the gun from the waistband of his pants, pointed it at the zombie, and pulled the trigger. The loud noise echoed loudly around them, it's sound followed closely by growls.
"Hoard of zombies nearby." Harper guessed, wrenching open the door. They hurried inside, shutting it behind them just as another walker came around the corner. Matt and Amaryllis dragged the empty ice cream machine in front of the door, keeping it from easily opening.
Harper sighed in relief. She was just about to turn around when a gun click sounded in her ear, and the gun itself was suddenly pressed against her left temple. The others held up their hands in surprise when they turned around to see a middle-aged woman holding her at gun point.
Matts mouth opened in surprise, and he scrambled to find something to say before he said in a determined voice, "we mean no harm."
She motioned passed him with the gun, at the glass door, where three zombies were already pressing against it, before settling it back against her head. "You brought those. That's enough of a reason for me to kill you."
Amaryllis let out a horrified noise as her finger slid over the trigger.
---
Matt squeezed his eyes shut, waiting to feel something. Waiting for a bullet to be put through his head. But nothing happened. He stood there in silence with his eyes tightly closed for another long moment before he felt arms wrap tightly around his neck, almost knocking him off his feet.
"You're okay!" Amaryllis' breathed in relief.
When she pulled back, he slumped against the wall, leaning his head back against it, letting out a panicked, breathy laugh in relief. He lifted up his arm to check again, although by now he was sure he was safe. His arm was red and bloodied and stinging, but he knew none of the blood was his. "Do me a favor," he said in a tight voice as he stepped over the bloody zombie body and clambered out into the yard, "and don't tell Harper about this."
As they skirted around the RV and up to the gate, Amaryllis glanced towards him, her voice hardly audible. "I don't think I could have killed you." He didn't answer. He wasn't quite sure how.
The crowd of zombies outside of the fence had multiplied. But luckily they didn't seem to know where the front of the gate was, and they all were crowded together about twenty feet to their left, banging against the fence. Dead zombie bodies, having been electrocuted until their brain completely fried, littered the ground. "We're going to throw the gate open and make a run for it." Matt told Amaryllis, and she answered with a brisk nod.
"On five." Amaryllis said with a grimace. They both grabbed onto the handles of the gate. "1. 2. 3. 4. 5."
They wrenched open the gate, immediantly turning on their heels, darting across the green back to the RV. The moans and growls behind them quickened, the zombies excited by the new potential source of food.
Matt threw himself around the rv, throwing open the door. He waited until Amaryllis threw herself inside before he followed, slamming the door shut behind them.
Harper had already started the RV. She slid into the passenger seat, letting Matt take her spot. He quickly switched it into drive and jerked the steering wheel. The RV creaked and groaned as it spun around. The zombies spilled in through the gate, not moving as the vehicle came screeching towards them. They threw themselves at the side of the RV. It hardly slowed as it bumped into them and they fell under the wheels, causing the people inside to be roughly bounced around. Two of the zombie horses could be seen chasing after them as they sped off down the road, through miles and miles of wheat fields and empty scenery.
-*-*-*-*-*-
Taniss turned down the TV as the alarm on his phone blared out across the room. It signalled that his parents would be returning home from their party soon. He entered the kitchen and pulled back the curtain to look out the window, his eyes widening at the sight of the car already parked in the drive way. It was empty. He hadn't heard anyone come in. A door slammed from the other room. He was running through the hallway into the living room in an instant, sliding to a halt in the entrance way.
A large figure loomed over the tiny girl, wrapped in a small blanket, that he had left on the couch. Taniss stalked confidently across the room and gave the burly man a shove. He must've been drunk, 'cause he stumbled before regaining his footing and turning to glare at his son.
"Don't touch her." Taniss spat darkly.
The man looked unamused. "I have not had a good day. I'd suggest you leave now before things get worse for you."
"I'd be glad to. But i'm taking her with me." He backed up a few paces, not daring to turn his back on the man.
Craig Carter hadn't been this drunk in over a year. Taniss preferred not to think about what had happened the last time he was. His father pulled back a fist, but it was easy to deflect in his clumsy state. "Dad, stop it, you're drunk."
"It was one hell of a party." Craig said with a grunt, clutching onto the back of the couch for support, his gaze flitting over his son.
Taniss took his chance to scoop his sister up off the couch. He wrapped the disney blanket tighter around her as he dodged his fathers next attack and skipped stealthily around the couch. Before Craig could realize what was happening, Taniss was running up the stairs. He threw open the bedroom door, his heart clenching at the sound of Scarlett sobbing into his t-shirt. He set her carefully down on the bed, pulling the chain around his neck out of the safety of his shirt, and unlocked the chest at the end of the bed. It was padded comfortably with blankets and pillows, and had two teddy bears inside.
He glanced up as he opened it. Scarlett was kneeling at the edge of the bed now, peering into the chest with a look on her face that could only be described as fear. She glanced up at him with tear soaked eyes.
"We're going to play a game." Taniss told her, fighting to keep his voice steady. He could hear his father roaring angrily downstairs.
"I don't like this game anymore." She said with a sniff, tiredly wiping her eyes.
"It's a fun game." He assured her, offering her the brightest smile he could muster. "You're my princess, remember? Like Rapunzel, locked away in her tower. I couldn't build you a tower, so this will have to do."
She shook her head, her green eyes wide in dismay. "But this isn't fun."
He could hear his father clambering up the stairs. Cursing under his breath, he ducked to the right, reaching under the bed to pull out the bag of lucky charms he had stashed under there. "But I brought a snack this time."
Her expression changed to one of delight, and she held out her arms. He plucked her up off the bed, and laid her down in the chest, her head rested softly on the pillows, her dirty blonde hair framing her tiny face. "I love you, princess." He told her softly, planting a kiss on her forehead. He caught a glimpse of her shoving a handful of lucky charms hungrily into her mouth as he closed the lid.
He was just tucking the key back into his shirt as the door was thrown open, slamming against the wall. He hardly had time to bring up his hands to defend himself before his father was on top of him, his belt swinging in a high arch above his head.
The door to the bedroom at the back of the RV swung open, interrupting the flashback that had Taniss shuddering from something other than the cold. "Taniss?"
He shifted a little to glance in the doorway at Amaryllis, who hovered there, unsure. He didn't answer her. "Are you alright?"
He turned away, tucking one arm under his pillow. "I'm tired." He said absently, his voice not sounding quite like his own.
She ventured further into the tiny space, standing at the end of the small bed, her arms crossed. "Taniss, are you alright? I'm not trying to pry, but I think--"
"Can I sleep now?" Taniss asked harshly, although his voice wavered.
Nodding stiffly, Amaryllis backed from the room, letting the door click softly shut. She made her way to the front of the RV, holding onto the back of the passenger seat to keep herself upright as it bounced along the highway. She stayed silent until they reached the interstate, which had thankfully cleared up considerably. "Somethings wrong with Taniss."
"Yeah, we've got that." Matt answered dryly.
She fixed him with a hard look. "What are we gonna do about it?"
"What is there to do about it?" He countered, and she realized he had a point. Instead of saying this, she turned on her heel and slumped into the booth seat, pulling her knees up to her chest. There had to be something she could do.
-*-*-*-*-*-
Taniss didn't reveal himself until five hours later, and even then it was only because he had to use the bathroom. He voiced this to Matt, who nodded, giving him a blank look before taking the next exit. Taniss hovered behind his seat, staring out the windshield as the RV coughed and spluttered beneath them.
"We really need gas, anyways." Matt said, turning down the radio as he turned into the nearest gas station. Gas prices weren't important now. Everything was free, if you were willing to fight for it. Luckily the gas station appeared to be empty.
Amaryllis was out the door before the others had even stood from their seats. She was already pumping gas as they clambered out the door and stood, stretching their tired limbs. Taniss came around the side of the RV and stood there as she filled the tank, seeming almost unsure what to do with himself until Harper peeked around the vehicle and shot him a worried look. "We're going inside, are you coming?"
He nodded and walked off, leaving Amaryllis alone. After a minute, she followed them to the door, surprised to see that they were still standing in front of the RV, an awkward silence engulfing them. "We decided to wait for you." Matt explained.
They started towards the door. A low growl came from the side of the building. Their voices must've attracted the nearest zombie, and it shuffled around the corner. It was missing both an arm and an eye, but it was still just as much of a treat. Matt reached back, cursing to himself when he remembered that his gun was left in the RV.
Amaryllis wasn't armed either. Only Taniss was, and he made no effort to protect any of them. He only stared at the zombie, a strange, horrified look on his face. Amaryllis took action. In one swift motion, she had lifted his t-shirt, yanked the gun from the waistband of his pants, pointed it at the zombie, and pulled the trigger. The loud noise echoed loudly around them, it's sound followed closely by growls.
"Hoard of zombies nearby." Harper guessed, wrenching open the door. They hurried inside, shutting it behind them just as another walker came around the corner. Matt and Amaryllis dragged the empty ice cream machine in front of the door, keeping it from easily opening.
Harper sighed in relief. She was just about to turn around when a gun click sounded in her ear, and the gun itself was suddenly pressed against her left temple. The others held up their hands in surprise when they turned around to see a middle-aged woman holding her at gun point.
Matts mouth opened in surprise, and he scrambled to find something to say before he said in a determined voice, "we mean no harm."
She motioned passed him with the gun, at the glass door, where three zombies were already pressing against it, before settling it back against her head. "You brought those. That's enough of a reason for me to kill you."
Amaryllis let out a horrified noise as her finger slid over the trigger.