Sequel: Static Screams
Status: bloody

White Noise

Changeover

I really didn't like the idea of going back to...wherever these people were from. As I stumbled quickly but quietly back to the van, I just kept replaying the scene of Gabe aiming his gun at Lila, a small, petite, pregnant girl – the only one without a weapon, at that.

I kept replaying how I couldn't even move, how I was frozen in time as Scarlett took the lead and defended Lila. Lila. My best friend's girlfriend. My dead best friend's pregnant girlfriend. And all I could do was stand there and shake.

I pushed through limbs and branches, Peter and Natalie following close behind. Sasha, Lila, Scarlett, and Darren stayed with Logan, Gabe, and the other two bobbleheaded goons that accompanied them. I didn't like it one bit, but knew Lila couldn't backtrack the way we were – quickly and angrily.

When we reached the van, I turned and made eye contact with Natalie and Peter. Natalie seemed apprehensive, and Peter had a nettled, almost vexed look on his face.

“Are you both okay?” I asked, brushing hair and sweat out of my eyes.

Peter just shook his head and shrugged, but Natalie spoke. “It doesn't really feel right...the way he aimed at Lila. I don't like this,” she admitted.

I sighed in relief. “Good god, I thought I was just overreacting. You have that feeling too?”

Natalie nodded, and then Peter spoke up as well. “I didn't get any bad vibes from the girl or the other two guys, but Gabe...I don't know, Holland. There's something unsettling about him.”

“I think you guys are right,” I kicked at the ground. “But if there's a doctor there for Lila...I mean, she's my main priority right now, you know?”

Natalie surprised me as she threw her arms around my neck. “We're all going to take care of Lila,” she said softly. “Just like we're all going to keep taking care of each other.”

“No matter what,” Peter spoke, clapping his hand on my shoulder.

I wanted to cry, I wanted to break down right there, because even though just a few weeks ago we were strangers, Natalie and Peter were accepting me and Lila, taking us in. And not just because Scarlett said so, but because they wanted to.

When Natalie pulled away from me, I pulled the keys from my pocket. “Guess it's time to get the Death Wagon rolling, they're waiting on us.”

So into the van we got, and into the sunset we drove.

*

When we met back up with the others, Lila and Darren crawled into the van in silence. I raised my brow in confusion as I saw Sasha and Scarlett jump into the bed of the truck. Darren just shook his head slightly, a downcast expression on his reflection in the rearview mirror.

“What the fuck?” I asked them.

“Scarlett wanted to ride with them, just to keep an eye out. She wanted to be able to signal us if she started getting any bad feelings about this,” Lila explained.

I then realised that we were a divided group, although we were together: Lila, Scarlett, and Sasha seemed to be the ones that didn't verbalise any negative opinions about this, whereas Natalie, Peter and I were apprehensive at best. If Darren's scowl was any indication of how he felt, I'd say he probably wasn't too fond of the idea either.

But Scarlett told Lila it was her choice, and Lila chose, and Scar promised she'd get us out of there if anything went wrong...and I needed to trust her. For Lila's sake.

So we drove in silence, chasing the dying sunlight, until we pulled up to a worn down, rusty warehouse on the outskirts of a small town. At one point, this may have been a lumber distribution center, or maybe even the outlier for a paper mill. Now, however, it seemed to be a shelter for the ones who were left.

And for whatever reason, I had to laugh. A bitter chuckle spewed from my lips until I was cackling, tears falling from my eyes from how hysterical I thought this dire situation was. I knew the others were looking at me strangely as I parked the van beside the truck, next to a few empty barrels and piles of bricks.

But then I guess Peter caught on with my thought process, because he spat out a “what the fuck” before chuckling alongside me, and soon the two of us were in hysterics in the front seat.

“What's so funny, Hol?” Scarlett asked, pulling my door open. She spoke to me, but gazed at Peter in confusion.

“Holland has a fucked up sense of humor,” Peter answered for me, calming his laughter. “That's what's so funny.”

Natalie was silent, watching as Darren helped Lila out of the van. I pocketed the keys, making sure the doors were locked as we slammed them behind us, and looked up once again at this building.

I felt dread.

Peter and Natalie stood next to me on either side, as though they were guarding me. I felt silly, but I grabbed their hands. Neither of them pulled away.

Logan was walking beside Darren and Lila, leading them through rusted double doors. Step by step, the three of us followed behind them. Scarlett and Sasha were discussing something together, until they caught sight of us. Sasha didn't really seem affected, but Scarlett had a look in her eyes that was unfamiliar to anything I'd seen there before.

Jealousy? Anger? Hurt?

I couldn't tell, but I didn't like it. Instinctively my grip tightened on Peter's and Natalie's hands, and the three of us stepped through the double doors, into darkness.