* Jordyn McClain
I woke up this morning like every other day, turning on my music to full blast, next getting in the shower, brushing my hair and teeth and then got dressed for work, turning my radio off before heading down stairs. My mom usually had made breakfast just before dad and I would wake up. I could always expect to see her platting the waffles with dad sitting in his chair, reading the newspaper and sipping his coffee, but with this morning, it was different.

The second I opened my bedroom door and stepped out into the hallway, the smell of burnt coffee filled my nose, instantly sending me a headache. I rubbed my head and went back into my bathroom to take some Tylenol before heading downstairs to get some food into my system so my stomach would quit growling.

I dragged myself back out of my room and downstairs. The living room was empty and my dad wasn't in his recliner, where he usually was every morning. I looked around the room and even in the dining room to find him, thinking maybe mom wanted to have a formal breakfast or something.

The dining room was just as empty. I was about to call for my parents when I heard the sound of glass crashing against the floor, coming from the kitchen. I ran in through the house, heading for the kitchen, thinking maybe one of them dropped the coffee pot. I turned the corner from being out in the hall.

My mother was in her nightgown, hunched over the floor. Yep, she must have dropped something and was now bent over to pick it up because there was glass every where. I was about to go over to her and ask if she needed any help when I saw something move from underneath her. That is when I saw a pair of feet lying underneath her, surrounded by a pool of blood.

I could see now that a person was lying on the ground, a male dressed in my father’s clothing. It could only be my father, lying in his own blood and insides. He let out a scream as my mother lunged for his abdomen and bit right into him. I was about to scream as the tears started to sting my eyes when suddenly a hand clamped over my mouth to keep me quiet. I started to freak out and began to panic.

I had no idea who would have been behind me, so I started kicking and tried to jab my elbows into the person’s stomach, hoping they would be hurt and might end up letting go but I missed each time. The scream was muffled underneath their hand so neither of my parents heard. I tried to grab onto the hand and get away from the person’s hold but the contact only grew tighter. Then I felt the person tug on my arm and started pulling me back.

They began to pull me away out into the hall, away from the wounded body of my father and the cannibal my mother turned into over night. I tried screaming again, hoping someone would hear and try to help but I kept being shushed in my ear.

I quickly got the idea to bite down onto the person’s hand and clenched my teeth between the thumb and index finger. The person behind me let out a yelp and instantly released. I didn't even look back before I ran up stairs into my bedroom and slammed the door. That’s when I heard a gun being fired from the first floor, shooting several rounds. I locked my door and crawled under my bed to find an escape from all that was going on. What was happening to my family? Who the hell tried to drag me away, and to where?

All of a sudden, there was a quick knock at the door and before I could answer-even though I wasn't going to-it started to shake as the person tried to get inside. The knocking grew louder and harder. I covered my ears and began try sob in the cool darkness from underneath my bed.
“Jordyn, open the fucking door!” Alexis’ familiar voice shouted from the other side.

I wiped my eyes, crawled out of the small space, and went over to unlock the door. I opened it, seeing her red eyes glaring at me, clutching her bleeding hand. I gasped, realizing what I had done and pulled her inside, locking back up again.

“Alexis!” I shouted, pulling her into a tight hug with a tear stained face. “How-What are you doing here? Who was that shooting? It isn't safe anymore. You shouldn't have come over. Something happened to my mom, and I saw my dad-He was on the floor and…and-” I couldn't continue my ranting anymore and began crying even harder, covering my face behind my hands.

She quietly shushed me and gave me another hug to calm me down. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, and just to let you know, I was the one with the gun.” She said, pulling away to show me a pistol that she had tucked under her shirt. My eyes widened at the sight of it. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I saw this too. I mean, I saw someone trying to eat my dad.” She said, grabbing me by my shoulders. “Jordyn, I'm sorry I have to tell you this, but…I shot your parents.” She said, barely able to look at me.

"What?” I almost screamed. “Wh-Why would you do that? They’re my parents, Alex. What did they do to deserve to die?” I shouted, shoving her arms off my shoulders.

“Jordyn, calm down! I had to or they were going to kill you and me both!”

“What are you talking about? They would never do that!” I yelled, feeling so confused and angry all at the same time.

“What, did you not see your mom practically feasting on your own father?” She yelled, pointing at the door with her gun.

“So! That doesn't mean-”

She cut me off. “Fine, if you really wanted to die then I should have just let them come and eat you alive! That would be the first thing to happen if I didn't shoot them, Jordyn! Do you want to die? Do you have a fucking death wish?” She screamed at me.

I hated being yelled at by Alexis. She was scary when she got mad and started her threats. It wasn't as bad as when Zoey got angry, which was always, but still it frightened me to see her this way because it didn't happen often.

“What do you mean?” I asked, wiping away the tears with my t-shirt sleeve.

She told me her story and what happened to her this morning. I listened in horror, finding out that her father had come back from the dead and had chased her out into the woods to eat her. She didn't even know where Michael was, knowing it wasn’t the right thing to do by leaving him there, but she had no other choice but to get into the car and drive off. Her father would have gotten to her too if she hadn't.

I hugged her one last time before pulling away. “Alright, what is it that I need to do? Pack my bags and get my stuff?” I asked, going over to my closet as she nodded. I didn't argue much with any of the girls and always did as I was told, and that was one of my worst qualities.

“Yeah, grab as much clothes as you can and only bring the stuff you must absolutely need and can't live without.” She directed, grabbing a bag as I handed it to her and helped me pack. "Oh, and by the way," She said, picking up my stuffed frog that I've had since I was ten from off of my bed and turned to look at me. "Mr. Hoppers isn't exactly what I mean when I say can't live without."

I pouted. "What, why not?" I said, going over to her and picked him up, squeezing him against my chest. "My mom gave this to me when I was little. There's no way I can sleep without him."

She rolled her eyes and sighed but smiled softly, setting down a bag she was holding on the bed. "Fine, you can take him...if," She paused. "If you have room. You can't afford to make a poor decision and decide to bring him instead of something you'll actually need."

I smiled before hugging him again. "Oh don't worry, I know you won't think of it as a poor decision, because without him, I won't get any sleep, then I would just keep you up all night.

She gave me a horrified look before snatching him out of my hands and stuffed him deep inside the bag she had, then going over to my dresser. I laughed and went back to what I was doing.

“So where exactly are we going to go?” I wasn't going to question her on why we needed to leave, but mostly because I never did question Alexis’ authority. No matter what, I did not want to be around a mother who would eat her own husband. I don’t know what had become of her. This was something I never saw coming.

She shrugged and threw my stuff on the bed. “I don’t know yet, but we do need to contact the other girls. If all of this is happening to them like you and me, they may need our help. What if one of them got hurt or needed to be rescued?”

“But what if it only happened to just us? What if they’re okay? Would we have to live with them?” I asked, hoping for a hint of redemption for the both of us in our lives.

She nodded. “We’d have to. Now come on, put your stuff out in the car. I've still got it running and I'll pack some supplies, okay?”

I shook my head yes and grabbed my bags, reluctant to go down stairs again and see my parent’s lifeless bodies on the kitchen floor with bullets inside them. I knew Alex had to do it, it was the only way to keep the both of us alive. “Do it quickly, please. I don’t want to be alone any more than I have to be.”

She gave me a half-hearted smile. “Okay, I'll try.” I was about to walk out when she stopped me. “Hey, Blithely?” She called me by my childhood nickname that my parents used to call me.

I practically grew up with Alexis so she got used to hearing it and began calling me that too. Now the rest of the girls used it as my name because it just fit so well with my personality. I was really going to miss hearing my parents call me by the cute nickname. I was going to miss seeing them every day.

Now I had no one that could comfort me the way that they did, no one to hold me at night like they used to when I was a child. All I really had were the memories that I would always cherish and keep close to me. I knew I could still count on Alex and the rest of the girls to be there for me, as I would be for them all, but still it just wouldn't be the same.

I turned to face her. “Yes, Alex?” I said, using her nickname.

“You don’t suppose your parents have any guns, do you?” She asked with hopeful eyes.

I raised my eyebrows. “Yeah, why? You don’t think we’ll need them…do you?” I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

She shrugged. “I hope not, but it’s better to have them just in case. Believe me, I didn't expect to be using this gun anytime soon." She said, tucking it back underneath her shirt. "I can't imagine what the other girls might be going through right now. We need to hurry. Where do they keep them?” She asked, following me out into the hallway.

“My dad had stored a hand gun in the bedside table. There’s a rifle underneath the bed and I think he has a couple shotguns in the closet underneath the stairs.” I said, listing off the ones that I knew about, trying to remember all of the places he’d hid them.

She chuckled and raised an eyebrow at me. “Damn, do you think he has enough?” She asked sarcastically.

I shrugged. “He likes to hunt, you know that.” I said, unable to talk about my parents in past tense. I wasn't ready to forget about them and think of them as deceased. They would forever remain in my heart until the day I die.

I walked down the stairs as fast as I could, without looking to my left at the kitchen. I couldn't handle seeing them like that, all bloody and sprawled out on the floor. It would be the last time I would ever see them and that wasn't the image I wanted to remember them by.

Once I got to the escalade, I threw my stuff into the back as fast as I could and quickly ran back inside to help Alex out by grabbing some things we might need. I heard her rummaging through the kitchen while I headed up to the bathroom and grabbed a laundry basket full of toiletries.

I stuffed inside some shampoo and conditioner, the new ten-pack of toothbrushes mom just bought, toothpaste, razors-no need for anyone getting a little hairy legged-deodorant and last, feminine products that we would definitely need.

I also grabbed some towels, a few small blankets and pillows before carrying it all down with me to the car. I could still hear Alex in the kitchen so I knew not to glance inside and check to see if she was still there. I didn't want her disappearing like Michael had.

I sat in the car and waited for her to finish gathering food, quickly trying to think of anything else we might need.

She finally came out with a box of canned and frozen foods, along with cooking tools. Were we really going to need all of this? She threw them into the trunk before coming over to the driver’s side.

“Wait a minute, how are we going to keep all of that from getting spoiled?” I asked.

“I brought an ice chest, that’s why I grabbed a bag of ice to keep it cool.” She pointed out. I nodded as I saw it along with the other stuff she grabbed. “Now, is there anything else that you might possibly need before we leave and it's too late? Because we're definitely not coming back.” She asked.

I sat and thought for a minute. There wasn't any items left that I could think of, but there was something I needed to do…for my parents and even for myself. I got out and went over to her side. She hadn't got in yet and was standing with her door open.

“Did you forget something?” She asked.

I shook my head and held out my hand. “Hand me your lighter.”

She looked at me confused. “Why? What are you doing?”

I sighed. “Please, Alex. I need to do this…for my mom and dad.”

She nodded as if she knew. “Okay, here” She said, fishing through her pocket and pulled it out.

I grabbed onto it tightly and stood on the porch. The front door was still open and I could see my father’s legs sticking out of the kitchen archway. I shut my eyes to fight away the tears and lit the lighter. I went in and lit the sofa, rug and some of the carpeted staircase before throwing the lighter on the floor as the room set ablaze. I quickly ran out of the house and went back to the car, wiping my eyes as the tears started to pour.

I hated leaving my home, the place I grew up in for over 19 years. I didn't want to leave my parents behind like that, even if they were dead, to burn into ashes. Though I knew I couldn't just let them lie there in their own, cold blood. I figured, since there was no time for burials, the only way I could truly set their souls free would be through cremation.

Alex and I both got in and started the car, pulling out of the drive way and onto the main road. I sat up and turned around, looking back at the house that was now surrounded by flames as the smoke began to grow.

“Don't look back, because everything you once knew has changed completely for forever, and I'm sure that's not how you want to remember it all." I knew she only meant good, but her words stabbed my heart like a stake driven through it. She was right. "Are you okay?” She turned to look at me and see how I was doing.

I shook my head no and stared out my window. I couldn't help but cry, there was no way of hiding it. I was too upset to pretend to be okay.

She patted my knee to try to comfort me. “Everything is going to be fine, I promise. We’ll get through this. Maybe the rest of the girls are okay and we can live with them. I'm sure Caytie and Haylie’s parents would take us in, and if not, we could always live with Zoey and her sister.” She smiled, trying to act hopeful but I knew her too well and could see it in her eyes…she was just as scared, she just had a better way at hiding it.

I stayed silent for while as we continued to drive to Zoey's to check on her and make sure she’s okay. She lived in an apartment in the city with her older sister. Once Zoey turned 17 she moved out of her parent’s house, in order to rebel against their rules and moved in with her sister, Ashley. I guess she just grew tired of having to listen to her parents' strict orders and broke free. The drive was going to be awhile until we would be able to reach her. I just hope she wasn't stuck in the same position we were in and her sister was trying to eat her too.

Alex and I both lived downtown, where it was mostly trees and the housings were all spread out. The closest neighbor either of us had lived at least a block or two away. Even though it was always quiet on this side of town, today, everything just seemed too quiet. There seemed to be no life around. I could usually see people outside mowing the grass or kids playing on their front lawn but now I saw no one.

Alex seemed to sense it too and sat tensely in her seat, keeping quiet. The trees started to thin as we were coming up at the clearing. There was only one main highway that led from where we lived into the city and that was usually very busy.

We pulled up to the red light and stopped shortly. I swear if there wasn't a stop light already there Alex would have slammed on the brakes at the sight in front of us. There must have been over a hundred cars sitting on the road, parked with their doors wide open. The entire road was swarmed with cars, some that were crashed into each other. The whole place was deserted. There wasn't a soul in sight.

“Uh…Alex, what happened? Where is everybody?” I asked, staring at it all in amazement and dread.

“I don’t know. It looks like everyone just…got up and left?” She shrugged, unable to look away from staring out the window.

I started to feel anxiety rush through me and I began to panic. “What are we going to do? What is happening to this town? Why did everyone just disappear? How are we going to get through? We can't just leave all of our stuff behind and walk to Zoey's.” I ranted, incapable of sitting still.

“Okay, okay, calm down!” Alex yelled, throwing her hands against the wheel and made me jump. “I don’t know what’s going on but now is not the time to start panicking. We have to go find the others. They might need our help. They may be our only hope!”

“And what if they’re not okay? What if they’re dead, just like everyone else here in San Francisco?”

“Don’t talk like that!” She screamed. “They aren't dead!”

“I have to talk like that because they are dead. You’re in denial Alex!” I screamed at her, tears trying to form in my eyes but I tried to wipe them away.

She sat there silently without moving, tears starting to form in her own eyes too. She didn't even try to hide it. She only looked out of the windshield in front of her. I instantly felt regret for yelling at her.

I leaned over and pulled her into a hug. “I'm so sorry Alex. I didn't mean to yell, I just…I'm so scared. What’s going to happen to us?”

She didn't look at me as she shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going to happen, or what we’re going to do.” She suddenly looked at me. “But whatever it is, we’re in this together.”

I nodded and tried to smile but only the corner of my mouth twitched up. “Forever…”

Notes