I stepped into the foyer with my heart in my mouth. It had been easy to volunteer myself to be the scout, but actually going through with it was another matter. The eerie silence inside the school seemed to amplify my sense of vulnerability as it reminded me how alone I was. The window into the reception area on my left revealed an empty room. There was a cup on the desk with half a coffee festering inside and various personal effects still scattered around; it seemed that people had left in a hurry. Trying to calm my fraying nerves, I pressed onwards into the long corridor. It stretched out before me in a looming manner, while a cafeteria was situated to my left and some steps to my right. I tried to figure out how best to clear the place, eventually coming to the conclusion that I should head down the steps first. They led me down into a dark corridor, the walls broken up by a few wooden doors. The lack of light unsettled me, sending my courage scattering away from me again. I forced myself to move, and in a panicked fear I sprinted to the end of the corridor, slamming myself into the lockers that lined the back wall with a metallic thud. The loud crash echoed, bouncing off the walls and ceiling. Well, if no one had known I was here before, they sure would now.

The cool metal felt calming against my flushed skin, as I pressed my back against the lockers, straining my ears for any sound. After two minutes of silence, I relaxed a little. Maybe Viola was right, it made sense that school would have been empty long before the world came to this. The gates had been locked, though the doors hadn’t, but it appeared no one had been here since it had evacuated. With a deep breath and feigned confidence, I crept forward and threw open the door to the nearest classroom. It was empty, much to my relief. I let out a sigh as I backed out, closing the door behind me. There were 4 other classrooms to check on this corridor, plus toilets. Everything was clear, and as I worked my way through, the silence became less eerie and more comforting. It wasn’t sinister as I had first suspected, it was peaceful. There was no noise because there was noone. I jogged back up the stairs, having successfully cleared one floor. Back in the main corridor, I could see Viola peering in through the glass panel of the main door. I gave her a thumbs up, which felt entirely too cheerful, but it wasn’t my fault that human gestures had developed that way. The cafeteria was next to search, and I wasted no time in clambering up the three small steps that lead to it. It was, predictably, completely empty. The tables and chairs were lined up against the walls, and the kitchen closed away with metal shutters. At least if there was anything in there, it wasn’t getting out any time soon.

As I was about to head down the main corridor the check the remaining classrooms, the main entrance rattled open, and Viola and Hallie strolled in. I rushed over to them, trying to shove them back out of the door.
“I haven’t finished yet,” I hissed, “There could be anything in here.”
“Then let me help,” Viola insisted, putting a hand against my arm to stop my pushing.
“And what if something happens to you? You’ve got Hallie to look after,” I reminded her.
Viola sighed, irately, “This is looking after Hallie. I want to help make sure this place is safe for us all. I can’t just sit back from ever helping with anything because I have a daughter. We all need to get used to navigating this world.”
I pursed my lips, but didn’t bother arguing. Viola was older than I was, and as a result, I’d gotten into the habit of letting her get her way.
“Fine,” I relented, “but we stick together.”
“Deal,” she agreed with a curt nod.

The rest of our search of the building had proved pleasantly fruitless, with no one else in sight. Deciding that this would likely be our safest bet for settling for some rest, I set about barricading the main entrance of the building with tables while Viola and Hallie had set off in search of keys. Hopefully a set had been left behind, just like the secretary’s coffee, in the rush to get out. I pushed one last table up to the doors and stood back to admire my work when a chilling scream rang out from down the long corridor. I bolted towards Hallie’s cries, calling out her and Viola’s names over and over until I reached the classroom they’d been searching. Hallie was cowering in the corner, and as I burst through the doorway, I let out a cry of my own.
“Auntie Maz! It came out of the store cupboard!” Hallie screamed, leaping up and running to me. I pushed her behind me as I watched the scene before me unfold. Viola was wrestling with a young girl who was clinging to her back.
“Marina,” she choked out, noticing me frozen in horror. “Marina, do something.”
I ran over to them, ripping my knife from its sheath as I approached the scuffle. The girl who was hanging onto Viola’s back could only have been about 5. She had curly blonde hair that was matted and dirty, stray strands sticking out all over. Her piercing blue eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot, and she snarled as she fought to cling on.
I raised my knife, but faltered. I felt paralysed, my limbs refusing to cooperate with my mind.
“Marina!” Viola called out more urgently. I tried to bring the knife down but I... couldn’t.
“She’s a child,” I stuttered, trying to win the battle of morals I was fighting against myself in.
“It’s not a child,” Viola shouted back, trying to rip the girl’s arms from around her neck. “Fucking get it off me!”
I pulled the knife back once more, but my mind was wrapped in tendrils of Esther that were slowly tightening and squeezing the life out of my volition. I gritted my teeth and pushed the memory of her away, plunging the knife down right as the girl sunk her teeth into Viola’s neck.

The scream that escaped Viola’s lips was bloodcurdling. There was a confused flurry of action as I leaned forward and ripped the girl away, throwing her to the side. Viola stumbled forwards, dissolving into a pile on her hands and knees as she clutched at her neck. I withdrew the knife before thrusting it back into the girl’s neck with some force; a guttural, pained sob escaping from my throat as I did so. My brain was on fire at that moment, overloaded with horror at my own actions. I fell back, leaving the knife in place. The girl’s little body twitched and seized on the floor, but stayed down.
“Vi!” I screamed, rushing to her side and pulling her up. She instantly collapsed against me, unable to take her own weight. There was blood pumping out of her throat at an alarming rate as gurgled moans bubbled up from her lungs. The sticky warmth of it soaking into my clothes turned my stomach. Hallie’s screaming from behind me wasn’t helping either.
“What do I do?” I garbled frantically, laying her down onto the floor. “How do I fix this?”
Viola only shook her head, unable to form any words. Her eyes were losing focus and her grip at her throat was loosening as the blood flowed freely out of her.
“Vi,” I pleaded, desperately. I held onto her helplessly as her breathing slowed to shaky judders. “Please, I can’t do this without you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I sobbed out, trying to press my own fingers against her throat. It was useless, her skin was slippery from the blood she’d already lost and I couldn’t get the pressure she needed. She reached up to touch my face, but her hand fell short as she gasped a last breath.
“No!” I shrieked, trying to press my hand against her skin more tightly. “Viola!”
Her body went limp in my arms, blood still running out of the wound on her neck. I fell forwards over her, trying to gather her up in my arms as I sobbed uncontrollably. My fingers entwined themselves in her hair as my other hand stroked her face, trying to draw some form or reaction from her, but her eyes were glassy and unfeeling. Her heart was still and her body lifeless. My sister was... gone.

We trekked back up the river bank in our near naked state, weaving through the trees in hopes of finding the trail back to the road. I felt Jimmy’s eyes sweep over me more than once, and I knew he was curious. I really didn’t want to engage in talk about my life story or how my body had come to be decorated in such an ugly fashion, so I kept the conversation flowing, purposefully steering it away from myself. I asked Jimmy about his family and his childhood, basking in the ease of his chatter as he jumped from subject to subject - along with frequently going off topic. He divulged many happy memories of his parents and siblings, regaling me with tales of broken bones and pranks and memorable family dinners. He spoke so animatedly that I never interrupted him, even if I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. I just let him run away with himself, as I watched him with amusement.
“And then,” he chattered on, “when I was in wood shop, this new lanky kid - with ironically awful hair – fucking smacked me in the back of the head. Well, I wasn’t having any of that, so I let rip at him and we got sent outside for fighting. Then it actually turned out he was pretty cool. And that’s how I met Syn.”
He grinned at me, as though waiting for applause. I was pretty sure we’d been talking about his dead pet dog, so I wasn’t entirely certain how we’d somehow seamlessly transitioned into the wood shop story, let alone having any idea who ‘Syn’ was.
“You’re going to have to fill in the blanks for me there, Jimmy,” I laughed apologetically, as his face dropped in disappointment. I was obviously supposed to have gotten the reference.
“I’m telling you the story of how I met Brian,” he explained, impatiently, hands flying about wildly.
“So what’s Syn?” I asked, still confused.
“What do you mean “what’s Syn?”? Syn is Brian,” he shook his head, as though it was obvious. “Did you live under a rock in Texas or something?”
“What?” I blinked, slowly losing my mind. Jimmy stopped sharply on the spot and looked over at me.
“Do you really not know who I am at all? Like, not even a tiny bit?” he asked, incredulously.
I scowled as I took in his face, trying really hard to place him. It was no use though, I’d never seen him before in my life.
“Should I?” I asked, weakly, feeling a little embarrassed. “Are you a celebrity or something?”
Jimmy flushed deeply at the suggestion, the colour sitting warmly against his pale skin.
“It’s not that you should know, or that I’m a celebrity or anything,” he muttered. “I’m just a little surprised that you don’t know me. Or any of us for that matter. We were kind of a big deal before all this.”
“What do you mean?” I quizzed, my curiosity piqued.
“Avenged Sevenfold?” he prompted, a tiny smile pulling at the corners of his mouth when he saw my blank stare. “We’re a band. Were a band.”
“A band… like music?” I asked, dumbly.
“Yes, a band like music,” he replied with a snort, “Jesus, you really did live under a rock.”
“Shut up,” I giggled, his teasing making me blush, but the embarrassment was pleasant all the same. “So, what did you play?”
“Drums,” he answered, sounding rather wistful. “Brian and Zacky were on guitars, Johnny on bass, and Matt did vocals and looked good.”
“Are you joking with me right now?” I giggled, trying to gauge his sincerity.
“No!” he protested, “I swear it’s true. We went on world tours! Actually, I’m kind of offended that you don’t know about us.”
His eyes twinkled as he pouted with mock disapproval. I laughed out loud as I tried to imagine them all in their heyday. It wasn’t difficult to do so with Brian, who clearly hadn't let go of it. The perfect harmonies in the van kind of made sense now...

“Anyway, enough about me,” he cleared his throat, nervously. “I want to know about you.”
“Me?” I felt myself shrink under his gaze. “I’d bore you to death, Mr Rockstar.”
“I’m not sure that’s true. What about your family? Your… sister?” he asked, gently.
I shrunk even further, “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“I don’t mean that that,” he hurried, anxiously. “I just meant what she was like. Forget it, we can talk about something else.”
“No, it’s ok. I just- I don’t really think about her, but at the same time she’s all I think about. I’ve never really spoken about her since…” I trailed off, unable to say the words. I realised we’d been standing in one place for quite some time, and I stepped forwards again, navigating around the twigs and stones with my bare feet. Jimmy followed. He caught up with me and looked at me with curious eyes and a soft smile, like he was genuinely interested.
“What was she like?” he asked, slipping into an easy pace beside me.
“I- I can’t… I don’t know how to talk about her anymore,” I admitted, looking away from him.
Jimmy shrugged, “We’ve got time for you to figure it out, if you want to.”
A few moments went by in silence as I thought about it.
“Ok,” I started, shakily. I paused, trying to find the words. A warm hand slipped into mine, and I looked up at Jimmy with surprise, but he was purposefully staring straight ahead. I let the gesture comfort me, as it was intended to do and took a deep breath.
“Viola was my world…”

Notes

N'aww. Cute, right?