Infested

The monster's spotted Max peeking out and dove at him. He sprung to his feet and grabbed one by the arms. With a grunt, he hurled it at the metal wall and squeezed in between the others, pushing them out of this way and bursting through the doors.

"Another one?!" Came an unfamiliar voice.

Max turned toward where it was coming from. Jess and Scott were being advanced on by two strangers, while a third was looking at Max and scowling.

"Um…" Max looked around awkwardly.

The third stranger dashed at him and pinned him to the wall.

"Who are you? Who are you and what are you doing here?!" The stranger boomed, pinning him hard.

"Ah!" Max exclaimed and tried to break free.

"What do you want?! Our food? Our water? The last of our weapons?!"

"What?! No no! We're here because we thought it was safe!" Max protested

"Liar! You're one of those bandits, aren't you?! Tell the truth!"

"Jeez Jess, this seems familiar." Max said sarcastically.

"Shut up…" Jess growled, as she too was pinned to the ground.

"Listen, pal, I don't know what you're talking about! The world has gone to shit and things just keep getting worse! Give us a fucking break!! I SWEAR TO YOU WE AREN'T BANDITS!!!" Max finally snapped. All that pent up anger was finally released.

Everyone gasped and stared.

"That's real anger, Mike, this guy ain't lying…" said the biggest guy.

All the noise attracted the military creatures outside. They growled and banged on the doors. The big guy ran over and pushed the shelf in front of the entrance, blocking the monsters off. Everyone sat in silence until the banging faded and the beasts gave up.

"Fine…" The stranger pinning Max, "Mike", finally spoke up and let go, backing away.

Max rubbed his arm and turned away from the wall.

"Let the others go." Mike nodded.

The big guy and the girl got off Jess and Scott, returning to Mike's side.

"Sorry about that. Safety precaution." The girl spoke up.

"Don't apologize to them. Nothing to apologize for." Mike shushed her and growled.

"What's going on here? You aren't military…" Max scowled, eyeing them carefully.

"Obviously. The military isn't here. Well, alive ones at least…" The girl responded, glancing at the floor.

"What do you mean? You saying we came all this way for nothing?" Scott sputtered, his eyes widening in anger.

"Now hold on. It wasn't exactly for nothing…" Jess butt in, attempting to calm everyone down.

"To hell, it wasn't. This place isn't the safe zone anymore." Max muttered.

"FUCK!" Scott clenched his fist and punched the wall, instantly recoiling in pain.

"Yeah, when we got here, most of the resources were ransacked by whoever was here last…" The big guy sighed, "...You're welcome to stay, but the place isn't in good condition."

"Um, when did we decided they were allowed to stay?" Mike chirped, "We gotta vote! Who thinks they should stay?"

The girl and guy both rose their hands.

"Fuck."

"I'm Lorrie, and this is Bron." said the girl, Lorrie, who pointed to the big guy."

The three waved and smiled, attempting to ease the tension arising in the room. After their heartwarming introductions, everyone was led to the main room where they hid from the creatures. It wasn't as bad as expected, but still could have been better. The windows were boarded up, the slightest bit of glimmering sunshine shone through the slim cracks and illuminated the room. Tables were overturned except for two large tables in the middle of the room, both worn but sturdy. Two boxes containing food and water sat in the corner, but were already a meal away from being empty.

"This floor is really the only safe area. All the other floors are swarming with military monsters.." Bron shivered, hugging himself at the thought of it.

He was big and tough, but more of a gentle giant. Max took a seat at the table with everyone else. Lorrie brought some food for everyone to eat. It was just some canned beans, and they were even cold, but food was food. Max, Scott, and Jess were all happy to have some food since it was already becoming scarce in their rough time. It was awkwardly silent, and the sound of them chewing made the situation unpleasantly worse.

"So….what brought you guys here…?" Lorrie spoke up, clearing her throat.

"Same as everyone else I guess, safety." Max replied, swallowing a mouthful of beans, "But I guess we came too late..any idea of what happened?"

"None. We came late too." Bron chimed in, "But it was terrible...we had to jump the wall and avoid the creatures in the front…and we heard screaming inside..."

"When we got inside, there was a large group of them..they..uh.." Lorrie continued for Bron, looking at his terrified, pale face, "They were feasting on some poor people who couldn't defend themselves…"

"That's...terrible…" Jess gasped, tears already evident in her shimmering blue eyes.

"There was only one left alive, who was cowering in the corner...they got to him and he-"

Mike slammed his fist on the table as hard as he could, tears slithering like snakes down his burning red cheeks. From the look in his eyes, he was internally weeping, his soul forever tormented by the horrific scene he witnessed. The screams of the innocent group being eaten reverberating in his ears.

"I don't want to talk about that anymore." He muttered.

"Mike...I'm sorry…" Scott said gently.

"We've all seen some pretty fucked up stuff, so you aren't alone.." Max added.

"You're right, but you don't get it." Mike growled, "These people were begging for mercy, screaming for their loved ones and that they didn't want to die. All this drowning out as they were torn apart and feasted on."

"It's true, that's an awful thing to witness, but in those situations, you got to count on your friends to comfort you." Jess nodded. "Think of this as an opportunity, an opportunity to avoid their fate. Fight. Fight as hard as you can. Fight to live another day. Protect those you love. All we can do for those poor souls is to pray that they live on in the next life."

Mike looked at her in revelation, nodded, and slowly pulled his hand back to his side.

"You're right…" he suddenly jolted up, "Let's lighten the mood a little. "Where were you when this first started?"

"I was on my way to work, it's not a really interesting job." Max shrugged.

"What is it?" Bron smiled.

"I'm firefighter believe it or not."

"Woah! That's wicked! How is that job NOT interesting?" Lorrie beamed, "How many fires have you fought?"

"Quite a few, it's a very thrilling job. Really makes your heart pound."

"Have you ever had to go in to save someone?"

"Loads of times, and it's still terrifying.."

"I can imagine, surrounded by flames and trying to get out alive." Mike shuddered.

"Did you ever...fail, to save someone?" Bron frowned.

"Yes. But it wasn't from a fire."

"Did you know this person? How'd they...die?"

"Yes, I knew her very well."

He stayed silent, not telling who she was or how she died.

"W-What about you Scott? Where were you?" Lorrie stuttered suddenly from the silence.

"I'm a computer engineer. I loved technology since I was a kid, so this is my dream job! I was developing a circuit board at work when I got some notifications about this whole thing. Headed straight home once I heard."

"Computer engineer huh? So you're a total tech wiz!"

"Technically yeah! I'm a techy guy so fighting monsters isn't really my forte.."

"And what about Jess?" Bron asked.

"I'm a songwriter. I have so many original songs at home, but I've never had the nerve to try and make them known. The day this started, I was heading to a radio station because I finally mustered up the courage.." She smiled weakly and held her hands together, "My family came with me for support...and then it happened…"

"What..?" Mike leaned in.

"They uh -"

A sudden loud rumbling noise vibrated the ground and made everyone jump out of their skin. It was the sound of vehicles passing by.