Chapter 1
To think that only a decade has passed since the world went to shit. Honestly, it feels like forever. No one ever thought we would be forced to live on Earth with these creatures. But I guess there isn't another option but to deal with it. Human beings created this mess, so why can they not put an end to all of the bloodshed? The answer is simple, don't you think? We Are Inferior.
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10 Years ago
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"Mommy?" A young girl called out continuously for her mother after regaining consciousness. "Where are we?"
The mother spoke in a soothing tone to the child, "We're still driving, Amina."
"Daddy, when we get there, can I get a toy?" Amina asked.
"That's fine, sweetheart. You can get whatever you want when we get to Jersey." The father assured his child.
While her husband drove, the woman in the passenger seat whispered to him, "Why lie, John? There is no point in holding back the truth now if it is going to have a devastating effect on her later." While her mouth was still full, she sighed and relaxed her posture before speaking again.
"C'mon, Diana. It's all going to work out fine. Cousin Duane is allowing us to stay with him until we get back on our feet. We'll be okay, I promise."
In spite of John's efforts to remain optimistic, he knew things would worsen before they improved.
A deflated sigh escaped Diana's lips as she looked out the windshield. She watched as the solar rays shone on the dashboard. Her eyes scanned the passenger's side car mirror as she looked to the side. Her reflection deflated her more than before as she stared at it. There was no sign of change in her exhausted, chocolate eyes. She knew that wouldn't happen soon. Putting her hand on her forehead, she looked up at the sky. Heat engulfed the car, making her feel uncomfortable. As she combed her hand through her hair, she tried to fix what remained of the bob she had originally had. It was an awful day and the Jones family knew it wasn't going to get any better anytime soon.
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Averting her gaze from her reflection, Diana looked out over the horizon. In the course of their approach, a feeling of dread grew in her heart. In a situation like this, she didn't want to rely on others. If she could handle it herself, she would. However, it wasn't a choice she made regarding their situation. Still, the way things have turned out so far.
In spite of her lips appearing tightly sealed, her mouth showed hints of a smile on the edges as she stared at John with a brown gaze. At first, when they met, he was the most malcontent person she had ever met. While she loved his optimism, she was incredulous that he had been the most pessimistic. Thoughts of older times softened her gaze, but thought of the present and future made her more irritated. As she itched her scalp again with her dominant hand, she looked away. "Why are we doing this?" Diana muttered in dissatisfaction.
While he kept an eye on the road, John let out a complex sigh. Getting closer and closer to their destination made driving easier, but he still had to concentrate.
Having passed by a road crack smoothly, he gave Diana his full concentration for a moment. "I never wanted to." He said quickly as he tightened his grip on the wheel to deal with an increasing sense of anxiety. "I tried to keep telling you something, but did you listen? There is nothing wrong with asking for help." Diana did not respond. It would be foolish to say that not asking for help was okay. She knew what a mistake that statement truly was, and John did just as well.
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A strange silence swept over the vehicle since now the only sounds were those outside, including the engine. A moment later, after a soft gasp of illumination, Amina shrieked, "Daddy!" Her shout came so suddenly that John almost slowed down the car, but recovered as he only slowed down briefly.
Seeing John's expression as he looked towards his daughter, Diana suppressed a smirk. "Yeah, darling?"
"Play music!" Amina yelled. Diana could not help but chuckle, despite still being upset.
The man said, "Alright, alright." Based on what he saw, Diana did not have a problem with it either. Fortunately, the audio, which was initially low, did not blow out anyone's eardrums when he turned on the radio static. He switched channels several times.
It was evident that static was being broadcast on several channels, and Diana raised her eyebrow in curiosity, but let go of the thought as John had found one that had started playing a familiar song.
As the three remained silent, Amina hummed in approval, allowing the music to wash over them all. During this calm period, Diana was able to relax before the storm.
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The Jones family arrived in New Jersey to find the sky dark, thick clouds forming, and white snow covering the New Jersey roads. "Baby, get up." John gently tapped on his wife's shoulder to wake her up. Her eyelids trembled before they fluttered, when she woke up. "We're here," he said, pointing towards a beautiful light-blue two-story building.
After a brief sigh, she grabbed her belongings, placing them in her purse. "I don't like that we're doing this. I'd rather be home working shit out on our own," she complained.
Diana cut John short before he could finish his sentence, "Wait, I" Diana hurriedly exited the car. Although she disagreed with him, he remained steadfast in his decision, refusing to relent. "She must come around soon," John whispered softly under his breath, trying to keep Amina from hearing him.
After apologizing to Amina outside the car, John got out and opened Amina's door, unbuckling her seatbelt, and a forced smile appeared on his face.
Having been lifted by her father, Amina wrapped her arms around his neck. The house drew her attention more than anything else. She exclaimed in awe, "Wow, daddy, this is so different from our home.".
Taking a moment to pause, John glanced at the house. This could be their new home for a while, and it was a lot to digest. In spite of this, he remained confident that they would remain here until it was necessary to leave. John kissed Amina softly on the cheek before she was led inside. "That's right honey, it is." John replied softly.
The snowstorm was getting worse just as they arrived, and it was likely to cause the same damage as the previous one.
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Once inside, John let Amina down to help her remove her jacket. In the living room, he overheard his wife and cousin-in-law already talking.
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"It's been so long, Diana!" A woman opened her arms cheerfully towards Diana, offering a contagious smile as she opened her arms cheerfully. The latter accepted the gesture gratefully. It was a warm and comfortable hug between the two, one that brought old friends together.
"Thank you for helping us out, Angela. I can't thank you enough." Diana said as she eased out Angela's hug.
"Don't you worry about it now, it's no trouble for Duane and me. Duane has been taking on more shifts, so I could use some more company." She chuckled with a playful eye roll.
A groan from her friend followed Diana's amusement, "What, baby Arianna doesn't make good company?"
"Girl, that child is only eight years old and is bringing home gossip from school. When she came home so excited to tell me what she heard in the restroom, can you imagine what she told me?" She shuddered. "It's still elementary school and they're talking about relationships. Man, Arianna told me about each and everyone," Angela laughed.
Diana countered with a smirk, "Now you know how you were until after high school. Then you entered a relationship of your own and kept to yourself."
"Oh, shut up. Do you remember that one time we confronted Don's cheating ass?"
"Didn't we slash his tires once?" Diana held her right hand in a tight fist in front of her mouth to calm her laughter. "God, Don was such a.."
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"Aunt Angela!" Amina shouted out in excitement as she ran up to the woman who shared the same gleeful expression.
"Amina! Hello, sweetie! How have you been!?" She took the young girl by the arms, lifting her into the air.
"Good!" She would cheerfully say.
"That's terrific to hear. I'm glad. Arianna is in her room, as you know. Let me take you there, honey." Amina's eyes practically sparkled, but she turned to her parents, Diana who was already there, and John who had just walked in behind her. As they nodded, Amina looked toward Angela who took the girl by the hand and set her down gently. "Duane is in the kitchen." Angela said as John nodded thankfully. "Off we go!" She said rather playfully as she took Amina toward her own daughter's room.
"I'm glad to see she's the same as ever." John said as Diana nodded and walked into the kitchen.
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Upon seeing Diana enter, Duane immediately set down his phone. "What's good, D?" He asked calmly, but still filled with enthusiasm.
Diana responded just as calmly, "Nothing much, bruh."
"Hey." John said unironically as he walked in after Diana.
"How did the trip go? Did the snowstorm ruin the road or anything?" He asked as he hugged Diana and John. While John's hug was rougher, over time he has learned to brace himself for Duane's strength.
"Trip went smoothly. I hear another snowstorm is coming through." Diana said concerned but overall not seeming bothered.
"For whatever reason, they have been tougher this season, so Angela and I are going to the grocery store." Duane stated.
"Tonight?" John inquired as he sat beside Duane, while Diana sat across from him.
People are flooding the stores right now for supplies because of the approaching storm. We only need a few things, so we'll go at night when things calm down. Arianna was also promised we'd take her to the grocery store." He said nonchalantly, and the two looked puzzled.
"Mind if we come? Amina might like it too." Diana asked.
"I don't mind. Do you guys need to get anything?" Duane inquired as he got up and walked to the kitchen counter to start making some coffee.
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Across the kitchen entrance, Angela demanded more or less, "John, get over here for a minute." He glanced at Duane, who shrugged. Getting up promptly, he followed her out.
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"You need to be a better man, John. There is no doubt that Diana is upset about this situation, and yet you are just letting her be." Angela would say.
As Angela squinted at him in the living room, John said, "It's impossible for me to know what she's thinking. She's probably just angry that I took us here."
As a kind of white noise, the TV was playing in the background. When Angela took a sip of the coffee Duane brought not so along, she countered, "You're her husband."
The girls were still playing in the other room while Duane helped Diana organize her luggage.
As John sipped his coffee, he contemplated why Diana would be so angry. "You know she dislikes getting help from others. That trait should be discarded, especially during these tough times." John said firmly in a cold manner.
The expression on Angela's face showed understanding, despite her slight sigh. "In any case, how is Amina doing with your...situation?"
Taking another sip of his coffee, John continued. "We found some buyers for the house. If we get grinding, we can start renting around town. Amina didn't want to leave her friends back home, but she did it without much fuss... for us."
"Are you two planning on enrolling her?" Angela questioned.
"As of now, Diana would rather homeschool her. She says she can teach her things better than any school in the city." John told the woman.
"Sounds like Diana, but Amina won't grow up living at home." Angela replied.
"That's what I'm saying." John finished as Angela continued to comment throughout the conversation.
"I know it's been difficult for her to depend on others since then." Angela said as she looked up at John who turned his attention to the TV.
"But I won't give up on her." John said as Angela nodded her appreciation before turning to the TV. Her eyes sharpened as she began to listen to it actively.
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"And for some news, regarding the recent virus outbreak. It seems the virus has begun to spread east of the United States. Due to an outbreak that had unexpectedly occurred in a high-security hospital."
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"Momma! " John jumped at the shout, turning around and turning off the TV as Arianna ran into the living room, followed by Amina. Angela asked hastily to her mother, "Can we go yet?" She looked outside and then glanced at the clock on top of one of the bookshelves. "Already? Alright then, get your shoes on."
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"I'll get Diana and Duane." John said while watching Amina and Arianna make their way to the entrance doors, followed by Angela. The two were conversing as well in the guest room when he walked in. Their attention was drawn to John when he entered the room.
John half-joked, "They seem eager to get to the grocery store." Duane nodded and said, "I'll start up the car." As he walked past John to exit the room.
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Diana began to walk forward for a moment. John stepped closer to her slowly, not enough to forcefully stop her, but enough to let her know that he wanted to talk. Despite her silence, she glanced over, which John took as a clue. Diana remained silent, but her gaze softened as he said, "Look, I'm sorry that I handled it this way." He began, and Diana remained silent. "But I think we need this. It isn't wrong to ask for help. Even if it has been proven otherwise before, it does not mean it will always be that way."
Despite John's protests, Diana walked forcefully past him. While he was thinking about turning, she hugged him from behind. I don't like it, but we'll work it out. Then she pressed John against the doorframe and said, "I love you." He didn't exclamate, but his expression did that for him. "I know you trust me to tell you what I'm thinking. I'm sorry for being….. challenging. Just surprised, I guess. You've never done something like this before."
Her question came after a pause, but John wasn't sure of the answer. "Will you do it again?" John looked at her, perplexed by the question.
She waited patiently and after a dozen seconds, he gave her one. "If it's to protect you or Amina, I probably would."
A chuckle escaped Diana's lips as she took a deep breath. "Next time, I'll know what to expect. Let's not keep them waiting." Diana said, walking out of the house. John glanced at her, then turned the corner and smiled, letting out a soft laugh.
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They had taken Duane and Angela's five-seater. While Duane and John sat in front, Amina and Arianna sat on their mother's lap in the back.
Duane was driving when they arrived at the grocery store. It was surprising to see only a few individuals shopping there other than the staff.
Angela and Amina were playing one aisle over while Diana and Angela looked at flashlights while Duane and John were shopping for things they would need during the upcoming snowstorm.
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"What about this?" Said John as a small package of double A batteries appeared in his hands.
"The batteries we have at home already work. What we need are nails." Duane replied.
"Why nails?" A loud metal bang was heard in the distance, presumably someone pushing a door too hard. Following the noise, the four raised their heads and looked towards the aisle's end. However, Arianna and Amina were at the open end of the aisle. "Look what we found!" Arianna exclaimed as she held up a flower pot. With a pink background and purple floral patterns, it's rather colorful.
"That's nice Arianna. What else do they have in that aisle? Diana asked, raising her voice to be heard.
"Oh, I'll bring more!" Arianna handed the flowerpot to Amina as she patted her shoulder. In her walk forward, she wished to tell how the floral patterns felt under her hands. Unlike the smooth clay used for the rest of the pot, this material was different.
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"Try not to break anything Ari-" Angela tried to speak but was cut off when Arianna walked out of view suddenly and was thrown back into their perspective beheaded with a see-through hole in her chest. A scream of fear erupted from Amina and she dropped the pot on the ground. "A…ARIANNA!" Angela started as she ran forward in disbelief.
When a ravenous, mutated creature flew past and smashed into the shelves of the aisle, she was stopped by Duane grabbing her arm and pulling her back.
Several items were dropped on the ground as the creature recklessly charged. As Arianna's severed head groaned in the hand of the creature, she roared in displeasure before the monster turned towards the five. As Angela saw the creature's hands holding her child's head, she screamed in terror.
What was she even looking at…? Angela's eyes were drawn away as the beast advanced. It wore clothes that were torn and ragged. Its head was almost completely covered in rot. Freshly split and dried blood covered the beast's mouth and hands. Despite this, the beast hardly wasted any time. Other screams were heard suddenly as it hunched forward like a predator. Suddenly, Duane drew his car keys from his right pocket and threw them at John. "Get to the car! NOW!" He said with command as John caught it and turned to book it, chasing after Diana who was already holding Amina. "RUN, ANGELA!"
"I- Arianna's…" Angela muttered as she slowly stepped back.
Her arm was pulled more viciously by Duane now than ever before. Being able to successfully pull her back a few feet. A blitz of speed caused the creature to leap forward, dropping Arianna's head and stabbing its right hand into Angela's chest in the same way it struck Arianna's.
Angela coughed blood and was interrupted even in her dying breaths as the creature's left hand moved across the air and struck her neck. Her head fell lopsided off her body, leaving a crimson cut across it. In disbelief, Duane tightened his grip on Angela's arm. The monster, however, swung out the arm that impaled Angela, and tore the bottom half of her body off.
After regaining his senses, he released Angela's arm and turned to join John, Diana, and Amina. However, he was interrupted by another creature similar to the other, in front of him. "... " He remained silent as he stepped back, looking beyond the creature at John's horrified expression. Duane simply took a breath and mouthed 'Leave' as John nodded and turned away as the creatures lunged at Duane.
"JOHN?!"
"I'M RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" John answered Diana's call as she continued to run with Amina clutched close to her chest. What just happened? There wasn't time to think about that. Get to the car, drive away. In spite of that, it seemed whatever creature they had seen just now wasn't alone.
To Be Continued…