Through The Dark

DAY 1

—Evening—

She laid there as the Sun disappeared in the west, and the sky of stars glow purple, pink and blue, as Twilight sets the transition to evening.

Alone. Cold. And catatonic. In her state of depression. The memories of fun and joy begin to resurface as she laid there sleeping in a dream that she wished was real.

Her isolated sleep was disturbed by sounds that were approaching closer and closer.

"What!? Man this is Tesla. How the hell did it-! Oh my god! Hey! It looks like the two got out of the car over here!"

It was the voice of a stranger That was looking at the wreckage, after he noticed Jessica and Manuel's corpse, another stranger appeared around behind the wreckage. They come closer to the two on the patch of grass.

"Hey Kid!" Jessica looked up and saw the stranger coming towards her. "Are you alright? Ah?!" The stranger stopped in his tracks as he was frozen with fear. His buddy behind him bumps into his back, from the sudden stop.

"What the?! Ronnie, why did you stop? We need to get back to the others. We need to stick to… Oh, sweet Jesus Lord and Savior!" Ronnie held a flashlight and the bright beam pointed at Jessica, revealing her pale face covered in black veins, as they appeared when the light shined upon her and revealing her black and red eyes.

Same eyes of a monster.

Jessica was clearly confused as she hadn't recognized her new features. The bite mark was still on her arm. The two strangers snapped out of their paralyzing fear and acted out of instant fear.

"Ahhhh, F**K THIS S**T!" Ronnie held up a crowbar and started swinging it towards Jessica.

*CLANK!*

The solid metallic bar hits the side of her head, right above your ear. Her head whipped away hitting the ground.

"Aaaa,leeethhh!" Strangely she didn't act like she took a hard hit from the crowbar. Usually it would have caused major damage to the point where it might have caved in her skull. But all that was left was a light bruise.

"Aaaa, hey!? Wha-what Is your problem?" She spoke clearly, not bothered by the attack. She then got up on her knees and rubbed the bruise mark where she got hit. "I… he… we needed help. A truck or a car… crashed into us. But… now… he is gone… he is gone."

Ronnie, the stranger, took a step back and was shocked by what he was hearing. "You? You can talk!? How?!"

To Ronnie and his friend. They have been fighting and surviving for the past few hours trying to escape from the madness that has fallen upon this day. From they're previous experiences, they know that any person with eyes of full red and pupils black, they would be a mindless, flesh yearning monster seeking for them. But hearing for the first time in the whole day they found a child with the same features but acting like they're a normal human being. But until Ronnie's friend thought of a previous experience that he knew that a talking monster doesn't prove they're safe.

"Ronnie, stay away. She might be a special mutation from one of those flesh eaters. Stay back!?"

"Ahuu? Okay but what are we going to do Cedric? That did nothing to her!"

"It doesn't matter. Let's just get away!"

Cedric and Ronnie retreated back around the car and made their way up the hill to the main road of the neighborhood.

As the two strangers disappeared, Jessica continued to sit on her knees on the ground, feeling her bruise mark on her head. And she was rubbing. She started to think more and more of what was going on when she first woke up from outside the car.

If I was outside the car? Would that mean fat? I was launched out when the car was rolling. But would that mean I could have died or should have died? No. I should have died before. I should have died when… She bit me. I should have died in the car. But no, I'm still here and… and now… He's dead.

She began to cry, as she grieved.

She sat there for a little while then she got up on her feet and started to walk towards the Tesla. She grabs the rear view mirror from inside the car and Yank it out with unexpected strength.

Then she started to realize how strong she is. Before She never really tried to lift anything heavy but now she was able to tear the seat belt strap apart and carry her father away. She carried her father. And now she just straight up pulledl the rear view mirror that was attached to the car ceiling.

She was visibly surprised at what she could do. She looked at herself in the mirror. And what she first saw was her face. The black veins that surround her eyes as they go under her eyelashes and eyebrows. As they look veiny and pulsing. And her eyes. They were black and red.

"Just like hers."

Either looking at herself in the mirror, She now understands why those two strangers are scared of her. She is one of them monsters. To the front of the car where the trunk is. Was the bag that Manual packed earlier for Sedona. She crawled towards it and pulled it away from the car as she sat next to Manuel. She opened the bag and saw the food stacks, and boxes of ammunition and clothes.

She saw one of the snacks in the bag was a Hostess Twinkie. Grabbing hold and ripping open the wrapper and take a bite of the sweet Sponge cake filled with whipped cream. But the moment she ate it as it was in her mouth she munch and crunch. Until the taste hit her like a whip.

*GAG!*

She spit out the sweet treat. As the taste was so revolting that it felt like she was actually eating an sponge that was scrubbing for weeks and never been replaced as it was covered in so much grease and filth. Just a thought of it. Made her gag more, feeling like she was about to throw up, she went through the bag, and found a bottle of water. After twisting the cap open and taking a sip. She spit out immediately and followed her vomiting.

*COUGH! COUGH! GAG!*

"What the!? Ugh, Why did Dad pack this. It's so awful!?" her voice was raspy as her throat burned. Drinking that water wasn't disgusting. It was painful. The liquid was like an extreme hot sauce That did not just burn her tongue but her throat. It would have been like drinking acid. She continued coughing as her throat still burned.

"Where is it!?"

"Down here!"

Those two strangers started leading a small group of four towards her. They arrived and saw Jessica, as she was kneeling down, over her bag. They flashed a flashlight over her and they saw her eyes in the veins on her face. They were all fearing her.

Jessica was shocked that they came back, Why she asked. Then out of nowhere, one of them had a pump Shotgun and pointed the barrel at her.