I woke up in the pitch black. I was in the basement again. No... No.. No!
A door opened and someone walked in. I went unconscious.
When I awoke for the second time I screamed loudly and sat up right. I came to my senses and realised I wasn't in the basement. This was a bedroom. I was in bed.
Light streamed in from a window. This was a teenage boys bedroom. There were blue walls lined with posters of what I assumed to be famous sports stars and rappers.
There was a shelf with little action figures I did recognise as characters from anime.
There was a desk with a laptop on and a playstation.
This was similar to the one I had growing up granted it was cleaner and mine didn't have sports ribbons and posters.
A young tall man came running into the room with a bat in his hand.
I put my hands and arms over my face.
"You're awake" he said.
He looked at the bat in his hand and lowered it down.
"Sorry, I was worried you might have changed" he said apologetically.
My head throbbed and I touched it, wincing. There was a bandage over the top.
" You had quite the accident, I'm glad you're okay"
I remembered the fence and what had happened.
" I carried you back here. I wasn't sure if you'd done some real damage " But Mary said it wasn't life threatening".
" I'm Quinn" the young man said.
" Eli" I replied.
Quinn must have been the man in the mask. He was muscular and handsome. He had messy blond hair brushed back and a short beard.
" I understand why you ran, you probably thought I was going to hurt you.
Umm there's breakfast downstairs, if you're up for it. I left you some clothes out, I think they should fit.There's a shower in the bathroom that still works but there's no hot water, it's the room on the right" Quinn said calmly.
I nodded.
Quinn left the room.
I groggily got out of the bed. My bag was there against the desk. I padded over and checked the contense. Everything was there except a crowbar and a couple other tools I had taken for protection. Understandable I guess. I was relieved when I found by sketchbook.
I picked up over to the folded clothes on the desk. They weren't really my style, too colourful. But they'd have to do.
I opened the door to the bedroom and walked into an upstairs hallway, and followed Quinns instructions to the bathroom.
I padded inside and caught my reflection in the mirror. I was a deshelved mess. I had a patchy beard and my hair was curled and matted to my head. A bandage wrapped around my forehead. My clothes looked baggier. I looked like a Temu Charles Manson, and my height just added to that comparison.
I sighed and went over to the shower fiddling with the knobs I and finally got it to work. The water was cold but refreshing against my hand.
I threw my old clothes into a trash can and knocked it over in the process. I went over to pick up the spilled contents. I picked up the trash from the floor and grabbed a white plastic thing.
It was a pregnancy test. Ew gross. I threw it back in the trash.
I put on the fresh clothes. They fit better than the discarded ones.The new ones smelt good too and I sniffed them. Aftershave and laundry powder. Were they Quinns ?
I could hear laughter and chatting down stairs.
My hair was wet but I'd let it air dry.
I found where the stairs were a window was off the side of them. I looked out and saw nothing but fields and old barn sat off to one side. And, then I saw two crosses in the distance with upturned soil, like graves. They looked recent. I shuddered.
I decended the wooden stairs and then into a living room. It was homely, in like a rustic kind of way. I assumed it had been an old farmhouse. There was exposed brickwork, that looks recently renovated. An expensive looking leather coach on one side and on the other a fireplace that looked original.
There was a deer head mounted above it.
I walked over to the fire place staring up at the deer head. I cast my eyes away and looked down at the photos I looked over and picked one up. It was a younger Quinn next to two older people I assumed were his parents. I put it back on the mantle.
I could hear people talking from an adjoing door. I strained to listen through the gap.
" Who, is this guy anyway, Quinn? , Why'd you bring him here, he might be dangerous?"
" Look, he ran from me and he doesn't look the type to be a crazy killer, he's not infected, I'll go get him and you can see" Quinn said.
I heard footsteps towards the door I quickly backed away, and the door swung open.
I stood there embarred.
Quinn was startled.
" I'm sorry, I.... Was trying to find my way round" I said flustered.
" It's alright, do you want to come join us?" he asked
I nodded and followed him into the kitchen.
The kitchen was as rustic as the rest of the house a lot of care had been put into it. It looked something from a magazine or lifestyle blog. More exposures brickwork, carved wooden panel cabinets. Cast iron pans set along one wall.
Two people sat around a large hand crafted table. They looked the same age as Quinn.
A young woman was attending a gas stove. Making food. It smelled amazing.
" This is Eli",Quinn announced.
" Ben" said the man with dark hair at the table said. He was hard built and had a smirk on his face.
" Beth" the woman at the table with long red hair and a kind face.
" And that's Mary",Quinn said pointing to the woman at the stove. She had mousy hair and short bob.
I stood there uncomfortably.
" Looks like you're going to be okay, but if you have any problems let me know" Mary reassured me.
" I'm not a doctor but I am training to be a vet so that's better than nothing"
" What are you talking about, Mary? You saved his life" Quinn gleamed.
" That's an overestimation, but he'd probably be worse off if you hadn't helped him, Quinn Mary sad smiling.
They kissed.
I cringed at the interaction.
" Sit with us" Beth said.
I pulled out a chair and sat down.
Mary brought over a plate of food. There were eggs and fried toast.
I hungrily and messily started eating.
The people around the table giggled.
I stopped, embarrassed.
" It's nice to know you like my cooking",Mary chuckled.
" Someone was hungry" Ben said sarcastically.
Now self conscious I ate slowly.
" So are you from town, Eli, or just passing through?", Ben asked.
I swallowed my mouth full of food and coughed a little.
" Yeah, we don't recognise you from around town or when we were in highschool" Beth said.
I nervously put down my fork.
" I umm was visiting my uncle,my great uncle" I replied.
" Yeah, and who would that be?",Ben asked suspiciously.
I didn't want to tell them about who I really was. I wasn't sure if I still could be arrested if the rest of the country was intact.
" Mr Jenkins, over on Pine street, I don't have much family, and he was pretty lonely" " I was in-between jobs and wanted a change of pace"
"Jenkins was a nice guy" Beth said.
" Yeah, but he had that creepy old basement we used to dare each other to go into" Charlie said
" Is he still alive, were you with anyone else?"
I remembered the dead body of Mr Jenkins and where I had been holed up in the dark.
" No, he... didn't make it".
" Ahh, I see it now you kinda look like Jason, his grandson" " Poor guy got hit by a truck" , Mary said.
" So, what happened exactly, why had all those people been shot near where you found me?" " Why haven't you left town" I asked.
" You don't know ?" Ben raised an eyebrow.
" I was holed up in a basement for weeks, luckily there was food, and I eventually made a break for it" I explained.
Leaving out the details, about the way I had found Mr Jenkins, and inadvertently got those two guys killed.
Quinn interjected.
" You probably were safer holed up, I got everyone here, since it's a lot further from town and anyone else.
"It might not be an isolated incident, I saw some pictures and theories online before the power went out this might be happening in other parts of the world" I said.
Beth got visibly upset and walked out of the room.
"She's probably just hormonal or something"Ben said.
" That would explain the pregnancy test then" I said.
Not realising the implications. Social etiquette was never my strong suit.
The group looked at me confused and angry.
" What the hell?" Ben exclaimed storming out of the room presumably to find Beth.
" Shit, was I not supposed to say anything?" " I'm sorry I just assumed", I stuttered.
" Yeah, that probably wasn't your call, asshole", Charlie explained.
There was just silence and I awkwardly got away from the table. Blurting out I'm sorry one last time. I rushed up the stairs to find my bag.
I was sorting through my bag when Quinn came in.
" Are you leaving?", Quinn asked.
" Ummm maybe, yeah, I'm sorry I didn't mean to put my foot in it" I said genuinely remorseful.
" Looks, everyone's just on edge" " Beth is worried about her sister she lives out of town " She doesn't have anyone else, and we've all lost people"
" It probably wasn't the best way for us to all find out" "But she probably should have let us know, we could have handled this together" " It doesn't help that Ben is.... well Ben",Quinn explained.
My head started to hurt and I sat down visually in pain.
" You should rest, we can talk later" " Mary can always check on you, shout us if you need anything, I will let you rest". Quinn finished, walking out of the room closing the door.
I could hear people arguing. I peered out of the window into the backyard. Beth and Ben were arguing.
I sat back down with my head in my hands. I felt bad. I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes.
I began to sleep. I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or not. At one point I'm sure Mary had come in to check on me.
I woke up with a start. I looked over at a clock in the room it was about 6am.
I thought about my interactions from before. These people seemed nice but I'd only mess things up again. I got up and grabbed my bag. I decided it was best if I left.
I went downstairs to the kitchen. I grabbed some paper and a pen.I'd say thank you. At least this note wasn't as hard to write as my last goodbye note.
I was about to leave when Quinn walked in.
" What are you doing, Eli?",He asked.
" I'm, sorry, Quinn. Thank you for everything but I think I should leave" I sighed.
" Stop saying you're sorry."
" You don't need to feel unwelcome or embarrassed around us" " I won't stop you from leaving, but it's safer together."
He smiled.
His smile reassured me and I put my bag down.
" Do you want some coffee?", He asked.
I nodded.
We sat down together.
Quinn made us coffee. We chatted for what seemed like hours. We discussed manga and anime. Playstation games. TV shows.
It was nice to talk to someone and not feel like a complete nerdy incel.
My life wasn't that interesting outside of being a wanted criminal. I felt bad lying.
However, I didn't want to admit to Quinn what I'd done, in case he thought less of me. He might not trust me either if it all came out.
I didn't really like people, but I liked Quinn. He made me hopeful.He could be my first real friend since Mr Jenkins.
Quinn was very open about himself.
Quinn had gone off to college and had come home to visit his parents and brother.
His family had gotten sick from the illness and he got emotional when he explained he had to give them peace.
Him and his friends hold up here since it was the furthest place from town and more secluded.
The sun was shining, casting an orange glow into the kitchen. I could feel its warmth.
My enjoyable morning was interrupted when Ben came in.
" Is there coffee?" He asked.
"Umm yeah..." Quinn replied.
I squirmed in my seat.
Ben pulled up a chair and sat at the table.
" Hey, Eli, we cool?" " It ain't your fault, Beth, should have told me sooner" " We could have sorted this out sooner"
" I dunno what's gonna happen, I'm too young to be a Dad". " And with all this going on?"
Beth came into the kitchen. Everyone went silent.
" I'll umm make you some coffee, or umm tea?" " You can drink tea right?" Ben said.
Beth rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry about what I said Beth" I tried apologising .
Beth gave me a faint smile. " It's alright, Eli, I should have said something sooner, but with everything happening I didn't want to worry anyone".
" When everyone else is downstairs we can talk about what to do about our current shit show of a situation" " It isn't just me, everyone else isn't too doing good in this current situation", Beth tried to reassure me.
Once Mary and Charlie came down stairs. We ate breakfast. Small talk was had but the room had a strange vibe to it.
Once the plates were put away, Quinn got up to talk.
I think we should leave, via the forest"
" Not this again", Ben said
" What other choice do we have right now?"
" I know it's a long hike, and the next town over is 10 miles after that" " But I don't think anyone's coming for us?" " The food supply here will eventually run out"
" And whoever's left in town will eventually go crazy on each other for what's left"
" Not to mention those sick freaks out there"
" I'm guessing there will be less of them in the woods?"
" I know it's possibly a long shot but we have scavenged enough supplies, there's fresh water out there, and we could kill a deer or two if needs be", Quinn concluded.
" I don't think it's safe to leave, we've done alright so far" "We can wait this out a little longer", Charlie chimed in.
" I agree" ,interrupted Ben. " You say the woods are safer but we don't know what's out there" " We got it good here" " People have been popping out babies for years" " Plus we got Mary, she's basically a doctor"
I'm a trainee vet not a doctor, Ben" It's getting harder to get supplies and like Quinn said we can't guarantee anyone's coming for us".
" Plus the hospital is overrun, I'm not much use delivering a child or even helping any of you without the right medical equipment" " There's bound to be other people out there" " A doctor"
" Fine then , Beth has to agree with me right ?",
Ben asked Beth.
" I appreciate all your concerns but I'm not an invalid, it will be months until the baby arrives" "And that's if nothing happens beforehand" " I think we need to go, it's not just about me either" " I can't stand it here anyway" " I want to know if my sister's alive out there"
" Beth", Ben said.
"No, this is my decision" Beth replied angrily.
Quinn looked at me. Eli, what do you think?
I was about to answer when Ben got annoyed.
" Why are you asking him?" " He isn't part of us, he can't even climb a fence without falling".
" He's with us now, and he won't slow us down" " He will learn as he goes, like we all did" " There isn't exactly a manual on this stuff"
I looked into Ben's stern blue eyes.
" I think... I think that we should leave. I can't see any other option" I said half heartedly.
" To hell with it then let's get out of here" "But I'm not carrying any of you, Beth is my priority" "You can all take care of yourself, Ben announced.
I stayed in the room for the rest of the day.
I lay on the bed and let all the actions of the previous months play over in my mind.
The people down stairs left me alone, except for Mary who came up in the evening to bring me food and change my bandages.She didn't say much, maybe she was mad at me or could see I didn't want to talk. I thanked her and she nodded her head as she left the room.
I lied about wanting to rest but really I just wanted to be left alone for awhile. I took solace in my isolation once more.
I left the curtains open to make the room less claustrophobic.
When night rolled around I couldn't sleep. I turned on a camping light that was at the side of the bed.
I didn't like the dark anymore.
I found a battery lamp and switch it on. I grab ed my sketch book and started drawing.
I could hear chattering and arguing down stairs. I wondered if they were considering what to do with me ? I considered getting up and leaving.
It was probably safer to stay in a group and they had helped me out so far.
But I felt unwelcomed now and I was pretty useless.
How long would it be before I got someone killed or they got me killed?
I lay on the bed and heard the ticking of a clock. It was around 5am now.
I decided in the end to leave.
I was used to being stealthy. I opened the door cautiously and walked down the stairs. I'd take a little food and find a bag.
I got to the kitchen, and opened up the cupboards placing some cans into a plastic bag.
I found a pen and paper and wrote a note. Saying thank you for saving me. At least this note was more hopeful than the last one I'd written.
" Eli?"
It was Quinn he was standing in the doorway.
" What are you doing? He picked up the note.
" Are you leaving?" He asked.
" I'm sorry, I am really grateful you saved me, but I don't think I'm welcome here and I will probably just screw things up, I'll put these back " I said apologetically.
" You need to stop saying sorry, things are messed up right now" " Everyone's on edge"
" But if you want to leave I won't stop you, you can keep the food"
" I hope you stay with us though, I think it's better if we all try to help each other out"
Quinn gave me a smile.
I put the dry goods back into the cupboard.
Quinn made us coffee. We chatted for what seemed like hours. We discussed manga and anime. Playstation games. TV shows.
It was nice to talk to someone and not feel like a complete nerdy incel.
. My life wasn't that interesting outside of being a wanted criminal. I felt bad lying about why I was really in town too.
However, I didn't't want to admit to Quinn what I'd done, in case he thought less of me. He might not trust me either after it all came out.
I didn't really like people, but I liked Quinn. He made me hopeful.He could be my first real friend since Mr Jenkins.
Quinn was very open about himself.
Quinn had gone off to college and had come home to visit his parents and brother.
His family had gotten sick from the illness and he got emotional when he explained he had to give them peace.
Him and his friends hold up here since it was the furthest place from town and more secluded.
The sun was rising now and casting an orange glow into the kitchen. I could feel its warmth.
My enjoyable morning was interrupted when Ben came in.
" Is there coffee?" He asked.
"Umm yeah..." Quinn replied.
I squirmed in my seat.
Ben pulled up a chair and sat at the table.
" Hey, Eli, we cool?" " It ain't your fault, Beth, should have told me sooner" " We could have sorted this out sooner"
" I dunno what's gonna happen, I'm too young to be a Dad". " And with all this going on?"
Beth came into the kitchen. Everyone went silent.
" I'll umm make you some coffee, or umm tea?" " You can drink tea right?" Ben said
Beth rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry about what I said Beth" I tried apologising
"
" But everything is catching up with me, and I can't imagine any of you feeling any better?"
" When everyone else is downstairs we can talk about what to do about our current shit show of a situation" " It isn't just me, everyone else isn't too doing good this current situation"
Once Mary and Charlie came down stairs. We ate breakfast. Small talk was had but the room had a strange vibe to it.
Once the plates were put away, Quinn got up to talk.
I think we should leave, via the forest"
" Not this again" Ben said
" What other choice do we have right now"
" I know it's a long hike, and the next town over is 20 miles after that" " But I don't think anyone's coming for us?" " The food supply here will eventually run out"
" And whoever's left in town will eventually go crazy on each other for what's left"
" Not to mention those sick freaks out there"
" I'm guessing there will be less of them in the woods?"
" I know it's a possibly a long shot but we have scavenged enough supplies, there's fresh water out there, and we could kill a deer or two if needs be" Quinn concluded.
" I don't think it's safe to leave, we've done alright so far" "We can wait this out a little longer" " And remember what happened to the others who tried to leave" said Charlie
" I agree" interrupted Ben. " You say the woods are safer but we don't know what's out there" " We got it good here" " People have been popping out babies for years" " Plus we got Mary, she's basically a doctor"
I'm a trainee nurse not a doctor, Ben" It's getting harder to get supplies and like Quinn said we can't guarantee anyone's coming for us".
" Plus the hospital is overrun, I'm not much use delivering a child or even helping any of you without the right medical equipment" " There's bound to be other people out there" " A doctor"
" Fine then , Beth has to agree with me right ?"
Ben asked
" I appreciate all your concerns but I'm not an invalid, it will be months until the baby arrives" "And that's if nothing happens beforehand" " I think we need to go, it's not just about me either" " I can't stand it here anyway" " I want to know if my sister's alive out there" " If the rest of my family are".
" Beth" Ben said
"No, this my decision" Beth replied angrily
Quinn looked at me. Eli, what do you think?
I was about to answer when Ben got annoyed."
" Why are you asking him?" " He isn't part of us, he can't even climb a fence without falling"
" He's with us now, and he won't slow us down" " He will learn as he goes, like we all did" " There's isn't exactly a manual on this stuff"
I looked into Quinns stern blue eyes.
" I think... I think that we should leave" " I can't see any other option" I said half heartedly
" To hell with it then let's get out of here" "But I'm not carrying any of you, Beth is my priority" "You can all get yourselves by yourself" Ben said.
The rest of the day and next was spent packing, taking stock of supplies,and making a half hearted plan.
Ben and Charlie pretty much ignored me but the rest of the group were pretty friendly.
Beth sat me down in front a mirror and asked to cut my hair. I obliged not wanting to offend her.
I tried to make some small talk to make things less uncomfortable.
" So, were you a hairdresser before all of this?" I asked
Beth replied " Sort of, I was training, I would cut old ladies hair and some of my friends"
" I was actually a waitress but I was saying up to go to hair and beauty school" " I don't think this much need for that these days though"
" Maybe you could work in a hairdressers or even own a shop when this is all over"
" You could still open up one up if it doesn't, there's probably a lot of people with unkempt hair " I said jokingly
Beth laughed. " I'd love to move to a city and cut hair, stay with my sister". " She's the smart one, she's doing a masters degree"
When it was almost done she remarketed " well, there's a handsome face hiding under there" "I bet you'll meet a nice girl after this"
Awkward silence. " Or a nice, guy or you know whatever you're into" she awkwardly laughed.
" Relationships aren't always what they are cracked up to be" " Me and Ben...." " Ben is a very up front guy but he does care, when he wants to" " He saved me when the end of the world started" " We've been on and off for so long, and to be honest I consider him family regardless, we have been through a lot together over the years" " I guess he's always been there, that's why I always went back to him"
There all done. I didn't recognise myself in the mirror. I looked happier.
"Thanks, Beth"
"My pleasure" she replied.
I was greatful for what you she had done for me and the kindness she had show. I just hoped I wouldn't regret asking her to leave with us.