The Invasion

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A wave of numbness seeps into my veins like morphine, sweeping aside all my emotions.

From where we stand, there's a crack view of the living room, but Maddie's head is blocking me from most of it. As she weeps and leans against the wall for support, I hold her arm to keep her upright before deciding to take the lead.

After all, someone has to take the first step.

I sidestep her. The house is in a clutter of mess, the tattered curtains flutter right by the shattered window. The white floor stains with a stream of dried blood and I follow the trail, which eventually leads me to the first body on the carpeted floor right beside the smashed coffee table.

A horrified gasp escapes my lips, and I choke out in tears. My vision blurs at the awful sight.

"Uncle Josh."

If it isn't for his favorite green jumper, I wouldn't have recognised Maddie's father. His body, mangled beyond recognition, lies among the glass fragments.

The trail of blood doesn't end there. It guides me towards the master bedroom where we find another body—Aunt Reese—on the bed with a gaping hole in her chest. Just a meter away, I find Kiki on the floor. Her once golden fur is now dulled and matted with blood.

Oh, god. My family.

I stagger backwards, turn around and run into Zarius's chest as his arms hold my shoulders steady. I clutch at him tightly, my body quivering. My breath comes out shaky, gnawing onto my trembling lips, as I fight to keep the tears at bay.

"No, no, no..." I search around in a panic. "Gramps... Where is he?"

"Outside," Zarius answers softly and apologetically. "I'm sorry, Delia."

Sobbing, I release him and head for the kitchen's back door. I know where Gramps is. He must be in his favorite spot on the veranda that oversees the backyard–an old, rocking armrest chair surrounded by his precious pet parakeets. They are all gone now, their cages ripped apart.

And then I see Gramps. No wonder Zarius can smell him, because it is that bad. The air is really thick with a foul stench. Gramps is long dead, reduced to skin and bones. The only thing left is the golden wedding ring on his left fourth finger, which is covered in dirt.

Being out in the open, he must have been the first one to be targeted.

And just that thought alone crumbles my heart.

The strength in my legs seeps out of me. Zarius is already waiting to catch me as I fall to the ground on my knees. I bury my face in his chest and wrap my arms around him tightly.

"Gramps was a good man," I sob. "He doted on us a lot. Spoiled us. I don't have a dad, but Gramps took care of that role. Why is this happening to us, Zarius?"

Zarius inhales sharply, his tone full of remorse. But I know that none of this is his fault. "I'm really sorry, Delia. I really am."

Fear grips me. There are several possibilities of how this apocalypse would play out, but each one gets scarier than the one before.

"I'm scared," I admit. "What if I end up finding Mom dead too? I don't think I can live through that."

He cradles my head, brushing through my hair gently. "We'll find her alive, I promise."

I lean my forehead against his chest as tears drip down my cheeks. If I don't find Mom alive, I will go insane. Ballistic. There will be nothing else for me to live for if she's taken away from me too.

I hate this apocalypse. Everything except Zarius.

We stay there for ages, listening to Maddie's cries in the background when she eventually finds her dead mother and Gramps.