ALPHA WAVE

Chapter 2: An Infected in the house!

"One second," I shout out as I grab my coat off the back of the couch and dash towards the fire escape.

We scrambled down the metal fire escape, the clanging of our footsteps echoed loudly in the empty alleyway. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as we hurried down, the cool night air rushing past us. Suddenly, there was a loud crash and splintering wood as the door to the apartment was kicked in. I was too scared and shocked to even react to their audacity. We didn't look up, we just kept going until our feet hit the ground and we took off running.

"I don't understand!" I shout as we sprint down the street. Our breaths came out in ragged gasps. "Why are we running from the Saviours!"

"The Saviours kicked your door down! Ain't that enough reason to run for your life?"

Maybe..."Why are they after us in the first place? What did you do?"

"They think I know!"

"Know what?"

"More than I do! Turn here!"

We dart down a dark alleyway, where a rundown silver Volkswagen was parked. She unlocks the door, and we jump in.

"Is this your car?" I ask, trying to steady my breathing as she pulls onto the main road.

"You think I'm that dumb to use my own car?" she snorts. "They probably have that thing bugged."

"Where are we going?"

"Home, darlin'. I've got a stash of cash and things we'll be needin'."

"Things we'll be needing?" I retorted, frustration seeping into my words.

"We can't stay in this city Belle," she explained.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed, my disbelief ringing clear.

"Belle—" she started to say, attempting to calm me down.

"No way! This is absurd! I've got friends, a job, a home, a life right here!" I protested.

"I've seen bigger closets than that dinky lil' apartment you call home." She snorts. "You wanted to be a pastry chef, not wastin' away cleanin' tables. You work seven days a week, when would you even have time to have a life, dear?"

"There's more to life than the size of my apartment or the hours I work. My dreams and aspirations are important to me, and I won't give them up so easily. I have worked hard to build a life here, and it's not fair to expect me to abandon everything simply because you couldn't keep your crazy paranoia in check!"

"Well, if this whole thing is as nutty as a pecan pie in July, why in the world are they houndin' us like a pack of hungry hounds on a scent? I'm doin' what's best for us."

"Us?" I laugh dryly. " You mean you, don't you? This has to stop. You have to let this obsession with the Saviours go."

The remainder of the ride passed in an unsettling silence, as both of us retreated into our own thoughts. Questions raced through my mind like wild horses, leaving me bewildered. What in the world was happening? How did my parents' accident fit into this tangled web? None of it seemed to make any sense, leaving me grasping for answers in a whirlwind of uncertainty.

We parked a few blocks away and hopped fences all the way to the house. A dark SUV is parked conspicuously across the street, sticking out like a sore thumb. We sneak in through the cellar, which is cleverly hidden behind the rosebushes. You wouldn't know it's here unless you were looking for it.

Aunt Grace drops a black backpack at my feet along with a pair of red sneakers that I quickly slide on. My feet were already aching from that little sprint session earlier.