The girl in the coffee shop

Guilt can only truly come from within

As I wake up, I can hear birds chirping to signal morning time but the sky is still as dark as yesterday, the wind is howling and the trees are dancing in the wind. Looking over at Joe and Duncan, I see them still asleep. "Hey... Hey!" Joe dips in and out of consciousness, he whines. "Come on, we need to go!" I say chomping on some bread I have in one of the bags.

Joe wakes up and Duncan immediately jumps onto his feet. "Joe, come on!" I yell "Do you want to find you sister?!"
"Uh, yes." He whines "Gimme a second Ash."

I jump up and start to walk forward, Duncan and Joe following me.

We walk for a while and the trees get denser and bigger, it is so Dark. "Hey Joe, do you have a torch?"

"Um yeah I think I have one in my bag, hang on..." He says rummaging around in the contents of his black rucksack.

He pulls out a small torch, flicks the switch and a small beam of light projects onto the floor. I hop onto Duncan. "Come on then Joe, hurry up we have to get to the next area before... Nightfall I guess." I say and he jumps on behind me. We canter for ages and the trees begin to get more spaced out until there are gaps in the canopy and I return the torch to Joe . The trees completely end and grey building rise up from the flor around us, some buildings crumbling down.

We slow to a walk and then hop of Duncan. "Woah, shelter! That'll be helpful!" He says. I nod still awe. "How much food do we have buddy?"

"Combined... I think we have a couple days left or if we really ration we might be able to stretch to about 4 or 5 days perhaps."

"Well they might have some supplies, loot, or... Some one else's... Stuff."

"Yeah..." I answer. "W still have a while it looks about 12 o clock. We still have a while to get stuff."I say squinting at the sun.

"Um, Ash, why don't you check the actual time on your phone?" He asks sarcastically.

"Oh yeah." I say blushing and pulling my phone out of my pocket. "11:30" I say, "so close."

I see a few messages in my inbox, I gulp. 'Ashley, where are you? We missed your birthday!' From my mum, I had completely forgotten about my birthday.

'Bro, where da fluck are ya????!!!!' From my sister

'Ashley. I see you have met Joseph, you seem to be getting on rather well, be careful though or else I will have to take him as well as Clara. Just so you know, she is still okay, few bruises and scars but she'll live, if you help her. You will help her Ashley? Even if you don't care about her you would still save her wouldn't you? When I saw you at the wall you nearly left. Good luck Ashley, I hope you choose wisely.
-Dark Horse.'

It's okay for me to want to leave right? I made the right decision to save her, he's right though, it is all my fault she is in there.

I tuck it away and abruptly burst into speech. "So, we split up? I'l go over in that building." I say pointing to a building to the south. 

"Sure I'll go to that one." He says pointing in the other direction.

"See ya then Joe, Duncan, come with me." I say waving and walking off into the crumbling building.

I kick open the door when it doesn't open after I push it. It creaks open. I walk in through the door and the floor snaps behind me, I lurch forward to escape the fall into the basement... There's a basement? The door shuts behind me, Oh my god cliche much? Wow Dark Horse, Bravo. Note the sarcasm. I continue forward, the kitchen! Is there a kitchen? I have no idea what this building used to be... I find some sort of kitchen and look in fridges and cupboards, I find a few bottles which I fill with water from the tap and strap them to Duncan. I hear the radio from another room turn on and I can't help but feel a shier go down my spine.

I don't call out, I have watched too many horror movies to do that. Instead I tip-toe to where I heard the noise, it appears to be a living room. There is nobody there but the crackly, scratchy radio and a smashed, old, black and white TV. 

I hear footsteps behind me. I turn around. A tall ghostly figure is flashing on and off, glitching, by the door. It flashes almost like something gone wrong in a game or a program, it stutters towards me, still glitching and pulsing, a long rattling whine following it. 

It is not long before it is standing right before me but towering above, still in streaks in front of my eyes. I reach out to touch it because curiosity overwhelms me, I touch its wavering mass but my hand begins to seer with pain when my hand touches it. I yell out in pain. 

Backing away from the creature I hear a yell, a cry... Joe... Joe?! "JOE?!" I yell, barging past the creature and out the building,  storm into the opposite building. "Joe!" I scream, anxiously I charge into different rooms and see the black ghostly figure lying eyes open on the floor, huge burns on his side and front. "JOE!" I wail. But there is no response. I smack his face but nothing happens, I pick him up and take him out onto the road away from those monsters.

"Joe, Joe! Joseph, hurry up we need to get out of here before those monsters get back!" I scream in his face. "Duncan." I say frantically looking around, I see a grey donkey shape in the door of the building, "Duncan bring water, we need to help Joe!" He slowly walks over and I take the water and push a damp cloth onto his burns but... He's gone.

My eyes sting in my skull. "Get up you bastard!" I say kicking him hard in the chest. "We need to... we need to..." I fall to the floor beside him, tears rolling don my cheeks, "Fuck you man!" I roar. Duncan walks over to me and lies down beside me. He just looks at me. "What o you want animal?!" He shoves into me, looks at Joe and shakes his head. The tears flow down my face, I look at Joe and shut his bloodshot eyes.