Reaction Time- A Tal Fishman Fanfic

Goodbye

Tal drove to your house first in a desperate attempt to ease your mind. He looked at you, your face illuminated by the dim glow of the porch light through the windscreen, waiting for you to get out of the car. He didn't speak when you didn't move. Minutes passed in silence, each second dragging a new picture from what you had just seen. 

One- Wilfred crying over the body of his son

         Two- Finn holding onto his father's hand, gripping to life. 

                 Three- Black as Wilfred screamed for his son. 

Finally he spoke, bringing you back to warmth of your home. "Baby, we'll be fine. I promise." His hand grasped yours, his skin screaming for contact of life almost as much as yours. He continued, his voice low and solemn as he moved his hands to your cheeks. "Rob, look at me. I swear that I will get us out of here as good as new. We will all be okay. I'm not going to let anything hurt you or our families. I love you so much. I'm here." As you focused on this string of simple sentences, you smiled. You watched his hand find its way back to yours in the dark, interlacing his fingers with yours- you felt safe. He squeezed gently and smiled at you, letting you know that he would be there with you every step of the way. "What have I done to deserve you?" Your words echoed through the silence that your words left in their wake but that of which was interrupted by his giggle. As you gave a small nod, he jumped out of the car and ran to the other side, opening the door before you had even unbuckled your seat belt. "M'lady" Tal tried to lighten the mood and stop the nightmares before they reached you by bowing as you stepped out of his car. You playfully pushed his shoulder, chuckling at how his head was bowed, but you were reluctant to let your grip on his grey shirt weaken. Just as you walked past him towards the house where the warm lights offered small comfort, he grabbed your waist and placed a small kiss on your forehead. You felt the warmth of his lips on your skin as you walked to the door and pushed it open, announcing to your family that you were home. 

Nobody answered. You called again but still nothing disrupted the silence that snaked its way around the room. Walking hesitantly through the soundless-stained house, your heart began to race. Tal walked into the room with a soft smile playing gently on the corners of his mouth whilst all you could muster were worried lines painted on your forehead. "Hello? Anyone here?" Soon even his smile faded when no sign of life showed itself. The two of you padded around the house slowly, checking most of the rooms and calling for someone to reveal themselves. "Maybe they just went out for a bit...get some food or something? I'm sure they're--" Your boyfriend's words were interrupted by a tap on his shoulder and a death-soaked moan from behind him. Jumping up and swinging around, a wave of relief washed across his face. Your little brother, Alex, was doubled over laughing at how much the man before him had jumped. You let out a small scream before giving the ten year old a small shove, angry at how insensitive to the situation he had been. "ALEX! STOP FOOLING AROUND!" Suddenly the laughing boy before you had turned to a bumbling mess as tears welled in his big blue eyes. Your eyebrows un-knitted themselves from the glare that the had momentarily spread across them and you regretted raising your voice. Stepping out from behind Tal, you walked towards your brother and knelt down in front of him, taking his arms in your hands and pulling him into a hug. "I'm sorry, Alex. It's just that we're a bit scared and you made us jump. I didn't mean to shout at you, mate." You released him from your tight clutch and he walked backwards, a small smile creeping onto his face and soon the tension had been replaced by his giggle. "Now...where's mum?" He grabbed your hand and galloped to the one room you hadn't been to yet- the basement. 

It was dark in there but the light from the old television illuminated your mother's figure sitting in the dust-clad armchair perched in front of it. No image moved on the screen, just static that danced in the spot. "Mum?" You edged closer to her and noticed broken glass from the window to the left but that had been there for years- right? She made no noise and showed no sign of movement until your foot touched the glass and it scraped along the concrete floor, evoking a soft groan from her. You stopped in your tracks. She wasn't moving and her arm rested carefully on the chair; she looked so fragile and you weren't sure whether to keep going or turn back around. Your decision was made for you when Alex ran past you , straight to the figure. You weren't sure if that was really your mother, wholly and completely her, so you lunged towards your brother. Tal appeared in the doorway but made no attempt to stop whatever you were worried about. You watched as he shook the arm rested on the seat and your heartbeat raced when he repeated the action. "Alex, come back over here..." He ignored you and continued to shake the lifeless arm until it twitched with life. Uncertain of what was to happen next, you walked towards the boy and took him by the shoulders as you noticed how the air grew colder and the black grew darker. The only sound that could be heard were the laboured breaths and the static of the television as it jumped until you heard her speak. "Hello you two. Sorry, I must've drifted off or something. I took him down here because I didn't know where else to go- everywhere just seems so unsafe now. The TV dropped out but not before I saw what was happening. The living dead? I can't tell if this is some plot to make Trump's election seem kind of better or it it's really happening." You stifled a giggle and your heartbeat lessened until it was at a normal pace once again. Tal could sense your nervousness as he walked over to where the three of you stood and placed his hands on your shoulders, massaging gently until he was sure that all the kinks had been worked out of your tired body. "Well then- what now? Did Wilfred get home safe?" At the mention of his name, your heart dropped and the visions came back. 

One- Wilfred grappling with his first born.

        Two- Screaming and bloody red.

               Three- Black as you snuggled into Tal. 

"He didn't make it back home" was all he said and watched as your mother rose from her set and set about steering Alex past the open window and the glass. Her hands were on his shoulders; she was behind him with a smile on her face. Tal's hands had snaked their way to your waist and his chin rested on your shoulder; he was saying the two of you side to side to try and get you to remember peace. The static still danced on the spot and the air was still cold. The dark had subsided a little and you could see your mother. Her blue eyes twinkled in the dim light of the basement, her eyes crinkled as she walked slowly towards you, still guiding her child. The lines painted on her face seemed less apparent than other days and you could tell that she was happy everyone was safe. As she shuffled past the window, she began to speak, love laced in her words. "Now, you know I love you both with all my heart, and this place will always be home but we need to get out of here before-" 

That was it. It came through the window and grabbed at your mum whilst all you could do was stand in shock as you watched it stagger towards her. She had time to push Alex in your direction and lunged towards the door before it got to her, sinking its teeth into her flesh and ripping at it. Her screams filled the air then. It was deathly cold now. You tried to walk towards her-tried to save her- but Tal gripped your wrist in one hand and Alex's in the other, tearing you away from the sight of your mum. Her eyes were filled with tears now but she refused to let them leak. Now on the floor, she reached her hand out towards the door, looked at you one last time, and shut it. She didn't want you to see her. She didn't want you to remember the frightened deer that she now was. 

She didn't want you to remember the hunter that had now caught her.