Broken Silence

Simple Mistakes

"Oh my god." Someone whispers, Kara probably. I can't see anything right now, my head is spinning from the aftershock of the gunshot.
"How did it even get in?" Leo says, i think.
"Is it gonna die?" Kara, again.
"It's already dead." Says a voice that sounds a lot like Mitch.
I see a blurry shape laying on the ground in front of me; tranquil and unmoving.
A puddle of a crimson, sticky substance spreads out around the body.
"Leo, did you barricade the front entrance?" Shaun says, I think.
"I thought you did!" Leo's voice replies.
"No, idiot, that was supposed to be you." Definitely Shaun.
I blink my eyes and rub my head.
"Cassie?" Mitch's voice.
"Hmm?" I manage.
"Are you ok?" Mitch again.
Wait. Did he really just ask me if I was ok? I didn't even think he was capable of sympathy, let alone emotion.
I squeeze my eyes shut and when I open them, everything comes into focus. I look around at my surroundings. Still in the hall. Still with evryone. Mitch's and Shaun are alive, which means they didn't shoot each other. But them who did they shoot?
I peer at the body that lay before me. A flesh eater. He was once an old man, greying black hair, pockmarked skin, unshaven moustache. Probably on his way to a meeting. And then, bam. The flesh eaters took over and ripped out his guts, turning him into one of them, like so many other people. Like Lynn. Like my parents. Like every friend I had. Dead.
"Cassie?" Says Kara , snapping me out of my thoughts.
"How did this all start? The zombies?" I blurt, ignoring Kara.
"What?" She says.
"How did it start? Where did they come from?"
I look at everyone; Mitch and Leo dragging the flesh eater to the window where they can throw him out; Kara standing beside me; Shaun standing beside her. It's a weird thought, but if this whole epidemic didn't happen, I'd have never met them.
"I don't know." Kara says, failing to answer my previous question.
"A flu?" Leo calls from the other side of the hall.
"How about brain damage?" Mitch smirks.
"I think you have brain damage." Kara says, glaring at Mitch.
Leo laughs and his hands slip off the flesh eaters legs. The undead dead man flops to the ground. "Oops." He says
"Way t'go smart guy." Mitch says.
"Oh shut up, Mr. Damaged Brain." Leo snorts.
"You both need to be quie-" Kara starts, but Shaun cuts her off.
"I know how it started." He says.
All eyes fall on him. He stands a bit taller but looks down. He fiddles with his fingers and bites his lip. But he doesn't speak.
"Well?" Kara says impatiently.
Shaun looks up, "I...I don't think..."
"Spit it out." Mitch says with an oomph. He and Leo toss the zombie out the window. Everything goes silent. We all look at Shaun.
"Well...?" Kara says again.
Shaun sighs, "I...I don't know how to...how to say it."
"What do you mean?" Leo shouts, "Just freaking say it!"
"It's not that easy! I just killed my sister! My entire family is dead!" Shaun snaps.
"What does that have to do with this?" I ask.
Shaun glares at me, "It has a lot to do with this. If it weren't for them, I'd be dead."
"Again, what does that have to do with anything?"
Shaun takes three swift strides towards me and throws his arm over my chest.
With a swift push, he slams me against the nearest wall, knocking my breath from my lungs.
With clenched teeth and cold eyes he whispers, "If I were dead like my family, the disease wouldn't have spread. The disease was created in a lab, by accident. My parents were both the scientists who discovered it. They called me and Lynn into their building one day, to celebrate. They thought they found a cure for breast cancer. They threw a party. Invited a ton of people. Gave out their "cure" to all the local hospitals. People thought they were being saved. But they were really just the beginning of this whole thing."
I squint my eyes at him, "Your such a liar."
"I am not!" He says, slamming me against the wall harder. I cry out but he doesn't care.
"If my parents hadn't created the disease this wouldn't have happened!" He spits.
"Oh, so two people caused this? Whatever!" I yell, trying to move away from him.
He catches my arm in one hand and my neck in the other. I gasp as he leans into my ear.
"Their team of ninety seven created the disease, not just them."
"So what does you being dead have to do with anything?"
"If I was dead, I wouldn't have just told you this. And if you didn't know this, you'd be dead too. So I just saved your life. Your welcome."
"Bu-" I start, but he cuts me off.
"Just shut up." He growls.
"Shaun, I-"
"I said shut up!" He yells, so loud that my ears ring.
He throws me to the ground, unexpectedly. I cry out when he kicks me. Right in the stomach.
Kara screams and Leo jumps at Shaun.
"She didn't do anything! What the hell are you doing? Shaun stop! Shaun!" Mitch yells.
But Shaun keeps beating on me, kicking and punching and swearing.
"Bring them back! Bring Lynn back! Get rid of the zombies!" He screams, "Lynn! Bring her back! Bring her back now!"
He kicks my head and stars form on the edges of my vision.
I watch as Leo throws him to the ground and screams at him. Everything is blurry.
"She's dead! They all are! There's no going back!" Leo shouts.
But Shaun keeps wailing Lynn's name.
I slowly snake my arm to my head, and when I pull it away it's all wet. I hold my fingers near my face and they are all red. Blood. Everything is fuzzy.
Someone stands over me, Mitch I think. Leo and Kara are restraining Shaun. I can't hear what their saying, but their mouths are moving.
Mitch shakes my shoulders. "Cassie! Oh, god! Cassie, can you hear me?"
I try to nod but I can't. I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.
I hold my bloody hand weakly towards Mitch.
"Stay awake, Cassie," he says, and I don't understand why I have to. Sleep sounds good right now. Everything feels soft and cost. My vision is wavy and it feels like I'm underwater. I could defiantly sleep right now.
"Cassie! Don't close your eyes!" Mitch instructs, his voice distant. I disobey and let my eye lids flutter shut.
"Cassie! Cassie...no..."
Everything goes black.



(A/N) hey everyone! This is a really bad chapter, but I hope you liked it anyways :/
I'm gonna end this book soon, there's maybe seven chapters left. It's just meant to be a short story. I'll probably make a prequel, though, if I get 200 votes!
So, um, vote and tell your friends about Broken Silence!
Happy reading,
-Brooke
P.S. Sorry if this chapter didn't make sense, I'm really tired right now, but I had to post! Sorry I haven't been on in awhile! I hope you have happy holidays!