HUMAN

Chapter Five

A/N: Warning: graphic description of violence

Dark Paradise – Lana Del Rey

***

Jenevieve, Esther, Avi, Scott, and Mitch made their way out of the bus. The Shell station was directly across the street from the Wal-Mart parking lot that they had stopped at. They debated about the most appropriate plan of action, but they finally decided to split up to get everything that they needed more quickly and efficiently. They didn't want to be outside in the dark, longer than they had to be. Jenevieve and Esther went to the Shell station to attempt to get as much fuel as possible. Scott, Mitch, and Avi started to walk through the dark and deserted parking lot to get to the Wal-Mart. There were no cars in the parking lot. They assumed that the store closed before all of this happened, but they couldn't be too sure nobody was inside.

The gas station was completely abandoned, except for the bright red stray pick-up truck. Luckily, the vehicle had a few empty gas containers in the back. Exactly what they needed! They thought it might've been a miracle. They felt bad just taking them, but they could clearly see that the store was closed and they were desperate. They slipped $100 underneath the store's front door and started filling up the containers at the pumps. They were able to fill up two in just under twenty minutes. Jenevieve did most of the heavy lifting as Esther manned the pump.

Once the first two were filled, Jenevieve spoke, "I'll get started on the next ones, if you can try to carry those containers to the bus please. I'd really appreciate it. I really don't want to be here any longer than we have to be. It's giving me the chills."

"Are you sure? It's pretty creepy out here," Esther replied.

Just as she said that Mitch, Scott, and Avi walked up to them with hands full of bags of food and supplies.

"How'd it go, guys?" Esther asked.

Avi answered, "It was fine. The store was locked and not a single person was inside."

"How did you get in then?" Jenevieve asked.

"We picked the locks," Scott said. "It was easy. I've done it before."

Mitch rolled his eyes at that statement, "God."

Scott clearly didn't appreciate the attitude, but he didn't feel like teasing him back. It wasn't the time.

"Did you pay for what you took?" Esther asked.

"Of course. We left some cash on one of the registers, with a list of what we took. Do you need help carrying that?" Avi gestured to the container in her left hand. "Here Scott, take my bags. If you can."

He could, but it was a lot. He and Mitch started to scurry to the bus before they dropped everything.

"Hurry up sweetie," Jenevieve said. "I'm almost done with this one too."

"Ok I'll be right back," Esther replied. "Don't go anywhere. I mean it."

The siblings made their way to the bus and dropped off the very heavy containers.

When Esther returned to the gas pump, she noticed that one container was already full. Maybe Jenevieve was picking up the fourth and final container to fill. She picked up the full container and finished screwing on the cap, which was previously left on the ground.

"Jenevieve," Esther called. She walked to the truck. Nobody was there. She canvassed the area and didn't see anyone or anything. Honestly, it was much too dark to make out anything in the distance. She glanced under the truck and saw Jenevieve's boots. She suddenly noticed that her friend was lying flat and motionless on the concrete. She ran around to the other side of the truck, "Jenevieve!! Hun! Are you ok?!?"

It was a gory scene. Esther screamed and placed the canister down. She ran to her side in a panic. She held her head in her hands. She was lifeless. She checked for a pulse. There was none.

Esther was somewhere between hyperventilating, screaming, and crying.

A hand grabbed her shoulder. She jolted up and saw someone with dark eyes, covered in blood standing over her. He was chomping on an organ. Out of impulse, she tried to pick up Jenevieve's limp body. However, the man was practically jumping on her with hungry eyes. She instead picked up the canister and used all of her strength hit him on the head with it. This temporarily impeded him and she ran, gas container in hand, to the bus. She dared not look back. She was terrified that he might still be alive or that there may be others.

She jumped on the bus and told them to lock the door. Without hesitation, she took the wheel, barely breathing. It took her a few minutes and a few deep breaths before she could speak in full sentences. She told them exactly what had happened. Everyone else panicked when they heard the news. It woke Kirstin up, who screamed and tried running for the door. She wanted to go get the body, but Scott had to physically hold her back. It was too dangerous. There were screams and cries for the next hour, while Esther drove. They talked about how much they loved Jenevieve and how they couldn't believe that this happened to such a sweet and caring person. The cried about how painful her last moments must have been. Esther just stared at the road and tried to remove herself from the fear and guilt she felt. She asked Avi to mark the location of that station on the map, so that they would never forget where her final resting place was. That night they parked on the side of the road and attempted to sleep until daylight, although they all could barely close their eyes. To make it worse, they heard very creepy noises all throughout the night. They knew that they could stay here tonight, but tomorrow they would need to find a safer place to hide from any possible dangers like what they encountered today. Zombies? How? They all simultaneously came to the conclusion that it was zombies. It could have explained the Martial Law going into place, the "riots", the empty streets, the murderous cannibal, and possibly the electrical problems. They had all seen way too many scary movies to think it could be anything else.   

***

"There's no remedy for memory. Your face is like a melody, it won't leave my head."