The Night of The Apocalypse

Road Kill

I can hear the peaceful chirping of the birds outside the window. A hint scent of lavender dispersed around the small, drab bedroom. I slowly opened my eyes to see Lucas's face in front of mine. The sun peeked itself through the translucent curtains. The rays hit my eyes enough to wake me up in an annoyed mood. I turned around to see a portion of my dad's bed all messed up but there was no trace of him. I stood up promptly and rushed to the bathroom to see if he was there. I started to panic after finding out he was no where to be found. I turned my attention to our missing bags that was supposed to be right next to the television. Before I started to tear up, I heard the door knob being unlocked. More nervous than ever, I took the nearest hard object, a lamp in my case, and stood there ready to fight. As I anxiously watched the door open, a deep, manly voice responded as our eyes met for a split second. "Jane, what the hell are you doing?" Dad said as he tried to dodge my expected attack. Before I threw the lamp, I realized it was just him. "I thought something happened to you." I said as I let go of the lamp. "I put our things back in the car, I was gonna wake you guys up so we can leave." He said as he went over to Lucas in an attempt to wake him up. He looked at me, probably noticing my raggedy attire and very disoriented look. "You can change in the car. Let's get a head start, I was watching the news earlier and there is no doubt this city will get infected too." He finally said as Lucas eventually woke up to dad's shaking motion. 

"How bad is it?" I asked, hoping for an answer that will assure me things will get better. There was a moment of silence. "Half of the state is already gone. People are dying. I don't think we can ever come back here." He said as he stood up from his kneeling position. Lucas sat up straight as he rub his eyes while yawning. His golden hair was all messy but dad tried to fix it as he slowly picked him up. We all made our way to the car, and I proceeded to change clothes in the back seat. I overlay my black vest on top of my plaid button-down. I switched to a more comfortable pair of jeans and boots to keep myself warm since its the middle of Autumn. And I put my hair in a neat ponytail completing my look. I noticed how Lucas was struggling to wear his socks in an attempt to change by himself. I smiled after I noticed he successfully wore his clothes properly without needing my help. "So, where are we going?" I finally asked as I tried to slide my way into the front seat. "There's a facility that are taking in people, kind of like rescuing refugees." He said as he chuckled a bit. "It's somewhere in the West but its built underground. Though they didn't guarantee they can take in a lot of people, I managed to ask them to save us a spot." He said as he smiled. "Wait, really? How did you do that?" I asked, a bit confused. "I know a few scientists who have been dear friends to me ever since college." He said as he winked at me. "But they did say they will prioritize people who really, badly need help. So we need to get there as soon as possible." He concluded. 

I half opened the window on my right to get a sense of fresh air. I turned to my left to see dad looking so worried. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Were running out of gas." He replied as he looked at the fuel gauge in the dashboard. We were driving in the middle of nowhere, just grassy fields all around us. It was quiet but I can sense the negative energy around the place. I was afraid that this part of the town may be infected too. "I hope we can pass by a gas station." He finally said as he turned his attention back to the crooked road. We only drove for 15 minutes more until dad finally reach to a halt. We arrived at a remote gasoline station, with two fuel dispensers and a small, dingy convenience store. Dad aligned the car near one of the dispensers. He got out of the car and proceeded to fill up the tank. "Jane, watch this for me. I'll pay for a full tank and hopefully buy us more fuel." He said as he closed the driver's door. I nodded and got down the car. After noticing the fuel gauge going back up, I removed the gas pump and put it back in the dispenser. I turned my attention to dad's pistol which he carelessly left in the cup holder. "Jane, I'm hungry." Lucas said, breaking my focus on the gun. I went back inside the car, finally sitting with Lucas in the back seat as I handed him a pack of his favorite cookie snack. I opened a juice box for him too but he was too quick to grab it back and it eventually spilled all over him. "Damn it, Lucas." I cussed as I got down from the car.