Apocalyptic Vampire Story Chapters 1-3

ONE
“Honey, are you in there? It’s me.”
The door slams abruptly behind Will, entombing him in the lightless chamber. He freezes instinctively, fearing that he has already drawn too much attention. A moment passes, and then another. Will adjusts himself to the darkness, gearing up for his next step forward. He has come this far. Now, he weighs the toll of his intrusion against the grief of what he has come to commit.
Will fumbles for his flashlight, only half-knowing what awaits him in the shadows ahead. After what feels like an eternity, he finds it. Flips it on. The fragile beam cowers within the confines of the room, offering little comfort against the dark. Will scans the room, finding it to be much larger than he was anticipating. Almost cavernous. Empty except for a small cot shoved against the far wall. He can nearly make out the figure occupying it. Will braves a step forward, hearing his shoe scrape heavily against the basement floor. The huddled figure flinches, or is he just imagining it?
As he creeps closer, Will discerns the shallow breathing of the shape asleep on the cot. It’s a woman. Familiar, yet hauntingly distant. Will feels the need to call out again, but his teeth are a steel trap refusing to budge. Instead, he reaches his free arm in front of him. Pulling himself towards the cot. The woman’s back is turned, her prone frame inches from the wall. She hasn’t noticed the beam from the flashlight or isn’t bothered by it. Will asks himself if it is better not to wake her. That he should say his goodbye without having to face her. But a guilty conscience settles in. He has to see her. To talk to her. One last time.
Will coaxes the woman’s shoulder, budging her awake. At first, she is still. Will moves to touch her again, and when he does, the woman hurls herself around with unnatural speed. Falling back, Will narrowly dodges a swipe from her flailing arms. The woman lands off the cot, onto the cold, bare floor. She seems stunned for a moment, winded. Will subconsciously points the beam directly at her. She isn’t fazed by it at all, staring intensely back into the light. Will takes in her features one by one. Everything about Amelia is the same apart from the blazing, red eyes staring right into Will’s soul.
Once he knows it’s her, Will shifts the beam from her eyes. “I’m sorry, honey,” he breathes. Amelia stares up at him from the ground, unspeaking. Her fervent breathing has not changed since being thrust awake. This makes her seem docile. Almost lifeless. Will wants nothing more than to rush forward. To scoop her up. Carry her out of there. But a gnawing feeling keeps him cemented.
Amelia seems to strain to get up on her own. Like an invisible weight is pinning her down. It takes a brief investigation with the flashlight for Will to discover a chain tracking from one of the bedposts to a bracelet around his wife’s ankle. She’s been restrained like some kind of animal. Will feels a hatred stir within him. How dare they keep her locked up like this? She’s human.
Fueled by the mounting emotion in the room, Amelia increases her efforts to free herself from the floor. When she ultimately cannot, her body goes limp for half a moment. Then, her eyes return to her husband with calm resolve. Her lips part, and a single word breaks through.
“Will?”
Her voice is little more than a whisper, but her speech fills the whole room. Hearing his wife for the first time in days, Will is filled with sudden clarity, and he is no longer inhibited. He steps willingly forward, letting the flashlight drop to the ground as he uses both hands to lift his wife to her feet.
“Are you okay?” he asks her. “Did they hurt you?”
Amelia’s eyes are shut. She cranes her neck, and an endless stream of tension is lifted from her body. Will takes this moment to retrieve his flashlight. When he returns to his stance, Amelia is staring back at him. Her eyes are fully open but a different shade entirely. Hungry. Through the gap in her lips, Will makes out a pair of visceral fangs daring to poke out. Will stumbles backward, gasping audibly. Amelia gives a slight chuckle.
“Don’t be scared,” she coos. “It’s only me.”
Something about her voice sends a chill down Will’s spine. His arm hairs curl, and he nearly drops the flashlight again as he begins to quiver. Amelia tries to close the distance between them, but the chain keeps her locked in place. Will is filled with a dreadful urge to run. He looks back for the door but can’t find it. He doesn’t dare take the flashlight off the woman. Or whatever she is. All he knows is that it is not Amelia. Not anymore.
Will dares himself to blink. A small part of him hopes that when his vision refocuses, she will be normal again. He’s hallucinating. The woman he loves, the woman he married, will be standing right in front of him. Blinking twice for good measure, Will opens his eyes to find nothing has changed. Amelia is tearing fiendishly at her restraint. She’s growling like some kind of feral beast. Will knows if she somehow rips the chain free, she is coming straight for him.
He remembers what he must do. What he should have done the moment he stepped into the room. Will reaches into his pocket. At first, it feels deeper than it should be. He sighs gratefully when his hand finally closes on what he is searching for. Will pulls the knife from its hiding place and shields it behind his back. As Amelia is still distracted by her chain, Will inches forward. She stops tearing suddenly, and Will halts in his tracks.
The creature’s eyes seem to burn through him, fixated on his right arm. Will believes she can see the knife behind his back. Amelia straightens herself fully. Despite being as tall as she always was, she seems to rise above the shadows of the room. Will finds himself face to face with a person no longer. But some kind of entity. Amelia regards him purposefully. She isn’t letting her new nature hide anymore.
“Set me free,” she commands.
Will shudders. He feels invisible hands prying at him. Urging him to obey. It takes everything for him to resist. It’ll be over soon, he tells himself. He just needs to take a few steps more. Amelia reaches out, coercing him. Will braces as he approaches her. He lets his right arm drop to his side, where the knife is in plain view. Amelia’s eyes lurch to it immediately. A sinister grin spreads across her lips.
“Oh, honey,” she mocks. “What are you going to do with that?”
Will begins to shake uncontrollably. He is not sure if he can do it. Behind the façade is still the woman he loves. Somewhere deep down. If there was a way to free her, he would do it in a heartbeat. But Will sticks to reason. There is no way to get her back.
“I’ll always love you,” he stammers. Amelia eyes him cruelly, unmoved. She laughs at him.
“What will you tell our daughter? Daddy killed Mommy?”
Will tenses. Images flash across his mind. The three of them together. Normal. Happy. A pain pulses in the back of his head. Nearly crippling him. Amelia marvels at his suffering. Will clenches the knife, fighting to regain his resolve. The mental agony is excruciating. He is tempted to throw himself at the beast. Let his fate meet hers. At least then it would be over. But the image of his family grounds him. Gives him the strength to follow through. They’ll never be the same. All Will can do is ease his wife’s torment.
Will meets the thing’s gaze. He stares unbreaking past her soulless eyes. Her memory alive in his mind, he settles himself. “I’ll find her. I promise.”
With that, he plunges the knife into her heart. The creature’s mouth unfolds, and a voiceless gasp is released. Will withdraws the blade, feeling the blood seep out onto his hands. Amelia crumples to the dust, and her form shrinks in her demise. Human again. Will steps back, tears streaming. It is done.
He snaps his eyes shut. The sight of his wife or the thing she had become, albeit terrible, has left him helplessly distraught. Just weeks before she had been as full of life as a person could be. Even when the world turned upside down, she was there to give Will hope. To assure him that no matter what, they would get through things together. Now, their daughter is lost, and Amelia is gone forever. Will is alone.
Wake up, Will says internally before manifesting aloud. He no longer cares if he is heard. The line has been crossed. And it is much more devastating than he had built himself up for.
As if on cue, the sound of thundering footsteps arrives from the corridor. The door is thrust open, and Will is met by the stream of a half dozen flashlights. Soldiers pour into the room, barking at him. “DROP THE KNIFE.” He does.
Will is cracked across the face. With a fist or the butt of a rifle, he can’t tell. Either way, the force is enough to spin him on his way to the ground. He lands beside his wife, her back still to him. Will reaches out for her, although he knows she can’t reach back. Another crack. This one even harder. Will slumps his face against the cement, feeling its cold sting.
“That’s enough,” a reserved voice calls from the doorway. The soldiers back off as Gabriel steps into the room. Will recognizes him immediately. The head honcho. His clean coat shines against the dark as his boots clap against the ground. The flashlight beams guide him directly to Will. With hands clasped behind his back, he reveres him with what seems like pity. But is much more realistically disappointment. “Get up,” he tells Will plainly. Will is too weak to comply. The officer leans in closer, their faces inches apart. “Don’t make me tell you again.”
It takes a few moments, but Will somehow musters the ability to drag himself to his feet. His eyes do not faulter from Amelia’s corpse. Gabriel collects the fallen knife from the ground. He takes in the modesty of the blade. The dark blood that has stained it. Then, he gives it to one of his men. He steps over Amelia’s body, so he has Will’s attention. The men simply look at each other. Gabriel with contempt. Will feeling nothing.
“I didn’t think you had it in you,” Gabriel says to break the silence. Will does not react. “Your own wife. What was it, mercy?” Again, nothing. Gabriel shakes his head. He takes his eyes off Will and begins to examine Amelia. He lifts up her eyelids. Pokes at her teeth. Will watches him intently, the hatred resurfacing. If there was anyone to blame for her death, it was not he who held the knife. Or the disease that took her. The monster that claimed her. It was the man who locked her away.
Gabriel stands, his arms falling routinely at his sides. He flares his nostrils, his calm demeanor quickly slipping into impatience. He brings his face right up to Will’s. Looks him dead in the eyes.
“I get what you must be feeling,” he flares. “I had a wife. Three daughters. You know where they are? Gone. Monsters like she was.” He points at Amelia and does not retract. “But I didn’t put them down. I didn’t give up. There’s still hope in the world, even if you don’t see it. Your wife still had a chance. An opportunity. We can save the world. Save everyone we’ve lost. But not if we give up.”
The words reach Will’s ears but do not enter. He will not allow it. His fists start to clench. He doesn’t care if Gabriel’s men have their weapons aimed to fire. The satisfaction he could bring with a single strike would be worth his death. He considers it heavily, especially now with Gabriel eyeing him expectantly. For what? Agreeance? An apology?
Through hardened teeth, Will retorts, “You kept her in a cage. I won’t let her be your test subject.”
Gabriel snickers. “This was the best place for her, Will. Out in the world, she’d be an animal. A murderer. I was keeping her safe. So, when we found the cure, we could save her.”
Will brings his face even closer to Gabriel’s. The soldier does not retreat. “And these tests you put her through, they’re humane? I doubt that. Why don’t you do them to your own wife? Your daughters? Amelia didn’t deserve that. But your family- they do.”
Gabriel sends him reeling with a solid jab to the throat. Will gags, fighting for air, as he falls to his back. The soldiers close in, but Gabriel waves them off. He looms over the defeated Will, in no shape to be a threat. Gabriel clearly wants to finish him off, and Will wants him to. He regards him as intensely as before. And this time, it is with pity.
“You still have a daughter, Will,” Gabriel laments. “A breathing one. If that weren’t the case, I’d put you in the ground right now. You broke into my lab. Killed one of my patients. The whole world is at stake. You can’t take things so personally. If you ever come near this place again, my men will put you down life you did your wife.”
Gabriel backs off, prepares to leave. He tells two of his men to drag Will out before instructing the others to follow him. Will lies in a puddle of defeat. His blood and tears conjoined on the floor beside him. He feels cursed, cheated. Doomed to walk the earth while his wife is gone forever. His hope snuffed out in an instant. As Gabriel marches to the door, the image of his family singes in Will’s mind. Like a scar. His daughter’s face smiles at him. Unknowing of the pain that has befallen him.
Will’s hatred towards the officer twists into desperation. “Kasey,” he chokes out. “Where is she?”
Gabriel stops at the exit and turns back slightly. Not making eye contact but regarding him still. “She’s safe,” he says simply. “Not here.”
Without another word, Gabriel vanishes into the corridor with most of his men. The remaining two form up on either side of Will. “Let’s go,” one of them says. Will allows himself to be yanked to his feet. He half walks, is half dragged, out of the room. He fights to look back and manages to catch a final glimpse of his wife before he is turned around the corner.
I’ll find her, he tells her in his mind.
I know you will, he concludes her response.
The rest of his mind goes blank as the soldiers take him away. He fulfilled his promise to Amelia. And now he must make good on another. The hope he lost has given way to a new deliberation. Kasey is out there somewhere. And there’s nothing in the world that can stop him from finding her.

TWO
By the third knock, Nick is starting to get anxious. There’s nothing worse than being late. He raps a few extra times to stress his insistence. Nothing. A fourth time. After a long pause, he feels his patience slipping away. Then, a click.
The cabin door pops open, and a restless, bitter face pokes around the frame to greet him. Nick sighs in relief. “Good morning, sunshine.”
The girl groans and shuts the door in his face. Nick lets himself in, as always. He waits respectfully by the door as the girl begins to rummage for fresh clothes. “We’re late again,” he says disapprovingly.
“You don’t have to wait for me,” the girl remarks. Nick rests against the cabin wall. The wooden interior rests boringly bare. They weren’t given much in terms of decorations. Nick mulls over the rest of the room, finding belongings still neatly packed in cases beside the bed.
“You haven’t unpacked yet,” Nick says matter-of-factly.
“We won’t be here long,” the girl justifies, returning with a clean pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt.
“It’s been three weeks.” Nick brushes off the wall and waits expectantly by the door.
“The soldiers said this was only temporary. Once they find a base big enough to fit everyone, we’ll be out of here.”
Nick holds his tongue. He doesn’t need to rehash his reservations. On second thought, he does. “Why were we even separated in the first place? I mean, not like I have any family. But you- your parents. I just don’t see a reason for it.” The girl stops in the middle of the cabin, fixated with something on her sleeve. She doesn’t seem to be listening at all. Nick slides himself into view. “Kasey?”
She looks up, whisked back into reality. “Sorry,” she says dismissively. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
Nick follows her out of the cabin and into the fresh, country air. Birds sing in the distance. Without a care in the world. Must be nice. People converse as they make their way to their assigned activities. Soldiers are on patrol. Weapons slung carelessly around their shoulders.
“Not really my idea of summer camp,” Nick chides. He expects at least a chuckle in return, but Kasey keeps moving without a word.
Quickening his stride, he joins her as they make their way to the edge of the campground. The complex is surrounded by a sturdy wall, complete with a tower and military trucks for added security. There’s a group of people at the gate. All teens or twenty-somethings. At the head, a soldier stands guard with a clipboard. Nick keeps his head down, hoping to not cause a scene as the pair slips into formation.
Luckily, the soldier seems preoccupied with his ledger. It takes a minute for him to orient himself before looking up at the untrained mass of subjects. “Listen up,” he starts. “Morning drills are at 0900, per usual. After that, you each have labor assignments for the afternoon. Rations will be given out at dinnertime only. A shipment from HQ will arrive tomorrow morning with more supplies. Cut back today, and tomorrow will be back to normal. Any questions?”
A flurry of questions erupts from the crowd, but the officer is uninterested in actually answering them. He drops the clipboard to his side and pedals off, pretending to be called away by something. Most of the teens disperse. Kasey lingers to kick at the dirt.
“I’m going back to bed,” she groans.
“Good luck with that,” Nick spits. “What’s your assignment?”
“Fields, I think,” Kasey mumbles. “It’s where I always am.”
“Ah, I was hoping we’d be together. I have loading duty. I guess we’re shipping some stuff back to HQ, as well. Have to drive out early tomorrow to exchange.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Kasey frowns. “What do we have to give to HQ?”
“Beats me,” Nick shrugs. “But hey. I can see if one of them knows anything. About where your parents are.”
Kasey shakes her head. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Why not?”
“No use drawing attention. They probably won’t tell you anyway.”
“It doesn’t hurt to ask,” Nick reasons.
“Thanks, though. I know you don’t like the soldiers any more than I do.”
“People get sick. World goes to shit. And they start separating people from their families. Shipping them off to God knows where. That’s some Nazi stuff right there. They say they’re working on putting the world back together, but it feels like all they’re doing is waiting. Just guarding like it’s the Night’s Watch or something.”
The pair stops back in front of Kasey’s cabin. Kasey continues to let Nick ramble as she slumps up the steps to her door. She stops there and tells him, “I’m gonna sneak something from my stash before drills. Seeing as we’re not eating until tonight. Catch you later, yeah?”
“Sure,” Nick bids. “If we’re not dead by then.”
Kasey shakes her head as she steps through her cabin door. Even with it shut, she can hear Nick laughing to himself as he heads off into the camp. Just another day in paradise.

“Romero, keep up.”
Alex pulls himself out of his daze, feeling the woods return to life around him. Sunlight streams past each obstruction, encasing the forest in a warm glow. Still, it fails to curb Alex’s unease. He tugs at the weapon slung over his shoulder. It feels alien against his skin, as does his uniform. He had enlisted to join the camp’s guard. But every second outside the walls makes him wish he hadn’t. When the world was peaceful, he loved hiking these same trails. Now, he wants to be as far away from them as possible.
Thinking it best not to keep the boss waiting, Alex sets off in the direction of the voice. He finds Ryan just up ahead, staring off into the trees. Basking in the sun’s warmth. He seems more at home without the strain of a soldier’s outfit. And yet, somehow, he gives off more presence in a denim shirt and unkept beard than Alex ever could. Hearing his approach, Ryan waves behind him for Alex to follow.
“There might be something up ahead.”
Alex keeps a hand close to his weapon. Just in case. He works to keep up with Ryan, departing from the trail and hurdling through some shrubbery. After a small trek, they come to a matted field. The grass has been pressed down by something heavy. Alex doesn’t need Ryan to inform him, but he does so anyway.
“Deer, most likely,” Ryan elaborates. “Looks like at least a few. That’s good for us.”
“Bows are back at camp,” Alex suggests. “Should we go back for them?”
Ryan shakes his head. “We’ll make do with what we have. We shouldn’t waste time on an opportunity like this.” He sweeps the grass with his hand, eyeing for signs of which direction the animals left in. It looks to Alex like he has no clue what he is doing.
“Can you track them?” he asks Ryan.
“I’ll try,” says the man earnestly. “Come on. This way.”
Alex reluctantly follows. Each step further from camp fills him with a stronger sense of dread. There has been something unsettling about being outside ever since the world fell apart. Ryan’s pace is brisk, and even though neither of them are actual soldiers, Alex admits that Ryan at least tries to act the part. How he came to be the leader of the camp, he’ll never know. But Alex figures he’s as good a man to follow as any.
After just a few more minutes of walking, a foul stench begins to permeate. Alex recoils instantly upon smelling it. Something is rotting. Or has been for a long time. It takes all Alex has not to throw up. He has never smelled anything so sinister. Seeing him keel over, Ryan offers Alex a reassuring pat on the back. “Hope that’s not our deer,” is all he can say.
Once recovered enough to push forward, Alex follows Ryan to the clearing up ahead. There, they find the source of the smell. Two figures are huddled at the base of the clearing. One appears to be a young woman in a shining dress. The other is a deer carcass that rests at her feet.
Ryan halts at the tree line and instructs Alex to do the same. They observe the woman, who is knelt beside the deer. At first glance, she appears to be in mourning. Flies have started to circulate around the carcass, but the woman pays them no mind. It’s a grim sight. One that Alex was not expecting to see. Although it justifies the unease he felt earlier.
“What’s she doing?” Alex whispers.
“Don’t know. Could be trying to nurture it?”
“What should we do?”
Ryan does not immediately answer. After a few unchanging moments, he relents and proceeds into the clearing. The woman doesn’t hear his approach. Stopping a few yards shy of her, Ryan calls out, “Excuse me, ma’am? Are you alright?” She doesn’t budge. Alex is motioned to Ryan’s side. He elects to stay a few yards back. This doesn’t feel right.
Ryan attempts to collect the woman’s attention. Without looking back, she pushes a fierce growl through her lips. “Stay back,” she sneers. “He’s mine.” Ryan stumbles back, almost tripping over his own heels and colliding with Alex in the process. Hearing the commotion, the woman shoots to her feet but does not immediately turn around. Her read rotates halfway in the direction of the two men, and her jaws stretch into a devilish grin.
“Fuck,” Ryan gasps. “She’s one of them.”
Alex lifts his gun and aims it properly at the creature’s head. She remains still. “What do we do?” he asks fearfully.
The thing that was once a woman cackles maniacally. She turns fully to face them, taunting them. “Boys acting as men,” she chides. “No wonder the human race fell so easily.” She seems to sway, although her body remains mostly planted. The creature’s eyes shift from one man to another, as if deciphering which of them is going to speak or act next.
Ryan holds out a hand to steady Alex. Reassuring him that he’s got control of the situation. It does not work.
He takes a bold step towards the woman but does not dare a second. Alex can hear him gulp in preparation. The words shakily leave his mouth as Ryan offers, “We’re not going to hurt you unless you give us a reason to. You may be sick, but you’re still human.”
The woman appears to be amused at this. She bears her fangs, a not so gentle reminder, and hisses with viperish intensity. Ryan backs off immediately and raises his gun to match Alex. He’s kept his trained on the woman the whole time.
“Leave now,” Ryan quivers. “Final warning.”
The woman tilts her head but otherwise stays firm in her stance. Alex can feel himself start to shake. He’s never been so close to one before. Seen them, sure. On the news when it all started. At a distance ever since. This is different. Real. He can feel the heat leaping off his skin. The nervous sweat. Staring death in the eyes is a whole different ballgame.
He feels his head start to pound. Pulsing faster than his heartbeat. Alex has never been the praying type. But he does so now. Pleading within himself for the creature to walk away. So he never has to pull the trigger. Or look it in the eyes for a moment longer.
The woman sniffs the air like a hound. Alex is sure she can taste his fear. Between him and Ryan, they offer up a healthy serving. There must be some men that would fare better in the crosshairs of such a beast. Alex is sure that if he makes it out of this, he’s walking back into the camp and turning over his gun. He’s never setting foot outside the walls again.
The standoff seems to go on for an eternity. Neither man attempts a single movement. Any wrong move could be the end. Send the creature into a perilous frenzy. But one of them has to act eventually. Either the woman leaves, or one of them makes the first move. The creature continues to size them up. Deciding which of them is the weakest. Or tastiest.
As the tension builds, Alex finds his heart rate slowing. It scares him at first. He suspects the devil has a hold over his soul. But then, he finds his vision sharpening. Senses culminating. A wild calm takes over him. He keeps his gun trained on the woman, and it seems fixed to his grasp. Familiar.
When the woman lunges, Alex is ready. She crosses the field between them in remarkable speed. Her fingers outstretched like claws. Scraping for Ryan’s throat. She’s nearly there. But Alex is faster. The bullet blows her away, sending her spinning to the grass below. Landing flat on her back, an unholy wind escapes her. She’s not quite dead. But inhibited by the force of the blow.
Alex looms over her, keeping his weapon aimed but not close enough for her to reach for it. The creature pants painfully, and for a second, Alex forgets that she is more demon than woman. She looks at him with surprise. Contempt. Between labored breaths, she muses, “Think you’re a man now?”
Ryan joins Alex at his side, appearing just as out of breath as the woman. Being milliseconds from death seems to have stolen his bravado. He tears his eyes away from the woman, fearing she’ll lunge again. Nodding in Alex’s direction, he says, “The heart. I think you gotta aim there.”
Alex leans in. The woman squints, overwhelmed by the sun bearing down on her. Another squeeze of the trigger. The creature’s chest ruptures, and her body contracts into a rigid demise. Her face seems to pale instantly. Officially dead and dead again.
Ryan has to pry the gun out of Alex’s hands for him to relax. Part of him is expecting the creature to revive herself. To slash his throat the second he lets his guard down. Ryan snaps his fingers, coaxing him back to reality.
“Hey,” the man soothes, “you did good.” He slaps him on the back for good measure.
Alex feels the adrenaline leave his body. A state of anxiety creeps back in. His head is pounding. But he nods at Ryan and takes his gun back. He slings it over his shoulder.
Then, something stirs. A grizzled hmmph cries from the ground. The men’s eyes instinctively fall to the woman. But she remains still. Sure as dead. But that only leaves…
The deer staggers to its feet. Its hooves give way under the tempered strength of reincarnation. Its eyes are blackened shells. Teeth unnaturally sharp.
But it pays no mind to the men. It limps to its feet, and once it regains its strength, labors off into the woods. The soldiers look on in awe. Had it come for them, neither of them would have been able to assert themselves in time. The shock of the revelation would have had their fates sealed. The deer disappears into the distance, but its eerie calls persist as the men remain trapped in their stances.
Alex shifts his gaze over to Ryan. “Here,” he says, shoving his gun back into his hands. “I quit.”
And starts heading back to camp.

THREE
It takes more than a few chews for Troy to swallow. The gruel clashes against his mouth, making him cringe with each attempt. Still, he can’t go hungry.
Aiden resorts to spitting his into the dirt and sends the bowl whirring through the wind. “It’s liquid cardboard,” he gags, flopping back onto the lawn. “We have to skip lunch today, and this is all we get?”
Cassie picks at her bowl mindlessly, not even daring a first bite. “If this is all we have to eat,” she cracks, “I want a refund. Worst summer camp ever.”
“I never went,” Troy chimes in, “so I wouldn’t know.”
“I went every year until I was sixteen,” Cassie explains. “I kind of miss it, actually.”
“I went once,” Aiden says as he drags himself upright. “Got kicked out. Bit a kid.”
“How old were you? Six?” Cassie asks.
“Fourteen.”
Troy shakes his head in bewilderment. Feeling the bowl of sludge weighing on his hands, he sets it carefully in the grass. It’s almost hidden beneath the growth. Soldiers don’t have time to mow, he guesses.
“How did we ever become friends again?” Troy teases. Aiden punches him in the shoulder.
“Because I’m a good mentor,” he tells him. “Or wingman. You need guidance. And I have a lot to give.”
“Oh, do you now?”
The late afternoon sun beats down on the teens. Aiden climbs to his feet and stretches like he hasn’t moved in years. Troy feels his appetite tremble, but he can’t stomach another spoonful. Cassie sets down her bowl and joins Aiden on her feet. Not wanting to be left out, Troy does the same. They stare off towards the wall and the horizon beyond. At nothing in particular.
“Good ole apocalypse,” Aiden sighs. “Can’t beat it.”
“I’m pretty sure you can,” Cassie rebuts. At this time, a soldier emerges from one of the cabins. His weapon is in hand as he strolls across the camp, surveying each aspect as he passes. Troy immediately picks up on Cassie’s discomfort and moves closer to her. “Do they have to be armed inside the walls?” she breathes. “I get it out there. But here? It makes people uncomfortable.”
“By people you mean just you,” Aiden snarks.
“It doesn’t bother you?”
“Hell no. It bothers me that I don’t get a gun.”
“Like they’d trust you with one,” Troy chides.
“They trust your brother,” Aiden jabs, “and he’s the biggest goof on the planet.”
“He volunteered. Why don’t you?”
“Too much responsibility,” he dismisses. “Besides, I’d be too good at it. I’d kill every monster within a day.”
Troy snickers. Cassie bites her tongue. In a passing glance, Troy can tell she’s lost in thought. Her cheeks are clammy. Knuckles tight. He’s seen her like this before. He passes Aiden a cautionary glance, but he doesn’t pick up on it.
Aiden presses, “What if the monsters get in? You kind of need weapons to protect us.”
Cassie shakes her head. Troy can see the tears starting to well up in her eyes. He starts to reach for her hand but withdraws. The moment passed, Cassie folds her arms and looks to the dirt.
“They’re not monsters, Aiden. They’re—”
Suddenly overwhelmed, Cassie parts from the boys, escaping to someplace with more breathable air.
Aiden kicks the dirt. “There she goes again,” he jabs.
Troy shoots him a dirty look then chases after Cassie. He catches her halfway between two of the cabins. “Wait up,” he calls. He doesn’t expect her to, but she does. Wiping a tear from her eye, she offers a quiet apology. “It’s just still raw for me, you know?”
Troy gives her a consoling nod. “You don’t have to apologize. Aiden can be a dick sometimes.”
Cassie shrugs. “He didn’t do anything wrong. He’s stupid, which is a good distraction. But whenever I think about my brother. My parents. I just can’t get out of my head.”
Troy watches her closely. Trying to find something smart to say. Not smart, helpful. Caring. Something. He’s never been good at stuff like this. He reaches for her arm, stopping just shy of her.
“I’m here for you,” Troy says. “Me and Aidan. We’re like family, now. We watch out for each other.”
Cassie sniffles and gives a weak nod. Troy lets his hand reach her. Pulls her into a hug. She leans into him. Troy can tell she’s trying not to cry again. He wants to tell her something else. That everything will be okay. But he finds it better to not say more. He holds onto the moment until the sound of the gate opening pulls him back into place.
Troy looks up to see two figures walking through the camp gates, which shut promptly behind them. One of the men hangs back to discuss something with the guards on duty. Troy has seen him before, and if he remembers correctly, is one of the leaders of the camp. Or in charge of the soldiers, at least. Troy can’t hear what’s been said, but the man gives a firm instruction before rushing off someplace else. The other soldier is in even more of a hurry and has already crossed the center of camp without delay. Troy recognizes him immediately as his older brother.
“Alex?”
Troy breaks from Cassie and crosses to meet him. Alex almost barrels into him, not seeing him until they nearly collide. His mind is obviously elsewhere. Troy waves a meager hand over his brother’s face, trying to free him from his daze. Alex blinks, and with his surroundings shifting into focus, sighs regretfully.
“Sorry, Troy. My head’s still out there.”
“What happened?”
At this point, Cassie has found herself and made her way over. She stops beside Troy and offers the same look of concern. Alex waves them off. “I’m fine, guys, really.”
“Did something happen out there?” Cassie wagers.
Alex pauses. “I saw one of them today,” he relents.
“This close to camp?” gasps Troy. Alex nods. “Are you okay?”
“It’s not safe right now,” he reveals. “Ryan’s doubling down security. No one wandering out past dark.”
“What about you?” Troy asks.
Alex shakes his head. “I’ll be at our cabin,” he states. “I’m not patrolling anymore.”
The worry on Troy’s face folds briefly into disappointment. He tries to snuff it out, but Alex can see it. The older brother narrows his eyes, a parental guise falling over him.
“I’m serious, Troy,” he says. “Whatever your friends were planning for tonight is off. You all need to be locked down.”
“What do you mean?” Troy plays off. His expression does little to impress naivety.
“I’m not stupid. I’m your brother,” Alex cements, “but I’m in charge of you now. I need you safe until this all gets sorted out. Same goes for your friends.”
Troy stumbles over his words, unsure if he should speak up or drop it. Cassie rushes to his aid, saying, “We’ll lock down. We promise.”
Alex holds his tongue. This seems to steady him. He gives Troy a lingering look, but a thought seems to cross into his mind. Rubbing his temple, Alex starts to head off again. Troy watches him, a new sense of fear washing over him. He’s never seen his brother like this. Even when the world first fell apart. Even when their parents were taken from them years before.
“He looks really shaken up,” Cassie comments unnecessarily. A slight grumble is Troy’s only reply. “Well, Aiden’s going to be disappointed,” she adds. “He stole that bottle for nothing. Unless you wanted to sneak out?”
Troy shakes his head. “Alex is not a sound sleeper. He always catches me. Besides, I think he’s serious. We should just do it another night.”
“Okay,” says Cassie. “I’m going to go for a walk while it’s still light out. Did you want to come with me?” She watches him with peculiarity. Troy can’t tell if she’s doing so in a friendly way or something different. He doesn’t want to wager a guess. Besides, the only emotion fixed in his mind is concern for his brother. He wants nothing more than to walk with her. But he shakes his head.
“I think I should find Aiden,” he says. “Someone’s got to break the news to him.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
“Yeah.”
Troy looks towards the wall, its wooden spires painted like bars on a cage. He isn’t sure whether they’re meant to keep the world away or keep the survivors in. Piece together a fortress. Surround it with guards. Promise to protect it. But it still can’t assure safety. Alex has been, up to this point, Troy’s sense of stability. Even when everything felt wrong, his assurance was enough to destroy any uncertainty. But seeing him so dismantled has left Troy unsettled. What did he see out there that scarred him?
The sun still dominates the sky. But its warmth is rejected by a cold foreboding in Troy’s soul. He can’t see much beyond the wall besides the tips of trees in the surrounding forest. Anything could be out there. Monsters like Alex had seen. Watching them.
Seeing the soldiers scurry around like rats affirms Troy’s doubt. They don’t know what to make of it either. How can they? The world fell so quickly, and they have no idea how to put it back together. People are still dying. Changing into monsters that can’t be recognized. Troy shudders at the thought of that happening to him. To Alex. Aiden. Cassie.
He looks to the clouds, searching for faces between their seams. Mom, Dad, if you can hear me… he ponders, I’m glad you don’t have to live through this. To see the world how it is. You’d tell me to be keep fighting. To listen to Alex. He’s strong, but he’s scared. You’d be proud of him. I hope you can be proud of me too. I’m just so lost without you. Without Alex, I don’t know what I’d do.
Troy struggles to go on but can’t find the words. He promises to finish the thought later. Give it a happy ending. He leaves to go find Aiden, hoping he has some wisecrack in the chamber to cheer him up.
The sun starts to slip from the sky, casting a blanketed shadow over the camp.

Kasey can’t sleep during the day, but she’s trying to replicate it. The all-too-familiar rapping at her door disrupts her attempts at peace. As it persists, she calls out, annoyed, “Go away.”
The knocking returns fervently, forcing Kasey to slither out of the comfort of her sheets. She draws the door open and is immediately struck by the panic on Nick’s face. “You alright?” he breathes.
Kasey opens the door fully, letting him in. Nick paces briefly across the wooden floor until she tells him to cool it. “Why wouldn’t I be alright?” she interrogates.
Nick scratches the back of his head. “You were in the fields today,” he elaborates. “Some of the guys saw something in the woods. I wasn’t sure if something happened while you were out there.”
“You worry too much,” Kasey says dismissively. “Is that why you’re so worked up?”
Nick takes a seat on the edge of her bed. “I overheard one of the soldiers using the radio. It sounded like he was talking to HQ. They’re changing the drop tomorrow. I don’t know if they heard what happened, but they’re not coming to meet us. We have to go further out. Pick up the drop ourselves.”
“What? That doesn’t make any sense?”
“It doesn’t feel right,” Nick vents. “We’re leaving in the middle of the night.” He pauses. Rubs his eye. Hard. Like there’s something trapped in there. Then continues, “They brought us here because they said it’d be safe. Remote. Now, one of those things is seen just outside. They’re changing our supply drops. Something’s going on that we don’t know about.”
Kasey can see Nick start to work himself up. She takes a seat beside him, trying her best to naturally calm him. His foot taps nervously on the boards. After a few moments, he seems to settle.
“I don’t want to go out there, Kasey,” he confides. “I don’t feel safe out there.”
He places a hand on hers. She holds still but does not pull back. Doesn’t want to make it a thing. Not when he’s worked up. They stare at the wall together. Some moments pass before she decides to speak.
“If you could go anywhere, where would you go?” she asks.
Nick doesn’t answer right away. It allows Kasey herself to reflect. She hasn’t taken the time to think about it either.
“Anywhere else, I guess,” Nick concludes.
“Nothing specific?” Kasey prods. “Not the beach? Or the Grand Canyon?”
“Where would you go?” Nick asks her.
It takes a second to find the answer, but when she thinks of it, a warm smile spreads across her face. “My grandma’s house,” Kasey confirms. “We’d go there every Sunday after church. She and my mom would make these pancakes that were so fluffy. With homemade syrup. It was the best thing ever. We’d sit around the TV and watch football or some sitcom. My dad would get so worked up, it was funny. He’d turn everything into a joke. Most of them were bad, but they made me laugh anyway.”
Nick smiles back at her, just for a moment. “That sounds nice.”
“So where would you go?”
Nick hesitates, but ultimately says, “I don’t know. Probably your grandma’s house, too.”
Kasey frowns at him. “Why? You have a thing for grandmas I don’t know about?”
They laugh together, and Nick assures her he does not. “Your family sounds great,” he explains. “I never had anything like that.” He pauses again. Kasey can tell there’s something weighing on him. She wants to ask about it but doesn’t want to force it out of him. Feeling her eyes on him, he sighs before the words pour out. “Kasey, if I don’t come back—”
Kasey stops him. “Don’t talk like that. Why are you so convinced something will happen?”
She watches Nick shudder. He closes his eyes. “I know you don’t want to be here. You want to be with your family. I want to help you find them. From the sound of things, the soldiers are letting things go. I don’t think it’s safe here.”
“What are you saying?” Kasey asks bluntly.
“I think we should leave,” he returns.
“How?”
“We’re taking trucks to the pickup tomorrow,” Nick rambles. “I can find where they put the keys. When it’s dark—”
“Stop,” Kasey interrupts. “You’re talking nonsense.”
“You’re still packed, Kasey. You don’t trust this place any more than I do.”
“That doesn’t mean we can just leave,” Kasey rationalizes. “In the middle of the night where who knows what is out there. You said you don’t feel safe out there.”
“I would,” Nick slips. “I would if I was with you.”
Kasey stares blankly at him. She feels her hand tense under his. He pulls it away. Sensing her discomfort. She had considered he had feelings for a while. It hadn’t been hard to guess. Still, Nick had never said it aloud before. He regrets it immediately, launching from the bed.
“Wait,” Kasey urges. Nick shakes his head.
“I’m sorry,” he says glumly. “You’re kind of all I have, Kasey. I didn’t mean to say it like that.”
“You’re scared, and it’s okay,” Kasey sympathizes.
Nick bids, “You should get some rest. I didn’t mean to bother you.” He reaches for the door, and Kasey feels a rinse of guilt wash over her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow when you get back?”
Nick offers her a weak smile before letting the door close behind him. Kasey falls back into her bed and takes in the bareness of the ceiling. Too many thoughts are competing for her mind’s attention. She tries to focus on the Sunday breakfasts. Her dad’s witticisms. Her mom’s happiness. She’d give anything to go back to those days.
One way or another, she’ll find her way back to them. And the first thing they’ll do is have pancakes.