The End Won't Phase Me - Chapter Two - Paradise To Hell
#2 of The End Won't Faze Me
The End Won't Phase Me - Chapter Two - Paradise To Hell
I laid in the grass, the warm breeze tickling my fur bringing with it the subtle scent of the ocean. Today was a beautiful day for sure.
"Vanessa, time for dinner!"
"Ok, I'll be right there!" I called back to my mother. I got up slowly, stretching in the afternoon sun before heading to the house. Being a tiger, lounging in the sun was one of my favorite things to do on this island. I hurried towards the door, almost running into my father as he came around the house from the other way. I saw him grin as he grabbed my waist and lifted me high into the air.
"Oof, dad! I though I outgrew this like, almost thirteen years ago!" I said, crossing my arms as he still held me up.
"But I don't want to know my baby girl's growing up. I can see it, but that doesn't mean I have to acknowledge it." He said as he put me down, opening the door for me. The only reason that my dad could still lift me into the air that easily is because he recently returned from his tour in the military, finally done with serving with the armed forces.
"Don't worry dad, I'll always be your little girl." I said, giving him a quick hug before dashing into the house, quickly moving to the dining room.
My mother had just finished setting the table and put the last dish of food down. I sat in one of the chairs, gazing hungrily at the warm food.
"Hey, babe," My dad said as he shut the front door and moved into the dining room. "There's a yellowish haze looming over the water not even a mile or so upwind. Any idea what that could be?"
"I haven't the slightest idea. I mean, that's towards the mainland, but what could travel over so much water?"
"Oh well, it doesn't matter. I don't know about you two but I'm hungry."
We finished dinner in about half an hour. After we washed the dishes and put them away, we sat in the living room, turning on the TV.
"Strange, the TV still isn't showing anything but static." I said, tossing the remote onto the table.
"Well, do either of you have an idea of what we could do?" My dad said, standing
up from the couch.
"I know! We could-" I was cut short with the sound of a scream.
"Derik, what was that?" My mom asked nervously.
"I don't know, but both of you stay here, out of sight of the windows. I'm going to find out what I can see." He said as he walked out of the living room. As we waited in the room, more and more shrieks of terror sounded from outside.
"Mom, what could be happening?" I asked, a tinge of fear in my voice.
"I don't know. I just don't know."
Gunfire began cracking in the air as my father swiftly returned to us, a look of shock on his face.
"Daddy, what is it?"
"I-I... I can't explain. But it's almost like most of the island just, changed. I saw Lizzy, the girl across the street, being torn apart by Mark. But, Mark didn't look like Mark. His eyes were bloodshot and unfocused, the way he moved was off, and worst of all, he was gnawing on her flesh..." We both stared at him in utter shock.
"What?" I screamed, mortified by what he just told us.
"It's like some of us on the island have been infected. That's the only way I can see reason, the yellow haze. As impossible as it sounds, I think that's what it was."
"You're kidding me right?" I asked, jumping slightly as more shots were fired.
He shook his head, looking down at the floor.
"Go grab a few bags. Pack a few with food an provisions, and one with personals, but keep it light. Bring it here, then we'll move it onto the boat in the boathouse when we can."
"But Derik-"
"Look, now is not the time to argue. I'm trying to do what I think is best, because I can't let either of you die I won't let that happen. So please, just listen to what I say." She nodded before hurrying to the kitchen. "Vanessa, grab a few things if you'd like, but don't bring too much down ok?"
"Ok dad." I hurried up the stairs and threw open my door. Looking around my room I saw nothing all too useful. The clothes I was wearing could last a while and were comfortable. A glint of metal on the side table caught my eye. I dashed over to it a grabbed it. I opened the heart-shaped locket and took a quick look of the small family picture in it before closing it and putting it on. I decided I needed nothing more from my room and I went back downstairs. My dad saw me as held out a bag he just zipped shut.
"Here, take this out to the boathouse. Your mother just left a moment ago, so try to catch up to her. I don't like the thought of either of you being alone."
"Ok." I said, grabbing the straps before I headed down the hall. I came to the last door an pulled it open. I saw my mom at the end of the long hallway, so I ran to catch up to her.
"Vanessa," She said as I turned the corner.
"Yes mom?" I asked, dropping the bag next to the small pile already forming.
"Open the gun safe. I trust you remember the code, right?"
"Yea I do. No problem."
"Good. I'm going to help your father with the last few bags."
I walked to the huge safe near the back end of the concrete boathouse. Opposite of that wall was the garage door, with the hallway to the house on the wall to the left of it. The boathouse was large enough to have two boats on their trailers and then one docked in the water, but we only had one so that gave us a large empty space.
With my hands shaking like they were, I messed up the comm the first time, but got it the second run around. As I was pulling the massively heavy door open, my parents came through the door with the rest of the bags.
"Molly," My dad said as he tossed the bags down and moved next to me at the safe.
"Yes?" She said as she put the last bag on the floor.
"Try to set up some sort of barricade and sleeping area while I get the guns out, but hopefully we won't have to use them."
"Dad, why don't we just take the boat out right now?"
"Because," He said, grabbing an M14 bipod and a few mags for it. "I don't want to have to leave the island unless we have to. I don't know where we'd go or what to do if we got to the mainland."
"Vanessa, can you help me with this?" My mother asked, slowly pulling a heavy table away from the wall. I nodded, swiftly moving between the wall and the table, pushing hard to slide it across the floor.
We were able to set up and hunker down before nightfall. We had a strong barricade around the solid wall and boat, giving us a strong position against the two entrances of the building. My parents both decided to take turns staying awake during the night, leaving me out of the rotation. Despite that fact, I don't think anyone really got any sleep. I didn't for sure because I just couldn't fall asleep, no matter what I tried. Even though the sound of gunfire eventually ceased it gave me no peace, for I knew what that had meant.
As the sun rose, we decided to eat before our hunger grew worse. Breakfast consisted of canned corn and a few slices of bread. After we finished up with eating, my dad stood up and walked towards the door, hopping over the barricades.
"Dad, where are you going?"
"To grab the radio, I forgot about it yesterday. Don't worry, I'll be right back."
My mother and I sat there, waiting nervously for him to come back. We both jumped as three pistol shots rang out into the air. We heard a simultaneous roar of the infected, for we knew that they'd be drawn to the noise. My father sprinted around the corner and leapt over the barrier.
"One of the bastards got in and he saw me," He said, trying to wipe off some of the blood on his hand on his shirt. "So I had to shoot him. Now they all know that's we're here."
"So what should we do?" My mom asked, her voice full of fear.
"Take the M14 and get ready, hell is about to try and drag us down."
My mother composed herself before picking up the battle rife and loading a mag into it.
"Vanessa, get back."
"But I can help!" I said, reaching for the guns on the table.
"No Vanessa, listen to your mother." My dad said, picking up an M60. "Damn it!" He shouted, throwing it back on the table with a loud thunk. "I don't have any rounds for it!" Quickly his eyes scanned the rest of the table before settling on the disassembled flamethrower. The sound of fists banging metal startled my dad while he was thinking. He spun around to find a dent in the garage. More dents appeared in the metal door as a large crowd gathered on the other side.
"Molly, the garage won't hold for long, but I think I have enough time to get this baby ready, can you hold off the others?"
"Yea, I think so." She said, firing two rounds into an infected lion that tore around the corner, dropping him dead. My dad nodded and scrambled to lock down the pieces to his weapon. It was a race against time as the garage began to shake more violently as the hoard behind it let loose a blood screeching scream. I shuddered and closed my eyes, filled with horror.
"Bring it on, bitches!" I heard my dad yell as he lifted the heavy piece of machinery and slammed it onto the top of the barricade. I smiled, knowing my dad would be able to pull through just in time. The sound of cracking metal was soon followed with the garage door slamming on the floor. At that moment, my dad let loose a torrent of flames, incinerating the entire space the garage had blocked. The sound of dancing flames and semi auto gunfire battled fiercely against the roars and cruel moans of the half dead dying.
"Shit," I somehow heard my mom whisper over the noise. "Last clip!"
"When that runs out, grab the colt .45 on the table, it has a few mags for it."
No matter how many of those... Creatures, that were either shot or burned, more kept rushing in on us. It was almost as if we were the only ones left alive in this place. My mother tossed the empty M14 aside and quickly dashed to the table, took the .45, and leapt back to where she was before, slamming the first mag into the gun. She fired and reloaded as quickly as she could, but the infected kept gaining ground on her.
"Derik I can't hold them off with this!"
"You have to, stay strong."
"They're going to overrun us... Unless," My mother said, looking at the weapons table again. She emptied the colt before dropping it and hurrying to the table. She closed her eyes and picked up the high explosive fragmentation grenade.
"Mom no!" I shouted, knowing her intent. She ran to the barricade and leapt over it, pulling the pin.
"If this is what I must do so that the ones I love may live, then I will make the ultimate sacrifice." She plowed and muscled her way through the beasts tearing at her flesh, pushing forwards and taking them with her.
"Molly what are you-" My dad said, turning his head. "MOLLY NO!!!" His shouting was in vain, for her mind was set, and the pin had dropped. I closed my eyes and turned away, not wanting to see, not wanting to hear, not wanting to accept what was happening. I heard the explosion through my paws covering my ears, felt it shake my body, and though I wasn't hit with anything I felt like knives had been driven through my chest. I shut my eyes as tight as I could, as if I though that somehow that would make it all better. I sobbed, tears falling from my eyes and pooling on the floor, the pain in my chest making it almost too hurtful to breathe. Slowly I opened my eyes, hoping by some impossible odds that my mother would still be there, somehow still alive. I turned my head to where she was, but all I saw was the doorway crumbled beyond the point that you could get through and blood splattered across the walls and floor. Pain once more flooded my body and forced my eyes shut. I curled my paws into fists and dug my claws into my flesh.
"YOU BASTARDS CAN ALL BURN IN HELL!" Fire continued to hiss in the air, the smell of charred flesh making me gag. "Vanessa," I did not respond, for I didn't hear him speak. "Vanessa, I need you to do something for me." I looked at him, my face blank of all expression, no longer able to feel much. "Take the bags and put them on the boat, hurry." Without responding I stood up shakily and shuffled over to the pile. I grabbed a few of the duffle bags in my arms and brought them to the boat. Soon I had them all on and sat back down, closing my eyes.
"Vanessa, get on the boat." I looked up at my dad who was duct taping the body of the flamethrower to the barricade. Slowly I climbed into the boat and dropped onto one of the bags, not really caring that I wasn't on the seat.
He took a deep breath and taped the trigger down, stepping back. The flamethrower continued spewing forth its wrath as he moved towards the boat.
"You know I'd do anything to keep you safe, so stay strong for me ok?" I nodded. Tears began to form in his eyes. "Vanessa, I love you, and your mother did too, that's why she did what she did."
"I-I love you too dad." He smiled.
He took the ripcord and yanked it hard, starting the motor. He looked at me one last time before throwing the motor at full speed, causing the boat to lurch forwards without him on it.
"Dad, wait!" I screamed, but he was already running to the safe. I saw him pull out a large block of C4 and drop it on top of the fuel barrels near him. "No dad, don't!!!" I screamed and screamed until my throat burned, but the boat only took me further away. I saw the flamethrower cease its fire and the hoard moved closer to my father. Then, the light. The loud sound. The shockwave. The tears. The pain. It all returned, a second time. I saw debris splashing in the water, but then larger chunks of cement and wood began to rain down. One piece smashed into the bow, breaking it off with the force it carried. The boat dipped forwards and capsized, throwing me into the water. I clawed my way to the surface, grabbing on to whatever remained of the boat. However, another large chunk slammed into it, causing it to crack into two. I pulled myself up on to one of the half's, gasping for breath. I looked up only to find one last chunk speeding towards me. First pain, then darkness, then total numbness...