Chapter FIVE - Sanctuary

Never As We Imagined

Chapter FIVE - Sanctuary

I sucked in air heavily, I had been doing this for a while...

“One, Two, Three...” I said out loud, my hands clasped over each other, they were stained velvet, it sickened me inside knowing that most of it wasn’t even my blood... worry flooded my mind... is this how it’s going to end?

FLASHBACK

“QUICK! Get the UV torches on NOW” I yelled

 i spun around to alert the girls of the incoming attack  when I noticed almost in slow motion a black shadow fly past my head followed closely by bits of splintered wood.

It was too late.

The door forced open blowing me and Whetu forward past Leah and Tequila towards the back wall, we hit hard leaving holes in the browned plaster. I was dazed... I could barely hear over the sound of one thousand wings now quickly filling the room... “AHHHH!”

... My eyes widened.

I got to my feet pulling myself together; I saw Whetu was already making wild slashes at the shredwings and flashes of light seeped through gaps in the thick black cloud swarming around the room “Shit” I thought “I’m completely vulnerable!” I grabbed my dad’s knife from my side sheath and started making wild slashes at the cloud trying to desperately cling onto life.

I don’t remember how long I was fighting for or even if I was actually hitting those flying beasts... I only remember my heart beating so hard that it hurt, my ears deafened by the noise, my bloodlust cry lost... drowned out, my arms getting weary and my lungs screaming for air. I no longer knew what was happening, what to think or how to react...

All I felt was Fear.

The noise died down...

I open my eyes in what seemed like both the longest time in my life and the shortest, the girls were on their knees covered in fleshy tears, not many large ones but many small cuts... I scanned the room; hundreds of dead shredwings lay on the floor, smoke drifting of their charred bodies, the lights pointed towards the hole in the wall where our barrier once stood.

I fell onto my side in exhaustion wincing in pain from the impact... i lay there in silence wondering how we had just survived... all of us...

...my eyes shot open.

“WHETU!” I said crawling to my feet and rushing over to the unresponsive object lying face down on the ground, blood pooled around his torso. “Leah! Get over here!” I called in desperation; I flipped my friend over so that I could examine the extent of his wound... he wasn’t breathing. Leah slid down beside him “Start CPR while I work on this!”She said with urgency, I sat there wondering if this was real, my last friend was dying right in front of me... “what do I do?”

“Aaron! Focus!” She called loudly in my ear.

“...TWENTY NINE, THIRTY!”

I counted the compressions out loud how I had been taught, went down and gave two breaths then started compressions again, I wondered whether he was even alive or not , Leah was setting cloths around the piece of wood that sat of to the left side of his stomach impaling deep into his midsection, she stopped to tell Tequila to get something from her bag... I couldn’t hear her though, words and numbers just echoed in my head...

“1...5...10...15...20...25...30... Two breaths” that went on for the most tense few minutes of my life

“Don’t give up on us bro”.

‘Kila came back with a briefcase sized bag and pulled out a small hand sized Defib unit, Leah pushed me back and proceeded to hook the gel pads up to Whetu’s chest , the electronic voice commanded for everyone to stand clear.

“Com’on bro.... you can’t fucking break your promise to us!”

*Beep* 

Whetus body shook slightly from the shock

"Unsucsessful fribulation, press flashing button"

*Beep*

Again Whetus body shook

"Unsucsessful fribulation, press flashing button"

*Beep*

Whetus body shook once more... i held my breath...

....”Normal heart rhythm acquired, seek medical attention immediately” the robotic voice commanded.

The room fell silent.

Time seemed to have stopped at that moment; there was no sound, no movement. Everyone was still, I looked around at the room, tears flowed from Leah and Tequilas eyes, my sight blurred but i quickly wiped any would-be tears. I stood up and walked up to the massive hole in front wall picking up Longsword and my dad’s knife on the way over.

“Patch him up.... Leah” I said, my voice wavering “Well move him in the room and barricade the hallway door.”

“Ok”

The wood creaked  as I stuck my hand and pushed it out of the way, I grabbed my knife out and tested the tip against my thumb, I pushed hard and it broke my skin like it was paper, blood oozed from the small cut. I watched as the blood trickled to the end of my thumb and fell down to my shirt...

My whole body was in pain, I examined my clothes and the state of my skin; my clothes were torn beyond repair, no longer fulfilling their intended purpose of keeping me warm, I looked at the parts of my body where I felt pain... Cuts and gashes and blood seemed to cover every inch of my exposed skin. My attention turned to the pile of bodies piled up on the front porch.

“Hrrrnnngggg.... hrrrnnngggg”

I extended the blade quickly and precisely towards the corpse that was stupid enough to reveal its presence to me. I continued to do so to all the bodies I could see, stabbing and slicing at the rotting heads finally allowing them their eternal rest... not that I really cared what happened to them.

“Ok he’s all patched up, Leah’s in the room with him, he’s still asleep though.” Tequila explained “We should start barricading the hall now.”

“Yeah” I said wearily turning around “It’s close to dawn so well move him to the next safe house we can find when he wakes up, I’ll stay up and keep guard... you guys go have some rest ok” I nodded slightly towards the hallway, she was in no state to argue, i watched as she stumbled over a few bits of wood and leant against the wall “Are you sure?” she said.

“Yeah... wait... no...” Tequila looked at me with a look of confusion “huh what are yo-” I quickly silenced her “Sssshhh!... Do you hear that?” I said as my eyes widened and I started panicking “Quickly! Get your lance!” I yelled with panic lacing my every word.

“HHHHRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!”



END Chapter FIVE

Chapter FOUR - Nightfall

Never As We Imagined


Chapter FOUR - Nightfall


“Memories… god damnit” I muttered quietly looking over a weather worn 2011 edition black diary, the edges of each page were creased and the binding was bent and mangled.

“um… guys…”

Everyone’s eyes crept over to my direction… mine found their way to the grassy ground.
“Thanks for sticking by me…” I said in a coarse weak voice, my eyes became teary but they didn’t shed... not anymore.
Everyone just nodded without a word knowing exactly what I was feeling, how we all felt.

We had all come a long way since E-day, no longer were the days where we would spend lying in the sun making shapes with the clouds, no longer could we sit and watch our favorite anime or argue with siblings.

The colorful days of the past were gone leaving us only with the scarlet stained sunset that sat before us on the horizon, reminding us of our constant solitude… Just us, no one left.

“It’s time to go Bro” Whetu said in his usual fun tone “We have 45 mins before sundown”

“Alright, I’m hungry anyway hehe” Leah said with an upbeat squeak, looking to us all “Yeah I said picking myself up of the ground and stretching. I took the diary and put it into a little black case that hooked onto my belt. “Well, another entry done” I said extending a hand to the two girls “Here, lets get inside”

“Hai”


“Ok all the doors and windows are boarded up!” Tequila yelled down the short hallway “Yep and the beds are nearly done too!” Whetu said coming out of the far bedroom propping himself up against the door frame “Hows dinner coming?” He asked the door across from him, “Nearly done guys, just gotta serve it” I replied “Leah all done?” “Yep, were good” She said placing a candle up onto the shelf.

“Dinners a bit late but here you go” Whetu looked over his shoulder at me “Yeah bro serve up the girls first, I’m just going toilet” I turned to face the table and placed the plates of baked beans down on the table “Sweet” I whispered as I checked my watch, “18:57... Here they come” sitting down to my seat on the table.

*beep* my watch notified me of the turning of the hour.

All eating ceased… more appropriately we couldn‘t eat.. The noise was unnerving to say the least, Every night at about this time the shredders came out to hunt, the sound of a thousand wings flooded the now dark sky drowning out all noise within a kilometer of the black cloud that flocked above all the once heavily populated areas.

I knew Whetu didn't need to go toilet, at this time he would always find an excuse to leave the room. Once the sound of Shredwings were gone he would return. I never once questioned it but tonight I got I weird feeling that he was holding something heavy on his shoulders… "Maybe I shouldn't have read that diary out loud" I thought. “Hey” I said over the noise “I’m going to look for Whetu, be back in 5, k?"
 The girls nodded.

I walked out into the hallway to find him standing at the far door, looking down at the ground with his arm encasing his face. He didn't notice me yet so I just stood in the shadows. He looked distressed and he kept rocking so that his head would hit the wall.
His fist was bleeding. 
"Bro… what’s up?”

I walked towards him as the noise of the shredwings died down

“I’m sorry my sister…I…I…”
The glimmer of a single tear made itself visible as it fell to the ground.

I stopped dead in my tracks… He was crying.


“My bro..” I whispered walking up to him and placing my hand on his shoulder pulling him into an embrace “Whatever you may think about that, it was not your fault… you loved her… and you did what you had to” I said calmly but firm, my voice not wavering so to try and reassure that i was speaking the truth.
“I…I…I’m…so sorry!” He said pulling in closer and letting his tears flow from his heart, burying his head into my shoulder he screamed long and loud into my shirt dropping us both to our knees.

All I could think was how could I not have seen this sooner.

...

“How is he?” Tequila asked watching me walk in, concern riddled her face “Leah’s got him, he’ll be good.” I replied with a deep sigh, “How did I not click… Damnit, you idiot!”. I stared down at my plate, the food was cold and stale.



*knock…. crrrreeeaaaak*

“Hey do you hear that?” Tequila asked alarmed “Oh no…”
I gasped and stood to my feet “It can't be…” Whetu and Leah ran into the kitchen “They're trying to come through the front!” Whetu yelled in a serious manner “Get the torches in the bedrooms!”

*bang…. crack*

“They've broken through!”

The front door splintered and a single hand reached through; grazed, torn and rotting.
“Tequila! Aaron! Get in here with those torches!” Whetu yelled “They're coming through!”
I searched around the bedroom and grabbed our weapons and two torches “I got them!” I practically screamed back racing down the hallway down to the front room where everyone was stationed.

“Here” I said passing over my rebar and a torch to Leah then turning to tequila passing her makeshift lance over “Thanks” she said moving towards the door jabbing the sharpened iron point through to the incoming horde “fuck you!” she yelled at her victims, still trying to move through the small gap broken in the front door. “Hhhrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnggggggg” the Zees all harmoniously chanted whilst pushing and beating at the barrier separating us from them.
“My turn!” Leah said unsheathing her rebar and slashing at the grey limbs desperately clawing at the door, now creaking under the weight of the bodies piling up on the other side. Blood splashed across the debris with every slash and stab of the iron blade.

Suddenly the zees cries stopped and they backed away from the front door “What the…?” Leah said with a confused look, we all copied her facial expression and wondered “what just happened here…they don't just give up…” I looked at the hole with wonder in the door “Cover me” I said passing my Longsword over to Whetu, he nodded and walked forwards beside me…

“Slowly” I said walking towards the small gap in the door, the stench of the dead becoming stronger and stronger… I looked around… “Do you hear that?” I said as my eyes grew wider.


The sound of beating wings.

“get the UV torches on..." I yelled



"NOW!"


























Too Late.





END chapter FOUR