Chapter Four

Shoes

When I was seven years old my mother told me something I would never forget. She said that some day we won't be safe. That some day, we were going to have to rely on each other, because in the end, what else is there? Even now as I look out at the tortured city of Sydney, her words ring clear in my mind. Maybe she wasn't so crazy after all.

Large fires have scattered themselves across the tall buildings, working hard to paint the sky black with their smoke. The streets have been abandoned with nothing but empty cars filling up the space. And to top it all off, blood resides everywhere. I pinch my nose shut at the familiar smell of smoke but it's no use. The stench of death and decay have already flooded my senses, leaving me breathless.

As we stood frozen, completely unaware of the violent shouts behind us, the feeling of utter hopelessness flooded me. I clutched my hand to my chest and sobbed silently. I hoped that when we got off the plane we would be safe, that we wouldn't have to be scared anymore. But what use is hoping? It's clear now that hope isn't what's going to help us. Fear slammed up against me like a wall and left me defenceless against the tears that seeped out. It wasn't long before i felt Alan tugging me along once again. I didn't resist. I didn't want to resist. As long as he lead me away from the devastating scene I would be happy. Somewhere safe.

"Help!" The familiar voice filled with panic snapped me out of my thoughts and dragged me back to reality. Stone cold reality. I spun around and released myself from Alan's hold with a small shake of my wrist. Esther was struggling against a small man who had already sunk his teeth into her fragile neck. I winced at the sight of all the blood but shook it off. I stepped forward but before I had any time to do anymore, Alan's familiar grips were around me once again. I looked back at him in shock and found him with a pitiful expression directed towards Esther.

"What are you doing!?" I screeched. "We have to help her!" I shook my wrists violently and tried everything in my power to rid myself of his iron claws. Daisy ran to her grandmother thoughtlessly and grabbed onto the man with her free hand. She tugged on his short brown hair until he released his grasp from Esther, who fell to the ground with a lifeless thud. It wasn't long before the mans attention was focused entirely on poor Daisy. He wrapped his long fingers around her neck and slowly brought his blood stained teeth down to her.

Her shrieks pierced the air and sent daggers of guilt threw my heart. Ronnie, the small baby wrapped in a bundle of cloths fell to the ground. Alan's grasp refused to relent, so instead I looked to Robyn for support. "The baby!" I screamed out with a hoarse voice. She looked at me stunned as if she were completely unaware of the current situation. I pointed towards the baby and screamed out her name several more times. Robyn looked down at the screaming bundle of blankets and suddenly realized what I was asking. She ran forward in her bare feet and skidded to a halt. Three other people had joined the small man and were now flocking around Daisy like wild animals. One of them scooped up Ronnie and disappeared from sight.

"We have to go! Now!" He roared, furiously pulling me away from the horror. He continued to yell commands at me but I couldn't hear him. I could still hear the screams of the baby however, and nothing would block that sound out. Help. The baby was crying for help. And I didn't help her, I stood by and watched the animals envelop her. My fault. It's my fault she's gone.

No! I thought ferociously. It's Alan's fault. If he didn't hold me back I would have been able to save Esther and there would have been no need for Daisy to get involved. I cursed relentlessly in my mind while staring angrily at his pale face. Sweat dripped from his golden curls and ran down his face, leaving him drenched. Bastard! When I've run out of curses to call him I begin to mindlessly utter words that don't belong. After being pulled along for what seems like forever we round a corner and walk down a damp alleyway.

"Let's take a rest here." He stated and finally let go of my wrist. I look at him scowling furiously, when my eyes meet his all the hate and anger comes flooding back. I slam my hands against his chest and watch with gritted teeth as he falls back against the brick wall. He picks himself up only to have me shove him back down again. Robyn walks between us interrupting my next strike. "Cool it. Okay?" She lightly pushes me away and helps Alan to his feet. The back of his head where he hit the wall is oozing out blood and yet again I find myself with the familiar twinge of guilt.

Esther. Daisy. Ronnie. All dead.

"They would have turned into one of them. We had to leave them." Alan explains, clutching onto the back of his wounded head. I look at him once again, the hatred I felt earlier but then lost was once again bubbling to the surface. Robyn must have sensed this because she stood between us looking back and forth as if she were ready to pounce on whoever made the first move.

"You don't know that!" I shriek, my voice coming out as a choked sob. Robyn looks down at me sympathetically but I can tell she's sided with Alan on this debate. "We've all seen it happen Mel, we can't take any risks." She says calmly looking at us both for our reactions. "do either of you have a phone? We could call for help." Alan shakes his head and sighs.

"I threw mine at the guy on the plane," I confess. Her lips drop into a frown and I can't help but mimic her reaction. She nods her head thoughtfully and walks towards the end of the alleyway. She peered around the corner before she walks back to us with a thoughtful look.

"Okay, here's what I'm thinking. We aint' far from the airport, and there ain't many people on the street. If I run back to the airport and find my bag, we'll be able to call for help." She looks at each of us but I just shake my head.

"Can't we just find a pay phone or something?" I ask, haunted by the thought of returning to that airport. I grab a lock of my hair and tie it back into a messy bun, doing anything to keep my hands busy. I look at Alan but quickly turn my gaze somewhere else. The sizzling hate I hold for him has yet to die down.

"You got any money on you? Cause I don't!" She replies fiercely.

"It's free to call the police." I tell her matter-of-factly. She looks up at the sky then back at me.

"Yeah I knew that! I just wanted to call someone else." She's a terrible liar, and I'm sure she knows it. I roll my eyes at her but shrug it off. Now isn't the time to be getting judgemental on stupid people.

"Let's just go find a pay phone." I groan, walking past the two of them into the open. It's a strange feeling, being alone on what should be a crowded street. I looked back briefly to make sure Robyn and Alan were following me, and sure enough they were. Of course I shouldn't be surprised when someone wraps there hands around my wrist. I can only assume it's Alan, and when I look back I'm not surprised that it is.

"The hell is your problem!? I can walk on my own!" I snap at him, wrenching my arm free of his grasp. He presses his finger to my lips and I'm tempted to bite him, but I restrain, at least for now. When he's sure I'm not going to speak he points down the road to three slow moving people. He pulls me inside a ransacked store and crouches down beside an empty aisle. Robyn runs down the aisles excitedly, her bare feet slapping against the linoleum floor. I don't dare call out to her though, we may not be the only people in this store and I don't want to attract any unwanted attention.

"I'm gonna go get Robyn," I explain standing up and walking down the aisle I presume she ran down. Most of the items have already been taken so I don't know what she was hoping to find. I continue to walk down the aisle until I can see her dark figure near a mirror. She looks back at me and breaths a sigh of relief when she realizes I'm not one of them.

"Damn, someone looted them Chanel shoes I wanted!" She pouts her lips and looks up and down the aisles for any sign of them.

"Really? Robyn, really? People are dieing and your going shoe shopping!?" I look at her shocked. Unbelievable. Where the hell did this chick come from? She is so different from everyone I have ever known. Or am I just being overly dramatic? I mean Alan seems calm about the whole situation. No, no I'm not overreacting people have died. If anything I'm having a normal reaction. Robyn's loud snort startles me and forces me to step back.

"Says the one wearing converse." She smiles triumphantly and snickers at me.

I look down at my blue converse shoes and then look back up at her. "What's wrong with converse?"

"Sweetie you have no sense of style, have you ever heard of high heels?"

"Have you ever heard of sanity?" I ask, turning my nose up at her.

"Oh your so funny." She says sarcastically, narrowing her eyes at me. I smile happily and walk back to the front of the store. I find Alan crouching down in the same spot where I left him.

"The coast clear?" I ask, crouching down beside him. He shakes his head silently. I look over his shoulder and for the first time since this all started, I'm able to actually observe one of them from a safe distance. Blood splattered shirt with rips and tares everywhere. Grey lifeless eyes, that seem to be after nothing more than food. Overall, they seem so empty. As if a part of them is missing. No, not missing. Dead, there's a part of them that is now dead. Dead and gone.

I lean away, not wanting to see anymore. Fear is compelling my heart to pound in fear. My breaths come out in short rasps and I can't stop the sweat that is now running down my face. The reality of the situation just slapped me across the face. What is wrong with these people? Can they be helped? Is it worldwide? Where is everyone? Are we the only people left alive in Sydney? All these questions flood my mind and leave me breathless with tears slipping down my cheeks.

"We have to move, they're coming towards us." Alan entwined his fingers in mine and pulls me up from the floor. He sees my eyes filled with tears and pauses for a moment, looking deep into my eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispers before pulling me down the aisle towards where me and Robyn exchanged our brief conversation. Sorry? Sorry for what? For leaving Ronnie, Daisy and Esther? Robyn sends us a questioning look and I waste no time telling her of the people closing in on the store. She explains that there should be a back door somewhere, probably in the docking bay if this store has one.

We found the counter at the very back of the store and spotted a door behind it. Robyn jumped over the counter effortlessly and attempted to open the door. Of course it would be locked. Of course, at a time like this, our only means of escape would be locked. Just like in every horror movie, we're trapped in a store with three monsters. Robyn rummaged threw the desk but in the end she came up empty handed.

I turned around and widened my eyes when I saw that a group of people at the front of the store was slowly forming. Every pair of eyes, focused entirely on us.

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There's chapter four! I hope you enjoyed reading! Helpful criticism is always welcome!

Thanks for reading!