Finally my dream of being home had come true, I felt huge relief, and the weight of fear come off my shoulders. My siblings were also in fact excited to be home. Life was stressful enough, and a place to call home was a dream in the palm of our hands. But as good as this was for us, this definitely frustrated and scared mom more. You could tell she didn't feel safe here. She had a frightening look on her face and didn’t know how to react. She told us all to go do something productive, like chores and to be as silent as possible. Silence was like prison for us. No one in this house knew how to shut up except Jakecub. Yet, he never came out of his cave, not after he learned he had cancer anyways. Now he just mopes around all the time and doesn’t want to be around anyone anymore.

He frustrates me, I figured once he learned he had stage seven cancer, that he’d want to do the unimaginable. But instead, he let's the cancer control his life, and acts rude towards everyone else in the house. Even if we are only trying to help. Better yet, mom doesn’t care that he does nothing all day. It’s unbelievable, but when I do nothing, it's the end of the world. I guess it pays to be sick. Not that it matters anymore.

While we all did our chores, we talked about what happened to us today. They all made me tell my story first for amusement. They always think that what happens to me is no big deal, or funny. When in reality, it actually hurts when they make fun of me, and not all of what happens to me is funny. Yet, I’m just a girl, and my feelings don’t matter. But when a boy shows feelings, it’s the second end of another world. Guys don’t even make fun of guys for showing feelings anymore. It's the new “norm” for them, but they still break women's hearts as if it's nothing important. Still, here I am, beginning my story with a crowd of boys who don't care at all.

“There was this kid at school,” I said “he was acting all aggressive with a girl, when I told him to stop hurting her, he literally jumped on top of me.” I said getting interrupted by the one and only, Damien Ryans.

“Thats kinky sis, I didn’t know you liked that shit! Kind of gross actually.” Damien said, laughing.

“Shut up! Let me tell my story, or you all can just do without!” I yelled

“Fine,” He sighed, “continue.”

“Well… Everyone wanted me to say what had happened first, the least you could do would be to give me the respect of finishing my story!” I yelled “Now… As I was saying. He tried biting me and I was like oh fuck no, and I took a fist to his gut several times. After he jumped off, I went for his face and he freaking just pukes all over the floor inches from my feet! Then the final punch knocked him out. Of course though, I was sent to a room with Jaried to study. Although, that was the least scary part. The scariest was the fact that everyone was becoming like him, aggressive, unresponsive, hungry for flesh, everything. Just a little bit after coming in contact with someone else who was sick.” I stared at Damien with a smile, he and I knew exactly what was going on. He looked back at me and gave a sad nod, and then quickly gave me a joking smile. Afterwards, he looked back down to his hands, he was nervous, he was scared, I could tell. So was I, but I had to leave the stress behind and mile through what I already knew.

Every time he was scared or nervous when he was younger, he would look at me, then look back at his hands. He would then start to fidget with them while he tried to hold back tears. It happened every time our father beat Jakecub and then before he went to beat Damien. I was always around, always watching. But only recently did he start to use his smile, a smile that told you he was fine. I think the fact that he knew just as much information as I did was starting to get to him.

“Liz? Are you listening? Liz? I asked you something.” Aaroon said

“I’m sorry, what?” I said, confused.

“You don’t think they will actually hurt us do you?” Aaroon asked, unsure.

“I don’t know, maybe? But after nearly half the school getting sick, I think it's time to start worrying. We were finally sent home after that so, that should tell you something.”

“That was a lame story, mine was much better.” Damien added, looking back into the crowd of little kids. He interrupted for a reason, he didn’t want the little kids to worry. But by doing that, he just added onto Aaroon’s fear. Aaroon knew Damien like I did, he could tell when something was up. Not to mention, Damien spoke those words in a way that it was clear that he was trying to use it as a distraction, but no one said a thing. He stopped fiddling with his hands and sat up straight, smiled once more.

“Okay, then what was your story?” Aaroon asked dismissing his thoughts.

“Well, it was second period and this girl was checking me out you know, like they always do? I give her my number and told her to text me later on tonight, right.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” I interrupted as he did me.

“Just wait, it gets better. Trust me!” he said as he continued on, “When it got to lunch, she called me to the janitor's room. Everybody knows how things go down in the janitor’s room you know? So I go… Of course, thinking I’m going to get a little something for all the walking I had to do to get to her. Then she starts sending me a shit load of messages telling me to hurry up and shit, I ignored her of course because I didn’t want her thinking I was desperate or anything. But the thing was, she started calling me one right after another, I finally answered after the sixth time and asked her what was up. She said there was a bloodbath taking place out in the gym, so I ran there to check it out obviously. When I get there, she was being attacked by this dude with blood all over his mouth. Blood was all over his shirt and blood mixed in with greenish black puke laid on the ground. Now this girl was screaming, she was screaming so loud her voice pierced my eardrums. Damn that girl had a set of lungs on her, I wished I could of had her use them in the bedroom before… Well, you know.”

“Damien, let's try to keep this rated E for everyone please.” I said.

“Sorry. Just let me finish alright?” He asked, getting frustrated before continuing, “Geez, alright, where was I? This guy definitely didn’t look right, at first I thought it was a joke you know? Just someone pulling my leg, but then I saw the lifeless body on the gym floor, with blood all over him.

I freaked out and attacked the guy for killing that guy, and he attacked me with his teeth instead of his fists. I saw those lifeless bloodshot, green eyes and the red drool coming from his mouth, like what they were talking about on T.V. you know? And I heard his jaw pop continuously out of place as he tried biting, I saw his face wrinkle up like an old ladies smile while it slowly started going pale. I saw his stained bloody teeth with flesh still stuck in between and I was frightened, man. I was dead frightened at the look of this guy, how his life just turned from something to nothing. How he lost his life and mind, it was terrifying, and his eyes man, that was the most scariest part. His eyes were literally nothing. Like, you could look right into his soul, at that point, I don’t think he even had one. It was just an empty vessel of nothingness.

He kept attacking me no matter what I did, I hit him in the head, I punched his face, I broke his nose… Well… Off. I did everything in my power to get him off of me, even try and kill him. He started using his strength, and he started forcing me down to the ground, I thought that was it for me, then a teacher's voice appeared and the thing propped it’s head up, drool ran all over my face and the thing got off me. Then it just stood there in front of me, staring at the door. A teacher finally walked into the gym, finally came through the doors. I thought the teacher was a goner, but then I looked back at the dude standing over me and he seemed completely fine. I was the one in trouble for defending this girl from the attacker. He was sent to the nurse's office and I was sent to the principal's room. After he calmed down, he pinned everything on me.

The girl was sent back to class. Fucking asshole left marks all over this girl and a bite mark on her neck. Shit was insane, I’m telling you. But before we left, the lifeless body I was telling you about sat up and attacked the teacher that stayed to checking to see if he was alive. She started screaming, and when the medics arrived, one of them dropped everything and passed out while the other ran over to help the teacher.

The first medic pulled the teacher away from the boy, and that's when the boy got up and ran towards the medic that was passed out. Then the first medic ran back out of the building. The teacher followed the first medic. I tried telling the principal all of this, and when he went to go check out the story, everyone was gone. Ii got suspended and took off in my car.

I have no clue what happened after that, or if the girl that got clawed and bit is okay, I don’t know if the teachers are okay, or any other students. I just wanted to get the hell out of there. Never be a hero. Make that your number one rule, you just might get killed as I might’ve if I stayed there.”

“Is that all?” I asked.

“Shut up! It’s better than yours by far, on the for real, you gave like two sentences!” Damien yelled.

“You all are suppose to be doing chores, not talking about stupid disrespectful things like beating up people and killing. Now, if you guys don’t do what you were asked, I will send you to bed hungry. Believe me when I say what I’m making tonight will definitely have you regretting your actions, if you decide to carry on this little conversation. I don’t think I need to repeat myself, nor do I want to waste breath doing so, today has been more than stressful, it's been trying, it's been demanding, it's been dramatic, and above nothing else, it's been more than traumatic, strenuous, and hectic, even historical if you will. So give me the respect of shutting the fuck up and doing something around the house for once. I don't ask for much, so please, do as I say.” Mom lectured.

“What are you making?” Damien asked, changing the subject.

“You’ll find out later.” She sighed with a calm and tired voice.

Surprised, everyone did as they were told and continued on with doing their chores. We wondering what we’d be eating later on that night and thought about life itself. Everyone tried their hardest not to tell their stories, but it was becoming almost too much for anyone to handle. We started whispering to each other what had happened when walking by each other. We even passed notes from paper that seemed to emerge out of nowhere.

Alas, after a few hours of work, and conversations that told stories that were never imaginable, the house was clean. Just as dinner started too, and we all debated on whether to continue our talk, or later that night. Damien, Aaroon and I wanted to continue talking about this, even create our own plan. But, they figured sleep was more important. Except for me, I took this situation to serious to just sleep.

But the younger kids didn't let their stories go, and just as we were about to start talking about it again, we heard screaming from down the road. We all shivered in our skin and mom was beginning to believe me when I said people wanted to eat us. The screaming was so loud, so powerful and so scary that we all got this feeling of our stomachs turning. I ran to the bathroom and threw up, I could only imagine what was happening. I had a weak stomach and my thoughts were to much for my stomach to handle. I continued to throw up and the more I heard the screams, the worst my stomach felt. My younger siblings began to cry, I heard them from the bathroom balling their eyes out. I wanted to hold them, I wanted to say everything would be alright. But that scream left us all wondering that night.

But I couldn’t bare to see their faces. Not just because I was dry heaving in the bathroom. But because I didn’t believe everything would be alright, I believed everything was far from alright. I wanted to share so desperately what I knew, but I knew worse would happen if I did. So I sat in the bathroom and cried like I’ve never cried before with the sound of my siblings crying at a distance. I felt helpless and useless, I began to feel nothing. I guess I stopped caring, I gave up on the thought of life being back to normal. I’ve never experienced this feeling in my life before. Not when my father beat my brothers, not when my mom almost died from childbirth, not when my grandparents died. Never. There was pure nothing in my chest except a never ending dark weight. I was no longer crying, I was no longer sick. I was just blank, I was just existing. I looked at myself in the mirror, I could barely recognize myself. I was expressionless even though my thoughts say I'm weak. I sat on the ground of the bathroom and started thinking about my life, how it came to be this way, how I could be so useless. Then I vowed to myself to change, to be a fighter, to be something. Anything other than this girl that lets people walk all over her. Anything other than that person who I know would be defeated by those monsters. I wasn't going to become another person that just simply existed. I got off the ground, wiped the tears from my face and opened the door, faking my feelings with fists in my pocket.

I walked into the living room and watched as everyone stared at me. Then I saw another familiar soul run to the bathroom. The screaming still had no end and I sat on the couch. I blanked everything out. I stared at the wall, I could hear words being spoken to me, but I did nothing to answer them back. I gave a smile, and soon the words disappeared, concern leaving with it. Then I heard the sweet words of sadness come from my mothers mouth. It was joy to hear her words, but the words she spoke were nothing of importance. She was sad, everyone was sad, it was nothing new.

“Everyone watch T.V. or play video games alright? But don’t go on the news channel, I don’t need any of you listening to that. You’re corrupted enough as it is. The news is a lie anyways, it only shows you things it makes you want to believe. It is poison, do you hear?” Mom said as the kids nodded and went along with whatever she said. They ran to the rooms with sad looks upon their faces, Damien sat beside me, clicking through the channels on the T.V.