Day 11:
“Layla, Layla,” I heard a voice frantically calling my name.
I am so very tired, I feel as though I could sleep forever in this peaceful bliss. The air is warm against my skin. The sun is shining in the sky and there isn’t a cloud in sight. I am warm and the sun feels incredible today. That’s it! I will never leave this glorious place. I open my eyes and see a brown haired girl of maybe seventeen years old standing a few feet in front of me. She is wearing a torn white dress with dull red stripes running down the front. At closer inspection I realize her hair is tangled into wild knots and she is missing one of her diamond stud earrings. She is a beautiful girl with piercing brown eyes. She opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out. She appears to be a bit frantic. She speaks but is unable to communicate. She takes a step closer to me. My eyes leave her and take in the surroundings.
I am standing in the field again, only the sun isn’t unbearable this time. I do a quick scan of the ground and sigh in relief knowing I’m not being consumed in fire. I also notice there are others here too.There are people standing and sitting around the perimeter of the field.
“Layla, we need to leave.” The girl speaks directly to me. Her voice deep for a girl.
She takes another step closer to me. I gaze at her and see the red stripes aren’t part of the design on her dress. At closer inspection I see that it is red blood streaks. She takes another step forward and this time I take a step back. Her eyes aren’t a brilliant brown like I thought, they are a dull gray and her skin is a familiar white. Her lips are still moving, but they are predatorial movements. She snaps her teeth together and her jaw cracks loudly. I turn away from her and start to run but it is pointless, I am surrounded.
“Layla, please wake up!”
I sat up out of breath, my heart was a beating drum in my chest. I was sitting in my dad’s truck and the sun was peeking through a big fluffy cloud.
“I thought you were dead,” Silas said, searching my face.
I said, “What happened? There were screamers everywhere!”
“They were everywhere and then they were gone, there was some kind of bright light. I don’t really know what happened, I remember they broke through the windshield then everything went still. I’ve been trying to wake you for hours to no avail,” he gulped.
I glanced at what was left of my dad’s truck, it was in mint condition. A 1978 GMC C/K 1500 long bed pickup. I always loved the Medium blue poly metallic color. Now it looked like it was on the losing side of the demolition derby. All the windows were completely smashed, the hood was covered in scratches and dents. I couldn’t believe that humans could cause so much damage to a solid truck.
I unstrapped my seatbelt and pushed the door, it opened reluctantly. My throat was dry and I had an overwhelming craving for water. Silas handed me a bottle of water as if able to read my mind. I thanked him and drank it down in one gulp. Water dribbled down my chin and I thought, I definitely wasn’t acting in a ladylike manner.
“What are we going to do now?” Silas asked.
“We need to find a truck, load what’s left of the supplies and get to my house, we will be safe there,” I stated.
I walked towards a truck not far away. It was a newer ford pickup. It sat parked in the driveway of a big yellow house. The yellow paint was chipped from years of neglect. I tugged at the door handle but the truck was locked. I made my way to the front door of the house and turned the door knob. Silas followed me but stopped at the door.
“Should we really go into someone else's house? I mean what if someone or something is in there?”
I ignored him and pushed the front door open, thankfully it was unlocked. I walked into the house leaving Silas standing at the entrance dumbstruck. The house smelled the same as the town. I saw a set of keys sitting on a table in the entryway. I grabbed the keys and exited the house. I found Silas in the same spot, I dangled the keys in front of him and smiled.
“Let’s get a move on it, before those things come back,” I stated.
Silas helped me load what was left of the supplies in the ford. We drove out of town towards my house. The ride was quiet, I felt dazed and stuck in my own mind. Worry and stress eating away to my core. We passed the farmhouse and I noticed the cows were out to pasture. My foot slammed down on the brake. I gaped at the cows in astonishment .
“What’s wrong,” Silas asked with concern.
“This can’t be right, I haven’t seen these cows in a while, yet here they are eating the grass. I haven’t seen any animals except birds and chipmunks,” I stated.
“Maybe someone is there, taking care of them. We can’t be the only ones left, right?” Silas questioned.
I regarded at the cows for a long time and contemplated if we should go to the farmhouse. I decided not to take any chances. The late afternoon sun continued to descend. We drove past the farm and pulled into the garage. The sun made its last appearance of the day. We sat and waited for the garage doors to close completely before exiting the truck. I grabbed a couple bags and I directed Silas to do the same. We headed into the basement. I hesitated for a moment before opening the secret entrance into the bunker. Silas stared in amazement as he followed me into my underground sanctuary.
“This is incredible and scary! Your family has a bunker in their basement. This is so weird and cool all at the same time.”
“Yeah, I know right! My dad was, I mean is, always talking and planning for the end of the world. I always thought he was crazy. I didn’t pay much into his theories and crazy ideas. I wish he was here now, all his hard work and for what? I know he must be out there somewhere. I can’t help but wonder if he is one of the screamers now.” I flopped onto the couch after dropping the bags of supplies on the table. I fought back tears, refusing to be weak in front of some guy I hardly know.
“I’m sure even though he isn’t here he would be happy knowing you are safe,” Silas replied.
“Yeah, I guess you are right,” I said.
“Do you mind if I get cleaned up?” Silas asked glancing around the bunker for a bathroom.
I pointed to the door of the bathroom and watched him disappear. My head raced with hundreds of thoughts. I stood and decided to
prepare dinner. I put away the supplies while water boiled on the stove. I added linguini to the boiling water and opened a can of spaghetti sauce.
I set two plates, cups, forks and spoons on the table. Silas walked out of the bathroom in time to sit at the table. We sat in silence with an occasional fork scraping food against a plate. I glanced up and met his eyes. He was staring at me. I felt my face redden and warm before quickly looking away. For the briefest moment in time I forgot the monsters roaming outside and that the world was different.