Day's End

Life's Timer

A grey haze enveloped the world around her. A surreally peaceful calm washed over her senses until she saw the reality of the situation. She wasn't where she expected to be. She wasn't in a cell where she was sure they would take her when they spotted her. She tried to move but only twitched slightly. She tried to speak but only a whimper came out. A whisper pulled her further out of her trance-like state, and brighter colours mixed in with the grey. "Ren," another whisper broke through. "Ren, wake up." 
        The speaker nudged Ren's shoulder, and she suddenly became aware of the searing, throbbing pain and the warm, numb feeling on the side of her head. "Sidney..?" She managed to stammer out. 
"No, it's me, Hailey," he answered, gently shaking her a bit more. "They're taking care of Sidney." 
Ren suddenly jolted up, lightheadedness immediately sweeping her mind. "What-" She groaned and laid a hand on her head. "What happened?" 
"Well, they're not with the Phoenix. I don't really know about them. They just- Hell, I don't know." 
"Where's Sidney?" Her vision had come back to her by now- but not completely. 
"They're taking care of them," Hailey repeated. "When Sidney resisted, they shot their leg. Obviously, they didn't want to kill someone as young as them, so they're fixing Sidney up. I can't really tell what they're going to do." 
"Do you know where Lea is?"
"No. I'm guessing that means you haven't found her, eh?"After a pause, Hailey added, "I did find someone, though."
"Who? It couldn't have been-"
"It was Rose. I found Rose."
"Yeah," she sighed. "We did, too."
"Were you the ones that killed her?- you know, ended it." 
Ren didn't even bother to act surprised. "No, we thought you did."
"Do you think it was Lea, then?"
"I don't know. I think we should just focus on the task at hand for now. We'll find her later."
        Ren looked around the room she was in. Mold crawled up the wallpaper and spread across the tile flooring; bugs scrambled around an old table's legs that looked as if they would break under the smallest pressure. A light breeze of wind flowed through a broken window; the shards of the window pane were scattered in the sink beneath it, reflecting the sun's glow. A horse nervously snorted from somewhere nearby outside, and she heard its hoofbeats as it paced whatever it was in. It was only when she had heard the horse that she realized how quiet it was in the house. It was as if she and Hailey were the only ones there; no footsteps, no voices. 
"Where are they?" She finally asked. She was not bound, but she dared not move. 
"I thought they were in here with us. Why-?"
        A sudden, loud 'thump' and a frightened shriek abruptly cut Hailey off. Something tumbled down a short flight of stairs and slammed their back on the floor with a sickening crack. It was quiet again after that; even the horse had fallen silent. Then, after a few minutes of eerie silence, she heard something being dragged slowly, very slowly, and, right before the drag, was a scraping that made her cringe; a sound not unlike a fork on a plate. The sounds grew closer, only a few seconds in between each scrape and drag, and three things happened all at once: the front door, which both of them had their backs to, swung violently open; a walker, its legs only barely hanging onto its torso, appeared from around the corner, which was the exit to the room that they were in, and the person who entered the room rushed forward and killed the walker with a screwdriver. 
        A baby wailed from some part in the house, and the woman, without addressing either one of them, took off after the child. A muffled argument resonated through the house from above, but she had managed to quiet the baby down. The horse had begun pacing again. The only things Ren had on her mind was finding Sidney and getting out; she had no intention of making new acquaintances. The three of them would leave for New York when she decided it was time, whether or not they had found Lea by then. "Hailey," she spoke quietly to avoid the strangers from hearing. "Let's leave. The door isn't locked, and we can just steal-"
"No. What about Sidney?" 
Ren sighed. "Fine. We'll get some weapon- anything- and try to find them. If they cause trouble, we'll.."
"What? Kill them?" 
She cast a serious glare. "If I need to, I will. If you have something against it, then stay out of my damn way." 
"Christ, Ren."
        She stood and looked around for something to use as a weapon. The shards of glass were far too small to use, and, even if they weren't, she'd rather not cut her hand and risk an infection. She haphazardly threw open a drawer under the sink; empty, dirty bottles were the only things that sat below. "If you're looking for a weapon, I don't think they bothered to clear out the silverware drawer; they were in a rush. I'm not going with you. We could just wait."
"I'm not f*cking waiting, Hailey!" Ren roughly pulled open the said drawer and pulled out a small knife. "The longer we wait to get to New York, the more people die. I'm tired of waiting."
        Ren left the kitchen and immediately thought of how loud her outburst was. She wasn't sorry. The room she was in now was small and straight; at the other side, there was a set of doors that led into another, slightly bigger end room. She tip-toed toward the room and peeked in through the panes in the wooden door. A bed was set up on the far left side; the sheets were messy, and the bed was slightly depressed in the middle. Nobody was there. She turned away and walked into a small hallway. To the right was a bedroom; the door was wide open, and she looked in.      
        Sidney laid on the bed; thick blankets were neatly placed upon them, and their head was turned away from Ren. They were fast asleep. A small, square table sat on the right side of the bed, and she reached over and picked up her glasses that rest on it. The left lens was horribly cracked, and the metal was bent so that it sat crooked on her nose. She donned the glasses nevertheless. Ren left Sidney alone, for now, exited the room, and slowly closed the door behind her. The next room, which she carelessly entered, was a bathroom. Ren froze and jumped as she heard the horse neigh loudly and a crack of thunder. The baby began bawling. 
        She sighed as she had done many times. Ren had seen what she had needed to see, and, from what it looked like, the strangers were staying upstairs. 'Idiots,' She scowled. They should be watching their captives closely. Ren entered Sidney's room, where she found them awake and sobbing quietly. "Sidney?" She whispered. "Are you alright?" 
The teen visibly tensed and stayed silent.
"It's fine. It's me; Ren." 
Sidney slowly, and painfully, turned themselves over to face her, wiping tears from their red eyes. "What are we going to do?" 
Ren heard the door open and shut and guessed that it was Hailey leaving. "We're getting out of here. There's no time; I'll help you walk." 
Footsteps came from above until they reached the bottom floor. "Henry? Is that you?" A light voice broke through the rain. 
Ren placed a finger on her lips and cautiously left, holding the knife out of sight behind her back.
The young woman spotted her. "Oh, well, um- I'm glad you're-" Her smile twisted into a pained scowl, and her voice caught in her throat as Ren plunged the knife into her side.
"I'm so sorry." Ren twisted the blade and, after a few long seconds, slid it back out. "I'm sorry."
        Blood pooled around the woman's body as her body finally gave out. Ren rushed into Sidney's room and hurriedly helped them stand; Sidney leaned against her for support as they walked quickly away. Sidney ignored the body that they knew was Ren's doing and only looked ahead. Hailey had gone outside and had begun to ready the nervous gelding. Ren and Sidney made their way outside. She heard another person run down the stairs and be met with the woman's body. She didn't bother to stay to hear the sobs as she realized what she had done. They were just simple survivors like all the rest of them. 
        Hailey helped Sidney up on the paint gelding who had calmed down. Hailey opted to walk, as Ren and Sidney were quite heavy enough for the animal. They had stolen and killed, but such is the cost of survival. They were the same- no, she corrected herself, they were not the same. This group was different. They needed to survive.

​​​​​​​They could save the world.