Outbreak - Briana

            It seems my relationship with Trystan has resulted into one where we are constantly saving each other. We don’t talk about the terrible thoughts that fill our heads and cause us to weep at night. I don’t try to comfort her when her eyes become distant and I know she is somewhere trapped inside her own mind. It’s no wonder we haven’t gone crazy yet, but maybe we have and crazy is just the new sane. We are not the same people we were when this whole apocalypse business went down. The light in our eyes has been snuffed out as easily as the wind extinguishing a candle. We are not the same people we once were, but we still need each other more than we are willing to admit.

I immediately regret driving away angry. A ball of lead settles deep inside my stomach as I pull into the driveway. How am I supposed to face her? I left her alone when I should have stayed and talked it out. I had never been good at confronting my problems. Abandoning my car I head towards the house. I hear Oliver barking nearby probably trying to chase a squirrel up a tree. The door of the cabin was cracked open, which was not something we did. Again I felt like I was in a horror movie. The wood was rough against the palm of my hand as I pushed the door open. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck as my eyes darted through the room. I didn’t see anything, but I did hear banging coming from the bedroom.

I kept my footsteps light as I made my way back there. A sense of urgency washed over me when I heard Trystan’s muffled groans of pain. A Treader was atop her as she struggled to hold it back from her. My hands gripped the back of its ripped shirt and yanked hard pulling it back. It stumbled slightly but regained its balance quickly. I glimpsed its face and I felt the hand on my sword loosen. Standing in front of me was what I assumed to be the only surviving family member I had left. His clothes were ragged and ripped. He wandered around the room like he was lost. It was like he was somewhere else.

I felt my sword ripped out of my hand as Trystan turned towards him. Adrenaline poured into my veins as I lunged at her. We hit the ground with a loud thump but my eyes never left my uncle’s form. He flinched slightly but kept where he was as he looked around. He didn’t seem to be all there.

“Do you want to kill us both?!” Trystan shouted in my face. I barely heard her as I stared at my uncle’s swaying form. I cocked my head to peer at her. My voice was shaky as I said, “That’s my uncle.”