Tales from Auvia: The Fall of 2231

Chapter 1: Small-talk by the break of Dusk

The park had a purple hue glowing through the trees as dusk fell over Guinen City. I was there, sat on the bench with Vance in my lap. The little boy had fallen asleep after having a run around the park. I loved taking the baby out with me. He was always so well-behaved and sweet. Of course, he’d run a marathon and still have energy left to come back and of course he’ll gladly shove you out of the way if he wants to go somewhere and you’re in the way. But I love him. He’s a sweetheart. I love the way his blonde hair falls into his eyes when I pull the winter hat down onto his head, and the way the static makes it stand on end when he pulls it off and throws it into a puddle. I love the way his big gray eyes watch my every move and light up with excitement as I feint getting up off this bench to chase him, and the way he wobbles when he runs, the way he thinks he is hiding behind a tree while he swings his arms. I am just a bias big sister, but I have the best baby brother in the world. My name is Caida, after the river that runs down the length of County Guin.

My brother was picking up leaves and showing me every single one as they fell off the trees and collected themselves into untidy leaf litter all over the park, and then he’d pick up some pretty stones and bring them back to me. Chase a few squirrels while squealing in delight and having a tantrum were I to try to pick the little mite up and try to take him home. However, dusk in Guinen doesn’t exactly bring in the best sort.

“Vance! Vance come back now sweetie, time to go home!”

I hear him call back to me, a disappointed “Nooooo” and then a scream as I get up from my bench to chase him. My nimble legs, although they are short for my age are much longer than his toddler stumps and I catch him with ease. I make a gobbling sound as I come up behind him, sweeping him off his feet and blowing raspberries and kissy noises into his neck, making him squeal with happiness. We remain giggling for the shortest of times until I try to put Vance in the stroller, which of course caused a tantrum.

Instead, I popped him in his chest harness that I borrowed from our Mum and clipped on the baby reins. It was wild to me, walking a baby like they are a pet. If I hadn't of already taken out the buggy then I would have put him on my shoulders. That has always been my timeless method of child-transportation, despite having my purple tresses pulled out from the root. It was used for me when I was a baby and now we mostly use it for Vance too. When we are out as a family, our Dad will throw Vance in the air, sling him over his shoulders and carry him like a fireman.

I check my phone for a split-second after I have him suitably restrained and frown as I notice several missed calls from Mum and texts ranging from "Dinner in the oven" to "Come home, now". I had a few other texts from friends, and the group chats had absolutely blown up while I had been out, I try not to check my phone when I am watching my brother. I had lost sight of him a few months ago when we went to a fairground, and I was more concerned with talking to my then-boyfriend, thankfully he had been found by a couple of older ladies. I had never been so scared in those 45 minutes of frantic searching and I had the chew out of a lifetime from our parents for losing him. I vowed then to be a better sister, I had to push my resentment aside and accept that being a much older sibling meant I shared some of the obligation of childcare whether I wanted to or not.

I had been too used to being an only child, my parents had tried for many years to have children and it was extremely difficult for them. After I was born, my mother fell pregnant several times but the heartbreaking thing was they always ended in miscarriage after the first trimester. Mum would try so hard, she would avoid certain foods, stop taking certain medication, from the moment she had a positive test result she would take leave from work and lay on her back with her legs elevated. She said she wanted to give the embryo the best chance to stay implanted, but always after a few months she would end up bleeding and heart broken.

My dad always did the best he could to comfort her, but he is only a man and the heartache that follows the loss of a wanted pregnancy leaves ripples in every relationship. If they struggled, they never showed as much to me. But they always took solace in each other. After the 5th or 6th loss, my mother underwent a surgery to investigate her uterus. Apparently the doctors had to remove an awful lot of scar tissue and give her special medication to help improve the quality of her uterine lining, and even then my parents still had troubles until they eventually got approved for IVF treatment. I had never known my mum to be so wracked with nerves, and my dad to be walking on such egg shells, but it worked and Vance was born happy and healthy. For my parents to have tried so long to have him, I can't state enough how precious he is to our family. The moment I held him in my arms in the hospital I was completely in love with him, he felt so fragile and soft. He was a difficult baby though, he would keep our parents awake through the night and would wail all day while I tried to concentrate on my school work. Reluctantly I started to hold him and carry him while I studied, and over time he would be soothed by my rocking.

I like to take Vance out to the park to blow off some steam and to give my parents a break, now that he is two and a half, he is beginning to have conversations but of course is still a handful.

As we began to walk home we passed a classy looking older lady, around about fifty to sixty years old walking her pedigree pooches.

"Puppies!" Vance was immediately entranced by the dogs, a small Mandrian Bulldog with big bulbous eyes and rounded ears who yipped and happily met Vance's grubby hands, licking them enthusiastically and trying to jump up on the youngster, and together as the responsible adults, we reined in the leashes to part them from each other. Both dog and toddler whined for each other.

"Evening, sorry to bother you on your walk, he loves dogs" I try to offer up a friendly smile to the lady. She had tired eyes but a warm smile.

"That's alright! He is super friendly and was fantastic with my kids when they were younger, he's not a puppy though. He is probably closer to your age"

Behind her is little scrag of a thing that trembled with every thread in his body skulked out from behind her leg, a breed that seemed no bigger than a rat, with a huge head and more bulbous eyes

"And this little disaster is my sister's dog, Willy!"

He ran hands out stretched to greet Willy, however this dog was less than patient, this dog that was all terror suddenly erupted into a dozen angry yips and howls as if Vance had sworn death on its mother. The garbled growling stopped Vance in his tracks as he stared at the dog, not afraid of the sudden outburst but looking at it as if this behaviour puzzled him.

"I am so sorry, I don't know what has come over him," She pulled Willy and the Mandrian Bulldog to carry on with her walk "Hope he hasn't scared the little lad"

My brother came running up to me to be picked up, clinging to my leg. I put a hand on his head "He will get over it, don't worry too much"

She smiles again and nods, kissing at the pooches to get their attention and continues on her way. I try again to put Vance in his push chair, this time he does not put up a fight. "It's alright little guy, some dogs can just be afraid sometimes because you are so much bigger than them"

He seems to think for a minute. "Biscuit please?"

I hand him his snack and as I stand back up, I see two figures running full pelt towards me. The dogs from earlier sans owner, both with their tails between their legs and trailing the leads behind them. They whine as they continue running past me and Vance, before I have a chance to react to the leads they whip around my ankles, making me stifle a curse.

"Puppies!"

I squint as I quickly scan the horizon for the woman, expecting her to be giving chase to the dogs, but I do not see anyone. The street lights were beginning to turn on as the sun continued to set, so I continued down the path, quickening my pace. Everything felt still and quiet, not another soul to be seen, so the evening birdsong and the beautiful sunset felt like a gift.

And then I hear it, a whooping and screaming sound ahead of us.

"Oh gods, help! Help me! Please!" followed by the shrillest scream I have ever heard a person make, I look to Vance, and he looks back at me. The beginning of fear in his little eyes. I look around again and again, there is nobody else to hear it, nobody else who can come to this woman's aid but me. But if there is danger then my responsibility is to protect my brother, and that instinct is stronger than anything. "Please! Someone! Any-one?!" It hurts my heart, it fogs my head, but all I could do was pull out my cell phone and ring the emergency number while quietly back pedaling with the pram.

"Vance... Vance look at me sweetie" he turns to look at me and I place my finger to my mouth "Very important, be super quiet okay?" whether it was fear or obedience, he kept quiet and settled down into the seat. All while the phone kept ringing. Shouldn't someone have picked up by now?

The woman had stopped screaming now, but instead I hear a gruesome ripping sound, slurping and grunting. And suddenly it is like my body has been lit on fire as every instinct I have is screaming DANGER. I scan my surroundings again and just over a hill I see a guy, he looks homeless and scruffy and for some reason is completely oblivious, still the phone rings in my ear. I turn the pram around and start running it towards him.

"Hey! Hey! I think someone is being attacked-" I freeze. This man turns to face me and from his mouth down to his bellybutton is soaked in blood, his teeth are stained with viscera and his eyes are wild with all focus now squarely on me and my brother. The phone is still ringing, but all rational thought leaves my body. I throw the phone as hard and as far as I can towards the man to distract him, if he is some psycho mugger he can have it. My debit cards, cash and all he can have it. The moment he turns away to follow the movement of the phone I turn the pram around and start sprinting as hard and as fast as it would allow me, the wheels squeaking and quivering with the exertion. I hear the phone clatter and the man start grunting and growling as he begins to chase me down, I hear a woman's scream and it takes my brain a moment to register that it's coming from me. Vance is trying to sit up and turn around to look at what I am screaming at, but I push him back down

"f*****g sit down, Vance!" I snap as I pull the rain visor over him forcefully to obscure his view, he starts to cry with confusion from the anger in my voice. All I can think about is putting as much distance between us and that man as possible. The exit of the park is just up ahead of us and I can feel my heart hammering in my chest and the roaring of blood deafen me to everything but my own breathing and before I know it, we have turned a corner and are on the street and still not a single person seems to be around.

I continue to run towards home, night now firmly setting in to the dark autumn evening. As I turn down the residential estate I take a deep breath, the cold air burns my lungs.

“Help! Someone please help! Help us!” Hot tears burn my cheeks as I continue to run. I hear people come outside behind me, only to hear them scream and slam their doors again. I can still hear footfalls behind me, I turn to look and still see the man from the park chasing me down, his eyes are wild and foam drips from his mouth. I scream again as I start to stumble, the pram beginning to tip backwards as I overbalance and pull it down. I hit my chin hard on the pavement and Vance screams as he gets tipped upside down, I roll onto my back by instinct as the man continues to charge towards us, gnashing his teeth and reaching forward to fall upon me. Panic fries my nerves, but I bend my legs in anticipation to kick out at him and the moment arrives with full force. I ready myself against the pavement and just as he lunges to jump onto me I brace my feet against his abdomen, his momentum carries him forward over me, at a moment that almost felt instinctual I kick out. He is much heavier than me, and my legs feel like jelly from the running but by sheer dumb luck I find the strength and hit at the right moment to send him careening over the pram. I hear a crunch as his jaw hits the road, garbling his growls as he tries to pick himself up.

Vance is still crying, I right myself and get onto my feet, taking the handle of the pram, I drag it up and backwards towards me, away from the heap of the man. That's when I notice someone else, the relief quickly reverts to dread as I notice the soulless candor on his face. He's one of them. One of those things. He looks similar to the homeless man; although he is dressed as an executive. His eyes have a sickly yellow hue, accentuating how blood shot and strained they look. I start running again, what else can I do? As soon as I start, the man in the suit gives chase wildly flailing his arms through sheer rage at my existence the two of them now are running after me and I am coming up to my home, still nobody responds to my screams and pleas for help. It only occurs to me now that I have a very finite window.

I begin fumbling for my keys now, gripping them in my hands as I turn up my cul-de-sac and pass through the gated archway of my front garden, conifer bushes obscuring the view from our front window. Pushing the gate open with the front of the buggy, I turn and brace it against the opening while I try to unbuckle Vance as quickly as I can, he reaches for me as soon as I lift the rain visor but within seconds the men are at the gate, reaching over the pram and falling over themselves, pushing it towards me along the path. I scream and with Vance tucked under one arm I kick back at the pram. The two men tumble over themselves through their growls of rage, my brother buries his head into my chest while screaming and my jittering fingers try to shove the keys into the lock.

“Come on, come on please” My shaky hands attempting to turn the lock too fast causing it to cease. The pram falls over on the pathway and the men fall over it and begin crawling towards us

"please, please, please, gods please!" Luckily for me the lock clicked for me this time and I slid inside with Vance and manage to throw myself back against the door, forcing it shut just as the homeless man makes a lunge. The men hit the door with a heavy thud and continue scratching and scraping as I slide the deadbolt across. I am not sure when I dropped Vance, but the boy sits crying in a small heap on the floor. I pant breathlessly as I crumple next to him and hold him close to me, shushing him and forcing my heaving breaths to quieten. Listening to the rasping outside I sit with him and try to cover his ears. The lights are off in the house, and I crawl across the hallway to peak my head into the living room, taking a careful look at the window facing the front garden. Thankfully the curtains were drawn so our movement wouldn't be compromised by our own flickering shadows, but it would do to be cautious, we only had blackout curtains upstairs. I hold my breath and think for a moment, trying to force myself to be calm.

“I need... I should call the police. I’m sure the police will sort it...” I reach down to my pocket instinctively before remembering that I lost my phone at the park. I take another deep breath, stroking down Vance's hair and wiping his tears, pulling him in close again. "Shh, it's okay, it's alright. We're okay, everything is okay" We stay sat at the front door, my back pressed hard against the oak even long after the creaking and rasping of the sick men fell silent.

"Caida, need to WEEE" Vance whispers to me, wriggling back and forth a little. For all the time we had sat there, we hadn't seen our parents at all yet, and I didn't want Vance to wander off alone. I put my finger to my lips again and gently rise to my feet, taking his little hand in mine. We quietly begin climbing the stairs one step at a time and open the door to the landing. I sweep my gaze left and right before stepping into the bathroom and quietly shutting the door behind us. I click the lock the doorknob as Vance waddles towards the toilet and begins sorting himself out. On the counter side is our Dad's phone, he must have left it in here. Luckily I know his pass code, so I am able to unlock it, before I have a chance to call the emergency services again I can't help but notice the insane amount of texts and notifications. I open them up, a lot of them from my dad's friends. I read through his most recent conversation.

"Liam said: it's out of control, people are being attacked in the streets.

Harvey said: This isn't a riot. These people are sick, they are eating each other ffs

Liam said: Seriously?

I said: One of our neighbors just burst through our back door and bit Xanny, can't get through to ambulance or police

Harvey said: Wtf

Liam said: Gods damn dude, she okay?

I said: She's fine, was only her hand. Locked the crazy bastard in the cellar

Harvey said: No, that's not fine. She's infected, you need to get out dude, she'll lose herself

I said: What? No, thats crazy. She's my WIFE

Liam said: AIM FOR THE HEAD. THEY WILL KEEP COMING"

I keep scrolling through conversations until I come across an unsent text to my phone

"Karcaida, me and your mother love you and Vance with all our hearts, you guys are the best things that ever happened to us. I don't know where you are but don't come home, get out of the city. Your mother and I are sick, something is happening here and people are going crazy. I tried to help your mother, and she scratched and bit me, I can feel myself slipping. Look after your brother, I love you, we love you"

I press my ear to the door and wince at the sound of the water splashing. Did I just hear the floorboards outside the door creak? Can I hear movement? Before I can tell him not to, Vance flushes the toilet.

Silence. All we hear is the pipes rattling and the cistern refilling as I hold my breath. I hear another creak, and then another and another heading towards the bathroom. That is when the doorknob starts rattling, as if it is being turned slowly, clumsily, shadows move and the smell of iron wafts under the door and I know whoever is on the other side of it is not in the best way. I reach out and gently and quietly take the door handle and hold it fast, sometimes this lock can be temperamental and can open if the doorknob is turned hard enough. Before now, it has lead to many unfortunate and embarrassing incidents, but right now the situation feels much more dire. I hold my finger up to my lips to Vance again as he quietly sits down and places his hands over his mouth, scared silent. The doorknob rattles more viciously and I place both hands on it, holding it tight. A soft growl comes from the other side of the door, a lighter sound than the sick men. Tears roll down my cheeks as realization begins to set in. A gentle thud makes the door shudder softly and another low moan.

"I'm sorry, Mum" I whisper quietly to myself, letting my tears and snot roll silently down my face for fear of sniffing and alerting her to our presence again.

Time passes, about an hour perhaps? Impossible to tell without proper time keeping. I manage to slowly turn one of the taps to a dribble to quietly get a drink for Vance and I start delicately opening cupboards to look for anything useful. As children often do, eventually Vance became bored and fiddled with the various bottles of cosmetics, pretending they are cars and rockets, every so often I would gently remind him to be quiet while I wracked my brains. I opened and reopened cupboards and cabinets until I remembered the airing cupboard. Usually filled with towels, but occasionally my parents kept their hiking equipment in there to dry off after coming back down from the Hrod mountain peaks. I pulled out towels and clothes until I found a large camping backpack. The thing was about half the size of me, but was sturdy and if packed correctly could shoulder a huge burden. I pulled out some bottles of baby lotion, emptied a bottle of facial toner into the sink and very excruciatingly rinsed it out with the drips of water until I was satisfied it was clean. Filling it again with water and taking a sip from it, it made the water smell funny but it tasted okay. All I knew for sure is that I needed to get out of Guinen city immediately, whatever this sickness was that was making people attack each other was dangerous and I needed to protect Vance at all costs. If Mum was already infected with it, then it can only be assumed that Dad is also skulking around somewhere, which meant that I was the only force standing between them and Vance, and I needed to be rational and prepared or neither of us would survive this.

I wrapped the lotion, a box of tampons, a bottle of antiseptic liquid and the makeshift water bottle into a towel and set it aside. In a separate towel I wrapped a pair of hairdressing scissors, a wrench from my dad's toolbox, a few rolls of toilet paper and some spare clothes and set it into the bottom of the rucksack. I had a horrible idea, but the more I mulled it around and thought about it, the less horrible it seemed and considered the dire circumstances. I didn't need to open the door to know that what laid on the other side would likely traumatize my brother, and I needed to protect him. From the toolbox I also took a hammer and a pack of cable ties. I took a deep breath, I need to make sure there is no other option, before I do this, I need to make sure that I know exactly what is waiting for us on the other side of the door.

I searched the cupboards for a hand mirror, but it appears as though Mum may have moved them to her room. Instead, I folded the rest of the towels over the sink and over the floor, and took a screwdriver from my dad's tools aiming the bit at the center of the hanging mirror. I sharply put some force behind the tool and the mirror shattered, large shards falling relatively quietly into the towels, even with every effort to muffle the sound, the scratching and moaning at the door resumed, and I was once again holding the door handle while whispering at Vance to not touch the mirror and to stay away from it.

I took a large shard into my hands and quietly knelt by the door, testing the thickness of the glass to make sure it slid under comfortably. I am lucky, it slid under the door and I had all doubt removed as I saw brassy blonde hair soaked through with blood, her eyes wide and wild, gray irises surrounded by sickly yellow and horribly bloodshot. Her chest was heaving as she stared at the door, she knows we're in here, but she can't get to us, so she is waiting. Tears sting my eyes, there is no doubt anymore, Mum is sick and if I try to pussyfoot around then she will make Vance and me sick too. I drop the shard quietly between the threshold of the door.

Finishing packing my bag I look to Vance sitting on the floor, tears rolling down his cheeks as he breathes in hyperventilated breaths. I stroke my hand over his cheek softly. I have no choice.

“Come here, Vancey, it's okay, everything will be okay" I pick him up and snuggle him tightly, internally begging the gods that one day he will not remember this. With a tear rolling down my face I ignore the screams and struggling as I force him into the bag and do up the zip over him, plunging him into darkness. As I hoist him onto my back I almost overbalance as he continues to kick and struggle, his screams causing Mum to start thrashing at the door again, her primal instinct reacting to the sound of her baby in distress while still growling with her yearning to rip us to pieces. I have to put the bag down again softly and secure the zips together with a cable tie, just to make sure that he cannot break free into danger.

“I’m sorry, I'm so sorry, please forgive me, but you need to stay still. Please"

I struggle to my feet and take the hammer into my left hand as my right rests on the doorknob. "Oh please gods, please forgive me. Mum I am so sorry, I am so sorry" I twist the lock and take a step back as the door flings open and our mum falls forward, she screeches at me and I bring the ball of the hammer down hard to the top of her head, she twitches disgustingly as the thud of the hammer echoes against the tiles, I pull back the hammer and our mother falls down dead at my feet. I take a deep breath, a shuddering breath as I stand and look over her. I can't stop... I can't think about this. I need to act. I need to run.

I start barreling down the stairs, Vance's constant screeching and struggling to make it difficult, from behind me I hear a heavier movement from my room, the sound of something heavy and angry being thrown against my door. Dad must have locked himself away before...

I pivot and make a break through the kitchen, ignoring the scratching and growling from the cellar door. I throw open the back door and jog into the garden, the silence from the park completely broken with the lamenting wail from the neighborhood. People screaming, dogs barking, complete pandemonium from the cul-de-sac. I make a break straight for the back gate and skulk off down the alley, heading straight for the fields that I knew so well. Feeling dizzy from the extra weight and from Vance kicking and punching the back of my head, my center of gravity constantly being thrown off. I disappear into the night.