Midnight Cry

Siblings

We're at the entrance of the hospital now. Kean checked if there are zombies but it's just too quiet and so he opens up the car door.

One by one we get out of the car.

Rachel's hiding behind Josh's back.

Rick signals us to do not make any noise. Ms. Rease held unto Sir Rick's jacket.

Something's not right here. It's just too quiet here at Cleveland

I was just in one hell of a bad mood.

It was just a dream, right?

Kean's not that bad. He's a good guy but then tables turned.

I don't know anymore.

I usually don't talk and shut down strangers specially when I was studying in the University. I was the top performer.

It was this thing that I don't want.

My intellect.

I wish I don't have this knowledge like that of Einstein so that they will treat me like a normal person.

“Calvin's the best. He can beat you guys.”

“Calvin can do this by himself. He doesn’t need us on this project.”

“Calvin is so selfish. He won't do our homework. He's so annoying.”

Blah blah blah

I'm so sick of them losers trying to use me for their personal advantage. They're sick. So sick. They make me want to vomit just by looking at their pathetic self. They're dangerous. They will do everything to get what they want that's why I don't want to make friends with anyone. I want to protect my sister so that she won't be involved with my fights. But then I guess it won't work that way. People would always take it from your loved ones until you don't have left. I feel weak whenever my sister stops me from punching those hooligans. They always get away because of her. She's so pure. She's too good to be true. I want to kill because I am sick of those lying, back stabbing jerks. With my knowledge, I could set a time bomb at United States. I think of it a lot because someone offered me a huge amount to do that.

Flash forward and thank goodness. I turn down the offer by faking my test results. I purposefully failed the test so that they won't suspect me as someone who's like Einstein. That would cause a lot of trouble.

I want a huge disaster to come.

For people to notice how bad they've become.

For people to know that they had so many choices given by God but they're so screwed up because God is the Creator and He can decide to what will happen.

I guess the heavens heard me that's why this happened. I don't know if it's heaven or hell.

Am I suffering paranoia?

Zombies are real and they're visiting town to spread bad news.

Me and Rachel's shopping on a department store and while we're looking at the clothes, suddenly, we heard a scream and it's awfully noisy.

"Calvin, I have a bad feeling." Rachel's always right about her feelings. I feel worried at that time she told me that.

We hide from the stalls and see what's happening.

And we saw...

We saw something horrifying.

At the counter, a guy was grabbing a girl and he's eating her alive while she screams for help. A guard then grabbed the guy.

"Hey, what are you doing?" The guard asked.

But then he took the guards' arms and ate it.

The girl turned out to be like him.

A monster.

"Holy…" I don't know what to do. I just stood there numb. I covered my mouth out of the blue.

I forgot about Rachel.

As expected,

Rachel screamed.

The monsters turned their heads to our direction as if they win the lottery. They started running towards us.

An instinct told me to run.

I grabbed Rachel's hands as she's sobbing quietly and I drag her to run.

"Calvin, I'm sorry." Rachel told me as we're running fast from those soul eating monsters.

"Hush. Don't worry. I won't let them get us." Calvin. Use your brain. You can do this. The structure of the building and the exits. You have to remember that at this point, survival is a must.

We turned right and we go down the stairs. We must avoid to be bitten or scratched if we don't want to become one of those monsters.

But this is not going according to plan.

Stampede!

People can't move a muscle at this point because they blocked exit B. They won't let the monsters to go to out of town

"We'll be stuck if we stay here. Let's find another exit." Rachel just nodded as to what I said.

We moved on, running from everything.

I can't feel my legs, honestly.

Here we are now at Exit A. I guess it's locked but I still want to check.

"Wait for me." I told Rachel.

I peaked.

But it's too late because the monsters are already there attacking those innocent people.

I cannot believe this!

How can we be saved if they already locked all the exits? Are they out their mind?!

"Calvin!" Rachel pointed the monster. It's near us.

I grabbed her hand and we both speed up.

I stopped running.

"Go, save yourself, Rachel" I blurted out while fidgeting. My lower back hurts a lot

"Why?! Are you crazy? I won't leave you Calvin. You know that!" Tears stream down her face again.

We will die if I won't run and I can't ever let that happen.

I search the place. It’s full of cereals. We’re at the grocery part of the department store.

I have brains. Thanks for this wonderful gift if I needed it. It comes handy.

I saw a wire hanging from a ceiling and seems like it's a short circuit.

I looked for a hose and thank goodness I found it. I turned it on.

"That should stop them for a while."

All is set. The floor is all wet. I make sure that no one can pass through it.

"Calvin!" Rachel caught my attention while untying the wires.

The monsters are already here, uninvited.

"Damn. The wire's stuck"

I knelt down and opened my bag. I use to have a pocket knife for emergency kind of situation.

But I admit I didn't expect this kind of emergency situation. Trust me.

I cut the wires and the monsters are five meters away from us. I shoved the wire and it hit the floor.

The monsters are electrocuted. It's painful to hear. Their screams while they die.

Sorry for this is the only way for us to be protected.

We run fast to look for the garage exit but we're circling around and we cannot find an open exit. I am panting so hard now. I looked at Rachel and I'm happy that she's not that exhausted... I think I just have to rest for a while... I cannot... Feel my legs...

"I can't run anymore. It's no use. They locked every exit. It's a dead end, Rachel."

I sat on the floor.

"Calvin!" Rachel stumped on her feet. "I want to get out of here. With you. So, let's find another way. It's not the time to give up now."

"What do you think of those monsters, Rachel?" I wiped my face with towel. I perspire a lot than expected.

"I think they're drugged that's how they become something like that. No one becomes a monster without a root cause."

"They're zombies."

"Yes. I think so too. Have a contact with them. Scratches or bites and you'll become one of them."

"It's contagious." Rachel stared at me worried.

"They're multiplying in numbers now because this place is locked." Rachel grabbed my arms to help me get up. "Come on!! Calvin don't give up on us. Help me! Help us!"

I finally stood up straight and she hugged me tightly like there's no tomorrow and she kissed me on my cheek.

I got frozen.

I don't know the feeling... It's like I received an ample amount of energy.

I put my hand on my cheek.

I held Rachel's hands.

"Thank you, Rachel."

We have to go to first floor again because we saw no open exits. We are now at the first floor and everyone seems nowhere to be found. Maybe they we're at the exit. I don't want to find out what's happening in there but we are hearing a lot of screams right now. All we know is that we're at the damned Department Store without knowing how to get out.

I can feel that Rachel's having a hard time carrying me. I just can't stand this situation that's why I flinched and removed my arms away from her shoulders and she stared at me as if she's asking why did you remove it? She still held unto my arms and she was about to put it to her shoulder again but then again, I flinched.

It was because I was focused in front of us. I saw someone run and it was a guy. It's just so fast. I wonder if it's a zombie or anything like it. I bet not.

"I saw someone running" I covered Rachel's mouth before she could say anything or worse, scream. "Stay here." I hid her at the vending machine.

I step forward and, in every step, I took, the more my heart beat pounds.

I took a knife from my bag pack.

"Show yourself and I'll kill you, monster." I murmured.

Then from the left side, I did not expect that it will show itself. He seems aggressive type of monster. He also has a knife. He then grabs my arms so that my knife will fell off. But I am not going to make him have the opportunity. I step back and gave him a head bat. He felt dizzy and then gazed straight at me when his sight came back.

He seems normal to me. But why is he attacking me? He held my arms again. Wait. If he's a monster then he would've eaten me at this point!

"Hey! Stop it! I'm not a zombie!"

He did not want to stop. It makes me worried.

"Stop it! The both of you!"

We immediately stopped because we heard Rachel scream out loud.

"You're a human? You're normal?" The guy asked me as if he's a crazy lunatic.

"Of course, I am! What made you think I am not? Zombies cannot utter a single word. They just eat people without telling them." I told the guy as I put my knife back to my bag pack.

"Thank goodness." At last he understood. "I'm Kean. You are?"

I just stared at Rachel.

"I'm Calvin and this is Rachel." He stared at us as if he's not very much convinced… Or he's about to ask a follow up question.

"Are you both students? You're both wearing laboratory gowns." I was about to answer him yes but he interrupts at the right time. " But why are you here, huh? Cutting classes?"

I can't believe this guy.

Rachel knew I hate to answer stupid questions because it's annoying and I don't think I should answer that because we just met. He's a typically weird stranger.

"We are honor students that's why we have the freedom to attend the class we want to attend to. Sadly, Calvin and I we're stuck here because I told him I want to buy something." Rachel explained clearly.

"Why are you stuck here and why don't you realize the difference between a human and a zombie? You could've killed me?!" I want to know that because it's important to me. What do we know? People like that must have a severe damage in the brain. A person with trauma could not separate a dream from reality. I worry that we can't trust this guy.

"I was about to buy groceries for my father and this happened." He looked at me. I think that he knows what I'm thinking about him right now.

" Don't worry. I want to escape too that's why I am a bit aggressive. I cannot trust no one so, I just aim and attack. Good thing I saw you two human beings. I think the three of us were the only survivors now. We can help each other to get out of here. Ahh... Before I forgot... I want to apologize to you uhm----" He just forgot my name did he?

"Calvin" I told him.

"Yeah Calvin." We shook hand. I think he's okay. He seems nice and a gentleman. He wears a suit and he's a man of 30's I guess... or less. I don't know but he looks respectable to me. But I don't think about that at all when he began to open his mouth.

You can't blame me.

"Do you know an open exit, Sir Kean?" I think we have no choice but to go with him. We might have an advantage. I think he's strong and courageous. And judging by the looks of Rachel, she's too kind. She would insist Sir Kean to come with us. I have no choice.

"I don't know about exits. I just got here for the first time." I sigh. Disappointed. " But I know how to drive."

We looked at each other as if a brilliant idea pops out of our heads.

"I think we need to go to the garage." Rachel said.

"Very well said, Rachel." Sir Kean replied.

We have no choice but to use the stairs.

“It’s locked!” Rachel said to me.

Sir Kean gets the fire extinguisher at the side and use it to open the fire exit. It opened.

I got a baseball bat on the side before we went to the stairs.

I cannot continue running anymore. I got tired. I admit I am not that physically fit though I'm all brains.

I guess my brain cannot control what I feel because of the phenomena

This is difficult.

Good thing we didn’t encountered a zombie downstairs.

We’re at the garage now.

"How come that you memorized her name but you can't memorize mine?" I asked him in disgust.

"Don't be jealous, pretty boy." He winked at me.

I just don't get him in an absurd manner. He seems like a good guy but at times he can be the bad guy. I still don't want to trust anyone, specially strangers. I am still not sure about trusting him.

"We're here..." Rachel fixed her hair with a pony tail. "I got a bad feeling, Calvin."

"Wait here." Sir Kean buts in.

"Don't underestimate a girl's instinct, Sir Kean." I warned him. Rachel's good at things like this. The ugly thing is when she said something, it'll happen or probably closer to what she did say that's why I trust her. "Be careful."

I comforted Rachel as I put my arms at her shoulders. She rested her head on me as Sir Kean search for his owned car.

Then we heard a glass being shattered

"What the heck!!" What? I am shocked when we saw Sir Kean breaking the car glass. And guess what. I am more shocked when he opened the car door and gets in.

"Wait a minute. This is stealing."

"Do you know survival? Of course, I don't have a car! I left it at home. This is the only way. And by the way... Don't call me Sir Kean. Call me Kean for short." He used his knife to cut the wires. I started to panic and grabbed his collar. I want to punch him now. "What on earth are you doing, pretty boy?" I began to feel calm when Rachel grabbed me on my waist. She dragged me away from him. She let go and she saw a wallet on the side of the road.

"I don't want to go to prison with Rachel. This is not the best idea after all, Kean." I told him honestly with respect. He go back inside the car as if he didn't hear what I just said.

"You have to be wise now, pretty boy. What do you think is better? To live or die?" He's twisting wires now.

"I think the both of you we're right..." Rachel is pacing back and forth.

"But I think Sir Kean's right. We will choose to live no matter what." She gets the picture inside the wallet and she pointed far away. A woman of 40's standing at the middle of the parking.

"I think she's the owner of this car. She looks like the woman in this picture." She showed us the picture from the wallet she saw minutes ago.

"Oh Holy, it's a freaking zombie Rachel!" Kean hurried.

"Come on, come on! work with me!" Oh right. I knew that Kean's low key with mental condition. See? He's talking to himself. While pulling the stirring wheel.

The zombie began to chase us.

"It's going to be okay. She's dead now, Calvin. This car will be no longer hers. We're not going to prison." Rachel tries to be more positive. She's smiling.

"Oh God! Rachel, get in the car! Darn it!" Am I the only sane person here?

We all get in the car. No engine started. We're as good as a dead meat now.

"So, what's the plan now?" I just want to ask the stupidest question to annoy Kean.

"If we all die here, I swear to God---"

Stress actually works at times like this. It's called adrenaline rush but I don't care anymore. The only way to escape is to trash this place. Kean's plan is to gate crash. I am sitting at the back sit, staring at the rear-view mirror. It's the running zombie we should be worried about.

"Damn it, Sir Kean! Faster!" His hand is shaking. I think he just needed a sharper knife now. Why didn't he just ask for it?! I have one on my backpack.

"Here." I took my knife and hand it over to him. But it slipped from his hand.

Darn it.

Rachel helped him find the knife below the front seat. Unexpectedly, the wallet which Rachel fell at the front sit. We saw a key fell from it.

We looked at it.

"Could it be??" Rachel gets the key.

"Let's just try it out." He grabbed the key and try it if it works.

The engine started.

"Well, we didn't see that one coming, it actually works" I said.

"Well, now we do! " Kean adjusted the mirror in front to see the running zombie. He started driving.

The car is moving backwards.

"Sir Kean, what are you doing?" asked Rachel.

He just smiled and looked back.

"Watch me kill that thing" He said.

Show off.

The car speeds up until it hit the zombie and it flew away. We just saw it lying on the floor afterwards, lifeless… Or not??

"Was it dead?" I asked.

"I don’t know but I don't want to check it out." Kean brushed his lips.

The other zombies followed. It seems that they ran out of foods to eat. They must have heard the car engine. They were so sensitive.

"This is the real-life Zombie Tsunami everyone." Sir Kean adjust routes. "Buckle up. This is going to be a bumpy ride."

The car speeds up and crashed the gate.

I'm a little bit dizzy now. Rachel is telling me something that I cannot hear. But I followed her. We got out of the car quick. Am I deaf because of the pressure of the crash?

All of a sudden, I can hear again.

The car explodes as we're far away from it. I guess if we didn't run, we might have been dead by now.

But that's not yet the end…We saw a lot of zombies running towards us.

"Hey, the both of you, stop calling me 'Sir Kean' just call me Kean. Besides, you both remind me of someone."

"Who?" I asked

"My family"

That's how we ended up here at the warehouse and that's how we met Josh, Ms. Rease and Sir Rick.

And now we're at Cleveland Hospital.

Kean's forcing us to get inside the building to help him save his sister.

So now I am thinking…

"All this time I know that you're a good guy, Kean. I look up to you because you're a decent man." I grab my knife and pointed it at Kean.

" Tables do turn"

"What are you doing, Calvin?" Rick holds me back. "You need to calm down and analyze the situation."

Kean then grabs Rease's and pointed a gun to her head. Rachel covered her mouth to prevent herself from screaming.

"You're right Rick. You have to analyze well the situation or I'll shoot your beloved Rease." I can sense the tension between them.