Here to Stay

Ghostly remnants, of a time soon to be forgotten, hung delicately against the milky skyline. The bones of an old theatre reverberated with the thumping of two desperate hearts. A scream ripped through the stale air, and echoed through the halls of the plaza framework. “The scout found us, we’re gonna be surrounded. We gotta move.” Owen whispered, pulling on Anna’s shirt sleeve. The frail girl stumbled after him, clutching onto his wrist. They weaved over and through the wreckage of an old concession stand. Anna snagged some unopened candies from the floor. 

“Owen look! It’s the stuff with the chocolate inside.” She said, raising the bag in front of her. 

“That’s…” he covered her mouth, lifting her off the ground. A thump and a scrape sent Anna’s body rigid. “Just hold on to them okay?” he whispered. The terrible sounds of slithering and writhing flowed from the other side of the wall. The vacant roof of the theatre showed the promise of another structure across the street. He gripped Anna tight and ran for the large gap in the wall. Anna buried her face into Owen’s shoulder at the first site of the human torso dragging itself after them. The pale corpse standing in the doorway of the old department store foiled Owen’s plan. His eyes searched frantically as the bodies began to pile in. The weight of a hundred lifeless eyes held him in place. 

“What’s wrong, Owen?” the girl cried into his shoulder. He gripped her tighter, making sure to keep her head down. 

“Just hold on tight.” He took a deep breath and ran for a dusty blue sedan sitting against the curb. He swung open the driver door and threw Anna into the passenger seat. “Don’t open your eyes, okay, no matter what. And hold on to your candy.” He scrambled and found the keys dangling from the ignition. He cranked on the key, but found no life in the machine. Turning the key forward he threw the car into neutral. “Stay, Anna, please.” he begged before jumping out. He stepped out to face a horde of rotting bodies, clinging to some form of life. The sound of choking kicked him, and he began to push. The car was sitting on a decline, the light load felt like a vacation for his tired limbs. The vehicle was off to a good roll and heading for Canterberry Hill. We can’t get this lucky, he thought. Jumping into the driver seat he found Anna with her head in her hands, repeating a phrase over and over. The car had started to peak over the hill, but before relief could come, a loud pop sent glass raining down on them. A tattered and torn arm had ahold of Owens shirt. Anna screamed, keeping her eyes closed tight. “What do we say? Keep saying it, say it loud!” Owen yelled to her.

“Big bad, go away, Owen and Anna are here to stay,” she began to yell. The bloody human shell tore and scraped at Owen’s shirt. His growls were smothered out by Anna, who kept repeating, “Big bad, go away, Owen and Anna are here to stay.” 

The car started picking up speed down the hill. Owen pushed into the soft mushy body of the attacker and away from the car. The rearview mirror showed a crowd of death, crawling and continuously searching for the warmth of life. He tried to calm Anna, who was now just repeating, “Owen and Anna are here to stay, Owen and Anna are here to stay.” 

“That’s right,” he said, rubbing the top of her head with a shaky hand. “We are here to stay.” Moments like these had become a drug, the warm ones, escaping the cold grasp of death, dumping their adrenaline, and then the endorphins that kicked in after. It was like the first rain after a long drought, filling and refreshing, but also fleeting. Soon the high would dissipate and fear would return in its place. 

“Look, Owen, I still have my candy!” Anna cheered, breaking him from an endorphin filled daze. 

He looked at her and smiled, “Yes, you do, you did so good back there. I bet that’s what those things were after all this time.” Anna promptly shook her head. 

“But, it’s all mine!” she yelled, ripping open the package. 

“You mean I don’t get any?” he asked, guiding them down the hill. 

“Nuh, uh!” she replied, pulling a grin across her dried lips. “All for me, none for you.” 

“Okay, okay, I see how it is.” he chuckled. 

His teary eyes were focused on the road. Anything he could do to not look into her yellowing eyes and graying face. Anna had been sick for days, her spirit never changed, but her appearance had. The kind carefree little girl he had found on an abandoned playground, pretending she was a bird, arms outstretched, weaving in and out of the swings like the whole world wasn’t ending. The hope the image inspired in his tired heart was fading day by day. He come to find out Anna had been left by her parents who tried to take refuge in a bomb shelter. How could someone leave their own child? he thought, but debating the human condition was a waste of time. Humanity was lost to whatever was happening and the only thing left was survival. He chose then to stay by her side, hoping to find some light in all the darkness, but that same girl was slowly becoming a monster and there was nothing he could do about it. 

They came to the base of the hill where several roads began to branch out. He steered the car into the path of least resistance, and onto a dirt road that wasn’t flooded with broken down vehicles. The car come to a stop, and Owen swiveled his head. A log cabin sat in the distance, and Owen decided to try his luck again. “Let’s go, Annamal, I may have found us a castle to rule over.” Anna’s eyes widened as she gasped, she jumped out of the car running over to Owen who had already gained a head start. “Whoever gets there first gets to be king!” he said, hearing the breaking of branches nearby. They ran for the cabin, Owen held back and let Anna make it to the porch. The home was seemingly empty, despite a few small animal tracks. 

“I’m da king!” Anna bragged at the top of the steps. Owen was still searching and listening. The woods around the cabin were so alive. Coughs and chokes come from behind the dark green unknown. He ran up the steps and thrusted his shoulder into the door. Searching the darkened interior he found a note for someone named Jack, saying the family had joined the neighbors in their storm cellar. The relief hit him like gravity. He collapsed against the table. 

“What’s wrong, Owen?” Anna asked, her dimly lit yellow eyes snaking out from behind her dark hair. 

“Just excited to serve under the most noble ruler in all the land.” he said with tears streaming down his hot cheeks. The glow in her eyes was growing like a hunger that couldn’t be quenched. Her body was fading, but her unrelenting spirit wouldn’t give up. He chuckled when she poked out her chin and put her hand on her hips. Why did it have to be you? 

They found food and a loaded gun, but the sun fell quick, blanketing the valley and the cabin in complete darkness. Owen tucked Anna into a twin bed he found in one of the rooms, and sat up against it. The door jams and blockades they had set, wasn’t enough comfort for him to sleep, but the stress was just too much. 

A small cough jarred Owen awake. He shook off the stiffness in his neck and turned to find Anna lying in bed. Coughing and wheezing. Oh, please no, not yet. 

“Good morning servant.” she spoke to him with a smile. 

How can you be so cheerful, don’t you know you’re dying? He couldn’t fight the tears welling up behind his eyelids. He stood up and pulled the pistol off the nightstand. 

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked trying to set up with watery eyes. “I’ll share my candy with you, I planned to the whole time. I promise!” she pleaded with him, but the thing inside had already begun crawling under her skin. 

“Just rest, sweet girl.” he said softly, pulling up a chair to the bedside. He looked at her and then looked away, clearing his throat. “Thank you so much for giving me hope, and making me smile when I never thought I would again.” 

“You can be the king of the castle. I’ll be the jester. Promise.” 

“I couldn’t do near as good of a job as you.” he grinned and rubbed his hand through her damp hair. 

“Are you going to leave me?” she asked with tear stained eyes. The morning light illuminated her pale face. Owen choked and bit his tongue, trying to show a fraction of the strength this little girl had. 

He reached and grabbed her cold hand. “I’ll never leave you. You wanna know why?”

“Because Owen and Anna are here to stay…” she said breathlessly. 

“That’s right.” he squeezed her hand as he pulled back the hammer on the pistol. “Owen and Anna are here to stay…”