Neighbors

It was now the third day in a row that my brother had not returned from the run he had said he was taking to the Supermarket. I was starting to really worry about him now and wasn’t even sure if I would see him again. This is the longest he had been gone before and I am not even sure if I should go to look for him or just stay here like he told me to do if he never comes back. 

Ever since the world went crazy with this infection, my brother was the only one to be there for me. Our parents were, hopefully, out there somewhere still and my brother liked to hope they still were alive, but I have my doubts. I haven’t been out to see how it is for myself, but my brother tells me how bad it is when I ask and shows me pictures that he takes on his phone while out on his normal runs. Everyone seemed to distance themselves and hide while the infected people run around aimlessly, trying to catch the healthy people to- well my brother never really told me much after that except that we should never get caught by them. I’m certain he is hiding something from me since I do know what dried blood looks like on clothing. Dad used to let me watch Forensic Files with him when things were normal.   

I stood up lazily and went to the balcony window, letting out a sigh of boredom as I peered out at the sea of trees that occupied most of the view. I was forbidden to go out to the balcony when brother was home, but I’ve went out while he was out on runs before. Not for long though, mostly because I’m scared of heights and we are quite high up in an apartment complex that we broke into when everything started falling apart in our town.  

If I remembered correctly, I believe this all had started about four months ago, by now. I have only lost track of time because my brother has the only working phone on him and this apartment has nothing helpful like a mini calendar. My phone had fallen out of my pocket when my brother and I crashed his car not too far from this building. I only wished my brother would look for another working one for me so I could have a little more something to do.  

The electricity worked in the building since my brother made sure the generator deep in the basement was up and running. Feeling adventurous today, I pushed up my glasses and walked over to the couch and grabbed my sketch journal from the side and went to the balcony window again. With a deep, shaky breath, I opened the door and took the first step out.  

The view of the balcony was just out looking the back of the building that a large pool occupied and then nothing but woods in the distance. We had found this room up the 13th floor while the whole building had only 15 floors in total. My brother told me the top floor would be too obvious and the bottom floors could be ransacked first so no one would probably have any energy left to climb all the way up to our floor after the first few. So, to my delight, he let me pick. I instantly regret that decision now. 

“Oh, I don’t think I can do this-”, I yelped as I took another step to the balcony to grip it with a vice-like grasp and close my eyes tightly as I sunk down to sit, dropping my sketchbook next to the door as I did. “I wish Ares was here to help me.” 

“Are you okay over there??” A sweet-sounding voice called out from below me. 

I gulped, adjusted my glasses with one hand and opened my eyes to look just a couple floors down and slightly diagonally from me to spot a (bright) pink-haired girl in a black jean jacket. She had bright blue eyes and black lipstick as she blew out huge pink bubblegum bubble out. She honestly looked like one of those popular girls I always saw at the mall surrounded by a horde of friends or an internet celebrity that had tons of followers. I could tell she was a bit older than me or maybe just more developed physically. I lacked a lot in the female figure department since I believed I resembled more of a misshaped pear than an actual girl.  

I breathed slowly to calm myself down and looked back towards her direction. “I suppose so. I just have a terrible, irrational fear of heights that I can’t seem to get over.”  

I wasn’t sure if I should talk to her, but it’s been awhile since I talked to anyone and at this point, I just want anyone to talk to who doesn’t want to hurt or rob me, at this point. Ares is only so much as one person and he was usually busy most days. Always trying to figure out our food and our big move to some other spot if anything bad went down. My brother was smart, always thinking ahead. Wait, what do I mean? He IS smart. I couldn’t believe he is dead, not right now. Ares always comes back, even when he would go far to risk it. He always came back to me. I had to believe he was out there still. Tears started rolling down my cheeks. I pulled off my glasses and held them tightly as I wiped them up with my sweater sleeve. 

“Well just making sure. You seemed pretty scared there that I almost thought you were fighting the pod people.” She chuckled as she spoke clearly, with her left hand reaching into the inside of her jacket. Out came something that resembles a cigarette and a lighter. She spit out her gum to watch it fall into the dirty pool that was directly under us. When she lit her cigarette, the smoke drifted up towards me and I’m certain it is not a cigarette. Smelt like my mom’s special cigarettes that she smoked for her ‘crippling anxiety and mood swings’.  

Wiping my tears away and putting my glasses back on, I turned my back to the opening of the balcony so I wouldn’t think about how high up I still was. I was started to feel faint, but I wanted to talk to her more. I breathed in slowly and out slower and repeated. “Pod people? Is that what you call the infected? I didn’t even know that other people were in the building, but us- well my brother and me. I haven’t seen him in three days though. Have you seen a tall, medium built guy with shaggy brown hair, perhaps?” 

She inhaled deeply and let out a huge smoke cloud as she replied, “Yea, hilarious right?”- she snorted as she laughed- “Hmm not that I can recall. Actually, my dad and I just found this spot the other day. Can’t believe you guys have electricity. That generator is handy during something like this. My dad is out to gather supplies, but I can ask him when he gets here. I don’t think I will tell him about you right away though. My dad doesn’t really trust people now. Last people we trusted- well they killed my dad’s girlfriend who was with us. My dad and I escaped and well, he’s pretty torn up, but she had sacrificed herself for us. She was actually cool, and I was starting to like her. What’s your name by the way? Mine’s Cherry. It’s a nickname my friends called me before all this.” 

I wasn’t sure if my brother wanted me to tell her, but against my better judgement, I wanted to. I sighed, “My name is Artemis. And I am terribly sorry that happened to you. My brother and I won’t bother you or your father. We like to keep to ourselves too, on account my brother told me how evil others can be. I haven’t been out since this all started. We have been held up here cause it’s already relatively safe with the gate and the town is just down the way. We’ve kept quiet to avoid others, but not many take the time to find a way in since you need a code for the gate. Did you live near here?” 

By this time, she had smoked over half of her cigarette and put it out; shoving it back inside her jean jacket as she looked back towards my direction. “Na, I lived far from here. We stayed on the move since the incident because my dad got scared of the people who did it. Now, he’s a bit paranoid and he thinks they have been following us since then. I’m kinda scared he will go crazy soon and probably ditch me or something. Ya know, I haven’t talked to anyone else in a long time. Kelly and I used to before she got killed, but that was- maybe two months ago.” 

I felt for her. Here I was thinking my boredom was a big problem and she lost someone close to her as she was on the run with a crazy father. It almost sounded like a story you would only read about in a novel, instead of it truly happening in real life, but this is the world now, in all its glory. 

 Clearing my throat, I turned and looked down at her. “That is horrible. I have felt really lonely too, but if you promise not to tell, we can talk. As much as you want. I know my brother will be upset, but what is he going to do at a time like this?” 

“How about ground you till you’re twenty? And who were you just talking to?? Have you gone so crazy without me that you’re imagining people to talk to now?” A deep voice said from behind me. 

I turned around swiftly and there he was: my brother. He was holding his arm, which was bleeding through a piece of tattered clothing, but other than that he looked okay.  

“Ares!”, I cried as I hugged him tightly, ignoring his last questions, but was careful of his injury. “What happened? I was so scared you wouldn’t come back! Are you okay??” 

Tears ran down my cheeks as he smiled his heart-warming half smile and wiped them off as he replied, “Artemis, I would come back to you every time. I swear that. I’m so sorry. I got cut by some dang metal when I ran and hid from the infected which explains the bleeding. Don’t worry, they didn’t catch me. Running track actually did came in handy, but don’t tell Dad if we ever see him again.” He laughed, but winced as he turned and went in. I followed, forgetting about Cherry. I would definitely have to apologize to her later when I got a chance. 

My brother sat on the couch and started slowly unwrapping the bloody clothing off from his arm. Sure enough, a deep gash was across the top of his arm and was bleeding slowly. I ran down the hall to go into the bathroom to grab our first aid bag and took it back to him. I sat next to him and opened it. 

“Do you need help with it?”, I asked as I start pulling stuff out of bag. 

He winced as he looked at it and then looked at me. “Yea sure, sis. Hand me the hydrogen peroxide and some gauze along with tape, please. It looks worse than it is, but I think it missed the bone so that’s good. ‘Tis but a flesh wound.’” He smiled and chuckled as I handed him everything he asked for. 

“Very funny”, I smiled back and stood up to go to the room and find some clothing to help clean his wound.  

I looked in the drawers and found women’s clothes that were organized neatly. I grabbed the first thing on top, feeling bad for taking her clothes, even though she probably wasn’t around anymore to care. I ran back to my brother and put a black blouse under his arm.  

“You want me to pour this it on?”, asking as I held up the bottle of hydrogen peroxide. 

“Yeah, go ahead and don’t stop even if I yell. It’s deep, so just bear with me. I haven’t hurt myself since that sprained ankle back two years ago from track.” 

I took a deep breath as I slowly poured it over his gash. Ares winced and groaned loudly but sucked in his breath and blew out hard. I could tell he was trying to focus on other things as I cleaned his cut gently with a cotton ball. Placing some gauze on his wound, I fastened it down with medical tape and then got up to put the first aid back. 

“Hopefully, that’s okay. Do you need any pain killers? We have some ibuprofen, I think.”  

Ares sat up and smiled, “No thanks, doc. I’m okay for now. Now, why were you out there to begin with? I thought you hated heights. I swear I heard you talking to someone too?” 

I bit my lip and looked away. I couldn’t lie to my brother, even if I wanted to. Sighing, I admitted, “I don’t want you to get mad, but it was another girl. She looks older than me, but her dad and her found this place the other day when you were gone and I’m sorry. I am just tired of being cooped up here, Ares. You’re the only one I have to talk to, but I thought-” I trailed off as I thought about when I was scared Ares wouldn’t come back. Tears started to form in the corners of my eyes as I adjusted my glasses, looking away as I did. 

Ares stared at me, hushing me as he stood up. “Calm down, Artemis, it’s okay. I’m here now. But what do you mean? They are here now? Have they tried to hurt you?” 

Ares went over to his bag and dug in it, carefully pulling out a gun as he looked back at me. “Artemis. I need you to answer me now.” 

I started stuttering, “N-n-no. I b-barely found out today. She’s nice, Ares! She just lost her stepmom and she’s scared her dad will go crazy or something soon. We should help her or at least talk to her dad. Why are you getting the gun out?” 

“We can’t!” He shouted at me. 

Ares doesn’t ever raise his voice at me. I bit my lip as tears escaped my eyes, flowing more freely now. 

“We don’t even know if she’s lying, Artemis. People lie, sweetie. What if they are on their way now? We don’t know what they want or if they truly are good. There is no such thing as good out there anymore, Artemis! I need you to realize that! Pack up the essentials now, we have to leave immediately.” He tucked the gun in his back and started hurrying to pack up food. 

“Ares, we don’t know that! And no place will be better than here. Please let’s just stay-”  

Suddenly, there was knocking on our door.  

Ares motioned for me to go hide, as he pulled the gun back out. I ran to the hall closet and closed the door silently as I sat to listen.  

All I heard was Ares, yelling, “I don’t care who you are or what you want. I have a gun and I do know how to use it. Don’t make me do anything we both will regret.” 

A loud click echoed through the house as my heart thumped louder. Instantaneously, a loud blast shattered open the doorway causing my ears to start ringing. I barely managed to open the door, trying to keep my glasses on, my vision blurring as I struggled to stand up to look for Ares. There he was! He was moving, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying, only loud ringing. At least he was okay I thought right before I collapsed where I stood. My eyes fluttered open as I saw dark figures come through our door. I rolled to my back, coughing as I strive to sit up with no success. Why was my body failing me now? Ares needs me. My eyes flickered open long enough for me to see a blurry figure looming over me- with bright pink hair.