It is complete chaos outside. People are terrified, guards running to their designated stations while everyone else tries to get inside to safety. I only take a second to peer out the window, before doing as Finn says. All three doors and every window is locked within a matter of minutes.
Viola proceeds to whine from where I set her down on the couch, not liking that I put her down so that I could quickly secure the house. I am just pulling the last curtain shut when Anna walks out of her room, arms crossed over her chest and looking as if she just woke up from a nap.
"Alden, what is going on?" she says, voice scratchy. Definitely just woke up from a nap. And seeing as she left the twins in her room, they are probably fast asleep, too.
"There is an attack," I tell her, peering out the window through the space between the curtains. "All the guards were called to the front gate. Something huge must be coming."
Anna comes to stand beside me, her body just as tense as mine. "This isn't good," she murmurs, stating the obvious. "We have been here since a few weeks after the outbreak, and nothing like this has happened."
"This town is secluded. It's no wonder it took so long for the monsters to reach it."
"I'm going to check on Olivia and Remy. They're probably terrified." She doesn't wait for my response before moving quickly down the wall. I can just make out the softness of her voice as she talks to the little ones and their shaky answers.
They have no idea what is going on, most likely just responding to Anna's worry. But if this keeps my sister calm during this ordeal, then I don't mind her insistence to check on them. Viola's whines start to turn into cries, telling me she is seconds away from a complete meltdown.
It takes a lot of effort to pull away from the window, but I force myself to do it anyway. Viola curls into my chest when I pick her up, hands tight in my shirt as she cries. Rubbing my hand along her back, I try to comfort her with soft kisses and gentle murmurs. It works marginally, but she doesn't calm completely. She can probably feel my own tension and knows that something is going on. Both her and Remy have survived in the world outside the walls, but Viola for longer. She seems to have a knack for detecting when something is wrong, wanting to be near her parents when sensing danger.
Holding her helps me to calm slightly, though. Maybe it is the ingrained thought that if something were to break in during the next few seconds, I could just run. I try not to think too hard on that. This is our home now, and we can't leave. There is no place else for us to go.
A loud boom rips through the air, causing the very ground to shake. My arm tightens around Viola as I grab onto the windowsill with my free hand.
What the hell was that?
My eyes track the flying debris, settling on the entrance gate. A bomb. That had to be an explosive of some type. There is no way those monsters could not only manufacture but also deploy their own explosives. They aren't completely brain dead, but they are not intelligent.
Something else is going on, something much more dangerous than just a horde of monsters.
"What the hell was that?" Anna yells, running into the room.
Her voice snaps me out of my thoughts, causing all the sounds in the house to come rushing back to me at once. Viola is screaming in my arms, tears and snot running down her bright red face. Remy and Olivia are not doing much better, both of them crying as well. Olivia clings to her mother, easily allowing Anna to pick her up and carry her into the bedroom, where the twins are screaming as well. Remy clings to my leg, hiding his face against me as if that will make every bad thing go away.
"We have to get out of here," I whisper, eyes wide as I take in the scene outside. People are peeking out of their houses, a few of them running in the direction of the explosion, while others are running up the hill, towards the community center. "The shelter."
Yes, that's what we have to do. The shelter is completely underground, hidden unless you know where to look. A plan starts to form in my head, something that will allow me to keep Remy and Viola safe, while also making sure that Finn is still alive after that explosion. I can leave them in the shelter with Anna, while I check on Finn.
I know it is stupid, and I know that he will be pissed. Just like every other time I put myself in harm's way. But this time, I can't let it go. Something terrible is happening, and I know in my gut that whatever is going on is much worse than we had anticipated. I can't just leave him out there, not when I can actually help in some way.
"Anna, we have to go, come on," I yell to the back of the house. As quickly as I can, I shuffle to the kitchen. It is difficult to move around with a three-year old attached to your leg, but I don't have the heart to shake Remy off. He is terrified, and this is the only comfort I can give him right now.
The screams coming from outside start to filter into the house, causing my heart to pound. In the distance, it is just possible to make out the familiar screeches. It has been months since I have heard those terrifying noises, months since I have been this terrified.
As quickly as I can, I shove a can of formula, a few bottles, some meals for Remy and Olivia, and anything else they may need into a cloth bag. Gunshots ring through the air, flashes of light outside, breaking through the haziness created from the dust of the blast.
"Time to go, Anna!" I yell, tying the bag shut and slinging it over my arm before bending down to grab Remy. He comes willingly into my arms, wrapping himself around me as best he can.
My sister comes running into the room, the twins in some sort of cloth contraption, keeping one in place along her back, while the other is pressed against her front. She has her own bag full of supplies, other hand tightly clasped around Olivia's. Her lips are pressed tightly together, and it is easy for me to see the terror on her face. She has already lost two children. To be faced with losing anymore has to have her petrified.
The same terror is running through my veins, pushing me to get my children to safety. "We have to make it to the community center."
A look of understanding comes over Anna's face. Giving a quick nod of her head, she makes her way to the door, her shoulders set in determination. "The shelter. It isn't too far. We can make it."
She opens the closet to the right of the door, which is usually used for storing our coats and shoes. But once we both have slipped into our tennis shoes, Anna hands me a gnarled looking bat. It looks like something out of a cheap horror movie: barbed wire wrapped around the metal and a sharp metal tip that would easily cut apart skin. Her hands tighten around the rifle she had used when rescuing me from the guards. Olivia moves to grab onto her mother's belt loops, freeing Anna's hands so that she can easily maneuver the weapon.
"Ready?" she asks, her blue eyes steely as she looks over at me.
"Ready."
With that, she opens the door. Harry is waiting on the deck for us, wagging his tail as I brush my hand over his head. He usually stays outside during the day, doing his own thing and not coming back until it is dark. He must have hurried home once he heard the explosion.
Anna makes her way down the stairs, quickly checking the pathways before giving me a nod. Harry stays beside me as I rush down the stairs, arms burning already from holding Remy and Viola at the same time. My grip doesn't lessen at all. No matter what, I am not putting them down until I know they are safe.
The screams are getting closer, as well as the ear-splitting screeches of the monsters. They must be making their way through the town, attacking everyone in sight. Too bad we have to run alongside the main road in order to get to the community center. Hedges are the only things blocking us from the sight of the monsters. A few are just on the other side, the clicking of them communicating sending cold fear through me. They are less than two meters away, way too close for comfort. Others are running down the path as well, some running past us, while others head in the same direction.
The incline is just starting when I hear someone shout my name. My head turns automatically, eyes searching for the person who is calling for me. Alena is sprinting up the path, her hair a tangled mess as it billows behind her.
"Alden," she pants when she reaches me, brown eyes blown wide with fear. "They're here."
"Who is?" I ask, dread settling in my stomach. "Who is here?"
Alena is looking around, pushing for us to start walking again. "The scientists and guards from the hospital. Some of them survived and are now here. They are collecting anyone they can get their hands on."
"How in the hell did they find us?" I ask, quickening my step. "We are hundreds of miles away." The community center is just in sight. A few of our own guards are standing at the door, nodding at us as we run past.
"I don't know if they were really searching for us or just trying to find more people to experiment on." She stops, grabbing my arm in a tight grip. "They can't find us, Alden. The things they did to people who escaped..." her voice trails off, breath stuttering before she meets my eyes again. "...was worse than death."
"But Finn," I whisper, eyes flickering over to the windows that look over the town. That is one of the things that made the community center so great. It sat on one of the few hills in the town, making it possible to see everything below. But we are still too far away for me to make out the running bodies. "He's out there. They'll find him."
"Mary. They- They took Mary," a voice warbles from behind us. Margaret is perched in her wheelchair, tears streaming down her face. Her hand is trembling as she tries to wipe them away, but it is useless. More just fall as soon as she wipes the moisture from her face. "Ripped her away as we were trying to get here."
"Shit," I mumble, heart starting to pound even harder than before. "If they know that Mary was staying here, then they probably know about the rest of us."
Anna recognizes the look on my face, one of her hands moving to wrap around my arm. "Alden, no. You can't go out there. It's too dangerous."
"I'm no use to them, they won't want me," I say, shaking my head.
"It doesn't matter! They will still hurt you for running away!" Alena says, her voice tight in desperation. "Alden, going out there is a death sentence."
"I love him," I say, voice hard. "I'm not leaving him out there to die."
Alena sputters, trying desperately to form an argument as I hand her Remy and Viola. Viola screams in terror when I let her go, arms outstretched towards me. Remy stays silent, but his eyes are wide with fear, watching my every move.
Walking over to my sister I give her a tight hug before moving back in front of Alena. Remy sniffles when I kneel down, pressing a kiss on his forehead. "I'll be back." Viola cries louder as I refuse to pick her up, instead giving her a kiss on the cheek and breathing in her familiar scent. "I promise."
Remy doesn't look like he believes me, and that is what steels my resolve. We are a family, been through hell and back. We'll survive. We have to.
My hand tightens around the bat and I force myself back outside, Viola's cries becoming desperate sobs. It aches to not comfort her in her distress, but I can't right now.
Finn needs me, and for once, I am going to be the one to help him.