Jayme Miller - The Demise of Humanity

“Ok, I guess we stay in the water because they aren’t coming in. It’s as if they don’t like it or something,” Silas stated.

“We could try and use your light. You’ve gotten pretty good at using it. I don’t understand how we lost track of time. How didn’t we notice it was getting dark?” I frantically babbled on and on.

“I don’t know, we can’t focus on that right now. I think there are too many screamers. If you accidently take my light and then pass out or something it could end badly. Let’s stay in the water, as long as they don’t enter we are safe.”

We stayed in the water and waited for the sun. We watched the night screamers and they watched us. They screamed hour after hour but it didn’t seem to affect us and I was thankful for that. The screamers rocked back and forth, taking a step or two in any given direction but not towards the water. They seemed to be afraid of the water. Hours passed and late into the night the sky lit up. White zig zags formed across the sky above, moments later thunder pounded the earth. The screamers started to rock back and forth faster. Panic stricken screams fill the night. Little cold drops of rain hit the lake, preceded by drops of rain. Soon the rain poured down faster and harder. Sheets of rain moved across the lake. Thunder pounded like angry drums.The screamers seemed disoriented and started running in circles. The sight reminded me of a rabid fox I once saw while out for a run. The screamers had a bloody foam protrude out their noses, mouths, eyes and ears. It was a gruesome and unpleasant sight. We stayed put in the water as the lightning and thunder pounded on. Probably not the safest idea but it was better than the alternative. The wind decided to join in the party, sending the sheets of rain sideways. The screamers fell to the ground and started to convulse like the one in the holding cell at the police station. This went on for what felt like forever but really was merely minutes. Finally every screamer in unison stopped moving, Silas and I stared at them apprehensively.

After a few minutes I spoke, “Do you think they sleeping or dead?”

“I’m not sure, we could go check.There are a couple screamers close to the boat landing,” Silas said unsure.

I hesitantly agreed, we swam to the shore line. Silas used his gift to light up the surrounding area. We stepped onto dry land and approached cautiously to the closest screamer, it was a male. I guessed he was in his early twenties but his ashen skin made him look older. His eyes stared at the sky unblinking. Silas moved his hand close to the screamer. The light burnt the screamers skin but he didn’t move or even flinch.

“Look, you are burning him and he isn’t moving,” I stated.

“I think he is dead,” Silas said.

The storm passed and the rain slowed to a mild but steady beat. The thunder, lightning and wind tapered away. We decided not to stick around we entered the truck and made our way home. I drove down the road and the rain let up completely, within minutes a terrifying sound filled the night once again. I frowned at Silas and glanced in the rearview mirror. We both turned and looked back at the lake, the sight was grim. We went further down the road and saw the screamers were shaking off the rain water. They resembled wet dogs as they stood and shook the rain away. They began screaming their ear splitting screams. No longer submerged in the water the sound was torture and I felt my ear drums pound. I tried to block them out but they were moving in from all directions. I slammed my foot down on the gas pedal and accelerated down the road. Silas released his light as the screamers jumped out towards the truck.

We approached the farm to find a horrific sight. The cows were still out to pasture. They were scattered across the field. Screamers were attached to the cows like leeches. The screamers were quiet while they ate the flesh off the cows.They clawed and tore into the live flesh, some of the cows were still alive they kicked and fought to no avail. A few cows cried out begging for help. Unfortunately no help would come for the cows, only a slow and torturous death.

I felt sick and wanted to vomit at the sight before me. I continued to drive past the slaughter but knew better then to stop. We needed to get to the bunker or we would be joining the cows in death. We pulled into the driveway and Silas shone his light while the garage door opened. We pulled into the garage and got out of the truck. The garage door closed and I saw a screamer standing by the mailbox. I was paralyzed by what I saw. My heart shattered into millions of pieces. The pieces fell out of me cutting me open. The screamer standing there was wearing a blue and silver dress. One black high heel was broken and the other was missing. Her head was turned slightly to the left, she stared blankly at me. My eyes blurred with uncontrollable tears and I wanted to scream. I found my mother, but she wasn’t my mother anymore. She was a screamer and she was standing outside our home.

I felt helpless and devastated that my mother was out there, she was no longer the mother that tucked me in every night. The mother that told me she loved me. She would never speak to me again. She would never sing me one of those corny Meatloaf songs that she loved so much. She wasn’t out there hiding away in some safe place, she wasn’t here in the bunker with me; she was gone but not really gone. My mother wanted to tear me to shreds and eat me. I didn’t have the energy to do anything I wanted to hide away under my blankets and pretend my life was normal. The pain and sadness that overcame me was consuming. I felt depressed and I missed her terribly, she was a good mother and she had loved me.

Tears eventually dried but the ugly truth made the sadness and grief turn to something I hadn’t felt before; I felt anger. I felt pure rage and wanted to kill every night screamer out there. The world wasn’t ever going to be the same. Silas and I couldn’t hide away here forever because we knew there were other survivors. There had to be and we were going find them. Even if it meant we would get taken out by the screamers, at least we would die trying.

Silas gave me the time and space I needed to grieve for my mother. The sun had set and we quietly entered my bedroom. I felt sick knowing what I was about to do but I wasn’t going to back down. This was a new world and death was all around me. I needed to learn how to be strong and fight. I told myself this over and over again. I lifted the shotgun, aimed and fired.

It was the first time I had killed anything. I had never killed chipmunks or squirrels when target practicing with my dad. It felt as though I had stepped out of my body and was watching a movie unfold in slow motion. I didn’t cry or weep my tears were all dried up, I felt empty. I watched the bullet go right into her beautiful ashen head. My aim was a bit off the bullet pierced her right eye. I remembered her eyes used to be a brilliant green. She slowly fell to the earth. I could almost hear her voice calling to me one last time. I wanted to believe she was thanking me for not letting her wander the earth as a monster.

I had watched endless zombie movies before the sickness. Now, I felt as though I was in one. In order to kill the zombies completely you had to hit them in the head. I waited to see if maybe, just maybe she would get up and move but she didn’t. What happened next would forever stay with me. A couple of screamers emerged from the woods running wildly towards my mother. They pounced and attacked her dead body with such force I thought for a moment I saw her move but it was only the screamers ripping her apart. They consumed every last bit of her I watched in horror. I was unable to look anywhere else. After they were done they stood and ran in the direction they had came from.