Chapter Text
You didn’t feel sorry for most of the guests. They all came and went for their own reasons, but the only ones you had pity for was the neighbor’s daughter. Still, FEMA was hellbent on taking her from you.
You tried to shoot the son of a bitch in the yellow suit, only for another one of those motherfuckers to come out of nowhere and headbutt you in the face with his rifle. Everything went black, and by the time you came to, you found yourself being held up by your arms, by a FEMA agent behind you. You tried to pry your arms out of his grasp, but it was useless. You could barely keep your head up, let alone stand on your own two legs. Any strength you had was swallowed by the concussion, leaving you a vulnerable wreck that could do nothing but watch as they dragged everyone away.
Your heart broke when they dragged the little girl out of your house as she screamed and cried for her dad, begging you to let her stay. Without a second thought, you flung your head back as hard as you could, hitting the FEMA bastard right in the face. It was a miracle that he let you go, but your relief was short-lived when you tried to charge at the bastard holding the girl, only to find yourself collapsing at the foot of your doorstep. It was the last thing you could remember, laying on that floor as the little girl cried out for you… And the world went black.
By the time you came to, you awoke with a crippling headache, barely able to get yourself off the floor. You were on your hands and knees for what felt like an eternity, just trying to move. The ringing in your ears was relentless, and your vision was no better - blurry as if you were under water. All you could do was prop yourself against the wall and hold your head in your hands, waiting and counting the hours it would take before you were able to get back up. You held your head in your hands, warm blood oozing out of fuck knows where. At one point, you wondered whether it was worth calling 103… Or was it 112 now? You tried to crawl to the phone, but from the very moment you grabbed the handset, you stared at it for what felt like an eternity, just trying to figure out what was what.
Eventually, when the sun began to rise, you realized why it was so hard to figure out what was wrong with the phone. Not only were you holding the handset backwards, but it was smeared in your now dried blood… Still emitting that deafening tone as it waited for you to dial a number. But by then, you remembered the firefighter’s words - how there are no more hospitals. That probably meant there were no more ambulances, either.
You were on your own, and for the first time in your life, the thought of it terrified you. If that creepy pale fuck found out, you were done for.
Letting go of the phone, you took your time getting up off the floor, holstering the shotgun over your shoulder. You leaned against the walls for support as you dragged yourself to the kitchen, your legs wobbling with every step - as if you’d forgotten how to walk. But thankfully, you were able to plop down into one of the chairs, and reach the medicine drawer. Everything you needed was in it, except a mirror to inspect your injuries.
‘For fuck’s sake…’ You grumbled, clutching some bandages and disinfectant against your chest as you hobbled over to the bathroom. Tripping over your own feet, it took just about everything to not drop neither the meds nor the shotgun, or to just collapse right then and there. Still, you persevered, leaning against the sink as you tried to regain your composure.
You stood there for what felt like forever, just staring down into the sickly old sink, until you felt your nose begin to bleed. A droplet of blood splashed against the sink, and you put your mouth over your face, trying to stop it from getting everywhere, before grabbing a towel.
But the very moment you looked up, you recoiled at the sight of your face - covered in blood. It seemed to have been coming from somewhere in your hairline. Yet before you could get a chance to start patching yourself up, the pounding on your door startled you. You whipped around, and just as expected, the grayness of dawn peeked through the curtains in your hallway. Not even seconds later, you heard someone desperately fiddling with the doorknob, before you heard your door open and close.
You drew your shotgun, even though you could barely stand on your own two legs.
‘I’ve got a gun!’ You yelled, the shotgun so heavy in your arms, you could barely hold it up.
‘Jeez, dude! Relax!’ A teenage girl’s voice replied.
Fully convinced it was a visitor trying to impersonate a child, your finger inched towards the trigger… Until she came into view.
Much to your confusion, it wasn’t a trick. You were staring into the apathetic eyes of a teenage girl, standing there dressed like she was on a school trip.
‘What are you pointing that gun at me for? I’m just a kid!’ She scoffed, staring at you as if you did something outrageously dumb. Not even a glint of fear, even though your face was drenched in blood.
‘Where the hell are your parents…?’ You groaned in pain, putting the gun down as you leaned against the washing machine.
‘Hell if I know. Home, probably. Where else would they be? Or maybe they're Visitors now. Would kinda suit them. Ha… My mom loves sunbathing, too… So, yeah… that's another fun possibility. Whatever! I'm here now, aren't I? And I could use a roof over my head. You mind if I crash here for a bit, Bloody Mary?’
‘If you must…’ You groaned, holding onto your head as your ears began to ring again.
‘Sweet. Oh, you got cool rugs– I mean, whatever.’ She scoffed, as she walked off.
‘Hold up! I need to check you!’ You called out, but she didn’t bother replying.
You stumbled into the living-room and the old office, but she wasn’t there. You even checked the bedroom, but there was no sign of her. Finally, you found her in the kitchen, drinking from a glass of water by the sink.
‘What?’ She groused, looking at you as she poured herself another glass.
‘Didn’t you hear me when I said I need to check you?’
‘Ugh, fine.’ She rolled her eyes, slamming the glass down. ‘Just hurry up and get it over with, old man.’
You hurried through it, and besides the blood on her gums from misaligned braces, you relaxed knowing she was a human.
‘So how come you’re all bloody?’ She pried, drinking from the glass once you finished the tests.
‘FEMA.’
‘Oh. Yeah… Those guys. I don’t like them. They seem like trouble… You aren’t gonna rat me out to them, right?’
‘Rat you out? What…?’ Your heart sank, as your mind raced to the possibility of her being a visitor and you just didn’t notice.
‘Like, you aren’t gonna call FEMA and have them take me back to my parents. Right?’
‘No. I got my own shit to deal with…’ You turned to leave, only for her to call out to you.
‘That food yours? Can I have some?’
‘Yeah… Sure.’
Funny how she was the rudest guest you’ve had so far, but was the only one who bothered to ask if she’s allowed to eat.