Un-Ordinary Day

It was a normal day in Silver Oak High School. It was during science class that something happened that devastated the school. Aiden was jotting down notes as the teacher explained information about the mitochondria when they heard screams and growls from the hallway. The teacher shushed the class and motioned them to the back of the room while he went to open quickly and see what’s out there. Almost immediately he was attacked by what looked like a senior from the upper levels and had a chunk ripped out of his throat causing the other students to scream and run. Aiden was almost toppled over as he ran out as well heading for his older brother’s class. He ended up being cornered though and was about to be torn apart too before the monster was attacked by Liam himself.

“Let’s go!” he yelled out amongst the chaos of the students running.

Liam grabbed Aiden’s arm and the both of them bolted trying to get through the panicking students and the attacking monsters the two were barely able to leave the school alive. Panting Liam suggested they head to their old home as the orphanage might not be the best place if what’s happening in the school starts there as well so the two headed down the familiar road to their old home. Home was putting it lightly as it was a huge manor. The two got inside through an old trick they had and they both took a moment to catch their breath.

“Big brother.. w-what were those things? Wasn’t that person Edward from your math class?” Aiden asked clearly shaken up by the experience Liam didn’t say anything for a moment before placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out for now what’s important is that we’re both safe and sound considering the situation,” his voice was reassuring as possible and Aiden relaxed a bit before laying back on the couch. Liam paced in front of the couch as he was beginning to make a mental note of what they’d need. Firstly, food and a good amount of it too. The two had thankfully brought their bags but the snacks they had inside would barely last a day or two if they’re lucky. Second, they’d need water and a renewable source at that. The house’s water was turned off so he’d have to go grab some from the nearby store. Thankfully the house was still furnished so he was sure he’d find some flashlights. Which he did when he checked the usual places before heading back to Aiden.

“Hey, bro? I’m gonna have to head to the store real quick for water and food. Stay here keep the doors locked and absolutely don’t open if it’s not me. I’ll use our old way inside here so don’t bother with the front door unless I end up using it,” he said watching Aiden get up almost immediately, “Wait wait what if those things attack you,” he stammered out nervously his heart beating rapidly in his chest, “I’ll be fine. If there’s too many I’ll get out of there and come back just promise me you’ll do what I said please,” Aiden nodded, “Fine I promise… you have to do the same. Promise me you’ll come back okay? Don’t leave me behind too,” to that Liam pulled him into a tight hug promising him he’d come back before heading out.

Aiden sat there tense as he waited for Liam to return. He watched the sun fading from the cracks in the boarded up windows and tried to resist crying as the room grew darker and darker. He heard a noise after what seemed like hours and he almost screamed before to his relief it was his brother who brought back some food and water. He ran up to him and hugged him his body finally relaxing from the anxiety he was feeling the entire time.

“Sorry I’m late Aiden. The store was also pretty bad… looks like it’s spreading. We gotta be careful not to go out much unless necessary,” he said as he hugged Aiden back before setting up a small dinner for them. He looked around at the boarded up windows and frowned a bit.

“What do you think about us covering them as well with curtains? I’m worried we might attract them from any source of light but we also can’t exactly stay in total darkness either..”

Aiden nodded, “I think that’s a good idea. We can turn on the lamps once we have all the windows covered up. Thankfully we have a good gate too.. didn’t we have a generator as well somewhere?” Liam smiled as he nodded almost excitedly, “Yeah! That generator runs on gas too it’ll be perfect. Okay lets first cover these windows up then we can eat and find the generator. Good thinking Aiden”

Aiden smiled at the praise before the two got to work. Soon the entire first floor was done and they were halfway done with the second floor. The two siblings stopped for a bit to get a bite to eat and drank some water before continuing on till the second floor was fully finished.

“Where should we sleep? I’d like to sleep in our old bedrooms but I’m not sure if that’s a good idea with those things out there,” Liam said as he glanced around at the bedroom doors before looking down at the floor below them. The manor was two stories and while that may seem to be easy to get out from the window in a panic the two might miss the tree. Liam sighed still in thought as Aiden tugged on his sleeve, “Brother? Let’s just sleep the first night in your room. We’ll bring the important stuff that we can easily carry in our backpacks with us in case they get in how does that sound?”

“I think that sounds great Aiden. Alright lets do that then.”

The two did what they planned and soon they sat in Liam’s room. He smiled albeit bittersweetly at his old room remembering fond memories he had there. Liam and Aiden ate some food before the two brothers slept after making sure everything was locked including the bedroom they were in. Thankfully, they slept peacefully. Soon it was morning and Liam was the first to wake up. He smiled relieved that everything went well throughout the night. He gently shook Aiden awake and told him to get breakfast ready while Liam went to check and make sure nothing came in.

Carefully with his bat in hand he left his room. First he’d look around the second floor making sure everything was fine. Liam tried not to focus on sad memories when he checked his parent’s bedroom before heading downstairs. Several minutes later he came back up and told Aiden everything was clear. The younger boy sighed in relief before motioning to the breakfast he just made for them. The two sat together and ate their breakfast wiping their mouths the two now had to decide what to do.

“Brother… I don’t wanna go out.” Aiden said after a bit of silence. The younger boy was looking at the door then back to the boarded up window. The thought of going out and potentially being chased or attacked by those things was scary.

“I know Aiden. I don’t want to go out either but we don’t have that luxury anymore. I gotta get us more supplies albeit I might have to search both nearby and further. I don’t know if I wanna leave you alone here..”

Aiden’s eyes widened and he looked at Liam in a panicky kind of way. His brother wanted to go out again. What if…?


“I’ll be okay Aiden. Just.. stay inside this room and don’t open until I do our secret knock alright?”

Aiden nodded although he was still scared. Soon Liam prepared for the scavenging and headed out leaving Aiden inside the room. The younger sibling sat in the corner behind the bed. He didn’t want to let himself be visible until his older brother was home. Meanwhile Liam had traveled back to the grocery store area. He was hoping there’s some stuff that wasn’t collected. With some luck he did find a can or two of beans but the store otherwise was essentially cleaned out. As Liam was making his way out he saw one of the monsters.

He hid waiting for it to pass before running out as quietly and quickly as possible. Soon he was heading down the street to another store he knew of. This one was further away so he estimated it’ll take him an hour to get there by foot. Liam worried about Aiden but he also knew they couldn’t just stay home all day. He grimaced as he saw the carnage on the street and froze as he saw yet another one. Liam hid behind the cars moving with soft and steady steps as he continued on his way. This went on for an hour as by the time he reached the store Liam had seen about 10 monsters.

Liam soon entered the store and to his luck there was still a good amount of stuff left. Quickly he grabbed all the canned goods along with any medical supplies he could find. Not to mention he made sure to get water as well. There was two big jugs left and thankfully Liam brought two bags with him. It was gonna be a hard walk but as long as he was careful. After 2 hours Liam made it back home. He did their special knock and soon Aiden opened the door of the bedroom.

“I’m back. That was such a long walk man”

Aiden snickered at that as he helped Liam unpack the stuff he had gotten. He counted up the canned foods they currently had and their numbers went from 5 to about 20. Liam got them some bandages and antibiotics and the first-aid kit that he found was good. The two jugs of water would have to do for now and Liam suggested putting pans in the balcony so that when it rained they could collect it. Aiden agreed with this idea.

“So overall it looks like things will be okay for the time being. I’ll have to scavenge again in 2-3 days maybe more if we ration things carefully.”

The pair agreed on this plan as they found some board games that Liam had stored in his closet. For the rest of the day the two brothers played nothing but games. Aiden didn't know what the future would bring them now with their parents gone and this current situation but as he felt his eyes slowly shutting as he fell asleep lulled by the normalcy Liam was trying to give them both he knew they'd be alright as long as they stayed together.