"These Walls" (SOT)

This is the sixth episode of "Somewhere Out There"

"These Walls"
As the night progressed, Douglas was still carrying Lily through the dead streets.

“Why… Why did I have to kill that boy? It’s my fault…” He was reflecting on the fact that his actions are what caused the attack on ‘his’ house.

“Lily… It was all my fault! I killed somebody’s child… A very vengeful somebody. If you die tonight, it’s all on me…” He got on his knees, looking down at the unconscious Lily – Who was still losing blood through her makeshift bandage.

“Well that’s a sombre story indeed,” a young man said from behind, clicking his gun and pointing it at Douglas’ head, “Stick ‘em up…”

Slowly, Douglas raised his hands, still looking down at Lily.

“Well, I may be coming back from this supply run with no food or water, but at least I’ve got you two... Now, move,” He tapped him with the gun barrel, prompting him to get up.

“What about her?” He gestured to Lily by nodding his head down at her.

The man thought to himself for a moment, “For now, the girl stays. You however, are coming with me.”

As Douglas reached the end of his little journey, he realised where he was being taken, as a high school came into view.

“Oh…” As Douglas turned around, the man intensified his grip on his handgun.

“Eyes forward dumbass!” He ordered Douglas.

“So… You were a school student. You fortified this place with your fellow survivors, right?” Douglas had sussed it out, and he was correct based on the man’s silence.

“Yes…” He reluctantly answered, “This place was indeed fortified last year. Now though, only three of us reside here.”

Douglas waited for the man to continue, but he didn’t, so he prompted him with another question, “Well, what’s your name then?”

He hesitated for several seconds, before eventually answering, “Taylor.” He bluntly responded.

Back in the house, Bram and Daven were settling in for the night.

“Is it comfortable?” Bram asked Daven as he curled up in a duvet.

“Very,” Daven responded.

“Alright well, goodnight then, I guess,” Bram closed the door on him before heading downstairs into the kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen, Bram admired the absolute silence around him. All that could be heard were grasshoppers in the distant night.

But like all beautiful things in this scary new world, the peace didn’t last. The silence was broken by a gun clicking.

“Hey there,” A man in his late teens had snuck into the kitchen, aiming his pistol at Bram.

“For Christ sake!” Bram raged, “Can’t the peace just last for more than five minutes for once?”

“Evidently not,” the man cruelly smiled, keeping a grip on his weapon.

“Natalie, I’ve got one!” Taylor entered the cafeteria with Douglas at the end of his gun barrel.

There was a girl in her late teens just like Taylor with long blonde hair. She slowly turned around, gazing upon Douglas – Who stared back at her with a look of distrust.

“What about food? And water?” Natalie didn’t care about Douglas. The group were seriously low on resources.

“If you need ‘top-ups’,” Douglas looked at her, waiting for her to look at him again, “I’ll be happy to provide you with the stock I have back at my house.”

Natalie raised her hand, “Shut it, you.” She turned back to face Taylor, “Where’s Adam?”

He shrugged, “We went in different directions. Adam headed for the village, I went through the woodland area.”

Douglas turned back to Taylor again, “Wait, the village? That’s exactly where my house is! That’s where the bad people are! You have to listen to me, we were being attacked…”

Before he could reveal anything else, Natalie walked over to and then hit him on the back of the head with a 2x4 block of wood. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

“Lock him up. If he’s telling the truth, then these ‘bad people’ should be more afraid of us…” Natalie looked smug.

Taylor nodded, dragging Douglas away.