The End of Us

by D, Hannah

  “Against their will! There is no way you are going to make this sound good to us, we’re out of here! Come on everyone!” Michael shouted.

  “No please! You have to understand this is for the will of humanity! For everyone in the world to end this outbreak!”

  “Well, you’re on your own. We’ll have no part in this. Zoe, come on!” Jeff said.

  Zoe felt her arm being pulled and then felt her legs moving to follow everyone else back down the corridor. Zoe could hear Sylvia shouting from behind them and saw Jack, Claire and Liam standing in the hall, pleading with them as they ran past to understand and stay.

  They ended up back out into the main building of the costco running down towards the main front doors. Zoe’s mind was still all jumbled and muddled and she wasn’t focusing on what was happening or what everyone was doing. She was too busy thinking of what she had just seen back in that room, those humans all tied up, waiting to be fed to the skin eaters.

  “Zoe? Hey, Zoe!” Jeff shouted as he shook Zoe.

  “Huh yeah?” Zoe said.

  “Come on back to the now, we need you here and not in shock to get out of this place” Jeff said.

  “Get out..”

  “Yeah Zoe, get out. We need to leave!”

  This made Zoe jump back into the here and now. Her mind moving so fast to catch up with what was happening that she nearly fainted.

  Zoe couldn’t leave here without first helping those people trapped in that room, she and everyone else had to help them. They couldn’t just run away from something like this. Sylvia could’ve been lying to them and saying they were bad people when they might have actually been good people, looking for help and instead being used as a food source.

  “Wait! Everyone stop!” Zoe shouted.

  Everyone did stop, bizarrely and turned to look at her. Zoe turned and looked behind her and saw Sylvia and Jack leaving the back room to come and run after them. Zoe knew she had to explain really fast what they were going to do.

  “We have to stay and help these trapped people” She told them.

  “Are you crazy! We might be their next trapped humans! We have to get out of here!” Michael shouted.

  “We can’t just leave. We’d want someone to help us if we were the ones trapped!” Zoe said.

  “She does have a point Michael” Mandy said.

  “We won’t let ourselves be trapped or become the next human meal for their experiments, trust me” Zoe said.

  “ God Zoe I hope you have a good plan for this” Jeff groaned.

  “I will but for now we stay and plot and plan to get us and those trapped people out of here” Zoe said.

  Everyone looked at her and slowly started to nod their heads, some more reluctant than others.

  “You can stop chasing us now, we’ve had a think and a talk about it and we can see where you all are coming from. We would like to stay and help” Zoe said to Sylvia and Jack as they approached them.

  “What? Really? You changed your minds so quickly? You were all so against it and disgusted back there” Sylvia said.

  “Sometimes we are too quick to judge but after we talk things out we can see things more clearly” Zoe told them.

  “Oh, very well. That’s good then! Well go on back and make yourselves at home. We’ll talk through the experiment and how you can all help and contribute tomorrow morning” Sylvia said.

  “That’s great! See you then!” Zoe smiled.

  Jack looked at them all suspiciously. He wasn’t as easily bought over by their sudden change of heart like Sylvia was. It seemed that Sylvia’s weak spot was the experiment. They would all have to try and win over the rest of that groups trust a lot harder.

  “If I die in here by becoming a skin eaters meal I swear you will be the first person I haunt in the afterlife, if that’s even possible” Michael told her.

  “I promise you won’t die in here. I’ll come up with a plan” Zoe said.

  “Oh Zoe I hope you do, for all of our sakes” Michael said.

  They all made their way back over to the bed they had set up earlier.

  “Oh Zoe, you really are too nice for your own good, you know that right?” Jeff said as he put his arm around her.

  “It’s good to be good karma I think. Means something lucky will happen to us” Zoe said to him.

  “I hope you’re right” Jeff said.

  “I’ll take first watch, you all get some rest” Zoe told the group.

  Zoe didn’t have anyone object or offer as well. They were all going to have her in their bad books for a while for making them stay here in this nuthouse.

  Hopefully, they would get that good karma for this.

  Zoe prayed for it.

  Chapter 17

  They were being watched non stop. The other group weren’t trying very well to hide the fact they were watching them. The door to the back corridor were they were conducting their experiment was always guarded, day and night. Sylvia wasn’t a stupid woman and it didn’t seem like she was going to trust them anytime soon.

  Sometimes when Zoe and the others went close enough to the back door they could hear the screams and begs of the people inside as they were about to be killed to be used to feed a skin eater. Sometimes you could hear them begging to be killed before a door being closed.

  “Looks like they’re using them as live bait as well” Zoe had said to Alice.

  “Complete animals” Alice had replied.

  A few times Sylvia had come to them asking them if they wanted to have a meal with her group but the declined as politely as they could, saying that Alice and John had prepared enough food for a week for all of them and they didn’t want it going to waste.

  “Fat chance I’ll be eating with them! Who know, they could feed us human meat and experiment on us to see if we like it or not!” Michael had said.

  Zoe knew that they weren’t just being overly dramatic. Sylvia and her group were very sneaky and they couldn’t trust them as far as they could throw them.

  They were all taking it in turns to keep watch during the night and it was an even more intense watch than the watches they had done at the bus depot, looking out for skin eaters and Brian and his group. In here they were like sitting ducks, waiting to be slaughtered. Sylvia had promised them they were safe but there was no trust between them.

  “I wish we would’ve left when we had that chance” Sue said.

  “We couldn’t leave those people, we’ve been through this” Zoe told her.

  “I know, but we’re stuck here and I don’t think they’ll let us close to that main door again” Sue said.

  “We’ll get out, there’s more of us than there are of them and we managed to hold off a lot of Brian’s group and the skin eaters back at the depot” Zoe said.

  “Well, I suppose you’re right there” Sue replied.

  Zoe and Sue were both doing the last of the night watch before morning came around. Zoe could hear the bussing of the lights still in the slight darkness.

  The lights all got turned off at night, the only lights left on were the fire exit signs pointing towards the main doors, it was almost like they were taunting Zoe and the rest of the group by showing them the exit but that they wouldn’t manage to get there.

  Nobody liked being put in darkness and they had managed to find small, electric lights that you would use when going camping. The joys of being stuck in a costco! It did have it’s benefits.

  Zoe looked out towards the main door and saw Ben staring back at her, guarding it with his makeshift spear.

  “You know, they wanted us to stay and now we’re being treated like prisoners” Sue pointed out.

  “I know, it’s because they don’t trust us yet” Zoe told her.

  “How are we going to make them trust us enough to get back into that corridor and save this people?”

  “I guess we have to prove ourselves worthy to them and act like we’re interested and want to be involved with this experiment.”

  “Involved
how?” Sue asked a little repulsed.

  “I don’t know, carrying medical instruments or going out scavenging for them or for more skin eaters?” Zoe suggested.

  “What if they want us to scavenge for humans to be slaughtered?”

  “Then we’ll try and get out of it or go out and say we couldn’t find any other humans.”

  “You really think they’d send us out alone? They’re not that stupid” Sue tutted.

  “I suppose but if we build up their trust in us they might let us out alone” Zoe told her.

  “Yeah, I won’t remain that hopeful” Sue said as she turned her head to look at Ben.

  Zoe didn’t want to lose faith like everyone else seemed to be doing, even Jeff was sounding less hopeful about what they could do to save those trapped people and get themselves out. Zoe did think they were all being a bit dramatic, there were more of them than there were in Sylvia’s group and if they had to fight their way out of here then they would, it wouldn’t be that difficult. Plus Zoe wasn’t about to turn off her humanity and leave vulnerable humans to be used as food, she wasn’t built that way. She didn’t’ look after the elderly for the money that was for sure, she done it because she cared.

  Outside of the costco at night you could hear the skin eaters shuffling and moaning outside. Each night the sounds appeared and each morning a few people, three maximum would go out and take care of the skin eaters that had gathered there.

  Zoe and her group had offered to go out and help fight off the skin eaters but Sylvia had told them that they were guests here and they her group would protect them. Sylvia probably hoped that she sounded thoughtful but nobody took that from her.

  Right then the lights in the costco all buzzed to life and came on. Zoe had to blink a few times to see better, like she did every time they turned the lights on as it blinded her but then her eyes readjusted and she could see everything fine.

  The rest of her group were all yawning and stretching heir limbs out. Mark and Simone hid further into their sleeping bags to shy away from the light to try get more sleep, they had only been asleep for three hours since they had the watch before Zoe and Sue.

  “I think I’m going to go get a light nap” Sue said.

  “Enjoy” Zoe told her.

  Zoe was used to getting little sleep. The four hours she got before her watch last night would do her fine the rest of the day.

  “I think I’m going to go search that office a little more, see if there’s anything about that group in their files since everyone apart from Tom and Eve were employees here” Jeff came and told Zoe.

  “Want a tag along?” Zoe asked him.

  “Well since you’re offering then I’ll take you” Jeff winked at her.

  “Better than sitting around being refused entry to see into that back corridor again” Zoe told him as she stood up.

  Zoe and Jeff told everyone what they were off to do and told them to keep trying to gain Sylvia and her group trust to get into that back corridor.

  “So I take it there’s still no further progress on getting back there again?” Jeff asked as he tilted his head towards the back doors.

  “No. We’re trying to see if there could be another way in but no such luck. Those doors are the only doors to take you into the back corridor” Zoe told him.

  “Alice and John told us that even when they’re let in there to cook that someone is posted outside the door. Talk about being kept prisoner” Jeff huffed.

  “We’ll get out of here Jeff, I promise” Zoe told him.

  “I know we will but we go back out there to be mixed in with the skin eaters and we don’t even know how many are out there now considering Sylvia and her lot won’t let us outside and we’ve been stuck in here a week already” Jeff huffed again.

  “Jeff, I’m trying to remain as positive as I can since I’m the one who got us all to stay here, please stop bringing me down” Zoe told him.

  “You’re right, sorry” Jeff smiled at her.

  Zoe smiled back and let the conversation end there. Zoe knew that there would be a room, more likely a security office, where there would be screens displaying the CCTV footage from the camera’s inside and outside the building and they would be able to see what it was like outside and how many skin eaters had gathered out there. Zoe just had to find that office first.

  Zoe and Jeff started to rummage around in the files in the drawers and cabinets of the offices. So far they hadn’t found anything worthwhile apart from finding out that one of the offices was the manages office and the manager liked a secret tipple of whiskey during his/her shift going by the half empty bottle hidden under the flap in a drawer.

  “Hey, I think I found something” Jeff said.

  Zoe walked over to him and saw him pulling out some files from a cabinet that was once locked but Jeff had managed to break into it.

  “What are they?” Zoe asked him.

  Jeff opened up the files and they felt their hopes dash. It was nothing but bills for the deliveries that costco got.

  “Their files will be on the computers which are broken Jeff, we won’t find anything” Zoe told him.

  “I know but at least we tried” Jeff told her.

  Zoe went to turn away and walk back out of the office when Jeff grabbed her arm, spun her back around and started to kiss her.

  Zoe was stunned for a few seconds, not expecting to be kissed at that moment but felt herself relax in his arms and brought her arms up and around his neck, pushing herself against him some more. It had been a while since they had been alone in a room together and they were taking full advantage of it.

  Jeff had managed to guide them over to the desk and lifted Zoe on top of it, their lips only being off each other for seconds. Zoe put her legs around Jeff’s waist and pulled on his t shirt to try and bring him even closer to her. She heard Jeff give out a slight moan which only made Zoe want him more.

  Zoe found the bottom of his t shirt and started to lift it over his head, her fingers skimming his torso and she felt him shudder.

  As soon as the t shirt had hit the floor Jeff was tugging against Zoes own t shirt and managed to take it off quicker than she’d taken his off proving how eager he was to have her. Zoe felt Jeff’s hand start to skim up her leg as his lips made their way to her throat. Zoe grabbed onto Jeff’s her, losing herself in the sensation of him.

  ‘This is it, we’re going to finally have sex’ Zoe thought excitedly.

  “Oh shit, sorry!” Michaels voice echoed in the room.

  Zoe jumped out of her skin whilst Jeff jumped back, picking up Zoe’s t shirt and giving it to her to cover herself with before throwing on his own t shirt to cover himself. Really Zoe thought he should cover his man area as she should clearly see just how happy Jeff was. Zoe bit back a giggle.

  “What is it Michael?” Jeff asked him annoyed.

  “Well, Sylvia’s out there, wants to speak to all of us” Michael blushed.

  “We’ll be out in a second” Zoe told him.

  Michael nodded and dashed right back out the room. Zoe felt her laughter come out at being caught in the act so to speak. Jeff joined in with her.

  ‘It’s like being caught in the act by a parent” Jeff laughed.

  “We’ll need to behave ourselves more or you know, at least lock the door! That’s the second time someone’s caught us!” Zoe said.

  “Well next time I’ll make sure that no one catches us” Jeff told her as he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply.

  Zoe had to mentally and physically drag herself away from Jeff, she could feel just how happy he was now and it was very distracting for her.

  “Come on, we need to get out there and see what she wants” Zoe told him.

  “Yeah, uh just give me a second” Jeff said with a devilish smile.

  Zoe turned around and waited for him to make himself be less noticeably happy and so nothing was sticking out of his trousers. Zoe thought she could hear Jeff muttering something about dead fish before joining her
side.

  “Okay I’m ready, lets go” Jeff winked.

  Zoe laughed as they left the room and joined the others who were facing Sylvia, Jack and Ben.

  “Ah good, everyone’s here now” Sylvia smiled.

  “What can we do you for?” Zoe asked her.

  “Well, we were thinking as a group and thought that maybe you all could help us out with a few things now that you seemed to have settled in more” Sylvia said.

  “Sounds great. We’d love to help” Zoe smiled as sweetly as she could.

  “Perfect. We have a lot more skin eaters gathering at the door for just us to be able to handle, we could use your help in clearing them out” Sylvia said.

  “We can do that. How many of us do you need?” Zoe asked.

  “Hmm maybe about three of you who’ll go out there along with Jack and Ben” Sylvia told her.

  “Yeah sounds fine. I mean we can take two more of our group out there to give Jack and Ben a rest?” Zoe suggested.

  “No we’ll go out, we don’t need a rest” Ben told her.

  “Alright, no bother” Zoe said.

  “We’ll meet you over by the main door when whatever four of you who are coming out with us are ready” Jack told them.

  “Won’t be long” Zoe told them.

  “Oh how perfect, we’re starting to work together. I like the look of this” Sylvia smiled before walking away.

  “She gives me the creeps” Mark shuddered.

  “I think we all agree with you there mate” Arthur said.

  Zoe, Jeff and Simone had all ended up agreeing to go out and clear out the skin eaters outside. Alex wanted to come along again to help out but Jeff told him as nicely as possible that he couldn’t come with them.

  “It’s not fair!” Alex had shouted before storming off.

  “Bud, I’m sorry!” Jeff had shouted about to go running after him.

  “It’s fine I’ll go talk to him. You go off with everyone” Lewis told Jeff.

  “Thanks” Jeff sighed sadly.

  Zoe squeezed his arm reassuringly, Jeff gave her a small smile. Zoe knew how hard it must be for Jeff to have to try and handle Alex who wanted to help, he was still too young and little to to be able to fight the skin eaters and everyone wanted him to remain as innocent and blind to the epidemic for as long as they could. He was the last bit of innocence they had left in this world.