A Life Sentence

June 10th, 2026

June 10th, 2026

It is after midnight. I just got back into Rod's so called cabin; it's more like a shed. If Elena had talked me into coming here I would have left not long after I arrived. The only thing the place has going for it is how far out in the middle of nowhere it is, that's all

I came here to get her because I was sure she was in danger. I wish I had been proven wrong. For some reason Lucas tried to talk me out of going at the last minute, but he knew I was hell bent and his protests were pretty weak. He told me Rod might just shoot me, which is true, but he was a coward at heart and I didn't really think he would.

Part of me wanted Lucas to come with me, but he stayed behind at the house to keep it protected. It was a good idea. Our place would have been a sweet target to anyone. I did go armed though. I have to admit I was scared as all get out about what would happen. It wasn't so much Rod as Elena. I think that's why Lucas tried to talk me out of going after be all for it before. He was afraid what I would find. I also wonder if Lucas thought I would shoot Rod. I would be lying if I said the idea didn't cross my mind, especially if he takes a shot at me first. Maybe if I did shoot the bastard Lucas thought I wouldn't be able to live the guilt?

I took mom's car, but after I got on the last road to get to the cabin I think a tank would have been better. The road was total shit, it looked like the dark side of the moon. I had to drive so slow I probably could have walked faster. I bottomed the car out more than once, but at least I made it here and the car seems ok, aside from a scraped up undercarriage.

My first impression of the place was actually pretty good. Sure it was nothing but a simple log cabin, but it looked pretty darn sturdy. It had a fireplace and very few windows, which were probably too small for someone to crawl through, at least fast anyway. Rod's truck was sitting outside parked in a weird place. It almost looked like it had been pushed to one side. I wonder if the thing crapped out on them once they got here.

Rod's sister, Amelia, came out with a shotgun. I can't say I blame her. When she saw it was me she put the gun down. Or, rather she almost dropped it. I could tell even a ways off that she was weak. That by itself wasn't so weird. My muscles were still screaming from all the work that Lucas I did to fortify the house. That is what I thought it was until I got closer to her. Once I could see her better I could see that she was very, very pale and she was breathing hard. She must have used the last bit of strength she had left to come outside.

When I asked what was wrong she said she had started feeling bad the day we left. She had told Rod, but he had told her to stay quiet about it. Rod assumed Amelia would be one of the very few survivors. As soon as I found this out I almost threw up all over the place. I went back to my car and grabbed my N95 and a cloth mask to cover it.

Ameila led me inside the cabin, slowly, and that was when I found out how cramped the place really was. The first thing I noticed was how dimly lit it was. That wasn't really such a big deal, but it made the place seem more like a dungeon than a cabin. The floor was dirt and the ceiling was open all the way to the roof. What was worse there looked to be some boards set into the ground to hold up one wall.

There was practically no furniture, just a couple of chairs, a table and a single twin sized bed. I got mad pretty damn quick, how the hell was Rod expecting three people to live here? It was barely suitable for one. What's more it looked like the only supplies they had was what they took with them, which wasn't much.

I started looking for Rod, in the cabin, no shack, that's what it is, a shack, but the only two people that were there were Ameila and I spotted Elena sitting in a chair in the darkness. She had not even spoken to me yet.

I went over to Elena and could see that she was even worse off than Amelia was. She was pale and her breaths were raspy. I put my hand on her head and it was burning up. What the hell happened? When she left she was healthy as a horse. I had heard of some cases progressing rapidly, but this was nuts.

Her voice was barely a whisper. I picked her up and took her to the bed. I will never forget how her body felt in my arms. It was limp, like I was carrying a sack of dirt or something. She couldn't even hold her head up.

Once I had her on the bed I went looking for Rod. I figured he realized I was here and snuck out or something and was hiding, even though there was only one door. I stormed all around outside, gun in hand. I was going to splatter this bastard's brains all over the ground then jump in them, but I never found him. I was about to go in and make Amelia tell me where he was when I spotted a place that had been recently dug up.

When I went back in, Amelia told me that he had died the second day they were there. Apparently he was sick as well and used speed or something to give himself energy. He was positive he would live. I also found out that Elena didn't get really sick until after she had buried Rod's body. Amelia was too weak to help her by this point.

That bastard not only made Elena sick, but his carcass stole the last bit of strength that Elena had left. I went outside and unloaded an entire clip from my handgun into the loose dirt of his grave. The whole time tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't tell if I was more enraged or afraid. They mixed together in my brain and made it hard to even think straight.

I had to stick around, not only for Elena, but also for Ameila. She was a good girl. She was just too damn naive and placed too much faith in her worthless brother.

Elena died later that night.

When I buried her I put her as far away from Rod as I could. I didn't want them even remotely close to one another. He had stolen her life; he was not about to enjoy her company in death.

That left Amelia. I cared for her as best I could. I didn't have much in the way of medicine. All I could do was try to control her fever and try to keep her comfortable. For a time I thought she would actually pull through. For about a day or so she really got better.. Then her body couldn't take it anymore and her defenses collapsed. She died earlier today. I buried her next to Elena and gave them both headstones made with some big rocks I found. I had no way to make any kind of inscription for them. The memory of where they died and were buried will die with me.

As it turned out Rod's truck did run, kind of. The transmission was totally shot and only went in reverse. I parked the piece of crap over Lucas's grave and sliced all the tires. I didn't know why I did it at the time, and I still don't know why, but it seems right.

By the time it was all said and done it was near dark and I did not want to try to drive that awful road at dark. So I loaded what supplies I could into the car and decided to wait until morning.

I have been gone for a couple of days. I am a little surprised Lucas didn't come looking for me, but I am glad he didn't. No sense in risking him and I want to be alone. I also need to make sure I don't start showing symptoms as well.

I think I am going to sleep in the car. I can't stand to be in this shack any longer. I would set the damn thing on fire, but I don't want to start a forest fire. The car will be cramped but at least I can take these masks off. I have had them almost nonstop since I got here. I am looking forward to a breath of fresh air; here's to the small things.

Hopefully when the poor bastard gets home things will get better. He still likes to see you vote and comment. A new chapter will be released soon!