Heartbeats

Chapter 1: Two beating hearts

They burned their parents.

Through the orange red fire the two of them saw what was left of their mother and father. They offered everything to the flames. The fire devoured them steadily along with the bed where they laid. Sparks flew and danced around the fire as the bed crumbled. The flame flickered and settled down.

The two were mesmerized by the fire's dance.

It would have been interesting if this wasn't a funeral.

Sasha was only twelve and Daniel ten, but age didn't become a reason for them to not survive without parents. It should not be a reason in the first place.

Sasha wrapped her arms around the boy as they both faced the brightness of flames. They did not know what happened; their parents would not let them know. Both their mother and father were adults and as adults they kept everything to themselves as they let their children lived the illusion that everything was fine. Even as Sasha asked about the wild animals in the woods, their parents' illnesses and the recent evacuation, neither parent gave any information.

"Everything is fine, darling".

If their parents were here then surely they would not have let their little angels watch the dance of the gluttonous fire as it devoured the corpse of two rotting humans. That was 'if' their parents were here, but sadly, the two rotting humans... rather... the two human-like shaped mound of ash were their parents.

Sasha made Daniel watch everything. With his own eyes, he saw them burn. He tried to turn away, to not accept this situation but Sasha whispered to him, "look, this is reality."

If their mother was here Daniel would not even know about the burning. Their mother loved Daniel and they were all aware of this. Daniel was her precious little heir while Sasha was born into this world to care for Daniel. They might had not said it with their lips but Sasha knew. She always knew.

Sasha was now in charge of this family and from that day on Daniel should keep up with her as her brother, and if she wanted Daniel to toughen up then he should see this funeral. Whatever Daniel would make out of everything depended on him; what he would become after this experience was entirely up to him.

The flames finally died. Sasha took the bucket of water beside her and doused the small remaining flames. She took Daniel by the hand and they went inside the house.

The house was their fortress. This was the only place they felt safe. They knew this house like the back of their hand. Even if they would be attacked they knew exactly how to defend themselves and where to hide.

The outside world was shut away as they retired in Sasha's room. Side-by-side they slept that night. Both were scared, waking up even with the slightest sound. Sasha would be up with her father's shotgun on her hand for even a small whimper in the wind. Daniel, who barely slept, would clutch her sister as his eyes scanned the room wildly.

Both did not breathe until they made sure that it is okay to sleep.

They were like this for many days and even more nights. They were scared to go outside during the day and frightened to go to sleep at night.

The world was dangerous and it would have been safe for both of them if they just stayed inside the house. Unfortunately, food was dwindling and so as their other supplies. If they wanted to survive they had to go out.

Most of their neighbours already evacuated. The disease, the same thing that ate their parents from the inside, already infected more than half of the village. Sasha assumed they were already dead by now. The doctors gave up hope. In fact the doctors, whom they had assumed would be everyone's saviours, were the first ones to evacuate. They left everyone here to rot.