THE GIGAS

pg. 2

The door swings open silently, the inside is a bit dimmer than the light coming in through the trees. I wait a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darker interior before entering.

The camper gently sways to the side each time I take a step up the small entrance staircase. The linoleum that covers the floor is a cream colored faux marble design. If that doesn't scream late 90's then the rest of the decor will.

The mobile camper came from an abandoned parking lot when the creatures first came to our planet. I was desperate to find something, anything that was a moveable shelter and this was it.

[Flash back]

My legs are running out of strength. I don't know how long I can keep going. My brothers and sister are waiting for me to come back.

I pant hard. Resting for a bit before deciding to move again.

I can't go too far. What the fuck am I going to do? I cant keep traveling like this with a bunch of little kids. I look around the once peaceful quaint town now engulfed in flames.

I had gone to check on my dad's place to see if they needed help when we got an alert to vacate the town immediately. I called their phone repeatedly and they never answered the phone, that worried me.

But when I got there the house was already being engulfed in flames. The front lawn was smeared with blood and chunks of flesh.

"Nooo!!! Dad!!! Daaaad!!!Meredith!!!" I walked around screaming.

I looked at their family car whose doors had been flung open. My siblings weren't inside.

I round the house still screaming for them. Are they all dead? are they those chunks of flesh in the grass? My eyes stream fat tears down my face as I kneel in the back yard.

"Sissy!!! Sissy!!!" I hear a small croak coming from a tall tree. Great, now I'm hallucinating their voices.

"Sissy up here!! Look up here!!" I swipe the snot from my nose as I look up. There nestled in the dark pine needles sat a little tree house. A tiny arm waving at me to come closer.

I choked on my tears with some happiness. They slowly come down the ladder that was nailed to the tree. Junior first came down, his shirt was ripped and he had what looked like scratch marks on him. Ruth came down afterwards with small Joseph strapped to her back.

Mostly they seem fine, save a few minor injuries. I hug them clumsly for a few seconds when Junior tore away from me. With a darkened expression on his face
" Sissy, we need to leave now."

"Whaatt??" I blubbered. His eyes glazed over with unshed tears "Dad and mom are dead, I don't want them to come back for us" he said desperately. I stood there silently and nodded, while helping to unload joseph from his sisters back.

Ruth lead the way to the front of the burning house. We jogged past the whole scene before Ruth decided to turn back to the open family car. I put the two other kids in the back seat of my car before turning around to get her.

" Ruth!! Ruth what are you doing!!" I shout at her. She had opened the back of the car and was rifling through the bags.
" what are you looking for, lets go!!!!" I continue.

" No!! I can't leave yet. Mom said I can't ever leave Joseph' s bag, its important" Ruth says. She gave a small sigh before talking again
" Mom...Mom went to the doctor and found out Joseph has autism when he was little. He has his sign language books, his medical history, and his sound canceling headphones with some other stuff in that bag."

It was a punch in the gut. I never knew any of this. I can understand if Meredith didn't tell me but Dad. Why did he never mention it?

I felt hurt at the revelation that maybe it wasn't important to tell me but my younger sister was told. Ruth struggled to free the grey striped backpack, she strained a bit before it loosened into her grip. She slung it on her back hurriedly and ran to my small car. " Come on sage!!" Ruth screamed. I jolted to my senses and ran to my car too when I heard her plea.

I leapt into the drivers seat. Cranking the car into drive before peeling out of the my parking spot. " Everyone, do you have your seat belts??" I say, it sounds stupid but it will keep us safe from a probable car crash.

We hear pops, screams of unseen people, and roaring fires eating away at homes as we try to escape the suburbs.

I look back with the front dash mirror. Junior' s cheek glisten with silent tears and his eyes are wide at the destruction we are passing by. Joseph huddles next to Junior covering his ears and hiding in his brothers embrace.

I quickly look over to Ruth in the passenger seat to find her staring out blankly at the road in front of her.

Bam!!! A Blood soaked person slides up the windshield of the car. I scream at full volume scaring Ruth out of her daze. " I cant see!! Fuck, god help us!!" I plead.

The road is suddenly in view for a moment before the car stops violently. Im stunned by the impact, and I lay on the steering wheel thinking for a bit.

" Sage are you ok!?" Ruth said alarmed. " I'm fine, i think?" I say Experimentally stretching out my limbs.