𝗦𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦
CHAPTER EIGHT!

〔 Season one, episode three 〕

𝑪𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑹𝑨 𝑺𝑨𝑻 𝑶𝑵 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑲𝑰𝑻𝑪𝑯𝑬𝑵 𝑪𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑹, Madison looking for something and Alicia eating an apple beside her. Cassandra didn't remember the last time she ate anything with what had been going on

"So, what do we do if he doesn't come back?" Nick questioned "it's been like six hours. How bad can traffic be?"

"Well considering that nobody really knows what's going on and the police are panicking and blocking places off. A lot Nick" Cassandra raised her eyebrows, everything turning black once she finshed her sentence

She sighed, the power grid just shut down.
Something bad is happening

"Alicia, will you go put the game away?" Madison asked

"Mom, I don't really wanna--"

"You know the rules, loser puts the game away."

Madison shined a torch at Alicia which caught Cassandra as well, making her shield her face

"All right, I'm going." Alicia complained standing up

Nick walked towards Cassandra standing between her legs, resting his head on her shoulder as he leant his hands on the counter. Directing his words towards his mother

"Mom, you know what's out there. We can't stay here. I'm not trying to be an asshole"

"Good"

Nick sighed moving away From Cassandra standing closer to his mother. He didn't believe Travis was coming back and it was his family that was being put at risk. His mother, his sister, his girlfriend.

"He went to get his ex-wife" Nick said

"He went to get his son" Madison replied

"Yeah, his family. I'm just saying-"

"You guys are my family. Not my blood. If I had a kid with someone else, would you not chose us?" Cassandra asked, her eye's focused on his

Nick sighed, he didn't like that thought. He also didn't like arguing with her, because she argued like a lawyer always with the next question

"Yeah, but think about it the other way. If you had my kid and we weren't together anymore. I would still chose you, over anyone else. I would be getting you out of here. My first priority" Nick spoke stepping closer to her, taking her hand in his

"But you agree people can love a child that isn't there's. Love a family that isn't there's"

Nick didn't know how to argue this because he truly didn't know if it was possible or not

"He'll come home" Madison interjected before the two of them started to argue even though she appreciated Cassandra trying to defend her

"Maybe he went home" Nick replied, making Madison turn towards him with a look that screamed 'shut up'

"You know that thing you were saying about not being an asshole?" Madison said

"Hey, I'm sorry. I just don't--"

"It's happening again." Alicia walked in cutting all of them off

Madison quickly grabbed her flashlight, following Alicia into the main room.

Nick looked at Cassandra, sucking on his bottom lip guiltily

"Stop doing that to her" Cassandra whispered, jumping down off the counter
Nick quickly stepped closer to her trapping her between the counter and himself, she looked up at him. Noticing his eyes glued to the bandage on her head

"I'm okay" she told him, making him look down

"I keep saying that because if he doesn't come back, that's your life on the line and I'm responsible for it. I have to protect you because if anything ever happened to you I wouldn't forgive myself" Nick mumbled, not once blinking as he stared into her eyes

"Nick I'm not-"

"You are. I let you down so many times, I owe it to you and to your dad. To keep you safe. You said it yourself, I'm all you have. And I won't let Travis previous obligations put you at risk" Nick wouldn't let Travis put his family at risk by saving his

"Oh wow, two big words Nick. You must really mean it" Cassandra joked, trying to deflect her emotions not wanting to believe in his words anymore

Nick smiled softly. He knew what she was doing and he didn't blame her.

Cassandra tried to move past Nick only for him to keep her trapped. A smirk tugging at his face as she looked at him with an annoyed look, placing his hand on her heart. Making her eyes widened at the familer action

"I mean it" he whispered

She smiled at the action, when they were younger and he use to make silly promises he use to place his hand over his own heart but as they got older and the promises and conversations got more serious, he always placed his hand over her heart. So she knew he meant it.

Nick took a step back from her realising she wasn't going to say anything else, he quickly walked into the living room

"Stay away from the windows" she heard his voice

Cassandra followed him into the living room. All four of them hearing a scraping nose coming from the back garden. Jumping when a louder bang was heard, she pulled Alicia behind her as Madison held the torch towards the door

Nick stepped towards the door

"Nick" Madison warned as Cassandra looked at him worried

"Shh" he shushed Madison, holding his finger to his lips

Cassandra stepped back bringing Alicia with her, when more rattling was heard outside making Nick pull the curtains open

"Nick don't!" Cassandra yelled

All four of them calming down at the sight of the neighbours dog

"It's the dog, it's just a dog" Nick reassured rushing to open the door

"Hey, hey its okay it's okay" he stroked the dog trying to calm it down "it's okay"

Madison shined her flashlight over the dog, all of them noticing the blood on its fur Cassandra crouched beside the dog checking him over

"Is he hurt?" Alicia questioned

"It's not his blood" Cassandra replied and in one second the dog had ran past them all barking at the the front door

Nick jumped up following him, opening the blinds seeing an undead figure heading straight for there house. Quickly shutting the blinds he turned around heading for the back garden

"Okay. The trans have a gun"

"A gun!" Cassandra questioned

"Shotgun. I tried to steal it once."

Cassandra followed after Nick as he entered the garden,

"Alicia stay close. Don't stop" Madison told her, all four of them rushing the back garden leaving the dog barking in the house. Which only drew the undead more.

Nick started to climb over the fence, holding his hand out to help Cassandra up as he passed her the flashlight to hold over the fence as he jumped down

"Come on" he held his hand out helping Cass get over the fence, standing next to him with a panicked look as she held the light as he helped Madison and Alicia over as well

Quickly taking the flashlight out of her hand

"Okay, follow me" he started to lead them all through the maze that there neighbours had built in there garden. All of them hitting wind chimes everytime they turned a corner but there minds were to panicked to think anything of the nose that was drawing the undead in

Once they reached the front door, Nick automatically pulled the matt up finding a key placed underneath it

"Nick" Madison said fend up with her son

"We're not just gonna break into there house" Cassandra told him as she stared down at him

"Do you see any other option. Really don't look like there home" Nick replied making both Madison and Cassandra sigh

♱

"Susan?" Madison called out as they entered the home "Patrick"

"Okay there not here" Nick replied stepping into the house, Cass close behind him as he kept one hand slightly behind him incase anything happened

The lights flickered back on, making Cassandra's eyes squint in confusion

"Susan" Madison called out

Nick grabbed Cass hand leading her through the rest of the house, making sure he was ahead of everyone incase one of the undead popped out not

Nick scanned the area his flashlight lighting up places that seemed to remain dark. Once they entered a different room Nick dropped Cassandra's hand running to a cabinet in search for the Shotgun

The brunette started to look around on her own achored, her tanned skin rested on the brown cabinet that held a lot of jewellery in it - she remembered Susan telling that most of her jewellery had a story behind it or her husbands way of apologising. It made her laugh - she picked up one of her rings holding it between her fingers, it was beautiful a silver band with a Ruby in the middle

Cassandra didn't actually have any fancy jewellery. Only things she had made, because her father never gave her any of her mother's nor did Nick ever get her anything. She knows he would have if it weren't for everything else.

The lights flickered off once again, Nick almost bumping into Cassandra since he couldn't see that well while looking for the Shotgun

"I got it, I got it" Nick whispered pulling a bag

"Oh, Jesus" Madison whispered

"Okay we need shells. Grab that" Nick told Madison

"Are we sure theses things are dead?" Cassandra questioned as she crouched beside Nick "because its not adding up, Matt got bit and then got sick, Cal got shot, your friend died in her sleep. All three different things and my dad there was nothing wrong with him yet, all of them came back and tried to kill us or would have tried to kills us in Matt's case. What if these things are still people'?"

"If they were still people, would the army be putting them down. We've seen the videos of the police taking them down. And it had always been a kill shot to the head it seems its the only thing that stops them" Madison replied but Cassandra could tell something else was haunting her

"Wow careful give it to me" Madison told Nick taking the gun out of his hand as she began to load it

"Is there anymore?"

"I don't know" Madison replied as Cassandra started to search the cabinet for more. In the distance they could all hear the dog barking again

"Mom!, Mom!" Alicia yelled panicked

Cass followed Alicia's voice quickly finding her looking out the blinds. Madison not far behind them

"Mom someone's inside our house"

"What?"

"Here. Mom, here mom, mom load it" Nick spoke quickly passing the ammunition

"The dog sounds like it's being harmed" Cassandra said, hearing the whimpering and growls coming from there home

All of them watched as the small glimpses they caught of the dog fighting the intruder untill it got quieter after one last painful noise from the dog. Cassandra turned away, Nick ran his hand up and down her arm to comfort her

"Mom"

"Shh, okay. We'll just stay here" Madison breathed out in response but that plan changed when Travis car pulled up outside there home

"No, no, no. Its Travis. No" Madison panicked pulling out her phone trying to get in contact to warn him

"It might not be him" Nick softly spoke trying to comfort his mom

"It's him. Here, take this, take this" Madison rushed handing Nick the Shotgun, snatching the torch out of his hand. All four of them running out of the house and dashing back over the fence

"Travis!" Madison yelled

♱

"Travis!" Madison yelled As the four of them reached the fence

"Give me the gun" Madison spoke in a panic jumping down and running into the house

"The shells, where are the shells?" Nick questioned looking at Cassandra and Alicia

"It alright. Leave it. Leave It" Nick jumped down rushing in after his mother

Cassandra and Alicia shared a look before backing up and returning to get the shells. Cassandra knew Alicia was going to do it anyway, she wasn't going to let her go alone

Alica and Cassandra walked into the house noticing the lights had returned once again, there eyes scanning the room only to find the shells spilled out on the floor. The two of them quickly dropping to there knees picking the shells up

Alicia sat up noticing a cup of tea and opened pill bottles on the table. Something they had All missed with the lights being off, she tapped Cassandra as she leant out from behind the table both of there bodies filling with fear as they realised that they had all been in the house with one of the undead and now they were in the house alone with one

Cassandra quickly grabbed the box of shells and grabbed ahold of Alicia's hand pulling her up and pushing her infront of her As the two of them ran out of the house

Once the girls got outside they heard two loud echoing gunshots, quickly looking at each other in a panic and dashing through the maze of plants but in a panic and without light the two were lost

An ear piercing scream shot out of a Alicia as Cassandra realised that Susan had grabbed Alicia, Cassandra quickly grabbed ahold of Alicia trying to pull her away from her both of them falling to the ground once she had gotten Alicia out of the undeads grip

"Help!" Both of them yelled As they reached the fence, Cassandra looked around finding a shovel she quickly grabbed it

"Go Alicia, you first" she shouted noticing Alicia was hesitant to leave her "go!"

Cassandra shouted as Susan got closer, using all her strength she pushed her back

"Please don't make me do this!"

But Susan kept coming, Cassandra once again pushed her away using the whole length of the shovel

"I'm over" she could hear Alicia scream and someone else screaming her name. In a split second decision Cassandra pushed Susan one last time before turning around and hoisting herself up the fence

Which brought the attention from the others inside, once they made it into the garden they saw a panicked and out of breath Alicia sunken to the ground as a worried Chris was already climbing up the fence. Panic shot through Nick as he saw what was going on, saw who was trapped but he knew Chris was closer to her and if he we're to rush over there he could make things worse

"Give me your hand" she recognised Chris's voice, holding his hand out she reached for him only to miss as Susan grabbed her foot. She screamed kicking her foot out as she held onto the fence, everytime she landed a hit She could feel her grip slipping

Chris quickly grabbed ahold of Cassandra, as she continued to kick Susan away finally the undead grip dropped and Chris managed to pull her up

Cassandra panicked breathing didn't stop as she fell to the ground. Chris dropping infront of her

"Are you okay?" He asked Cassandra just nodded blinking the tears away, his eyes looked up at Nick who's slowly kneeled behind her

"Thank you" He whispered to Chris who nodded taking a step away from two, not really knowing how to help Cassandra

"Breath" he whispered In her ear softly, Cassandra relaxed in his arms knowing she was safe now

Madison checked on the shaken Alicia
"She told me to go first. What's wrong with su-su?"

The undead in question trying to break through the fence to get to them . Growling through the fence an empty look in its eyes, that wasn't the person they knew anymore

"Susan. Oh, my god" with Alicia's words Madison realised it was her friend "Susan" she walked towards the fence that separated the living and the dead

"She's sick" Liza observed

"Was she bitten?" Travis asked

"I can't tell"

"She's not sick" Nick announced as helped Cassandra stand up "she's dead"

Cassandra stared at Nick letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding,

Susan's growls echoed In the silence from Nick's statement, he wasn't wrong with all the evidence, that was the only thing making sense. People we're dying and then coming back. The end of the world like Cassandra said.

Cassandra scoffed guess her dads religious stuff wasn't all Bullshit the dead did rise, just not in the way everyone thought

"Well, that's-- that's not matt" Alicia's voice started to crack "he's not like that" everyone couldn't look Alicia in he eye

"He's not like that. Mom. He's not like that" she ran to Madison " that's not him. That's no matt!" The blonde hugging her to try and comfort her

"Why would you say that?" Travis turned to Nick

"Because its the truth." Nick replied in complete honesty that no one could argue with Nick was the only one willing to say it. To confirm everyone's thoughts