Chaos. Destruction. Screaming. Apocalypse. Zombies. Real zombies, the ones you would see in the movies. Green-skinned, with their clothing ripped and their head cut in half. Isabel felt like she would throw up. She felt a sharp pain through her stomach, and she became dizzy. So, this was the end of the world. Immediately, her sister ran to her, troubled. She was the closest to the situation. The Fletcher held themselves as they watched around, their eyes filled with fear and anticipation. The youngest was shuddering from fear, her body sore from the battle. 

“Are we going to survive this?” The girl asked in a voice lower than a mumble, her bottom lip quivering as her grip tightened on Isabel. “I don’t think this was planned. Do they have resources to fight back?” 

The teen didn’t know what to respond. In a way, she thought she was the one who started this whole chaos, but she wasn’t certain anymore. Lazarus told her that they planned it, and that were ready if ever that happened. But she knew she couldn’t tell Lucia this. Her pride stopped her, and she knew that Lucia would surely be mad at her for that wish. So, the girl remained quiet, playing with her sister’s hair to console her. 

“I don’t know. I can’t be a hundred percent sure that we’ll go through this, but we must wait and see. And hope. It’s not like we can change anything now. The guards are taking care of this, and we do not have a specific role with it. Just relax, they aren’t this much.” 

“No” Said Lucia as she shook her head, her eyebrows arching, “I don’t think the guards are taking care of this, look at that mess” She spoke as she gestured to the men fighting back at the best of their capacities, shooting everywhere, as if they weren’t trained for that. “We have to do something, or else--” 

“Or else what? We’re all going to die. That’s going to happen anyways, because of old age. We can never be sure. Although we were trained to protect ourselves, we can’t take care of that just now. We’re not professional fighters, Lu.” 

Lucia stood silent, her expression darkening. Isabel was wrong, and she knew it. A shiver ran along her spine, and she chewed on her lower lip, her eyes flickering around. The eldest didn’t know what to say, so she rubbed her back gently, trying to calm her shaky breathing. She wanted to say something, anything, but no words would come out. 

Quickly, it became harder for the guards to protect everyone all at once, and they were losing more territory. Everyone stepped back, a dark atmosphere started reigning around the place. The zombies were too strong. They couldn’t be fighting for too long. Everyone stopped yelling and crying and watched in terror as the creatures stepped closer, growling, and mumbling words that could not be understood. No, not words. Desperate whimpers, begging for help. 

They can’t control the beast, Isabel noticed, feeling her throat tightening, it’s as if they were possessed by an odd force. They’re still conscious but they can’t do anything about it since they were infected. Hopefully, their deaths won't be the end of us. 

Lazarus arrived out of nowhere. He wasn’t calm and relaxed anymore. He stood there, in the middle of the arena, no monsters daring to come over. His hair was messy, and he had bags under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept for hours. The man’s breathing was heavy, and he was panting slightly, but then he kept his composure. His gaze wandered around anxiously, seeking help as the zombies were reaching for him. 

“Everyone...” The principal spoke in a faint voice that could barely be heard around the place. He gritted his teeth and cleared his throat, clearly in a hurry. His voice was louder, but not more confident. “Exit. Now. The guards are going to take diligent care of this. Do not try to fight this off, not everyone has had professional training for this situation. I repeat, everyone exists the arena calmly. Walk to your chambers and keep your walkie-talkies with you. Close the blinds, close the lights, and don’t make a sound.” 

They all obeyed. But it didn’t work well.  The sisters as well as everyone around the stadium rushed out of their seats and jumped, making a crowd around the door. The guards tried to stop the zombies from seeing the citadians, but it was no use. They were already gone. The zombies had their attentions back to the men that were supposed to be fighting off. Isabel tried bringing Lucia away, but she didn’t success. 

“Isabel...” 

“Lucia, we must run away. 

“No, never! These men are going to die if we don't do anything!” She implied, her expression growing into a frown. “They can’t take all their time training if they end up dying!” 

The teen groaned inwardly. She knew her sister had good intentions, but sometimes, it looked like she was trying to make them die. They couldn’t be trying to help the others because they wouldn’t accept their help, and they would be targeted by those filthy creatures that used to be real humans, just like them. 

The girl felt her heart throb at the idea. They were innocent. They didn’t ask for it. Yet now they have become hungry monsters in the soul of a helpless human being. The pain was huge, and they couldn't help themselves from growling the word “brains” over and over again. 

“Lu” Isabel sighed, speaking seriously, “Do you want to die? Those guys would cut you in half if they wanted to. They don’t have control over their own bodies.” 

As if the world was revolving around them, rain started to pour over their faces, dripping along their faces. Isabel glanced at the men, who kept on fighting the creatures. She knew they were in pain, but that they gave their life to fight. They had decided to take care of others, for the good of humanity. 

“I don’t care!” Lucia screamed, trying to cover the sound from the rain, “We can’t let them die! They’re humans too! They don’t deserve to die after what they’ve been through!” 

The eldest tilted her head back and closed her eyes, shuddering with fear. Her legs were trembling, and she wanted to go away as fast as possible. They were the only citadians in the arena, as all the others rushed to their places. Isabel buried her face in her hands. She didn’t know how to explain it to Lucia without being too harsh. 

“Lucia, how many times do I have to tell you this?” The girl replied, feeling her hair getting wet. But for now, it was her last concern. She had to make the best decision. “It’s our survival that’s more important! We’re not selfish, we just must do whatever it takes to survive...” 

“No, it’s not what we must do!” The youngest cried, tears forming in her eyes as her breathing became shallow. She watched around and pointed to the men, that were becoming less and less, as the creatures ran towards them-very slowly, though. “They didn’t do anything! They didn’t ask! All humanity should be cooperating! Stop being stubborn, Isabel!” 

The creatures rushed towards them, groaning. The men were all dead, and they didn’t manage to survive. Some of them were groaning on the floor, crawling, and begging for help. Fortunately, they weren’t infected because of how violent the zombies were. They killed them, they’re immensely powerful! The teen thought as she gasped. 

She couldn’t handle seeing this much violence. Without a single word and without consulting her, Isabel gripped Lucia’s wrist and ran the fastest she could, in the rain, ignoring her soaked clothing. Lucia started to wince and tried to pull away, but Isabel didn’t let her, her grip tightening. She never thought she could be in such a situation, but here she was, chased by zombies. 

“Isa...” She groaned, sobbing as she breathed with difficulty, “It can’t end like this...You’re so selfish...” 

Isabel acted like she didn’t care, but in fact, she did. Lucia’s words were like a dagger right in her heart, and she wasn't completely wrong. Yes, she was being selfish, but she was acting for the good of them both. She didn’t have any other options, and she couldn’t back off anyways. The rain pouring along her skin, the teen started regretting not choosing the cardio program. 

She started having difficulty breathing, and it was hard to keep a good grip on her sister’s wrist anymore. She couldn't handle it. After a while, she stopped, panting heavily, hoping the zombies weren’t tis close to her as she thought. She ran fast anyways, and the zombies were slow creatures. Well, that’s what movies with zombies always said. But maybe it was wrong. 

“Are you out of your damn mind?” Lucia inquired, breathing heavily as she looked completely exhausted. “This wouldn’t have happened if you weren't so selfish and foolish! Sometimes I wonder if you even have a heart, Isabel Fletcher!” 

Isabel stopped talking, shocked. She gasped; she couldn’t believe Lucia thought of her that way. When all she wanted was to protect her. She didn’t know whether to feel sorry or frustrated, and so she ran her fingers through her hands, clearly annoyed by the whole deal. 

“Lucia...” She grumbled, sighing softly. “We’re unharmed now, and that’s what matters! We can’t always have what we want, mostly not in a situation like that, and at least those soldiers died in honor!” 

“What the fuck! In honor? What’s this bullshit, seriously? We could’ve helped them! You know it! I hate your guts so much, sometimes!” 

They were arguing so much that they didn’t notice the zombies that were stepping closer and closer, too busy screaming at each other. Hearing the growls and the snickers, the sisters’ eyes that were holding thunderstorms shifted to fear. It wasn’t the time to have a conflict anymore. And they both agreed. Reluctantly, they glanced at the zombies, aiming their weapons. 

“Stay alongside me, always.” Isabel whispered, pulling out her weapon as she closed an eye, stepping back. 

“Don’t even think about it. Just because we’re in danger doesn’t mean I’m going to listen to you. I’m responsible enough, and you know it! It wouldn’t be the first person I killed, remember!” 

“Stop. I won't pity you. I killed mom, Lucia, and it’s worse than any crime. She took care of us.” 

“Shut up! That’s not important for now! Just aim the fucking gun at them so that we can finally have peace!” 

Isabel wanted to. But she couldn’t. Her finger was a centimeter away from the trigger, yet she didn’t feel like killing someone else again. She had a flashback of her mother’s face, desperate and filled with pain. Her whole body shuddered as a reminder. I killed humans. I’m a monster myself. 

“Aim! C’mon, Isabel, you're the one who said that we must take care of ourselves first, so save me too!” 

But she couldn’t. She was frozen in place. It’s as if time has stopped, and she couldn’t think clearly. The youngest was panicking, starting to cry and laugh uncontrollably, terribly anxious. She kept on pulling Isabel’s arm away, trying to pull her out of her trance. She snapped her fingers in front of her eyes, but no reaction. 

Then, a gunshot. Three gunshots. Then, nothing. The four zombies were all laying down, mumbling with pain. Their bodies were covered in blood, their eyes-for those who had some- rolling inside their head. They were dead. A slight smile lifted Lucia’s lips, but it wasn’t sadism. She wasn’t happy to see dead bodies. Isabel did it. 

“You did it!” the girl cried slightly, jumping as she held Isabel’s shoulders. No response. She wasn’t even holding the gun, and it fell to the floor. 

Lucia immediately panicked. Was she dead? Unconscious? What happened? Yet she didn’t look bitten. She thought for a moment. Maybe it’s just shock, but why can’t she react to whatever happens. She obviously was the one who killed them since she’s the only one with a gun around there. Which means she pulled herself out of her trance. But why does she look so bothered? 

She stood next to her sister, her heart aching with guilt. She should’ve listened to Isabel earlier. They're safe, now. They were both frozen in place, helpless. Then, the oldest snapped out of it and looked around, making Lucia react too. At the same moment, they felt a hand on their shoulder. For an odd reason, they didn’t jump in surprise. The touch was warm and gentle, almost paternal. Yet thye didn’t shift. 

“What’s wrong, girls?” A masculine and familiar voice spoke. Yet they couldn't recognize it just yet “You looked like you had seen a ghost. Ah, you don’t know how happy I am to see you again!” 

The voice was emotional, deep, and the hands were firm and tender. When the sisters realized, they were in shock. They couldn’t form any words, and tears of joy were forming in their eyes, feeling a sense of warmth embracing them. 

“Dad...” Lucia whimpered as she cried and buried her face in her father’s chest, a man who thought was gone. 

Isabel wrapped her arms around him, relieved. They had a protector, someone to rely on. They could trust their own father, of course. And he saved them; he shot those four zombies? How could they be so sure? His shirt was covered in blood, and he fidgeted with a gun. 

“I missed you, girls...” The man spoke softly, “Tell me, have you seen your mother?