For the rest of the day, Ruby and I sit in front of the TV, every few minutes flicking to the news channel to see if there are any updates on what's going on. Since the incident, we haven't seen any more infected people outside our house, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any near us.

We decided to check the news channel one last time before stopping for breakfast, realising that we still haven't eaten yet. But thankfully, we see the same reporter from earlier sat at the desk, picking up his news script from the table. Dramatic music plays in the background while the channel's opening theme plays on a large screen behind him. Finally, he starts speaking.

"New reports have been released by local police officers that many places in western England aren't safe anymore. The ones unfortunate enough to have been infected by the virus have been breaking down doors and breaking into buildings where they've heard loud noises or seen people inside, attempting violent attacks. Military officers suggest that you pack some essentials, like food, water, and spare clothing and get ready to leave your home."

I turn up the volume, not wanting to miss anything. This is definitely more a lot more serious that I thought when I first heard about it. I wish I'd listened Ruby and believed all those news articles because we would've had a lot more time to prepare for this, and we could've stopped our parents from leaving.

"Officers will be dispatched to every house to collect anyone who hasn't been affected by the virus. They will take you all somewhere safe, which will be the closest well-protected building with high security. However, we have been told that this might take some time, so in the meantime, we advise you to board up your windows or keep the curtains closed so that you can't be seen. This will only be temporary, as the government say everything will be back to normal soon enough. That's all from me for now, but tune back in for the updates at 2 pm."

For a while Ruby and I say nothing, staring again at the TV screen, her face paler than I've ever seen it before, her rosy cheeks that she's always had to match her bright ginger hair have now disappeared completely. "This is bad, Lilly. This is very bad."

"I know, Ruby. But you heard what the reporter said, we have to get ready to go. What if the police come to our house and we're not ready? I can help you pack if you want."

"No, it's okay." She stands up shakily and walks past me to our bedroom. I hate seeing her like this, my heart feels a lot heavier than normal seeing how everything that's happened is affecting her. She's usually so bubbly and never seems sad, even if something's really bothering her. I follow after her and see her packing some clothes into her backpack. I'm guessing that she's figured out that it will be pretty hard to run with a heavy suitcase if we get in trouble.

I go over to my bed and pull out my own bag, noticing how old and worn it is. I've had it for years, and one of the straps has started to come away from the stitching, but it'll do for now. Who knows, I might even get a better one at some point.

I grab some clothes from our wardrobe and pass Ruby some of hers. She always wears such bright, girly clothes to match her personality, so all her clothes stand out from my plain clothes. I usually wear black or dark grey to hide the mud from my parents when I get home from the park. "Ruby, are you sure you'll be needing so much pink?"

"I guess not. I won't be able to take much anyway, will I?" This must be a big step for Ruby because she loves her clothes so much. I can tell that she's close to tears as she puts back all the clothes and shoes that she's leaving behind, sniffing every now and then.

Personally, I can't understand how she could be so attached to them. I guess some of the clothes represented some important memories in her life, like the pink wedges that she got from her best friend when we moved to high school, and the purple dress that our mum got her for her fourteenth birthday. Also, they were all quite expensive, which is probably one of the main reasons.

After we've both finished packing, Ruby taking a lot longer than I did, we take some of our favourite movies from the shelf and lay them out on the sofa, deciding what to watch. I let Ruby decide what we watch first because she probably won't get the chance to watch a movie she likes for a while, even though I know it'll be something cheesy and romantic that I won't enjoy. 153 boring minutes later, with a few sniffs and tears from Ruby, the movie finally finishes.

When it's my turn, I choose 'The Avengers'. I can tell that Ruby doesn't like it from the way she sighs when she sees me slotting it into the side of the TV, but I ignore it and grab a bag of popcorn from the cupboard. I wouldn't exactly say action and science fiction are her preferred movie genres, but this is one of my favourites.

I throw the empty bag of popcorn away when the movie finishes and walk up to our bedroom, climbing into bed and pulling the soft duvet over me. I've already changed out of the bloody shirt from this morning, so now I'm clean enough not to ruin the bed. The images of earlier flash through my mind. I close my eyes tightly and think back to a happy memory of our family on holiday in Spain. I wish I could go back to that moment right now, back to when my life was normal and everyone was happy. But I doubt my life will ever be normal again.