Emeric

Change happens everywhere I go, no matter what. It's difficult to cope with what life gives you but I make do. I have to, for the sake of my brother and father. I've lived in this walled up community for almost four years now and I've seen more deaths than any eighteen-year-old growing up in the apocalypse should have. One of them was my younger sister and another, my mother, who sacrificed her life to save not only mine but the lives of so many others.

She was the one who created the ZCure after my sister Maeve got the virus. At that time no one knew how to cure it and my father had to be the one to put her down. This was way before we settled here in the walls of Maevillage. 

I know it must still haunt him to have that memory embedded deep in his thoughts, forever there. I could see the same look in his eyes as I watched him just a few feet away discussing the whereabouts of my brother's team who had been out of contact for a few days now. Another child, now out of his reach, gone and being devoured by this depressing world.

That feeling of helplessness I know all too well.

Images of my mother locking me inside the panic room from the clutches of a sinister monster played in my head. The dark silhouette figure was fast, unlike any zombie I'd ever seen before. My fourteen-year-old brain tried to comprehend what was happening before me as I watched through the door's small window.

Her screams pierced the pitch black room.

"Son, son, are you okay?" My father's voice got my attention as I snapped out of it.

I took a deep breath and looked around the oval table. All eyes were on me. "I'm fine, Dad. I just want to find Ethan and the team."

"I know, me too. Well get them back," he said, as he looked down at the maps scattered across the surface.

"You should have let me go with him," I said, looking him straight on.

His brows down casted. "And have both my sons missing? It's still dangerous out there Emeric." He shakes his head. "You're not ready yet."

My palms started sweating as I looked around the room at the people who could not look back at me. Was it embracement? Or maybe pity to have the leader of the place tell his youngest son that he won't survive out there?

I was more than ready to help the others like us that were beyond these walls. I wanted to give them the cure. For crying out loud, I was basically an adult. The only time I was able to even venture out past the gates was to help with the turbines that gave us power, but nothing farther than that.

Overprotective you could say, but I knew the real reason why he was like this towards me. It was the one time I froze, the one time I blanked out when a incurable zombie was coming right at me. Half his decaying face slid off like it was wearing a mask, revealing its spoiled insides. My brother was the one who took it out, just in time before I became one of them.

I knew the risks the teams took when they would venture out and spread the ZCure to others. It was the mission at hand. Cure the curable and take out the rest. Yes, we were able to cure zombies but not all of them. Most were too far gone as their bodies were disintegrating from the inside out or unable to have the mindset to turn back.

I felt bad for the Stiffs that were on the other side. I couldn't image what they were going through.

I sat in silence as my father continued to discuss the plans for getting my brother and his team safely back to our quarters.

"We don't know where they're at. You want to send another group out there?" the older woman with the short dark curls said. "We're going in blind and the last time we made contact was when they passed the abandoned hospital."

"They're in new unknown areas to us," one of our coordinators, Tom, chimed in.

My father pinched the bridge of his nose as he sat there taking in what they had to say. Before I could add my two cents my head snapped toward the door that one of the Rankers barged through. "We have contact!"

I was the first to run out and sprint to the communication room. I could hear the others right behind me. Heading into the room I could see a body hunched over the radio box next to the circuit board that lit up. I breathed in deep and smiled as I heard my brother's voice echo out.

I took the walkie out of the man's hand. "Ethan?" I quivered.

"Emeric is that you?" His voice muffled through the static.

I looked over to my father who was now standing beside me. "Yes it's me. Where are you?"

We waited for his response but nothing was coming out. The man in charge started turning a few knobs on the panel. Soon my brother's voice was coming back to us. "I don't... much time... need help..."

The connection was breaking in and out and I knew we were going to lose the signal soon. "What is your location?"

"Not human... not zombie..." Ethan's voice kept cutting in and out with the crackle of the radio.

My brows furrowed as I tried to make out what he meant. I squeezed the walkie tighter in frustration. "Brother, where is your location?" I repeated.

Before it completely disconnected a loud muffled scream came through with a quavering voice of Ethan shouting "Monster!" and all we were left with after was the still of the white noise.

The room started getting smaller. My ears became hot with the sounds of my brother's screams lingering inside my head. The word monster triggered the image of the dark shadowy figure I had seen when my mother locked me in that room that day.

I looked over to my dad who was now walking out of the room with the others. I gave the walkie back and headed out with the group, who looked more concerned than ever.

"We have to get a unit out now; there's no time," my father said as I stood beside him. He looked over to me as if he knew something I didn't know.

"Are you crazy? If they gave the cure to one of the zombies that turned like Subject 101... well, they are long gone by now, Mark." The curly haired woman said looking at my dad then at me. "It's way too dangerous. We can't lose any more people!"

"I'm not losing another child, Sally!"

This was the first I had heard of Subject 101. I had no idea who they were talking about but it left a lingered panic in the air that rubbed me the wrong way. I looked over to my dad and could see his hazel orbs glistening and ready to break. I reached over, placed my hand on his shoulder, and gave a gentle squeeze. "We're not going to lose him, Dad."

"We could have another team go and search for them," William chimed in. He was one of the scientists who helped my mother make the cure. His untamable head of hair hid the brilliant mind that resided inside his skull. His smile, though, made me feel a little unease for what he was about to say.

We all turned our attention towards him waiting for the answers that would hopefully be the solution in bringing the group back home. God knows what they had come in contact with but I knew it was big because nothing ever scares Ethan.

"Well, spit it out," Sally said with crossed arms over her chest.

The short man pushed up the glasses that were sliding down his sweaty nose. "We could have a team of Stiffs retract the team."

I stepped forward in the group looking down at William. "Are you insane? They have no experience with the outside world. They're traumatized enough as it is, and you want to send them into new waters?"

I waited for someone to agree with me, but everyone was silent. You could hear a pin drop. "Dad, help me out here. You agree with me, right?" My eyes darted to the old man combing his hand through his dark hair.

His thin lips frowned at me. "We have to try something, Emeric."

I couldn't believe we were even having this discussion. I knew our side was a bit tainted in how they felt, but I didn't know how far it would go. How far we would go. The North was completely divided. You either supported and understood, or you hated and didn't care for them completely. I thought I knew my father better.

"Then send another team of ours that has experience." I pleaded.

"The Stiffs are stronger than you think," Sally said.

I stood toe to toe with my dad, staring him right in the face. "What aren't you telling me?"

He looked down and then back at me. The crow's feet were more prominent on his face as well as the small pale scar under his chin. "I just wanted to protect you from the truth, son. There's a lot we need to talk about."

All I knew was that whatever he was going to spill to me, I already had my mind set on the path I was going to take. Team or no team, I am going on that mission. I am going to do everything in my power to find my brother.