Playing With Death - Part 5: Realization

Cody paced back and forth, his right hand on his head. "Okay, we need to be level-headed about this, okay?"

David nodded, wiping away a few tears. "But what do we do? Do we just stay here?"

"I don't know, just... just lemme think." Cody continued to pace, but stopped cold. "Oh gosh, Tyler! I'll be right back!" He rushed upstairs and burst into his parents room. He opened the closet door slowly and peered in. Tyler was on his back, playing with one of his toys. "Hey buddy," Cody said, "have a good nap?" He picked him up, and made his way back downstairs.

He had just started to cross the living room, when he glanced out the windows. He almost dropped Tyler, shocked by what he saw.

There were people walking around outside, almost in a little group. But they were stained with blood, and missing limbs. What!? What the... He rushed downstairs as fast as he could. "David, take Tyler NOW." he shoved the one year old into David's arms. "Get yourself into the bathroom closet again, and stay put. I'll be back in a sec. I'm not going anywhere except here in the house, okay?"

"Wait, why?"

Cody put his hands on his brother's shoulders. "I need you to trust me. I know we can be butt-heads to each-other, but from here on out I need you to follow me, and to trust me."

David wanted to say something argumentative, but Cody was right. "Okay, I will." David brought the remaining family into the closet, and locked the door.

Cody ran back upstairs, and into his parent's closet. Opening the drawer on the shelf, he pulled out two 32. Calibers. He grabbed the bullets near them, and ran to the living room. He crouched down, so as not to be seen, and loaded the guns. Oh gosh, I've never shot a gun like this in my life... give me strength Lord. He hoped he wouldn't have to use it, but he had no idea where these people were going, or what they were going to be doing. He peered over the couch, looking out the window.

He froze.

A man was staring, not thirty feet from the house, straight at Cody. His clothes were tattered and bloodied, his skin wrinkly and slightly paled. But that wasn't what Cody was focused on.

He was focused on his eyes, giving that gaze, the same one his mother was giving him just five minutes ago. The truth dawned upon him. It wasn't just a secluded incident; this was happening everywhere. This... disease, it was getting everyone. Somehow, someway, he knew they were all dead. 

Dead and walking.