Infected

Drip.

Drip..

Drip...

Drops of water fell one at a time from the facet into the sink.

Gasp. Head spinning with a throbbing pain. Stomach churning with hunger. Leaning against the inside of the porcelain tub sat Hannah Blackburn; who jerked awake. She regretted it instantly, given that dried blood was plastered on the side of her face; starting from the top of her left eyebrow down her slender chin.

Her iPod earphones still connected to her her ear; now dead. Her deep green eyes frantically scanned the bathroom. Her memory was defective; she couldn’t remember how she ended up here.

After ripping the headphones from her ears Hannah curled her short legs underneath her. She planted her hands on either side of the tub for support. Steadying herself, her limbs felt stiff. She lifted one bare foot onto the cold floor; she shivered once.

A flash of her older brother, George, invaded her mind. He was pushing her forward; terror clearly on his face, a distant growling coming from the next room.

She blinked hard; quietly making her way to the door on her tiptoes. The wood was slightly cracked in the middle. Small enough to get through, but large enough she could see through it. ‘Why can’t I remember what happened?’ she asked herself.

Hannah trembled with fear for the worst. She was worried about George. Screams echoed in her ears; her screams. Groaning noises of some king played in the back of her mind; she shook the sounds from her thoughts. She placed her small hands on the door and peeked through the gap; she saw nothing. She pressed her ear against it. Silence. It was eerily quiet and made her stomach do uncomfortable flips. She grabbed the doorknob and gently twisted it: it wouldn’t budge.

George pushed her into the bathroom, forcing her iPod into her hand. She didn’t even see him take it out of his pocket. “Listen to your music as loud as you can and don’t come out. Something is wrong with Maddie.” He spoke softly but with urgency for his girlfriend. Sweat running down his face; his brown hair disarrayed.

“But George.” Hannah cried, tears cascading from her eyes. She was still a child, only just turning thirteen today.

“Hannah, please stay in here and don’t make a sound.” Impatience in his voice, but still kind enough not to distress her more. George hugged her and kissed the top on her blond head quickly before taking a step out the door.

“Where are-” Hannah could have sworn she spotted red liquid splatted down his arm.

“Please stay here,” was the last thing George said to her before closing the door.

Hannah was now looking at the reflection of herself in the bathroom mirror. New tears fell down her cheeks. Her memory coming back; she wondered if her brother was okay. Turning on the sink; grabbing a rag -- running it underneath the warm water; soaking the cloth completely. She started to scrub the blood from her face.

BAM!!!

Someone or something had slammed into the bathroom door. Hannah let out a small screech as she quickly turned her attention to the door. Smacking her hand over her mouth to stifle a cry. She saw what looked like her brother’s face trying to push its way through the crack, but it couldn’t be him. Snarling and groaning escaped his lips. The sound of nails scratching on the wood made her wince.

“George, no!” Hannah cried, backing away from the door.

George backed up and smashed his head against the door again and again. Dark blood spilled down the door. Hannah panicked; she saw the door was beginning to give way. She chewed the bottom of her lip, looking around; her only option besides the door was the window. She was on the second floor. Hannah stepped on to the toilet seat and slid open the window. The screen was already knocked out from the George got angry when it wouldn’t open up last summer.

She lifted herself out of the window; going headfirst. Her bare feet landed on the roof; feeling it scrape against her skin as she stepped out. A cool breeze from the night air whipped passed, causing goosebumps to rise on her arms; shivering. Planting herself against the outside was; she moved forward. Hannah was in shock of the whole situation. She didn’t understand what had just happened. ‘Was my brother actually trying to kill me?’

‘No...’ she shook that from her mind. ‘George would never hurt me. That wasn’t my brother.’

She put her back against the wall of the house; using the panels to hold onto. Her heartbeat was racing as she realized through the traumatic experience; she had forgotten she was terrified of heights.

“Oh God.”

A crash sounded from the bathroom window; causing her to jump and fall forward. She caught herself with her hands and knees. She cried out in pain and fear as she almost tumbled to her death. Steadying herself to her feet. Hannah quickly grabbed onto the panels again.

Groaning noises from the bathroom grew farther away as she moved toward the other side of the house to find her escape route. She looked up to see it was a full moon shining down on Manchester. She had no idea what it was or what on earth she was going to do. Her mind raced at what could have happened to her brother and why he wanted to kill her. Her brother had gone mad and was out for blood.

“Was he a vampire? No, don’t be silly; they don’t exist. Werewolf! No, no hair... but of course they don’t exist either. And they wouldn’t make moaning sounds like that, would they? No... Zombie moan, but wouldn’t we have heard of an outbreak on the news, warning us telling us where to go?’” she asked herself out loud. She felt like she was going mad herself.

Hannah climbed down the fire escape when she reached it; going as fast as she could go. She had no other family but George. Tears slid down her face again. When she reached the bottom, she looked around; trying to figure out where to go next. The streets were empty and the houses looked emptier. No lights shone through the windows not even a flicker of a telly. She heard a rustling behind her, but it was too late; they were on her before she could react.