Running Wild
Josef Mendel is sitting in his living room, talking softly with his wife. They live near a city called Midwel, and almost exactly three days ago they were cut off from the rest of the world.
His three children (aged seven, nine, and thirteen) sleep on the floor as he and his wife discuss events, late in the evening. A few flickering candles bring light to the room - the power went out two nights ago, and it hasn’t come back. Although they are scared, they don’t show it.
“Lily,” Josef says, “Maybe we should go to the Browns’ tomorrow, instead. Their house is bigger, and Irene said they had plenty of food and everything.”
“No,” Lily replies, “The O’Rileys’ have guns. We’re going there.”
“But-“ he starts, but Lily interrupts him, saying “Let’s just sleep, we can figure it out tomorrow.”
They cuddle together under a rug, and slowly dose off.
They are both awoken by a loud thud. Josef rolls of and starts scrabbling around for a candle and matchbook on the floor, and Lily asks “What was that?” as Josef manages to light a candle.
They hear a second, louder thud, and the noise of glass shattering. Their nine year-old girl screams, awoken by the sound, waking up the other two children as well.
“It sounded like it came from one of the bedrooms,” says Josef, “I’ll go-“
“No!” whispers Lily, “Let’s just run. Remember what the Donovans’ house looked like? Shhh.” Lily tries to calm her children as she talks, lifting Roger (the youngest) into her arms and grabbing Anna (the middle child) by the hand. Delia, the eldest, hides behind her mother’s legs.
Josef opens the door to the front exit, and they quickly walk through – as another door to the living room starts to open. Josef slams the door shut and Lily quickly unlocks and opens the front door as something thuds into the door Josef holds closed with his shoulder.
He groans in pain, but holds the door as Lily gets the children out. Another bash rocks the door, and he stumbles to get through the front door only to be snatched back, dropping his candle onto the floor. Lily slams the front door shut, and runs to catch up to her children who are running towards the car as Josef screams in pain from inside the house.
Lily makes it to the car and steps in something flowing around it – petrol. For a moment, she doesn’t know what to do, and then she decides.
She grabs Delia’s shoulders, and says to her “Delia, take your brother and your sister, and run to the Holiheads’ place.”
“M-mum?” Delia stutters.
“Do it, Dealy. Don’t worry about me. Just get there,” Lily says.
“M-“ Delia starts, about to cry. Her siblings just stand there wide-eyed, not really understanding what is going on.
“RUN!” yells Lily, pushing Delia away.
Delia grabs the two younger children by the hand, and drags them down the driveway. Lily, behind them, watches as the front door opens, then yells “FUCK YOU!” before running the other way, dropping her candle into the car’s petrol.
Delia makes it to the Holiheads’ home twenty minutes later, and almost passes out as they quickly carry her and her siblings inside.
Lily runs for almost four kilometres before she realises that it hasn’t followed her.
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