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Chapter 3) "How did you survive?" "The first days were tough, but once you got used to the hunger, it was easier than walking around in the sunlight. And then…" The teenager pauses. He knows that there are probably many people listening to him right now, but he wants to say it in order to help them understand better. He knows that they don't think that this is real life or that there is anything supernatural about the town. This place seems more like a normal village than a zombie apocalypse. There must have been a reason why no one noticed them. Maybe that's the reason why he can't get them off his mind. He wants to talk about this in detail. "I saw a group of kids playing football in the yard... And I ran toward them to take their ball..." The teen closes his eyes for a second, feeling his heart pounding against his chest "I remember every single minute of it. They were yelling for help at the top of their lungs, crying and shouting for someone to help them."He opens his eyes and continues.

"I grabbed the ball and ran toward them… I kicked the ball in their direction as hard as I could... and when I looked at the kids I felt my stomach twisting in pain. Their faces... they were screaming... I knew I hit one. One of them fell and hit his head... the others started to cry. Then the boy holding the ball dropped it and began running away… He had this look in his eyes... like he couldn't believe what he just did.

I ran up to the kid I had kicked and helped him pick the ball back up." The teenager's voice trembled. "I heard sirens. Police cars and ambulances arrived and took everyone out of there and placed them on stretchers and brought them to the hospital. I stayed behind because I wanted to ask questions… to try and find out more… but they wouldn't allow any of us.""Why? What did we do? Was it really bad? Did something happen to us?" The kid continued, trying to stay calm and collected as possible. His voice broke, however, when he finally finished.

"Everything happened really fast... Before I knew it… I had lost all of them. I tried to run after them… but it was too late." Andrew looked away in shame, tears forming in his eyes.

He feels a pair of arms wrap around him and hears muffling noises. Andrew doesn't even notice, but he can hear the kid sobbing next to him and whispering "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."The teen just wraps his arms around his friend.

~*~

"So… Are you still alive?" Alex questions Andrew in the silence that follows. They are sitting in the back of Alex's van, driving to the base of the mountain, talking about everything and anything under the stars. "I'm okay. I was injured, but it healed quickly… And yes… Yes, I am.""Good. That's great news. You have to heal soon, though, otherwise we'll lose you."The teen says, smiling fondly at the older man beside him.Andrew returns the smile and nods in response. "Where are we going?""We're taking you to my house. My mother won't mind having you there, she has never met you before, but I think it would do you some good to be with someone else that understands this place…"Alex explains gently, placing his hand on the other man's leg. "Thanks." Andrew mutters.

The van stops in front of a big white house that looks way too old to belong to anyone living within miles of it. It' s roof, the driveway, the porch, the bushes, everything seems to glow in the moonlight. Andrew gets out and takes his bag from the trunk of the car. He looks at Alex one last time before following him inside. Alex knocks twice before opening the door and enters, leaving Andrew alone in the doorway. He stands there for a moment and watches as Alex moves slowly up the stairs. He then follows him silently, entering the room that his hostess calls home. The walls in the room are painted red; the furniture consists of two armchairs in front of a fireplace. In the middle of the room stands an enormous Christmas tree. A large Christmas ornament hangs from its center. Everything here seems so peaceful and cozy compared to where Andrew grew up. But his childhood home was much worse… Much, much worse.

"Hello dear! How are you doing?" The woman asks as Alex walks down the stairs with a box full of presents. She is dressed in a black nightgown, her hair tied in a tight ponytail on top of her head. Her face is adorned with makeup and a red lipstick. She has a pleasant voice and a warm expression, but her demeanor immediately changes when she notices the look on Andrew's face and sees the bandage covering one of his arms. "Are you hurt? Come sit over here...