Rachel - Interactive Story - scene 19
Added 2024-10-15 17:02:30 +0000 UTCRachel thinks for a moment, weighing her options. She doesn't want to put Bailey or Daisy at more risk, especially with two armed officers so close. Slowly, she slips the pistol behind her back, tucking it into the waistband of her pants and covering it with her shirt.
She opens the door and steps out, flashing a nervous smile. Officer Lawson steps forward, eyes never leaving her. "Move to the back of the car," she says, her hand resting near her belt.
Rachel nods quickly, her hands fidgeting at her sides as she forces a nervous smile. "I wasn't driving fast or anything. I just wanted to get away from all the crazy people in Nightfall. You've seen how people are acting, right?"
Lawson's eyes narrow and shift from Rachel's face to the car, then back again. "We've been told to inspect any suspicious vehicles because of the Zeta virus outbreak." She glances toward the front window, and Rachel follows her line of sight. Bailey sits stiffly in the passenger seat but forces a smile, even lifting her hand in a hesitant wave.
Rachel notices the male officer behind her, his flashlight focused on the back window. "What's going on with her?" he asks as the light rests on Daisy's unconscious form.
Rachel turns, letting out a shaky breath and conjuring tears. "It's my younger sister," she says, her voice cracking. "She's had problems with drugs for years. When she heard about the virus, she got so scared she… used again. I'm just trying to get her and my other sister, Bailey, out of the city. I'm their older sister, and it's my job to get them somewhere safe."
Rachel lets her eyes glisten as she blinks rapidly, her whole body playing into the role of the desperate, protective sister.
Before either officer can respond, a deep howl cuts through the night air from the darkened house beside them. The cry is guttural and more animal than human. The house looms large, old, and worn, its wooden panels sagging with time and a long yard stretching from the porch to the sidewalk.
Lawson's hand moves to her sidearm as she steps away from Rachel. "Stay here," she says, circling around to the front of the Jeep.
The door to the house slams open, and an older man stumbles out, wild-eyed, wearing nothing but boxer shorts and socks. His skin hangs loose on his bones, his chest heaving with frantic breaths as he stumbles across the lawn. His feet slap the ground, and his bare legs shake as he runs.
From behind him, a younger man barrels out of the house. His clothes hang in tatters, a bloody t-shirt clinging to his chest, and his skin is pale, almost grey, with patches of raw flesh exposed. His jaw hangs open, blood dripping from his chin, as he lets out a low, menacing growl as he chases the older man across the lawn.
