Alessia Cullen sat in the middle of her couch with a pillow tucked against her chest. Her fingers dug into the pillow, her teeth sinking into her lip as a scream left from the TV before her.
"He's behind you! Look behind you," Alessia groaned, burying her head into the pillow. "You're going to die and it's because you didn't look behind you."
A laugh came from behind Alessia, fingers brushing her neck. She jumped, shooting her father, Marcus, a glare. She rubbed the spot he brushed, trying to ignore the tingling feeling.
"If you're going to only shout at the TV, Alessia, you can trade places with your brother and hand out candy instead," Marcus said as he took a seat in a faded red armchair.
Alessia rolled her eyes, as she adjusted herself on the couch. "Why would I hand candy out when I can eat it," Alessia shot back as the female lead in the horror movie scream. "See, I told her she was going to die. They never look behind them. Idiots."
"Your mother is happy that you came today." A silence stretched between them as Alessia went back to staring at the TV. "Alessia." A sigh escaped Marcus.
Blood splattered on the screen, the female lead screaming becoming nothing more but a gurgle. Reaching for the remote as credits came on Alessia started to look for a new movie. Sounds of trick-or-treaters walking towards the house floated through the open window as she settled on another movie.
A siren wavering wail filled the house.
"Tornado?" Alessia asked, pausing the horror movie.
Marcus sat his beer down as he moved to his feet. He looked towards the front window as if he could see through the closed curtains. Neither said anything the wavering wail continued for three minutes before stopping.
"No," Marcus answered as he walked towards the window. "Tornado has always been a steady wail. Don't you ever listen for when it goes off?"
Alessia shrugged. "It sounded the same to me," she said looking down at the couch to search for her phone. "Was it a test?"
The wavering siren wail came again, low at first before it grew in volume like the first time. With it came a different sound, one that came from their phones. Alessia knew the alert signal that was coming from her phone.
She heard it most commonly for emergencies like amber alerts, and normally tornadoes. Reaching her hand into between the couch cushions, she pulled the slim smartphone out.
She read the message on her lit up screen.
Emergency Alert
ZOMBIE ALERT FOR RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. RESIDENTS ARE TO REMAIN IN THEIR HOMES UNTIL GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS OTHERWISE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
"What does it say?" Marcus asked.
Alessia stared at the phone before slowly looking up. "It's a Zombie alert." Her eyebrows knotted together.
"What?" He walked over, taking the phone that Alessia held out. "Get your brother and shut the porch light off."
She nodded, feeling indifferent about the alert. Her stomach knotted with unease but she there was nothing else for her to grab. Alessia thought it was a joke.
Of course, she thought it was a joke. Never before had she heard of an alert going out. They didn't have a real plan in case of one happening.
Why would they? Zombies taking over wasn't on the list of possibilities.
Opening the front door, she spotted her younger brother, Ethan, holding out a bowl of candy for the children as he talked to one of his friends. She was slightly surprised that neither had their phone on them. However, that wasn't the case for everyone outside of their house.
Parents called for their children. Baby-sitters called for the children they were watching. It wasn't chaos yet but Alessia knew that it was only a matter of time.
"Dad says to get inside," Alessia said breaking up the conversation.
"Why? It's not time yet." Ethan looked up as he brushed strands of brown hair to the side. "Did something happen?"
She nodded. "Emergency alert. You should go home, Kevin."
"Evan," the boy said. "There was an emergency alert?" He pulled out his phone showing a screen that showed no alerts. "Dude, is your sister on something?"
"Shut up, Evan," Ethan said pushing his friend. "I believe her. With all the phones going off at the same time and don't you hear the adults yelling for the children. You can see what's happening before you head off."
"You're dealing with dad, then." Before heading backside she spotted a child looking around, lost. "That's little Becca. I thought her parents didn't let her go trick-or-treating."
Ethan shrugged as he pushed past her. "No idea. What was the emergency alert?" His question pulled Alessia out of her thoughts and had her following him back into the house.
Closing the front door behind her, Alessia paused before she followed her teenage brother into the living room. The movie she had planned to watch was gone replaced by a news channel. Listening to the news anchor she brushed the curtains to the side to look if the little girl was still out front.
She was.
Alessia moved from the window, pocketing her phone that was laying on the couch. She waved her hand, grabbing Marcus attention as her brother and his friend fell onto the couch eyes locked onto the TV. He followed her to the front door, where she grabbed her set of keys.
"I'm taking little Becca home, dad," she said pulling the door open as the young child stood where she was before.
"You can't," he said though he sounded resigned as he knew that Alessia wouldn't listen.
"It's a joke. It has to be." Alessia looked out towards the street. "Zombies." A wry laugh escaped her. "Dad, zombies aren't something that would exist. They're nothing but fiction."
Alessia stepped outside, as the sky darkened. Night would fall over them like a blanket in a few minutes. She looked at her dad before venturing from the house and to the small child.
"Be safe," Marcus called out before shutting the door.
He knew that she wasn't taken the text very seriously. Turning, he joined his son back in the living room as the anchorman talked about what was happening in towns around the country.
Alessia approached the child, calling softly out to her, "Becca." Becca turned to her, tears in her eyes that had not yet fallen. "Where's your mother, Sweetie?" Alessia asked.
"Home."
"Who took you trick-or-treating?" Alessia asked, searching around them but finding neither of Becca's parents.
"A babysitter."
Alessia nodded. "I'll take you home, honey. Come on," she said holding her hand out for the young child. "The sun is almost down."
Becca's small hand clenched onto Alessia's. Together, the pair walked down the block, passing Halloween decorations. Pumpkins that lit up a sidewalk to one of the neighbors, while another neighbor had spider-webs and ghosts hanging from a tree with a coffin and fake gravestones put into the front yard.
They didn't need to walk far for Alessia to reach Becca's house, knowing where it was only because she had babysat her before. Filled with fewer decorations than other neighbors, Alessia took Becca up the sidewalk and to the door, where she knocked.
It didn't take long for the door to be opened by a coughing Mrs. Stark. The woman was only a few years older than Alessia though, from the looks of it, something had happened to make her look in her late-thirties. Her skin looked like chalk, as bags hugged her face, and her hair streaked with grey.
"Becca!" Mrs. Stark arms wrapped around her five-year-old daughter. "Thank you, Alessia. Her babysitter called us and said that she had lost Becca and then our phones went off with that alert." Her words were fearful as she pulled her daughter against her chest.
Alessia nodded. "Of course, Mrs. Stark. Are you feeling okay?" She asked taking a step back to avoid getting sick.
"Allergies." A cough recked through Mrs. Stark as she said that. "It's nothing to worry about. You should get home. Tony got called in and says that while it might not be," she coughed again before continuing, "zombies like the alert said, but it's something serious."
"I'm sure it's nothing too extreme." Alessia placed her hands into her front black jeans pocket. "Be safe and call if you need help or it turns out to be more than allergies."
Mrs. Stark nodded as she pulled Becca into the house, the door shutting with the sound of locks following. Alessia turned, feeling her phone vibrate for the fourth time. Pulling it out as she walked down the sidewalk, she saw it was the group chat between her and her friends.
Alessia shook her head at Lily's need to correct how someone texted before her phone once more vibrated.
With a slight frown, Alessia fingers were already hitting the letters before she joined in with the group.
Not expecting anything back, she slipped the phone back into her pocket. Turning to head back to her parent's house, she noticed that the sun was completely gone. The only light she to guide her back was the one street light in the area.
Her phone vibrated. She looked to see what it said.
Alessia slipped the phone back into her pocket once she put it to silent. She didn't need to know what the three of them thought about the alert until she was safely home and out of the darkness that surrounded her.
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