Terror Hell: by Nick Venom (great books for teens .txt) 📕

nodded to herself. She bit her lip, understanding what happened. The person he was struggling with, did something to Red to affect him. “Most likely his father was the person,” She muttered to herself. “That’s the only reason he would cry.” 

Taylor looked away from the window, pressing the button on the walkie-talkie to talk. “Please, hurry up.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t want to make my wife mad. He joked. 

Taylor looked at the walkie-talkie, taking her finger off the button. She was now irritated that he had the time to joke while in this situation. It was frustrating to see him pretend to be strong, even though he sounded like he wanted to bawl his eyes out.

“Idiot,” She softly whispered to herself. “What an idiot.”

***

Red walked into the Town Hall and was greeted by two of his neighbors, the Monroe parents. He dismissed them by hinting that the world was over before walking further into the building. He counted the survivors, making out a total of ten people.  These ten people were being led by Roseanne Sparrow, a quite liked and admired person. She was a middle-aged woman who was decisive and firm. She was the driving force towards ridding Mert’s collection of guns. 

Roseanne noticed Red’s entrance, walking up to him. She wore a black pantsuit with a pair of black high-heels, resembling a typical city businesswoman

“Red, any survivors?” She asked, getting to the point.

“Five in the Eastwood household and three, including me, at Mert’s house.” 

“Who’s still alive?”

“The Eastwood family, Doris, Mert, Taylor, and I,” Red said.

“A total of eight survivors. Unfortunately, there are only eighteen of us and five creatures.” Roseanne said.

“Five?” Red questioned, reminding him of Edith.

“The entire Kurupt household was taken over by the monsters,” Roseanne explained, giving him an odd look. “Didn’t you hear or see the chaos?”

“I did. However, Mert took care of a weaker parasite, leaving four alive.”

“Huh? I see,” Roseanne said as she turned away from Red. She took a few steps forward, facing her second in command, Mace Ridges. She muttered something to Mace before turning around.  “Why are you here Red?”

“Mert wants to establish a connection with every group of survivors. The Eastwoods have their walkie-talkie and I’m here to deliver yours.”

“He sent a child to deliver it? A coward, he is,” Roseanne muttered.

“I volunteered. Mert’s wife is dead, nearly transformed into a monster by the parasite. Taylor is quick, but I can’t let her risk her life while I’m fiddling with my fingers in Mert’s house.”

“Oh, I see. Guess he’s less of a coward than I thought.” She turned around. “Oh, and why do you call these monsters, parasites?”

“Ah,” He muttered. He couldn’t tell her that the one in his body said that they were parasites. “Well… don’t parasites need hosts? Isn’t that what happened to the Kurupt family?”

“I guess…” Her voice trailed off as her mind changed subjects. She muttered to herself about rations and survivors before Red snapped her out of her work mindset.

Red handed her the walkie-talkie, which she snatched out of his hand. She then started talking with Mace, informing him of her future plans for Town Hall to become a true safe haven.

Fulfilling his mission, Red turned around to leave before being dragged away by two voices. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed that it was Taylor’s parents, Helina and Toby.

“Is Taylor alright?” They asked, simultaneously. Both parents appeared sick with worry. 

“Don’t worry, Taylor’s okay. She’s at Mert’s house right now,”

“Can you take us with you right now?”

Red glanced at the door, thinking of the monsters hiding outside. “I can’t, it’s too risky, but I can pass on any message you want.”

Tell her that we love her and are waiting for our reunion and to keep safe.” Helina started. “Oh, and make sure she does some work. She needs to prove her worth. Oh, and-” Toby stopped her, resting his hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t bother Red like that.” He turned his head to face Red. “Make sure she knows we miss her dearly.”

“I’ll tell her when I return.”

“Thanks, Red. Even through this mess, you’re still taking care of our little girl.” He said

“That’s what childhood friends do, right? Don’t worry, she’ll be safe.” He reassured them.

“Thank you,” Helina said, turning around and heading back to their corner of safety. 

Red nodded his head, turning back to leave before another voice caught him. “Oh, Red, how are you?” Kaylee, an acquaintance of Red, asked. Another acquaintance popped his head into the conversation, named Carter.

Kaylee was born into Solaris and wanted to fulfill her goal of becoming a merchant. She made steps towards her goal by being hired by a merchant as an apprentice, but her apprenticeship hadn’t ended. She was still an apprentice. 

Carter, on the other hand, was a blacksmith with origins elsewhere. 

Red had chatted to Kayee a lot before the apocalypse, not as much as he did with Taylor, whenever he was buying supplies from the shop that she worked at. Red talked to Carter a small handful of times whenever they passed by each other, but not enough to be considered as friends.

“Oh, hello, Kaylee and Carter!” He responded.

“Are you fine traveling through the streets?” She asked.

“Yeah, I manage to keep my distance from the monsters.”

“Were you the one who was shooting?” Carter asked. Red nodded his head.

“I was cornered by one of the monsters, but, fortunately, Mae saved me.”

“You were cornered?” Kaylee asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Yeah, I was nearly killed by one of the monsters, but Mae managed to save me at the last moment.”

“Huh? I heard two shots go off.” Carter asked.

“These humans are quite annoying,” The parasite remarked. Red didn’t respond to the parasite, continuing with the ongoing conversation. “Kill them already!” The virus shouted, trying to break Red’s eardrums from the inside.

“Well, I need to leave before Mert and Taylor get too worried.” He said, trying to avoid screaming out of the pain he was suffering by the hands of the parasite.

“Okay, return safely!” Kaylee said.  Red nodded as he scanned the faces of the survivors, searching for his mother anywhere. However, she wasn’t there.

Red, disappointed, said his temporary goodbyes before leaving through the front door, heading back towards Mert’s house. 

“I wonder if my Mom is alive,” he said to himself, “or is she suffering the same fate as my father. And, eventually, me.”

 

TBC…

Chapter Six "Am I A Monster

Red sprinted across the street towards the Eastwood home, sneaking around to the back. He waited for the sounds of a nearby monster to dissipate, but, unfortunately, the sounds appeared to be nearing him. The back door opened with Mae popping her head out, hearing the monster getting closer by the millisecond. She grabbed his arm and yanked him inside before the monster approached the backdoor. It passed by the door and rerouted itself back towards the main road. 

“Thanks, Mae,” Red whispered.

“You need to be more careful,” Mae told him, leaning in closer than comfortable.

“Sorry, I didn’t think that it was closing onto me,” He said, taking a step backward. “Anyways, give me a second to chat with Mert and Taylor, then I’ll be on my way out.”

“Are you hungry?” She asked, glancing at a pot of beans on the table.

“No thanks, I’m alright.” He said, hungrily eyeing the beans.

“Are you sure?” She asked him, pointing at the beans. Jane popped her head into the kitchen, which had a clear line of sight towards the backdoor.

“Yeah,”

“Okay, then at least deliver some food to Mert and Taylor,” Mae said. Jane reacted by jumping towards the warm beans, scoping large handfuls into a plastic plate, and closing it off with another plate, and taping it, before dropping the beans and a few other snacks into a plastic bag. She handed it to Mae, who awkwardly gave it Red.

“Thanks,” He said, smiling a toothy grin. He then packed the bag into his bag before shaking hands with Jane, who told him to eat much and grow stronger. He went along with her joke while Mae looked away. She felt her heart beat harder than usual, the symptoms of falling in love.

“He doesn’t love me,” She whispered to herself. She glanced at Red before rushing out of the room, flustered and confused by her emotions. 

Red noticed her departure, tilting his head. Jane noticed him and Mae fleeing, concluding that her daughter was in love. Being the proud mom she was, she headed to console her daughter and tell her to confess her love. They were in an apocalypse and she may not get more than one chance to catch him before he’s off the market.

Meanwhile, Red stood in the kitchen. He watched the mom and daughter leave him behind. However, he soon got busy when he heard Mert’s voice crackle from the walkie-talkie.

“Where are you?” Mert asked. 

“I’m at the Eastwood home, I’m on my way back right now,” Red said, confused at why Taylor wasn’t talking to him. It was weird as she talked to him both previous times. 

“Okay, make it quick. The longer you stay out there could end up killing us.” Mert ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Red joked, waiting for a response. He got the response in a defeated sigh, a bad way to end the conversation. 

Mae’s brother, Freddy, then walked in, noticing Red standing idly near the backdoor.  “You okay, Red?” He asked

“Yeah, thanks, Freddy.” He muttered. Similar to Carter, he had chatted with Freddy a handful of times before.

“Man, it must suck to be a messenger right now.”

“It’s been alright; I’ve been able to avoid the monsters so far,” Red said, looking away from Freddy and towards the backdoor.

“Well, good luck,” Freddy said, ending the dry conversation. An embarrassed Freddy went back to the living room. 

“Thanks,” Red muttered before heading out of the house and rushing to the backyard of his house. From there, he waited for an opportunity to sprint to the Monroe's backyard. 

There, he peeked around the corner towards the road that pierced through the end of the main road---which ended at Mert’s house and began at the Main Gate, the only way to enter and exit the community. 

Red watched as the Muscle Monster crept close to Mert’s house, breathing on the roof, before returning to its usual route. It headed down the road towards the gate.

He sprinted across the road, reaching the backyard of Mert’s house. There he knocked on the back door and waited patiently for somebody to let him in. He heard weird noises bouncing around him, one of them confirming a nightmare of his. The sound of the Grace monster---which he nicknamed Sprinter---roaring into the air. He wasn’t given a chance to finish off the monster because of Mae’s interruption. 

Mert opened the door, showing a relaxed face. His lips were straightened and his eyes sorrowful. He welcomed Red into the house as Taylor stood, nervously, at the back of the living room. 

“Sorry, to put you through all of that,” Mert whispered.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve managed to survive the monsters and established a connection with the Eastwood home and Town Hall.” Red told Mert, proud of his achievements.

“Perfect, Taylor, can you lead him to his bed and let him rest,” Mert ordered her. Taylor nodded, taking Red to the basement where his bed was set up. She handed him food while keeping her distance