• INTRO:
    This world can be a strange place sometimes. Some people get caught up in their thought at times. They like to believe that their dreams are real. Then reality slaps them right in the face. Those people are lucky that they can get back to reality. For some people, their thought catches up with them. They get locked inside a world that they can't usually return from. Those poor, unlucky souls are never heard from again.
    This is a story of a girl who gets lost in a world of no return. A world her mind made up to her favorite song. You will follow her fight against time and the unreal. Will she make it out in one piece? You'll have to read this to find out for yourself. This is her story...
    Zomb13


    Alex
    In a dark bedroom with no sign of life an alarm clock blares. A small, frail hand slowly reaches out from under the covers on the bed. It carefully pushes the "snooze" button on the clock and sneaks back under the covers. The person the hand belonged to didn't seem to want to wake up. Can't say that I blame the person.
    The room was cold and didn't seem to have much in it. The walls though, were covered with dark posters and art work. The few items that were in the room were painted black. The shades on the window was even black. No wonder the person didn't want to get up. This person appeared to be angry and depressed. Or that's what the room said.
    The black door was then pushed open. A blinding light spilled into the dark room as the person in the bed turned away. A young girl quickly ran into the room. She was wearing a cute pink outfit and seemed extremely energetic. The girl ran over to the bed and jumped onto it. A moan came from under the covers when she did.
    "Get out of my room," a voice came from under the covers.
    "Mom told me to wake you up," the little girl said with a smile.
    "Tell Sandra that it's my day off."
    "Mom was called into work again."
    "Then where's Bill?"
    "Gone...again."
    The girl slightly bounced as she sat on the edge of the bed. The covers on the bed were then pushed back. A girl in her late teens sat up, wiping her eyes. The little girl smiled at her older sister as she stood up. The little girl also stood up, running over to the door. She ran right out of the open door with excitement. The girl turned around just in time to see the door slam shut.
    "Hey!" the girl yelled.
    "Go back to bed!" the older girl yelled from her room.
    "Mom wants you to take me to the mall!"
    "You got to be kidding me!"


    The Mall
    The local mall is rather large. It was built on a million dollar lot and had five floors to go along with the endless amount of stores. It was a teenagers paradise. Or it was for most teenagers in the area. For Alex it was a hell trap and a nightmare. Her little sister, on the other hand, loved spending time there. Which meant nothing good for Alex and her well being.
    Alex and Drew stood right inside the main doors to the mall. Drew stood looking at everything, excitement in her eyes. Alex stood looking at her feet, trying not to be seen. Drew then turned and grabbed Alex's hand with energy. Alex didn't seem to really notice.
    "Where can we start?" Drew asked her.
    "No where. I brought you so now we can leave," Alex answered.
    "But I want to buy something."
    "'Buy something'? You don't have any money."
    "Uh-huh. I've been saving my allowance all year."
    "So you have what, ten dollars?"
    "So?"
    "What can you possibly buy for ten dollars these days?"
    "I just want to look."
    "Fine," Alex said as she rolled her eyes.
    Little, excited Drew smiled at her big sister. Still hanging onto Alex's hand, she sprinted into the mall. She almost pulled Alex's arm out of place, Alex let her know it. Drew went from store to store, barely taking any time to actually see what was in it. Alex wasn't complaining though. She tried to put a happy face on for her little sister. She knew that most people in the mall most have hated her and would be looking for a fight. Of course, Drew didn't really know this at the time.

    So why would people hate Alex? It wasn't because she was beautiful, smart, popular, or athletic so what was left to be mad about? A few years ago Alex was in fact popular and athletic. All of that ended the day she chose to walk away from the basketball team and dropped out of school.
    Alex was the team captain and point guard on the school's varsity team. She was going to take them to the state championship. It would have been the first time that any sport would go in the school's history. It was the week of districts when everything changed. Alex had received some very upsetting news. The news sent her into a deep depression.
    What was this life changing news exactly? It was that of her father being killed in a hit and run accident. The police never did catch the one responsible. Most people would fight through the pain and sadness. Alex couldn't do it though. That's because basketball was a way to connect with her father, for he was a professional basketball player. Nothing mattered to Alex when he was killed.
    Since Alex let down not only her team, but the whole town, everyone seemed to hate her. Drew was too young when it all happened that she didn't really understand. All that would soon change for her.

    On the top floor is one of many music stores. This store was a bit different then the other ones though. Its shelves were filled with bands that weren't very well known. It gave people the chance to hear something different for a change. This was actually Alex's favorite store in the whole mall, next to Hot Topic of course.
    Now Alex and Drew stood just inside the store. Teenagers stood around, listening to headphones. Drew didn't seem to really like the store as much as Alex did. Alex was there because she was looking for a specific CD. The artist was The Antique Toys. Drew carefully looked up at Alex.
    "Why are we here exactly?" she asked.
    "I have to check something," Alex answered.
    Drew seemed sad about something. Alex quickly made a funny face at her. That seemed to cheer her right up. She even giggled a little.
    Alex walked over to the section marked "A". She began flipping through CD after CD, looking for the one she wanted. Drew walked slowly over to her sister. She watched as the other teens looked at CDs. She then saw another teenage girl looking at her and her sister. Drew looked at the girl, not knowing who she was. The girl quickly looked away. Drew looked back at Alex.
    "Damn," Alex said under her breath.
    "You said a bad word," Drew laughed.
    "Sorry."
    "What's wrong sissy?"
    "Nothing."
    Alex slid the CD back in its place quickly and turned away. As she walked toward the door Drew grabbed the CD she was looking at. She saw that it was the CD that Alex was looking for. The price marked on it was $7.65. Little Drew knew that she had enough to buy it, though she wouldn't be able to buy anything for herself. Drew quickly ran over the cashier to pay for. Alex turned around and saw her sister, she looked a little confused.
    "What are you doing?" she asked her sister.
    "I found a CD I want," Drew answered.
    Alex rolled her eyes as she waited at the door for her sister. Drew then skipped right past her with her a plastic bag. Alex smiled at the sight of her happy little sister. She looked to see what was in the bag, but she couldn't tell what CD it was. The two sisters quickly left the store.

    The two girls were almost to the main doors that they came in. Alex was surprised that she made it through a visit to the mall with out any trouble. Well she almost made it. She's just not that lucky.
    "Traitor," some one said behind the girls.
    Alex slowly turned around to see who said it. When she did she saw a group of teenage girls standing there. They all had their arms crossed and looked extremely upset. Alex looked at her little sister standing next her and rolled her eyes. Drew giggled a little.
    "Quiet down, midget," the ring leader said.
    "Hey! Don't tell her what to do," Alex snapped back.
    "What are you going to do about it?"
    Alex quickly clinched her fist with anger. The other girls saw that and began to laugh. Alex looked down at Drew again. She knew she wasn't aloud to fight anyone when her sister was around. Alex slowly unclenched her fist and turned back around. The other girls seemed upset that Alex wasn't going to fight them. Alex and Drew quickly disappeared from the mall.
    "Yeah, just run away! That's all you're good for!" the ring leader yelled after them.
    Of course, Alex didn't hear that remark. She and Drew were already out of the mall by that time. But someone else heard that rude remark. The girls turned and walked away one by one. Only the leader with the big mouth was left standing there. When she turned around to walk away the girl from the CD store punched her. The girl fell to the ground like a brick.

    That night Alex had the job to cook dinner, clean up afterward, and make sure that Drew went to bed on time. That was her job every night. After she had done all of that she went into her room to go to bed. When she walked into the room she turned on the light. She then saw the plastic bag from the store on her small bed. Alex looked over her shoulder at Drew's door. She smiled as she closed the door and walked over to her bed.
    Alex sat down on the edge on her bed, which had no headboard or anything so it sat on the ground. She picked up the plastic bag and pulled out the cd that was in it. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw that it was The Antique Toys CD. Alex had to laugh a little. She always knew that her sister was sneaky, but she didn't know that she was so generous.
    Alex quickly opened up the CD case. She took the CD out and put it in the CD player next to her bed. The first song was "Zombie". Alex had heard the song before and really liked it. She fell asleep to the sound of the speakers bumping that night.


    The Real Sandra
    The next day Alex was woken up by the sound of the slamming front door. This wasn't the first time this had happened and it wouldn't be the last. Alex's mother has been trying to date again, after three years. Each of her relationships ended with the same slamming door. Alex was getting used to it, though her mother didn't seem to be.
    Alex pushed the covers off of her and slid out of bed. She walked out of her room and down the hall to the kitchen. Her mother was there, leaned over the small table. Her head was down and her body was shaking. Alex walked over to the table and sat down next her mother. The house was quiet at this moment, which never happens.
    "Where is Bill going?" Alex asked her mother.
    That's when her mother let out a soft sob. Alex quickly went to comfort her by touching her arm gently.
    "He doesn't deserve you," Alex said.
    "You girls deserve better, especially you," her mother replied with sobs.
    "Don't say that."
    Sandra looked up at Alex now. Her cheeks were stained with tear paths. Her hair was messy and tangled.
    "Where's your sister?" she asked.
    "School," Alex answered.
    "Good. I don't want her to see me like this."
    "Then we better get you cleaned up."
    Alex helped her mother to her feet. Together they walked down the hall to the bathroom. It was small and cluttered, but it served its purpose. Everything about the house was small actually.

    You might be wondering, or not, something very important. If Alex's father was a pro basketball player, then why are they so poor? You have to understand one thing that has to do with that.
    Alex's father didn't have a will at the time. Most of his money went to the IRS and the insurance company. Only a small percentage actually went to them. The money that they did get went to Sandra's drinking and drug problem, which she got after his death. They had to survive on Alex's small income from working at the movie theater. The money that Drew spent on the CD was actually Alex's hard earned money. That's why it meant so much to Alex, and Drew.
    Now you can understand a little more about the family and what they're going through. Things were bad for them, but it was going to get much worst. But that comes later on in the story. Now back to Alex's life.

    Alex cleaned her mother up so Drew wouldn't see who she really was. She even made her mother eat some food, even though she didn't want to. The two of them then walked to Drew's school so they'd be there when she got out.
    The elementary school was pretty big as far as schools come. Alex was always surprised that kids knew where they were going there. Drew always said that she liked that it was big.
    Now Alex and Sandra sat on a bench outside the gates of the school. It was the perfect day for a walk. The sun was high in the sky and hot, but there was a slight breeze that cooled them. Sandra played with her fingers as she sat there in the quiet. Alex didn't really know what to say to her mother.
    "Do you know what your daughter did?" Alex finally asked.
    Sandra looked up from her fingers and looked at her eldest daughter.
    "She bought me a CD with the money she's been saving all year," Alex finally finished.
    "That's nice," Sandra replied softly.
    "She obviously got it from daddy."
    Alex said that last sentence a little harsh as she looked away. A leaf from a near by tree flew past them. Sandra quickly looked back down at her hands, looking at the wedding ring on her left hand. She never did felt comfortable taking it off.
    Luckily for both of them the school bell finally rang and kids began to run out of the doors of the school. Alex and Sandra stood up from the bench and walked over to the gate. They watched for Drew, but didn't see her right away. Could she have gotten by them so fast?
    They then saw her. Drew was the last kid out of the school. She walked out of the school yard by herself at a slow pace. Alex never saw her move that slow before. Drew was headed for her bus as she did every day. She didn't even see her family standing there because she wasn't looking.
    "Hey tiny!" Alex yelled after her.
    Tiny was the name that Alex would call Drew sometimes so it caught Drew's attention. Drew spun around in a hurry to see her sister there. She then saw that her mother was also there. Drew's face quickly lit up with excitement as she ran over to them.
    "Mommy!" she yelled as she hugged Sandra.
    "Hey sweetheart," Sandra replied.
    "What are you guys doing here?"
    "I thought we could go out for ice cream."
    Alex looked at her mother with a face of warning. She knew that they didn't have the money to get ice cream and she didn't want her sister to be disappointed. Sandra just smiled and nodded at Alex. Alex couldn't help but feel protective of her little sister. Drew seemed to be back to her normal self as they walked away from the school.


    Ice Cream Shop
    The three of them walked into the near by ice cream shop. Drew skipped around the empty tables as Alex watched with a smile. Sandra even smiled as she walked up to the counter to order. The girl behind the counter looked at Alex and frowned. It was obvious that she hated Alex too.
    "We'd like a small cup of bubblegum, rocky road on a waffle cone, and a large cup of vanilla with sprinkles," Sandra said to the girl.
    The girl kept her eyes on Alex. Her expression didn't change at all.
    "Sorry, I can't do that," the girl replied.
    "Oh, alright," Sandra said confused.
    Alex knew exactly what was going on. The girl wouldn't help them because of her. Alex was getting tired of it by now. Drew deserved the ice cream and she was going to get it, one way or another.
    "You got to be kidding me," Alex laughed.
    "It's alright," Sandra said.
    Alex looked from her mother to her sister. Drew was so innocent in all of this.
    "Like hell," Alex scuffed.
    Alex stormed over to the counter and leaned over it. She grabbed the girl by the collar of her shirt and pulled her close to her. Alex was clearly upset by the whole thing.
    "You're at least going to give my sister and mother their ice cream. You can keep mine," she said.
    "Or what?" the girl asked.
    "I'll come back, alone, and beat the living day lights out of you," Alex whispered so her family couldn't hear.
    That got the girl's attention. Her eyes got really big at that very moment. Alex let her go and stormed out of the store. The girl then got Drew's and Sandra's ice cream.. She did so without any more delay.

    Back at the house, Drew ran through the front door with excitement. Sandra followed right behind her, just as happy. Alex walked through the door a few seconds later. She was still really upset and wasn't about to cheer up. She stormed past her mother, heading for her room.
    "Alex?" Sandra asked.
    "I'm going to bed since I have to work in a few hours," Alex answered from her door.
    Alex's bedroom door then slammed shut. Drew looked at her mother, sad, for a split second. They were both worried about Alex. Nothing they did seem to help her at all.

    After the death of her father, Alex became locked up inside. She refused to share her emotions. She didn't even cry at his funeral. That really scared Sandra. She did the only thing she knew. She sent Alex to a therapist. You can tell how well that helped her.
    Alex didn't want to go. She only went to show her mother that she was going to try, though she wasn't really. She did everything in her power to be trouble for the therapist. Alex even went through anger management. No one wanted to help her. They all knew that nothing could help her. They had given up on her.

    The First Dream
    Alex turned on the CD player that was next to her bed. "Zombie" quickly blared through the speakers. Alex crawled under the blankets on her bed. Before too long she was asleep, dreaming of a different world. That was the start of it all.

    Alex sat at a school desk. The two girls that sat right behind her were laughing about something Alex was sure wasn't funny. She opened her eyes to see a classroom at her old high school. Even her old, bald, teacher was there. The girls began to laugh louder then.
    Alex looked around her. It felt too real to be a dream she thought. She was looking around when something hit her in the back of the head. Alex turned around to see the two girls acting innocent. Without a hesitation Alex stood up from her desk. She walked over to the first girl and punched her right in the face.
    Alex quickly felt a strong force pull her back. Two hands pushed her back, away from the girl. It was only then that Alex saw that it was the girl from the ice cream shop. Alex stumbled backwards as she closed her eyes. In the darkness a voice rang out.
    "You'll pay for this," the voice said.

    When Alex opened her eyes she wasn't in the classroom any more. She was outside the school by the park. A small picnic table was right next to her. Alex could hear the birds chirping in the trees. They seemed to be happy that it was Spring. The road Alex was standing on was empty. The world looked like a ghost town.
    The happy birds began to squawk suddenly. They all flew out of the trees franticly. Alex looked up at the sky to look at them. The sound of tires spinning quickly caught Alex's attention. When she looked back at the road she was standing on she saw a black car speeding toward her.

    Alex stood there in panic. The speeding car was heading right at her. It didn't seem to be slowing down at all. If anything, it was speeding up. Alex put her hands up in fright. Her right knuckles were bleeding from where she punched the girl. The car was then right in front of her. Only a few inches away from hitting her.


    Work
    Alex then snapped awake, sitting up in her bed. Her heart was beating extremely fast. Alex could barely catch her breath as she sat there. That was the weirdest dream she'd had in a long time. She knew that the end result of the dream was her death, which sent chills up her spine.
    Alex then realized that her hand was throbbing with pain. She looked at it and saw that her knuckles were really bleeding.
    "That's weird," she said to herself.
    Alex then realized something else. She quickly looked at the clock next to her bed. The time told her that she was now late for work, which was never a good thing.
    "s**t!" she yelled as she fell out of her bed.
    Alex quickly jumped up to her feet and swung her bedroom door open. She ran down the hall to the kitchen. Her mother and sister was sitting at the table eating a snack. They both looked up at her when she entered the room.
    "Hi, sweetheart," Sandra said softly.
    "You didn't wake me!" Alex said franticly.
    "You need your rest."
    "We need the 'money' more."
    Alex walked over to the small refrigerator and opened it. She pulled out a large can of AMP and closed the door. Alex opened the can and took a sip as she walked over to the front door. Drew watched as Alex opened the door. The sound of it slamming filled the house. Drew looked back at her mother. They both shrugged and went back to eating their snacks.
    The movie theater that Alex worked at just happened to be in the mall. It was one of the largest theaters around. People came from all over to see the amazing theater, made to look like a ninth century theater. This was a place for not only new movies, they also played old movies late at night. Alex had the luxury of working the last shift, 5pm to 1am.
    When Alex ran through the door of the theater it was 6:08. She knew that she could be fired for it. That is, if her boss was a normal boss. Alex had showed up late many times before. She always got away with it because of her problems at home. She used her sister as an excuse most of the time. Again, her boss was waiting for her on this day.
    "Where have you been, this time?" he asked her.
    "I'm sorry. I know I told you it wouldn't happen again," she started to say.
    "But?"
    "The mood swings knocked me out again."
    "Is that so?"
    The two of them had been walking while they talked. Alex was now behind the counter, ready to help customers.
    "Never again," her boss whispered in her ear.
    "Yes sir," she replied with a smile.
    Alex smiled because she knew the truth. He always said that, but never really meant it. She's gotten away with so much while working there. There was a reason for that. It was something that Alex kept as a secret.

    Jesse, Alex's boss, was only a few years older then her. His young, beautiful face made most of the employees jealous. He could have done something great with his life. Instead, he wanted to own a movie theater. His love for films gave him the inspiration he needed. Old movies were the majority of his inspiration. Hence the old movies and theater design.
    When the theater first opened, only a few years ago, Alex was the first to apply there. Jesse was amazed my her youth and beauty. Of course, that was before her father was killed. Alex trusted Jesse with her life. She told him everything. Even that her income was the only thing that kept her family alive.
    Jesse felt that he needed to help Alex in any way possible. He promised her that her job would always be there for her. No matter what happened. Alex knew that Jesse meant it and that he would keep his promise. She also knew that he was in love with her. Even if he was too afraid to ask her out or to say anything.

    Alex worked hard, like she did every night. She sold tickets, worked at the concession stand, cleaned the theaters, and worked in the movie booth. She did it all in those few hours. Not too many people showed up to see a movie, but there were a few. Jesse, of course, had his eyes on her all night.
    Alex stood behind the counter. She was putting the candy away when Jesse appeared. He stood nervously behind the counter next to her. Alex just kept on working, ignoring him.
    "How was business tonight?" Jesse finally asked.
    "Not too bad I guess," Alex answered.
    "Well that's good."
    Alex pulled out some Windex and a towel when she was done with the candy. She started to clean the glass on the counter. Jesse watched her for a few seconds. He then turned and started to put the popcorn away. It wasn't long before Jesse stopped and turned back toward Alex.
    "What's really going on with you?" he asked softly.
    "Nothing," Alex answered, still cleaning the counter.
    "You know you can tell me anything."
    "There's nothing to tell."
    "I know that's not true."
    Alex stopped cleaning suddenly. She threw the towel down on the counter and turned around to face Jesse. He still stood nervously by the popcorn machine. Alex leaned back on the counter and crossed her arms.
    "Why do you care so much?" Alex asked though she already the knew the answer.
    "Because..." Jesse started to say, but stopped himself.
    "It's not like we're friends or anything."
    Jesse looked down at his feet in sadness. It was obvious that Alex hurt his feelings with that. Alex rolled her eyes. A familiar voice then said something behind her.
    "Sissy?" the voice asked.
    Alex turned around to see who it was. When she did she saw Drew standing there. Alex took a quick glance at the clock. It was already past midnight.
    "What are you doing here?" Alex asked her sister.
    "Bill's back," Drew answered with sadness in her voice.
    Alex looked over her shoulder at Jesse. He nodded, a sign to go home. Alex joined Drew in a hurry. Together they walked out of the movie theater. Jesse watched them until they were gone. He then went back to work.


    Bill
    Alex's little black Nissan Altima pulled up in the dark driveway. Bill's Ford truck was parked along the dark street. The world seemed to be quiet and peaceful. The world was sleeping, for the moment. That was all about to change in such a short time.
    Alex pushed open the drivers door. She jumped out of the car, leaving the door open. The passenger door slowly opened. Drew was about to get out of the car.
    "Stay in the car!" Alex quickly yelled at her.
    Alex ran up to the house, leaving Drew alone in the car. The front door was open and the living room light was on. When Alex stepped into the house she saw that everything had been trashed. Alex took a quick glance around her. She then heard movement coming from Drew's room.
    Alex looked to the left of the door. A baseball bat was resting against the wall. She quickly grabbed it and stormed down the hall. As she stood outside of Drew's room she took a deep breath. Alex then kicked the door open with a mighty force. One that wouldn't be expected from her.
    Laying on the ground was Sandra. She and Bill both looked over at the door. Alex was about to storm into the room when something quickly caught her eye. Bill was holding a pistol and it was pointed right at her. Alex suddenly stopped in her tracks. She looked from Bill to her mother. That's when she noticed that her mother was bleeding.
    "This doesn't concern you kid," Bill said.
    "Of course it does, kid,” Alex replied.
    "Alex, don't," Sandra softly said from the ground.
    "I just want my money," Bill said angrily.
    Alex reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. She tossed it over to Bill.
    "There. Now get the hell out of my house," Alex growled.
    Bill took a quick glance inside the wallet, the gun was still aimed at Alex. He then looked at Sandra with a smile. Alex glared at Bill as he left the room. When he was gone Alex ran over to her mother to make sure she was okay.
    "Mom?" she asked softly.
    "I'm alright sweetheart," Sandra answered.
    "Why did he really come back?"
    Sandra never did get the chance to answer that. The sound of a gun shot rang out around them.
    Alex's eyes got real big. She quickly turned around and ran out of the house, jumping off of the front porch. Laying on the ground was little Drew in a puddle of her own blood. Alex quickly ran over to her little sister, falling to the ground.
    "Sissy?" Drew asked.
    "I'm here," Alex answered.
    Alex grabbed Drew's head and held it up in one hand. Her other hand put pressure where Drew was shot.
    "I'm cold," Drew whispered.
    "I know. Just hang in there for me," Alex whimpered.
    "I don't think I can. I'm so tired.
    "You'll be alright. Help is on the way."
    "I love you sissy."
    "I love you too. You know that, right?"
    "Of course I do."
    "Just stay awake Tiny. I need you."
    Drew didn't say anything else after that. Her eyes were closed and she had no heart beat. Alex closed her eyes as a couple tears fell from them. Sandra stood in the doorway with a phone in her hand. The sirens echoed down the road. The world slowly came alive again. It was carious about the events that had just happened.