Chapter 2 Closer than you knew

"I can't seem to reach anyone; not even 911. All lines are jammed. How are we sure that our families are safe?" Emily complained in despair. Melissa went around the couch to hug her friend.

"Be strong, Em. Wherever our parents and siblings are, I'm sure that they are fine and we will see them soon," she tried to assure Emily. It was already about 7:00 p.m.

The two girls had dozed off on the couch, tired from worry. Melissa thought that she heard a voice. She woke up with a start. She looked around her like she was trying to ascertain her present location. She yawned and drowsily staggered to the window. She moved the blind carefully to the side and peeped. The street lights were already on and the reflection illuminated Melissa's now dark living room. The street looked deserted.

"There is no one out there. I must have imagined someone speaking. Maybe it was a dream," she thought. Just as she moved away from the window, she heard it again.

"Somebody help me."

This time, the voice was not as faint as before. The speaker was nearby.

"Can anybody hear me? Please help."

At that point, it hit Melissa. A girl was out there! Melissa hurriedly tiptoed to wake Emily who was still fast asleep.

"Em," she called in a hushed tone, nudging Emily's shoulder to rouse her from sleep. Emily's eyes flew open and she sat up in an instant, looking puzzled.

"There is a girl out on the street. She's calling for help," Melissa whispered.

Emily frowned in confusion.

"Really? Did you see her?" she inquired, squeezing her nose. Melissa pulled her by hand from the couch to the window. They caught the shadow of the girl and heard her sobbing.

"Oh my God, she's crying. We need to let her in," Melissa said as she headed toward the front door.

"No, Mel! We can't let her in!" Emily yelled in a mix of fear and shock.

"Why not? She needs our help."

Melissa was alarmed at her best friend's lack of empathy at that crucial time.

Many students at school usually spoke about Emily as being unkind, arrogant, nasty, saucy, selfish, and lots more. Melissa refused to believe any of these. True, she had seen Emily act like she didn't care about people, but Em had been her best friend since first grade. They have done practically everything together since they were six years old. She knew that deep down, Emily had a good heart; people just tend to misunderstand her.

If other students at school had witnessed this scenario of Emily opposing the idea of letting the unknown girl into the house, they would have given her another bad name. But Melissa understood her friend more than anyone else ever would. Emily was just afraid to be hurt. That was why it seemed to everyone like she was not a nice girl. Melissa held Emily's two hands and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Emily, calm down. We need to help her, okay?" Melissa said reassuringly.

Emily nodded timidly.

Melissa looked out through the window.

"Hey. Come over here fast," Melissa called out. "I will get the door."

Emily kept staring unbelievably at her friend.

"Be careful, Mel," she said, more like a plea than a warning. Melissa nodded as she unbolted the door, and turned the knob. She took a step outside the door. A gust of wind blew through the branches of the trees and brought her hair over her face as she scanned around for the girl. She took a second step outside but made sure to have her right hand on the outer doorknob.

"Where are you?" Melissa whispered.

Then she saw a shadow. The girl came out from behind one of the huge waste bins which stood four houses away from Melissa's.

She looked eleven-ish, slim with long, dark hair. As she crossed to Melissa's side of the street, Melissa inspected her face. She didn't recognize the girl. "She must be from another neighborhood. I will find out when we get back inside," Melissa thought.

The girl walked briskly towards Melissa. She kept darting her eyes sideways and looked back and forth as she approached Melissa.

"Hurry, Mel," Emily called from the living room.

Just as the girl got in front of Melissa's building and walked towards her, there was movement in the shrub just by the door. A sick man jumped out from the shrub, grabbed the girl, and sunk his teeth into her skin.

Melissa screamed as she stood there, horror-stricken. Emily opened the door and pulled her into the house. Quickly, Emily bolted the door.

"Noooooo!"

Melissa would not stop screaming as tears streamed down her eyes. She slumped on the floor, like a big bag of flour.

"The girl has been bitten!" Melissa said repeatedly, her whole body shaking like a leaf beaten by the rain.

"Mel, please don't cry," Emily said, trying to console her friend.

"It was my fault. If I had opened the door in time, she would be here now. She needed my help, but I failed her." There was no stopping the tears as they poured down Melissa's cheeks without restraint.

"No Mel. Don't do that to yourself. You were brave. You stepped outside. You tried your best to bring her in here."

"My best wasn't enough!" Melissa cut in with a shaking voice as she allowed herself to be enveloped in Emily's embrace.

A loud thud on the door startled the girls.

"What was that?" asked Emily as she and Melissa disengaged from their hug in an instant.