A gargling groan followed my own as we approached the run down bus that we were hoping to make our shelter for the night. I could faintly make out the teetering, slumping shadow in the frame of the busted out window from where my sister and I were hiding in the brush, “Why does It have to be in there?” I whined quietly.

“Would you stop calling them It?” My sister hissed back, “They used to be people like us.”

“Okay and?” I questioned pulling my hunting knife from its sheath, “It’s not like they are anymore. They may kinda look like a person but they are far from it.”

“Ka-“ my sister started but I was already moving swiftly and quietly to the bus, knife poised for the kill. I climbed the three stairs into the bus, wincing as the rusting piece of junk let out a groan with the addition of my weight. I peeked up from behind one of the bench seats, its foam filling ravaged by mice and weather, to find my prey with Its back turned, twitching eerily as It shuffled towards the back of the bus. I moved from my cover and carefully made my way towards It ,the only indication of my approach was a creak in the frame of the bus so faint it could have been mistaken for the wind.

Before It even knew what was happing I plunged my knife through the back of It’s skull, the thin wispy strands of its balding head brushing my hand as I heard the tell-tale crunch of its skull cracking under the impact. I twisted the knife on the way out for good measure and let the body fall to the ground with a thud, the rusted floor of the bus groaning in protest. I nudge It’s ugly head with the toe of my boot just to be sure, moving slightly to the right to avoid the dark, oozing liquid slowly pooling on the floor.

“Is it clear?” My sister asked peaking her head in the broken window to my right, her deep brown eyes swimming with worry as they always did these days.

“Yeah. Its clear.” I answered, letting the smallest amount of tension fall from my body before I grabbed It’s writs and began to haul It out of the bus, a dark smear in our wake.

“You couldn’t have killed her out side?” I heard my sister sigh as she came to inspect our home for the night.