'What about the cannibal leader, the girl they described sounds like Tamara,' Frankie argued. 'It could be any girl they're after. There must be dozens that fit the description,' he bit back.
'Alright you two, let's not start an argument,' I told them calmly.
'Delilah's right, we've got more important things to deal with right now,' Tessa scolded them. Jade had remained silent, but I could see the look on her face. She was holding back the tears, she walked up to Frankie and just hugged her. We stood for a moment, letting her have a rare moment of joy. I knew Jade well enough to know, she believed Tamara was alive because of Frankie's vision. The hope of seeing Tamara again, was enough to make her smile, even if it was just for minute.
'As much as I want to go looking for her, Troy's right, there's no definite proof. Not only that, if Tamara is alive she'll find us at the lab,' Jade said smiling a little.
'Can I weigh in here, I'm a little confused,' Dom piped up looking shocked. We carried on walking while Jade and Frankie filled Dom in on their abilities, I wondered if he was going to ask Jade to demonstrate them, like I did. I smiled at the memory, I'd always believed in the supernatural but I'd never had proof until I met Jade and Frankie. I walked in front with Jensen and Tessa, Brooke and Troy were in a hushed discussion and I didn't want to interrupt them. I could hear Dom laughing, I smiled thinking how I missed the sound of laughter.
'Sounds like they're getting on pretty well,' I said to Jensen.
'Yeah, it's kinda hard not to like Dom. He's quite a character,' he replied smiling.
After a few moment, Dom came up front to join us.
'Hey man, how's it going?' I asked happily.
'You know I forgot, how nice it it being around normal people,' he replied smiling.
'I don't know if you'd call us normal,' I joked.
'You should've met the last guy I travelled with, he was a right basket case. Used to just flip out, he was right paranoid. I ditched him after a month, couldn't take no more,' he laughed still joking.
'Looks like you attract the crazies,' I joked.
'I guess we're all a little crazy nowadays,' he laughed.
'I almost forgot, I kept hold of this for you,' Tessa piped up.
She reached round her neck and took off a silver necklace, on the chain was a dog tag, like those found among army men. She handed it to him and smiled.
'Jesus, I never thought I'd see this again. Thank you, for keeping this,' he told her almost tearfully.
'I haven't taken it off since you gave it to me,' she replied. He stopped for a moment to hug her, I carried on walking alongside Jensen.
'Seems like its a day for hugging,' I laughed as I noticed Frankie and Jade hugging as well.
'At least we're having a good day, for once,' he said happily.
'You had to go and jinx us, didn't you,' I told him.
'Ah, stop worrying.'
We'd been on the road a couple of hours when I saw them, a herd as big as the one we'd hidden from. Oh fuck, I thought, how the hell are we going to get passed this lot?
'Look, there's a herd,' I told the others.
I watched as their faces turned from happy and cheerful, to terrified and confused.
'There's nowhere to hide,' Brooke cried fearfully.
'Wait, there's an camper van in the middle of the road, over there,' Tessa pointed.
'Too risky, we don't want to be trapped in case they find us,' Troy said.
'The trees, its our only chance,' I told them.
There were three large and sturdy trees still covered in bright green leaves, that were large enough to conceal us from the dead.
'Right, come on. Quick before they notice us,' Frankie whispered. We had no choice but to hide in the trees, fortunately the trees were very tall and sturdy. We split into three groups with Jensen, Frankie and I climbing up the largest tree. Troy and Tessa stayed together while Jade, Brooke and Dom helped each other up. We all sat hoping that the herd would pass us by, I prayed that the trees would provide enough cover so that they wouldn't see us.
Frankie, Jensen and I clung to each other as the herd came closer, the moans of the dead sent shivers down my spine. All I could think is that our lives couldn't end like this, we had come so far, survived so much horror and heartache.
This could not be our end, I looked over at Jensen to see that all the fear I felt, was showing on his youthful face. His green eyes wide and afraid. I squeezed his hand gently in a hope of giving him comfort, my heart felt as though it were trying to break through my chest. Frankie's blue eyes looked as terrified as I felt, all I could do was hold her hand, and pray none of us fell.
In all the years of being in this world, I could not remember ever being this afraid. I felt my palms grow sweaty as my heart beat faster, I looked down through the tree to see that the herd was even larger than we had anticipated. There must have been thousands of walkers, I watched as they passed us by. The mutated corpses moved much faster than the others, I could see that the older corpses were slowly decomposing. They had missing limbs and patches of skin falling off, I should have been used the sight by now. Yet the stench of so many dead ones in the same place was making me want to heave, I pinched my nose to stop myself from smelling their rotting flesh. It had only occurred to me that despite all the research that had been done since the dead first rose, we didn't know how long it took for the dead to die of natural causes. Could they even die, or would they still walk around when all the flesh had fallen from their bodies? It felt strange that I had only started asking these questions now, as I looked down again at the seemingly never ending horde.
After what felt like an eternity the herd was starting to thin out, which meant that we must be close to seeing the end of it, Jensen and Frankie looked calmer now that the head count had lessened. I couldn't see the other trees so I had no idea if the others were alright, I made a mental note to talk to Morgan about my questions when we got back to the laboratory. I listened closely as I heard one of the others climb down from the tree, I just hoped that they hadn't gone down too soon.
Chapter 3
Annabelle
I couldn't really remember what life was like before all of this, I was five when the world ended. I remembered the day as it all happened though, my parents came to pick me up from school with my younger sister Gracie. I waited patiently in my seat and I smiled as I saw my family enter the classroom. It seemed like any normal day, until we walked outside the gates. People began to scream, children ran from their parents arms, but I just stood there watching as so many of the people I knew fell pray to the vile creatures that once were human. Unlike my family or people that thought they were my friends, I didn't find the sight scary or disgusting it was- fascinating.
My mum grabbed and shouted for me to run, but there nowhere to go except back into the school. Followed by a few dozen people I knew, we barricaded ourselves inside the school. After months of living of what food the school had, the adults knew they needed to venture out if we were going to survive. My parents told me, what those things were. The undead, the infected, walking corpses, there was no way they could sugar coat it. The world as we all knew was gone, but what my parents didn't know was that I had never cared much for well- anything.
I had always known that there was something wrong with me, other children would give love and affection to their pets, while I was quite content to drown them in the river. I smiled as I felt the life drain from them, as I held the power of life and death in my hands. I would bury them in the woods near my house, so my family would think they just ran away. It was not that I feared what my parents would do if they found out, it more than I wanted to continue doing these things without my parents watching my every move.
Somehow no one clicked on to the fact that I was so very different, I could easily blend in and act like any other child. My lack of empathy and general feelings was not the only difference in me, I found that I could understand things more clearer than anyone my age. I had knowledge
that even some adults couldn't grasp. I didn't tell my parents about this either, I didn't want anyone to know how smart I really was. I didn't want anyone to figure me out, so I simply acted like any other dumb child.
There had once been nearly forty of us holed up in the school, the older people had reinforced the gates, taken care of the dead that moaned through the gates. They travelled far and wide in search of food to sustain us, yet now six years after the end there was only fifteen of us left. Every so often I would find a rabbit, mouse or some other small animal to kill. The adults thought I did it purely for food, they had no clue of the pleasure I took in it. It was becoming so clear, that all these people were draining my food source. There was enough food here to last a month, a few people had gone out not long ago and raided a small news shop a few towns over. Yet as they all rejoiced in their triumph, I found myself thinking that I could survive on my own. I'd been taught to fight by my old P.E teacher who was still with us, I could take out a corpse or two unaided. If I was the only one who remained, the food could easily last three maybe even four months. I needed no company as I preferred to be alone with my thoughts.
It wasn't until the second week in March, six years into the outbreak that I truly decided, to end the lives of everyone here. I had no brute strength, but I was smart enough to know how to take them all out.
I sat in the lunch room, eating dinner with everyone, I sat next to my sister who was now eight. She had even less memory of life before this than I did.
'Are you gonna eat that?' She asked innocently.
'Nah, I'm good, you have it,' I replied smiling at her. I passed her my plate with the leftover carrots, just another example of how they were a drain on my food source. I didn't have to say yes of course, but given that she would be dead soon I saw no reason to cause a scene by denying her.
'It's time for bed,' my mother said happily. Ah my mother, she was tiny woman with long dark auburn hair that fell in a braid down her back. I shared her forest green eyes and her slender build, though unlike her my skin was pale and freckled. Those physical traits I inherited from my father, who was no doubt on watch.
'I'm going,' I replied seeming happy. Despite the dire state of the world, many people here found normality with those they'd known before. They could go about things as if the world had not changed, simple conversations like how the weather was so different now or about the crops they had started to plant in field out back. Even I knew, that we would never return to a normal life.
I headed off to bed, smiling to myself as I realised I would soon be free of these people who held me back. It was barely dark but my mum liked us in bed early, I think it was so her and the other adults could talk about things not meant for children's ears.
I didn't sleep that night, though when my mum came to check on us, I acted as though I were asleep. Everyone had a knife or weapon of some sort, even the kids. I had a small knife, with a simple black handle and a blade that was only four inches long. I quietly sat up, looking around to ensure that everyone was asleep. There was only my parents and sister in this room, it used to be my classroom.
The other families slept together in other rooms, for the first few years we all kept to one room but as time went on the adults felt safer, so each family had their own place to sleep. I knew who I wanted to kill first, my old headmaster Mr Cornell and his family. He was here with his two sons, his young daughter who was only two years old and his wife. I couldn't believe how irresponsible they were, how could anyone think to get pregnant in a world like this? They slept in his office, and luckily for me he wasn't one of the people who kept watch at night.
His room was closest to the entrance, which would make my plan that much easier. Though there were people who kept watch, one of them Dan was known for drinking on shift and falling asleep. I would suggest to people once they discovered the bodies that Dan's irresponsibility enabled someone to sneak and kill them.
We knew of a small group people who lived not far from here, they'd been kicked out some time ago. They liked to party, be noisy and generally cause trouble. My people were so stupid, they should've killed them when they had the chance.
As I crept towards Mr Cornell's room, I listened for anyone who might be walking the halls. The door was slightly ajar, I smiled feeling excited, I'd never killed a living person before and I couldn't wait to see what it would feel like. I quietly pushed the door open, I peeked round to find them all fast asleep in each others arms.
Mr Cornell and his wife slept with their arms around each other, the boys slept next to one another with the little girl in the middle. Mr Cornell was a large and tall man who was now fifty years old, he often intimidated the children in school. Almost everyone feared him, including his own sons. He had slicked back, jet black hair that had white streaks going through it, he was well built and even now he wore a suit. Those dark brown eyes, how I loathed those eyes that stared at me like I was evil. His dark, tanned skin made his startling white teeth seem more frightening somehow, though that was partly because two of the front ones were actually fangs or they looked like they were.
His selfish, whining wife Carol was very similar to him in looks though she was a good ten years younger than him and eight inches shorter. She had long black hair that fell down her back, her eyes were brown but unlike Mr Cornell's Carol's were a caramel colour. Her skin was almost as pale but she was a very slender woman who no matter how much she ate would always look too skinny.
The boys who were spitting images of their dad, down to the fierce eyes and imposing physical appearance. It made me wonder if the little girl was really his, as she looked about as sweet and innocent as they came. Even in her sleep, she looked angelic.
The reason I chose him and family to die first, was that for the longest time even before the outbreak, he'd looked at me with suspicion and hatred. I wasn't sure if he knew how different I was, but after I kept bringing back the animals he kept a close eye on me. I could not risk him finding out, it would ruin what plans I had.
I felt no nervousness or fear as I stood over his sleeping body, I quietly brought my knife down upon his head. No one moved or stirred as I felt the knife penetrate his skull, I stood for a moment enjoying the sight of his new corpse.
I pulled the knife out and killed his wife, she too was an annoying person. Having one child born in this world was not enough for her, I heard her talking, she wanted to add another child to her family. It had been hard enough when Mandy was born, extra people had to be added to the watch, no one really slept for almost a year and even now the child shrieked and cried when she didn't get her way. No we could not risk another year like that, she was so selfish putting her own needs above everyone else's.
'Good night,' I whispered happily to her corpse. I walked over to the children, watching them sleep so innocent, so oblivious today, to what was going to happen. I had even been nice to moaning Mandy this morning, I tried not to chuckle as buried my knife in her little head. Next were the boys, killing them was easy, I didn't even bat an eye. I wiped the blood from my knife on to their clothes, making sure my knife was now clean before I went back to my room. Five people down, ten to go I thought happily.
I snuck back to my room as I put my knife back its sheath, everyone was still fast asleep. I laid down feeling tired, as soon as I closed my eyes I was out like a light.
I woke in the morning to screaming, a loud piercing scream that belonged to Taylor my old P.E teacher. I opened my eyes to find my mother telling my sister and I to stay put while my dad and her ran towards the screams.
'What's going on?' My sister Lila asked fearfully.
'I don't know, but stay with me and I'll keep you safe,' I told her comfortingly. She nodded and clung to me like the little child she was, though I had to admit out of everyone I would soon kill, Lila would probably be the one, if any that I'd miss. She wasn't as irritating or annoying as the other kids, she kept out of my way and didn't disturb me when I was hunting. I allowed her to keep hold of me
as I waited for my parents to return, I tried not to smile as I thought about the scene they would come upon.
My mum began to shriek and I knew she'd seen my handiwork, I had to stop myself from laughing as my sister began to cry.
'What's going on?' She cried.
'I don't know,' I replied trying to sound equally as scared.
After a few moments some adults came running into my room looking both scared and angry, I knew I had nothing to worry about there was no way they could connect this to me.
'What's happened? I asked fearfully.
'Someone killed Walter and his family!' Tasha told us panicked. Tasha was not a parent, though she did care for her younger brother Isaac who was around my age. It was lucky for Isaac that he had his sister, though she was one of the youngest adults here. Tasha was twenty-two, and while she seemed grown-up in some ways, in others she relied on the older people just as much as the children did. She was a tall girl, 5'9 in height with tanned skin, dark red hair, and midnight eyes. Tasha was adept at killing the infected but lacked the ability to go on runs without putting others in danger, if we ever had to leave this place she would so easily become a liability. Luckily for me, I would make sure that never happened.
'All of them, even little Mandy? I cried.
'Yes, even the baby,' Francine replied. Francine was on work experience from high school when the outbreak hit, making her the youngest adult here. She was just twenty, she was a tiny fearful girl who really was a drain on our resources, she couldn't fight or go on runs, Francine was crap at cooking and her cleaning and DIY skills were barely adequate. She was a petite 5'3 in height, she had long wavy blond hair, baby blue eyes and skin as white as snow.
'Oh my god, who would do that?' I gasped.
Just then Taylor came in followed by everyone else, they all looked unnerved. 'We know who did this,' growled Taylor fiercely. Taylor was a giant, scary looking woman in her late thirties with bigger muscles than any man I'd ever seen. Her shoulder length dirty blond hair was kept in a high ponytail on top of her oval shaped head. She was tanned and toned, with eyes as pale as the bright blue sky on a summers day. She was tougher than any man I'd known and could even put Mr Cornell in his place but underneath the manly sheen, she was a soft woman with a big heart.
Dead World Rising (Book 3): The Cure Page 3