The Awakened

by Sara Elizabeth Santana

  The three Awakened turned to me, and I realized with a jolt that they were the three I had killed in the woods. I scrambled backward, my back hitting my headboard with a smack. There was nowhere to go. There was one on each side of the bed, and the girl Cara at the foot.

  “She smells so good,” she said, her hoarse voice only a whisper, echoing through the room. “She’s going to taste so good.”

  They came closer, pressing themselves against me, tearing away my clothes to sink into flesh. I screamed and screamed, but there was no one left. There was nobody left to hear my screams.

  I woke with a start, sweat dripping down my brow. I realized that there were arms wrapped around me and recognized them as my dad’s. I burrowed my face in his chest, inhaling his familiar scent. His arms tightened around me. I raised my head a little and saw Ash in the front seat. Our eyes met in the rearview mirror, and I nodded to the question in his eyes. I was fine. I would be fine. Eventually I would stop having nightmares like a five-year-old.

  I sat up, rubbing my forehead, and yawned. I motioned my dad to keep sleeping, and he slid back into sleep in seconds. I stretched, feeling cramps throughout my sore and tired body. I felt a pain in my abdominal area and frowned. It came again, worse than the last and I felt a swell of recognition rush through me. I paused, wondering if I could possibly be right, and started counting days. I frowned again. I just couldn’t remember. Another wave of pain passed through me, and I nearly cried in frustration. This had to be the worst timing ever.

  “Dad,” I whispered, nudging him. He shifted a bit, but didn’t wake. “Dad?”

  He stirred and looked up at me, with sleep filled eyes. “What’s wrong, champ?”

  “Um,” I started, looking up at the front seat of the car and hoping that Ash couldn’t hear me. “You wouldn’t happen to have any, um, female necessities with you? Like, you didn’t grab any when preparing for this?”

  He stared at me confused for a moment, and then it dawned on him. “Shit. No. I didn’t think. I just didn’t even think of it. You didn’t grab anything before we left?”

  I shook my head. “I wasn’t exactly thinking of,” I lowered my voice for a moment, “tampons when I was packing.”

  “Shit,” he repeated. He sat, and peeked over the front seat. “Where are we, Ash?”

  “Not too far from Iowa,” he answered, quickly. “Maybe an hour or so.”

  Dad nodded. “All right. We need to make a pit stop.”

  Ash looked startled. “Why? Don’t we have everything we need? We’ve only got about nine hours left.”

  We were getting so close. I couldn’t wait nine hours though. I needed something. I wondered for an instant whether the Awakened could smell blood, like a shark or something, and had to bite down a frenzied laugh. “I can’t wait. We need to stop.”

  Ash looked back at me confused before turning his attention back on the road. Thankfully he didn’t ask. “There was a sign for a gas station about five miles back. It should be coming up soon. Will that work?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, that should work.” My cheeks were flaming red. Who knew that such a trivial thing like a period would become such a hassle?

  The gas station came up quickly, and Ash took the exit. It was lit up, and there were a few cars parked at the pumps pumping gas as if it were any normal day. I couldn’t even remember what day of the week it was. Tuesday? I had lost track completely and my phone had died ages ago, taking my only source of calendar away from me.

  I reached for the door handle as soon as we pulled in, but Dad grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

  “Give me your guns, both of you,” he said, holding his hands out for them. “Keep your knives, but hidden, tucked in your boots.” We both handed over our guns. My dad dug into his pockets and pulled a rumpled twenty-dollar bill from his wallet. “Go on in, together. Act natural, get what you need, and get out.”

  “And you?” I asked, shoving the bill into the back pocket of my jeans.

  “I’ll be out here, keeping an eye out,” he said. His eyes were darting around the gas station, anxious. “It looks normal out there, but I don’t know what’s normal anymore.”

  I looked up at Ash, who was looking determined. “Let’s do this.” We both got out of the car and started walking to the mart. My eyes were darting around at the other people but I had to look casual. I couldn’t believe that there was a gas station here, in the middle of nowhere, still operating. I had felt in the past few days that we were the only people left in the universe. It had felt like the world had gone silent.

  Ash reached the door first and held it open for me. I walked in, glancing at the man behind the counter. He was reading a magazine and barely gave us a passing look as we walked in. “What are we here for?” Ash hissed at me as I walked through the aisles.

  I burned with embarrassment. Having a period is a natural thing, I reminded myself, and it doesn’t stop for anything, even when a third of the population is suddenly bloodthirsty. I didn’t answer him and instead found a box of tampons on the bottom shelf, underneath the Nyquil and Tylenol. I grabbed it, and ignored the amused look on Ash’s face. “Shut up.” My fingers hovered over a box of Midol, and I reached for it. Ibuprofen was not going to be enough for this situation.

  “Hey, I didn’t say anything,” he said, quiet laughter in his voice as we walked up the counter. I put both packages in front of the man, who rang them up, not bothering to say anything to the pair of us. I slid the dirty twenty across the slick surface of the counter and took back my change with shaking hands.

  As soon as we walked around the mart, I stopped. Ash noticed that I was no longer at his side and turned around to look at me questioningly.

  “I have to use the restroom,” I said, trying to put an easy smile on my face.

  He nodded. “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

  I went around the side of the building and found the bathroom. It was dingy, dimly lit and extremely dirty. I made a face, wrinkling my nose before remembering that it was the first bathroom that I had seen in days. The novelty of “real” camping and peeing in the woods had lost its appeal almost instantaneously. I peeled my jeans off slowly, folded them and placed them on top of the paper towel dispenser. I removed my underwear, and tossed it in the trash; it was a completely useless pair now. I took care of business quickly and efficiently, as if it were any other day and any other normal period.

  I sat down on the toilet after lowering the lid and cradled my head in my hands. I allowed myself to cry for about 30 seconds. They were quiet, desperate sobs. I couldn’t distinguish whether they were real or if my hormones heightened my emotions. It felt stupid to be crying now, but I couldn’t hold them back. I was struggling to hold it together, to keep myself together.

  I had never even been camping. I had always lived a cozy, cushy life in my solo brownstone in New York City. Now I was dirty, disgusting, so hungry, tired and now I was on my period. I didn’t know anyone else who would understand that this little extra bit was just the cherry on top of the worst sundae ever. My dad and Ash were tired, hungry and dirty like me, but they didn’t have this. They wouldn’t even have to think of something like, and for the moment, I sort of hated them for that.

  I cleared my throat and calmed myself down. I used some scratchy toilet paper to wipe the tears from my cheeks. I took a couple deep breaths, washed my hands, ignoring my reflection in the foggy mirror, and left the restroom.

  “Are you okay?” Ash asked, falling into step with me. “You were in there for a while.”

  “I’m fine,” I said. “How do you know how long it takes?”

  Ash grinned a little. “Don’t tell me you’re going to get all snippy at me now.”

  “Oh shut up,” I said, feeling relaxed for a moment.

  “I’m going to take that as a yes,” Ash laughed. “Great. Now I don’t have to just worry about an Awakened biting my head off.”

  I laughed, surprised at the sound. It had felt like years since I had lau
ghed, genuinely. “Be careful, Ash. I might find you kind of tasty.” I opened the passenger door of the car, noticing that my dad had moved back into the driver’s seat.

  He winked at me as I climbed into the backseat. “I always knew you wanted a taste of this.”

  My dad looked back and forth between us. “I really don’t even want to know.”

  I buckled my seat belt and snuggled into my seat. “Let’s go. We’ve only got eight hours until we reach Mom’s house. We’re almost there.” I felt excited, for the first time, in such a long time, to see my mom and stay in a house with a bed and a shower.

  WE HAD ONLY BEEN DRIVING for a few hours when the rain started. The sun had completely disappeared behind the haze of dark gray clouds, and we went quickly from a light rain to a heavy downpour. I had burst out laughing, filled with joy at this small show of nature, this small example that things weren’t completely different. Ash and my dad were staring at me for a long moment, watching as I rolled down the window and stuck my hands out.

  “What on earth are you doing?” Ash asked.

  “I’m pretty sure that the rain is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my life,” I said, as the rain washed over my palms, washing away the dirt.

  There was a chuckle from the backseat and I turned to look at Ash. “What?” I asked. “Can’t I enjoy a little rain?”

  “I like that you’re enjoying the rain,” he admitted. “I didn’t think there would be anything left to enjoy anymore.” He rolled down his own window, and a gust of wind came through, pelting Ash’s face with rain. I giggled at the sight of his face dripping with rainwater. He grinned mischievously and leaned forward to shake his shaggy hair in my face.

  “Hey now!” I yelled, throwing up my hands to block the spray of water. “I said I was enjoying the rain, not that I wanted it all over me.”

  Ash laughed and grabbed my wrists, pulling my arms and rubbing his wet head all over my face. He pulled back, his face only inches away from mine. “Is that better?”

  I felt my breath catch in my throat, paralyzed by how close he was to me. Water was clinging to his thick, black eyelashes, and I was suddenly completely transfixed by his lips. His smile slipped, and his gaze held mine. My eyes met his, and I watched as they traced down my face to my lips. He bit his lip and looked nervous, his cool breath washing over my face. He was too close. His warmth was seeping through the contact and making my heart beat faster.

  My dad coughed loudly and obviously. “Yeah, I’m still sitting here. Could you guys maybe think about doing that later?”

  Ash blinked a couple times and pulled back, letting go of my wrists. I straightened up and cleared my throat, embarrassed. I chanced a look over at my dad and saw that he was barely concealing a grin. He saw me looking, and the almost-smile turned into a full-blown smirk.

  “Don’t you start,” I said.

  “I didn’t say anything,” he said innocently, abandoning all pretenses and turning to laugh at me.

  “You’re such a tease,” I said. I glanced in the mirror and saw Ash staring at his hands, his brow furrowed. I looked back out the window and felt fear go shooting through me. “Oh my god, Dad!”

  He looked away from me, back to the road. There were no less than two dozen Awakened standing in the middle of the road, as if waiting for us. My dad jerked the wheel, and the car lost control. It went barreling to the left, off the road and into a ditch. The car flipped once, twice before landing on its side. I heard screaming and it took me a second to realize that it was me; the screaming was coming from me.

  My eyes flicked open, and I blinked a few times, wondering if I had passed out in the crash. I was disoriented and realized I was turned on my side, my shoulder pressed against the window that must have shattered on impact with the ground. The air bag had deployed, probably saving my life, and I pushed it out of my way as much as I could.

  The car had come to a stop and was lying on its side. I looked up and over at my dad, who was talking quickly and quietly to Ash, who looked shaken but relatively unharmed. I looked down at my arms and saw cuts all over them, tiny pieces of glass embedded in my skin. It hurt, like needles in my skin.

  Dad kicked the door open with his foot and began to climb out. His eyes met mine.

  “Are you okay?” he asked quickly. I nodded, wincing as the pain shot through my forehead. I lifted my hand to my head and it came back warm and sticky. I whimpered. “I know it hurts, but we need to move. We have to move now.”

  I nodded again and reached overly slowly to unbuckle my seatbelt, while my dad struggled to lift himself out of the car. He leaned back over, extending his arm out to me. I grabbed it and let him pull me out. Ash was already out of the car, his gun pointed out in front of him. I reached for my own, and wiped the blood away from my eyes.

  My heart sank. They were all around us. We were surrounded from all sides and outnumbered by about seven to one. We didn’t have Liam, Memphis and Julia with us this time, and I knew that this was what my dad had been trying to prepare us for. I reached down to my foot, relieved to find my knife was still there. I slipped it out, clutching it in my hand tightly.

  The three of us watched them for a moment, waiting for them to say something, for them to make a move, but they stayed still and silent. This scared me more somehow, and I felt my heart beat faster in my chest at the excruciating anticipation.

  “Zoey,” Ash whispered.

  “Not now, Ash,” I whispered back, making sure that my weight was balanced and that I had a firm grip on my weapons. I needed to be ready.

  “Zoey, I need to tell you something,” he insisted, his voice full of fear. I wanted to tell him to not be scared; I wanted someone to tell me not to be scared, but it was pointless. This was the perfect situation to be scared in.

  I met his eyes for a moment. “Later, okay? You can tell me later.”

  He looked like he wanted to protest, but instead, he nodded.

  “Ash,” Dad said softly, looking around at the Awakened surrounding us. They were so silent and so still. They looked dead, more so than they already were. I kept waiting as the seconds passed by. “Ash, whatever happens, you take care of Zoey. You protect her, no matter what.”

  I bit down on my lip hard, drawing the warm coppery taste of blood into my mouth. I refused to look at either of them, not even when Ash replied, “Yes, sir.” I couldn’t handle the waiting anymore, and I fired my gun at the closest Awakened near me. The bullet sailed straight into her forehead, my first perfect shot, and she crumpled to the ground. Everyone had watched in silence, but the moment her body hit the ground, chaos erupted.

  No less than four or five Awakened ran straight at me. I ducked the arms of a small woman, sending my elbow into the chest of a man that came up from behind me. I kicked out, hitting him behind the knees and sending him to the ground. I used my knife to stab him in the chest, hoping it would keep him down for a moment. I whirled on the others, shooting one quickly in the head, just above the neck. It must have been good enough, because he fell, and immediately turned my attention to another. I dodged a kick, grabbing the leg and flipping the woman onto her stomach. I shot her in the head and felt an arm grab me from behind.

  I was yanked backward, and I stumbled. They were strong, stronger than their bodies suggested. They were light, much lighter than they had been before they had been Awakened, but they were strong and quick on their feet. The man who had a grip on my arm bit down on my skin, and I screamed. My hand scrambled for a grasp on the arm holding me in place, and I twisted, causing him to howl and pull back. I punched him in the stomach before taking a step back and quickly shooting him in the head.

  The man I had stabbed had finally struggled to his feet and had a hold of me from behind. I struggled to throw him off, but he had a tight grip on me. His fingernails dragged across my exposed stomach, drawing blood in deep scratches. I tried to throw him over my shoulders, but he wouldn’t budge. I continued to pull at his arms, and when he wasn’t expe
cting it, I sent my elbow into his groin. He pulled back with a groan, and I spun around, kneeing him in the stomach. As he sunk to the ground, I pulled out my knife and stabbed him in the neck, blood gushing out and spraying all over my hands.

  I was up to three kills, and I knew I had only made a tiny dent in the group that was attacking us. There was complete mayhem everywhere. Dad was standing up on the car, shooting as many Awakened that he could while Ash fought off a pair on his own. I didn’t know what to do; I didn’t know who to help. My world was spinning, and I couldn’t stay balanced. I felt dizzy; maybe I was losing too much blood. I couldn’t concentrate, and I knew I was vulnerable.

  As if on cue, I was thrown backward, landing with a hard thump on the solid ground. I started to get up and found myself pinned to the ground. An Awakened held me down, his knees pressed into my thighs, and his arms holding my own down. I looked around in panic and saw my dad and Ash, lost in a crowd of fighting Awakened.

  My captor grinned at me, sensing my predicament and enjoying the sight of me pinned to the ground. He reached for the knife in my hand, pressing his nails tight into my wrist until I was forced to let go. He picked it up, fingering the edge of it. He was young, maybe early 30s when he had died. There were traces of handsome features hidden underneath the chapped, blue skin.

  “You know,” he said, his raspy voice breathing onto my face, “my mom always told me not to play with my food, but you’re just too pretty to eat so quickly.” He pressed the tip of the knife to my neck, and a rush of fear, unadulterated, uncontrollable fear filled me. I started to call out for my dad, for Ash. He pressed the knife tighter against my throat, drawing a quick line across it. It was just a scratch, but I felt the sting of it, and I hissed in pain.

  “Maybe if I make you less pretty, I won’t feel so bad when I devour you,” he said, studying my face curiously. He dragged the knife across the flesh of my bicep, cutting deep enough to send more blood running down my arm. Tears were rushing down my cheeks, and I heard a loud, desperate sob escape my lips.