by Lake, D. K.
"Just go, hurry!" I pushed him through the gap.
I dared a peek over my shoulder and saw four...five, seven...nine, too many deadbies heading this way. A bit of noise and they all crawled out of the woodwork, typical. I tried to follow Nick but my bag bulged more than Nick's. He had spent ages this morning rolling his clothes and blanket and reorganizing his bag so it was more compact, and mine bulged like an overstuffed pastry.
"Shit." I couldn't get through with the bag on my back. I took a step back and looked at the top of the container as I slid the bag off my shoulders. I moved back a little, removing the fishing rod from my bag and discarding of it. I tucked my machete into my bag and swung my bag around and threw it over the top of the container, hoping it wouldn't fly off in the wrong direction and land in the dirty river. I couldn't even hear if it had landed on the other side, I just hoped I hadn't knocked Nick out with it. I slid back into the gap, the metal container vibrating from the speakers. I could see the deadbies getting closer, stumbling over crates and boxes, a few made it through and just as I reached the other end a hand reached through the gap after me.
I slid around the corner and leaned against the metal wall and saw more containers in front of me. I was boxed in and the spikes at the side prevented me from climbing over the bridge.
"Alex! Up here!" I barely heard Nick shouting down to me from on top of the containers in front. He pointed to a crate for me to climb up. I saw my bag and quickly grabbed it and chucked it up to him.
"Just go! I'm right behind you!" I shouted, climbing up onto the crate and reaching the top of the container, and if I had been a few inches shorter I wouldn't have been able to reach it at all. I gripped the edge and forced myself not to look behind me, praying the deadbies wouldn't make it through the gap. They'd probably get stuck and fall all over each other and block the gap. I gripped the edge and used my legs to help me climb up the side. I managed to pull myself up so my elbow was over the edge and I saw Nick scrambling down the other side. In front, the obstacle course got worse, including a truck parked sideways and the underneath was barricaded so you couldn't crawl under it and in the front of the truck, there was a lively deadbie clawing at the window. Lane and Josh were standing on the roof of the truck waving at me to hurry up. I heaved myself up and slid forward and climbed to my feet.
I looked over my shoulder and saw three deadbies had made it through the gap, skinny ones. The first one must have followed me and the rest followed it. The song made this whole thing ten times more creepy.
"Alex! C'mon!" Lane yelled.
I was about to maneuver myself over the edge when the floor under me moved. The rusted roof started to slant and I grabbed the side of the container about to fling myself over the edge but the roof collapsed under me and my feet disappeared and I clung to the side as I fell into the container, my feet dangling below me. I held on for dear life and tried to pull myself back up but my hands were so clammy that my fingers slipped and I slid down the metal roof and landed at the bottom with a clanking thud. Inside of the container was empty and I searched for my machete forgetting I had thrown it over with my bag. The door to the container creaked open and I bounced to my feet, still looking for any sort of weapon. A deadbie stumbled through the door, followed by another, and another. I knew I was a goner, there was no way I could get past these guys without getting bitten or scratched, only to run into more outside and then climb back up the container somehow without getting attacked. It was all suddenly so final. Like I knew this was it. I backed myself into the wall for a moment, taking a deep breath. Die fighting or sit in the corner and cry like a girl.
"Fight." I said, running at the first deadbie and kicking it in the stomach so it went down. I raised my fists, ready to block the next attack but its eyes appeared vacant as it shuffled closer to me and then veered off to the side and walked into the wall.
Must be brain-damaged not to want to eat me. I thought.
I jumped over the one on the ground and charged at the other one, knocking it into the wall and ducked out of the container, pulling the door closed at the same time. I saw two deadbies clawing at the container next to me and they must have seen me because they turned their heads to look at me, I thought I saw one of them sniff the air, and then they both turned away and went back to clawing up the side of the container. I was so confused. Very confused. Did I smell bad or something? I was so distracted by not getting eaten that I forgot about the gap where another one had managed to squeeze its way through. It took one look at me and then up in the air above my head at something which had caught its eye and it quickly hurried over to the container in a crazed state, moaning and clawing at the side with the others. Whatever was keeping them distracted was working, I'm guessing they saw Nick and me come this way and they thought we were both up there. Something made me look over my shoulder and I saw the door to the container swing open. The deadbies shuffled out and they saw the others clawing at the container and hurried over to join in, the last one's eyes slid over me in a creepy way that made my skin crawl but it made no attempt to come after me. I stepped away from the container on wobbly legs. What was happening? Was I imagining this whole thing, was I dreaming right now? It was a sucky dream if I was.
I searched the ground for the crate and remembered I had knocked it over when I kicked off of it. I slowly moved to where it was as another deadbie appeared through the gap. These deadbies were skinny and had lost all the meat off of their bones which allowed them to squeeze through, the newer ones would have had a job getting through if they were a little meatier. It glanced my way and took no notice of me as I picked up the crate, planning to use it to hold them off if they suddenly came at me.
I wasn't sure what was happening but these deadbies didn't want me.
"Alex!" I thought I heard Drew yell but I knew I must be imagining it, no one had seen Drew, he was gone.
I moved back a little and looked up at the container just as something bumped into me from behind. A tall deadbie pushed past me like I was some kid in high school and I was in its way.
"Alex!" Drew shouted, and I looked back up and saw Drew on top of the container, searching the container that I had fallen into.
Drew had come back. Or he never left.
I wanted to call out and tell him I was ok but I didn't want the deadbies to suddenly come after me. I was so happy to see him. I knew I should still be mad at him but after ten days without Drew I didn't really care anymore about what he had done, he only did what he did to try and protect me. I understood it, the others didn't so much. The bushfire didn't help the situation. Or the kidnapping.
I could see the confusion on his face when he couldn't see me anywhere at the bottom. I didn't say anything and just raised my hand to wave at him and he caught sight of me and the look on his face said it all. He looked relieved to see me, completely confused as to how I was still alive, and freaking the hell out all rolled into one. He slowly stood up and walked to the edge and looked down at the hunger-crazed deadbies that were still clawing the metal. A deadbie poked its head out of the gap and fell through and landed on the ground as another stepped over it and clawed its way through the gap. It looked fresh, healthy, its skin clear and not turned green, and it hadn't lost its hair. It looked like a damn newbie. I held my breath and held onto the crate, about to drop the thing and snap a piece of wood off to use it to stab it with but when it spotted me it did nothing as it stepped all the way out of the gap. It just stared at me. I didn't know what to do. So I stood still and didn't even breathe. Drew banged on the metal roof of the container and the newbie swiveled its head and saw Drew and it started screaming. I backed into the container wall as it screamed and ran at the others, clawing its way to get through them, trying to get closer to Drew.
The song came to an end and all I could hear was the newbie screaming at the top of its lungs, the deep groans coming from the others, and I could hear the excitement in their breathy moans, hungry for their next meal. I hoped that was the end of
it, my eardrums were thumping but a second later the next song came on, blasting out Michael Jackson, Smooth Criminal. I knew all the intros because my mom liked to listen to Michael Jackson when she'd get high and she knew all the moves and would dance around the house, usually covered in flour and wearing a pinafore.
This was my chance to escape. I moved as slowly as possible so not to distract them and made it back inside the open container and hurried to the back wall and wedged the crate on the floor and Drew leaned over the edge and held out his arm to me.
I climbed up and let Drew pull me up the side and onto the roof next to him. We just stared at each other for a moment, not really sure what to make of it, that and the fact we hadn't seen each other for ten days, or at least I hadn't seen him. But he must have been watching us the whole time. The bruises on his face had turned yellow and were disappearing from where Lane had beaten the crap out of him for everything he did but I was so pleased to see him I didn't care about any of that right now.
"You ok?" Drew asked as the chorus to Smooth Criminal played and his words synced with the song and I tried not to smile but as he shook his head with a stupid grin on his face I couldn't help it. He went to reach for my face but Lane's voice stopped him.
"Alex!" Lane yelled and I searched for him and found him standing at the bottom of the container, looking up at us, and glaring at Drew with murder in his eyes.
"C'mon, we should get out of here." Drew said, and it was as if I could see the wall going up around him, shutting me out and acting like he couldn't care less about the fact I hadn't been eaten.
I scooted to the edge and dropped down next to Lane and I saw the truck door wide open and the lively deadbie that was pounding on the window was now on the ground, not moving. Drew jumped down and disappeared into the truck and out the other side in a flash.
I saw a barrel at the side of the truck to climb up on to get onto the roof but Lane swiftly pulled me over to the truck and pushed me inside because it was quicker, and I carefully crawled over the splattered dark blood and tried not to gag on the smell that the deadbie had left behind, its rotting flesh had fallen off and its insides had oozed out onto the seats. Ugh. I hopped out the other side and saw Rosie, Tobias, and Nick standing together. Josh was still on the roof of the truck and Drew was standing on the grass at the side of the road, looking off into the distance at something.
"Are you ok?" Rosie asked as Nick handed me back my bag and I just nodded.
Josh jumped down from the roof and scooped up his bag off the ground and hurried over to us.
"We need to get away from here. The noise is going to attract deadbies for miles." Josh said.
I saw Drew running back over to us and then I saw something moving in the distance.
"What is that?" I pointed.
"I dunno. Get in the trees!" Josh ordered and we all hurried into the trees and ducked down.
Drew kept his distance from the group but didn't leave us.
"So what's the psycho doing back?" Rosie asked, glancing at Drew.
"I don't think he ever left." Lane whisper-growled.
"Not now!" Josh said firmly.
As we were crouched down I caught Nick quietly singing along to the music.
"Nick!" I smacked him.
"It's a catchy song." he responded.
"Shh!" Josh waved his arm at us to shut up as two vehicles pulled up, an open-top Jeep, and a truck. Four guys jumped out of the back of the truck and inside there was another guy behind the wheel and a girl in the passenger seat. The Jeep also had another group of two girls and another two guys. I counted ten altogether.
"Who are they?" Rosie whispered.
No one answered because no one had an answer for her. The strange thing was they all had face paint on and two of the girls were dressed up, one in a tutu and striped tights, and the other one was wearing a flower headband and her face was painted with a skeleton like Day of the Dead.
They made a lot of noise, hollering and whopping, and they were all carrying a weapon, and I spotted two of them carrying guns. One of them stayed behind with the vehicles while the others headed towards the truck.
"It looks like a hunting party." Josh said and I think he was right. They didn't look very friendly.
"Let's go." Josh whispered and we all backed away and disappeared into the trees and ran away, our feet pounding the ground with a beat in the background.
Chapter 30
We hurried through the trees. I kept checking over my shoulder to make sure Tobias and Rosie were keeping up with us, and then we veered off, following Drew deeper into the trees, and the next time I looked back they had fallen behind.
"Josh! Tobias can't keep up." I called.
Josh turned around and checked on them, and he was about to go after them when Lane stopped him.
"No, stay with Alex." Lane said firmly, he then turned to me. "Go with Josh and keep Nick safe, I'll stay behind with Rosie and Tobias."
Before I could stop him he was already jogging back to the other two. Josh held onto my arm and led me away and soon I couldn't see the others at all.
"They'll be fine, they'll catch up." Josh assured me.
We slowed down when we thought we were safe and trekked through the woods with Drew leading the way. Nick had been saying something about a butterfly he had seen, it wasn't really the time to be talking about the wildlife but Nick had been kept down in the lab for so long that even a beetle excited him. I wasn't really paying attention and had zoned out, his voice fading into the background until I suddenly realized he had stopped talking. I spun around and couldn't see him.
"Where'd Nick go? He was right behind me!"
Josh looked back at me having heard my voice. He stopped and searched the trees.
"Where's Nick?"
"I don't know, he was just here....oh, I think he mentioned needing the toilet."
"Really?"
"Shit." I mumbled.
I should have really been paying attention to him. Drew had seen we had stopped and jogged back to us.
"Where's the science nerd?" Drew asked.
"He went to use the toilet and Alex didn't bother to mention it." Josh sighed, looking at Drew and accepting the fact that he was back in the group for now.
"I wasn't really listening to him. Oh come on, we all zone out when Nick is going on and on about something." I said, throwing my arms in the air.
"Alex, stay with Drew and wait here." Josh said and I looked at Drew to find him watching me.
Josh gave Drew a serious look and grabbed his arm. "Stay here, and don't try anything."
"Yeah, yeah." Drew grunted.
Josh backtracked and Drew and I stayed where we were. Drew didn't say anything and just spun me around and rummaged in my bag for a water bottle and helped himself.
"It's always when the group gets separated that someone gets killed." I said to break the silence.
"Says who?" Drew wiped his mouth with the back of his arm.
"The movies. Everyone knows the key to survival is not splitting up and we've managed to split the group into teeny tiny pieces."
"Don't fret, Pretty. Lane will be back, he lurks around like a bad smell."
"Says the person that has been stalking us for the past ten days."
Drew glared at me and sipped the water.
"I can't believe I lost Nick. I somehow managed to lose a full-size adult."
"C'mon, it's not like anyone will really miss him." Drew joked.
I snatched the water bottle back and shoved it in my bag.
"Oh, come on, it was a joke!" Drew said.
I left him and walked to the nearest tree. There was a sign attached to the other side of the tree that said ‘Beware of the Bear Traps!’. It had been handwritten and there was a little drawing of a trap, and the paper had been laminated and tied to the tree. I thought it was a bit odd. Who would put bear traps out in the middle of nowhere? I used my machete to pick at the bark, waiting for the others. The music had since s
topped. Drew came over and placed his arm on the tree and rested his forehead on his arm, looking at me with a pout.
"You still mad at me?" he asked.
I looked up at him but didn't answer his question and carried on carving a hole in the tree.
"So are we gonna talk about what happened?" he said.
"Which part? Starting fires, the drugging, the kidnapping, all the lies you've told me, walking me around in circles, stealing my map, and trying to keep me away from my friends. I can't keep up with you, Drew."
"No. The thing where the deadbies didn't attack you."
"Oh, that."
"Oh, that? You didn't find that a bit weird? That wasn't just luck. They didn't want you."
"I don't know why. I was going to talk to Nick later on, that is if we find him and he hasn't fallen down a rabbit hole."
"I'm sure Josh has found him and they're on their way back here right now."
"I hope so."
"And let's hope Lane has completely got lost and has walked off in the wrong direction."
I smacked him and he chuckled.
"It's not funny. I think there is something seriously wrong with your brain."
"Yeah, it broke when I fell for you."
I pretended not to hear him and changed the subject.
"Didn't those guys freak you out a little?"
"Not really, I've seen hunting parties before. They hunt anything that moves and kill anything that breathes and they take everything you have."
"We shouldn't be waiting around, we need to keep moving."
"Can't go anywhere. Josh's orders."
"Oh, please, you know you don't do anything Josh tells you to. This is getting silly, where are they?"
"Ok, five more minutes and then you can freak out."
"Drew!"
"I mean, five more minutes and then we can go and look for them."
I huffed and turned my back on him and leaned against the tree, listening to the sounds of the trees, the birds, a vehicle approaching-wait-what?!