Jogging most of the way, I reached where she was supposed to lay hiding, shocked to find her gone.
"Skye?" I whispered loudly. "Skye! Where are you?"
I looked for signs of a struggle and found it. Blood was on some foliage, and tears sprung into my red rimmed eyes. I couldn't lose her now! She was my only friend! I knew who had her, the gang at the factory. They must have been tracking us finding her just as I left, as she slept. I was pissed. Now I had to go find her and pray she was alive. But this time, people were gonna die. I wasn't going to be looking over my shoulder everywhere I went. Tracking them would be easy, but I needed a plan. Reaching inside of my backpack, I pulled out my dark hoodie and a pack of M80's I scavenged from a hardware store. Nodding, I smiled evilly. I had my plan. Pulling on the hoodie, I stuffed the fireworks in my waistband, grabbed my sidearm and knife, then hid the backpack near the base of a tree.
They weren't too hard to track, I found their makeshift camp in like fifteen minutes. They didn't even set up some sort of alarm system in case the dead invaded their camp! Idiots! How the hell were they even still alive? I counted four heads. A skinny, trailer trash looking chick, Simon; head asshole, Ant, and I think the other one was named Kevin. They all sat around a small camp fire, another attraction of the dead, eating some type of meat. I shuddered to think of what or who they were eating. I didn't see Skye with the group but would bet my life she was in the small tent off to the side. Pulling my hood up, I crept closer and watched as they ate, laughed and talked about what they were going to do with Skye and I with me when they caught me. They were using her to bait me, kill me and of course, roast my bones. Only, they didn't know who they were dealing with.
I let them drink, watching as one by one, they drifted off to sleep. The skinny chick was on watch and me almost giggled as she faded in and out of sleep, head nodding, almost touching her chest. This was gonna be a piece of cake. Just as I was getting ready to take her out, I heard the unmistakable sounds of the shuffling, moaning dead heading in this direction. Shit! Not now! But then again, maybe this would work to my advantage! I quickly crawled up behind the sleeping girl, drawing my knife quickly and cleanly across her scrawny throat, my other hand covering her mouth as she bled out, gurgling and choking on her own blood. I lay her down, dragging her closer to the others so the dead would catch the scent of her still warm blood. I inched my way over to where I knew Skye was kept, making sure to be alert for the dead in every direction. Peeking quickly in her tent, I saw her sitting there wide awake.
"I knew you were here," she whispered, "I could smell you."
"Shhh… the dead are out here too, so come quickly, these idiots are in for a little surprise."
She took my outstretched hand and the two of us faded into the woods, only stopping when the sounds of screaming and gunshots could be heard.
"You bitch! I'm going to hunt you down and torture you till you beg for mercy! Run and hide, little rabbit, but I'll find you!" Simon's rage was evident in his voice as he screamed it out into the darkness of the trees.
Simon, the bastard. I regretted not killing him, but there was no time. This asshole was going to be on my back now and there was nothing I could do about it except to run. Damn him!
Skye was ravenous. She was showing more signs of it by her pale, dehydrated skin and lack of energy. Every so often I saw her lean into me and just smell me like some gourmet meal.
"Hey!" I said to her, "Stop doing that!"
"Doing what?" she asked.
"You know. Smelling me. It's making me freaking nervous!" I said angrily, "It makes me not trust you."
"I can't help it, Elle! I'm so hungry!" she moaned, "Please, you have to help me."
"Okay, okay, but I can't leave you alone again," I told her, “I found a place back about a mile from here. An old water treatment plant. I'm going to bring you there and then I'll hunt for food for us, okay?"
She agreed, and the two us got there in less than an hour. I knew it was risky with Simon on the prowl, but we had no choice. If Skye was to continue, she needed to feed. The plant looked the same as when I left it, uninhabited. I found the hole in the fence, guided her through, walking along the side of the building to the red service door. Opening it, we went in, locking it with a steel pipe for security. Using my flashlight, we walked down a corridor of many different sized pipes that ran overhead from end to end of the of the corridor. Three long pools of stagnant water sat waiting to be purified, and the stench was overwhelming. We never really thought about the whole water purifying process but coming here we could see how complicated it really was! Another thing we humans took for granted. Plugging our noses, we headed down another corridor, and found an office door.
Inside, heaven. Fortunately for us, the putrid odor in the corridor must have discouraged others from exploring because there was a full vending machine that made my heart leap with joy! Candy bars! Cakes! With the butt of my revolver, I smashed the glass and dove in, grabbing the first thing I laid my eyes on, a Milky Way bar. Cramming huge bites into my mouth, I moaned in ecstasy, mouth filling with saliva and spilling out and over my lips. I never tasted anything so good in all my life. Skye watched me with amazement, a longing in her eyes. I felt so bad for her, knowing that no matter how good chocolate looked to her right now, she could not eat it. I saw the tears starting and stopped my gorging.
"Aww, Skye, I'm so sorry! I couldn't help myself!" I told her, "Are you okay?" I touched her arm, and she yanked it away, turning her back to me. Guilty tears filled my eyes because I couldn't imagine being even a quarter of one of those things.
"Leave me alone, Elli, I didn't ask for this!" she said, her voice filled with resentment. "I just want to be normal again! Why did it have bite me? I'm only ten!"
"I know, Skye, I know," Trying to think of something comforting or clever to say, but for once, words failed me. How do you comfort a child who can't be a child?
The office also had a couch, dust and all, but it was someplace she could rest while I hunted.
"Lie here, Skye, till I get back, got it?" I told her, "Lock the office door, don't make a sound, and don't answer for anyone but me."
"I got it," she said softly, "and Elli? Try and bring it back alive?"
Hesitating, I nodded in agreement and left quietly.
The night sky was clear and beautiful, the moon so full and bright, I didn't even need my flashlight. I crawled through the hole in the fence, listening for sounds of the dead in the area. Hearing nothing, I took off at a steady jog for the woods. It felt good to run without being hindered by my heavy backpack. I felt light as a feather and as fleet as a white-tailed doe. I imagined myself a wild animal, part of the forest as I hunted food for my family. Slowing down, I crouched low, making not a sound as I waited for some unsuspecting animal. A crackling sound alerted me, and I listened intently in the direction it came from. The sounds of the dead. They never failed to terrify me, no matter how many of them I've killed, cause all it takes is one bite or scratch, and your zombie food. I hated night encounters because I liked to see all around me for escape routes. More sounds to the left and behind me, and I had the feeling I could be in trouble here. They came moaning and stumbling, in different stages of decay and rot. The fear was so overwhelming, I almost lost my calm reserve. How could anyone not be afraid of them? I smelled them before I saw them. Heart beating hard enough to be heard, I ran to the right, almost running right into the arms of three of them. Screaming shrilly, I ducked low and in between them, careful not to fall and have them fall on top of me. Whipping out my gun, I shot two in the head, and the third I got through the eye with my knife, plunging it to the hilt. Two more came out from behind some trees, hearing, at least I think they hear, the sounds of struggle and came right for me. Shooting them, I didn't see that I was being targeted by three more to the left, until I felt a hand grab my shirt. Spinning deftly, I was backed into the trunk of a large tree as they surged forward. Was this it? After all I
'd been through? I didn't want to get eaten alive! I screamed in terror, knowing that this was it. I couldn't fend them all off because they were the newer dead, stronger and faster. Knowing I had two more bullets left, I put the gun to my head, not wanting to feel the agonizing pain that was coming. But just before I pulled the trigger, three shots rang out and the zombies dropped like stones, revealing a man with long blonde hair and a bandanna around his head. He looked like wild western hippie standing there with his smoking revolver.
Speechless, I stood statue still, the gun still pointed at my head.
"No need to thank or me anything," he said in a gruff voice. "I'll leave if you want to carry on, but I'd prefer it if you put the gun down and talked about it."
"Uhm," I managed, feeling stupid, "Thank you?"
He came over slowly, looking me up and down.
"You're not bit, are you?" he asked, and I shook my head no. "My name is Josh, nice to see one of the living. You okay now?"
Lowering my gun, I gazed wide-eyed at my savior, liking what I saw. He was tall, maybe six feet or so, no more than eighteen or nineteen. His eyes were gorgeous, a light green, outlined by dark, full lashes. If he were a girl, he would have been quite beautiful. He looked strong, his arms corded and muscled, shoulders wide and powerful. His hair was what attracted me the most. A natural blonde, it was long, with the ends spiraling into ringlets. To die for! Around his thin waist he had a belt armed with a small arsenal, which the survivor in me loved. The girl in me felt immediately attracted to this viral man, this protector. I'm pretty sure it was instinctual, but then again, would I have felt the same if he were ugly?
"Can I ask you something, Josh?" there was something about this meeting that made me a little suspicious. "How did you know that I was out here? I mean, what were you doing out here?"
He glanced at me, then looked down, like he was caught doing something bad.
"You don't miss a beat, do you? You found our sanctuary, the old water treatment plant."
My blood suddenly chilled and I felt the blood drain from my face. He must have noticed my face because he put his hands out and tried to calm me down.
"It's okay, Elli! Your little zombie girl is in good hands. We've been watching you for awhile, now. No harm will come to her, I promise."
I wanted to believe him, but trust was a hard thing to come by these days. Trust had to be earned. The world was different now. People we different. Humans are not the caring species we make ourselves out to be. The zombie apocalypse brought out the worst in us.
"How long have you been following me?" I asked him, "Since those thugs?”
"Yes, we couldn't help you, not then. It was too early to tell what kind of person you were. Skye is ours, see, and we lost her a while back when she ran away. She's actually my niece. We thought for sure we'd lost her back in town, but then we saw her with you. Your amazing, Elli, and I want to thank you for protecting and rescuing her."
I was confused, angry, and happy all at the same time, if that's even possible. Skye was with a group? I remembered her telling me she was with her uncle Josh but didn't put two and two together.
"Sooo, you guys knew she was bit and didn't turn?" I asked. "Is there anyone else in your group like her?”
"Yes, there is, actually. My little brother, Scout, and two other smaller children, Jaydon and Delilah. That group that's been giving you a hard time? The group that’s after you and Skye, they killed my other little brother, Andrew. The half zombie thing only seems to be affecting the small children.
"Oh, my God!" I gasped, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know about your brother!"
"Of course, you didn't, how could you?" he said, "Those idiots thought he was a full-blown zombie and they shot him. He was such a good kid, too! I swear, Elli, I'm going to kill Simon if it's the last thing I do!"
I put my hand on his shoulder. "For whatever it's worth, I'm with you, Josh. You know they're eating people, right? Living people?"
"Yeah, I know, the bastards. They got one of ours a few months ago. A girl named Iris. She was only twelve and they caught her down by the river about three miles from here. My whole group wants this guy dead. Speaking of which, come on, the others are anxious to meet you. I'm sure Skye is worried to death."
"I was trying to find her food," I told him, "How did you guys stay so quiet at the plant? I was sure it was empty! Also, Skye needs to eat, do you have something for her there? It has to be living!"
"At first we thought we were hearing things, you were so quiet," he laughed, "We could tell this wasn't your first rodeo. Oh, and as far as Skye is concerned, yes, Nilia went out and hunted for her, so she's fine."
"I've been alone since day one, Josh, but I was lucky. I had a good survival teacher," I told him,
"My dad, before he was bit, taught me. Plus, I watched a lot of zombie movies."
"Zombie Land!" We both said together, laughing. I liked this guy! He was cute, funny, and he was real. We talked and talked, really connecting on a deep level. We both fell into a thoughtful quietness, I wondered if he would have noticed me before this all happened. I doubted it.
As we walked back to the treatment plant in a comfortable silence, I couldn't help but wonder if he had a girlfriend there. Most likely, all the good-looking guys did. I remember my crush in school, Kevin McAllister. He was so cute with his untamed, curly dark hair and bright green eyes. He made my insides quiver every time I saw him. But he didn't even know I existed because his girlfriend was one of the most popular girls in the school, Mandy Sanford. I recall one time when my locker wouldn't open, he stopped to help, much to my chagrin. Just as he was going to open it, Mandy happened to come by as she was changing classes.
"Hey, Kev, fraternizing with the commoners?" she laughed, giving me dirty look that said, 'he's mine'.
At least he had the good grace to look apologetic before he quickly left me to greet her with a kiss, laughing at her statement.
Life wasn't like that anymore, though. In this life, there are no boyfriends waiting to steal kisses in the hallway or jealous girls on the sidelines hoping to steal him away. No more hoping you get asked out to the prom or wondering whether you made the cheerleading squad. No more cell phones and selfies, or Instagram and Twitter. No lunchroom lines or school assemblies. You were either a survivor or an eater of flesh. A lonely, harsh reality straight out of a George Romero movie set. I wondered if Mandy Sanford made it. I highly doubted it. She was probably taking a selfie when she was bitten.
The dark corridor in the water treatment plant, illuminated by our flashlights, cast long, eerie shadows that shimmered and moved as we walked. At the end, Josh knocked on a red door. Three loud knocks, then three soft ones. The door opened revealing a skinny, one-eyed boy of about eightyearsold, with a horribly scarred face on one side. His long, unruly dark curls hid some of it of his scars, but I could tell he'd been through some major trauma. He glanced at me shyly, then hugged Josh around the waist tightly.
"This is Scout, Elle," Josh said, hugging the boy back, "He's my little brother. I found him hiding in a dumpster all by himself. Apparently, his mother put him in there just before she turned. The first thing he said to me was, "Are you my brudder now? I told him yes, and he's been with me ever since."
My heart melted. This wonderful, compassionate young man was reaching hero level.
"I told you I'd be back, bro, didn't I?" he told the boy, tusling his curls. He looked at me bashfully from under Josh's arm.
"Hi Scout, I'm Elle," I said, kneeling. "Your big brother saved me today, what do think of that?"
"He's awesome," Scout said, the adoration apparent in his gaze, "He saves everyone.
After locking the door securely behind them, Scout took his brother's hand, pulling him forward towards a staircase. We walked down two flights of stairs and I already felt safe. At the bottom, we went through one more door, and another long corridor that opened into a large dorm like room. Looking around I discovered
there was a small kitchen and the sound of a generator that wasn't audible from above. A running refrigerator, stove, and small washer that looked like heaven. I was suddenly aware of how filthy I was, and felt my face grow hot with embarrassment.
"We have a shower here, as well, Elli, if your interested," he told me, "I can get you a change of clothes, too."
"For real, Josh? A real shower?" I asked, "What is this place?"
"We think that even though it was a working water treatment plant, this bunker down here was no accident. Someone knew something big was going to happen. We even found a walk-in freezer stocked with food!"
"Are you kidding me?" I said, "Are you saying that this zombie thing was anticipated? People knew it was going to happen?"
"We don't know for sure, Elli, but from the clues they left behind for us here, yes, someone knew," Josh said, making me curious as hell. "Let's go meet everyone in the family room. Skye is dying to see you."
We walked through another door and I was immediately greeted by a sea of smiling faces, most of them children. They ranged anywhere from ages six to tenyearsold, and more than a few showed signs of being just like Skye; a hybrid. One little girl caught my attention. Her blond, curly hair was covering one side of her face, hiding a gruesome bite from one of the dead. She was angelic looking, even with the bite. Her huge blue eyes looked up at me with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
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