by Tahnee Fritz
Trevor shrugs, “Fine,” he says and the smile on his face fades, “We heard you found something that could change the fate of the human race. I heard it was something unbelievable and I want it.” He talks with more assertiveness to his voice.
Adam shakes his head and replies, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I figured you would say that which is why I have someone with me who will prove the truth.” Trevor states, “Come on out, Michael.”
Adam lowers his gun as we watch Trevor’s group of men and women move aside to allow the familiar bearded man walk through. He’s carrying a gun just as large as the others and wearing a smile so sinister it makes me sick.
“Sorry, Adam, but these guys want the same thing I want.” Michael says as he stands before us. “We all want a perfect world. One we can decide the fate of.”
“And how to expect to get that?” Adam asks.
Michael scans our faces until his eyes meet mine and he smiles, “With her.”
Trevor turns his dark eyes to mine and smiles alongside his new friend. My hands are shaking as I stare at the assailants across from us. All of them are after me and I can tell they are willing to do whatever it takes to get me.
Ryder and Carter step out in front of me, guarding me from our enemies’ prying eyes. I can’t believe I’m thinking this, but it’s a little strange having Ryder protecting me for once. Normally it’s the other way around.
“You see,” Trevor states as he paces in front of us, “I’m a man who loves power and being in charge. I’ll do whatever it takes to get that. What that girl can do, will grant me the power to control everything and I’m going to have her.”
Adam shakes his head, “I’m not going to let that happen. The world needs her more than you.”
“Oh, I’ll give her to the world, don’t think I wouldn’t do that,” Trevor says, “It would be on my terms only. This world needs order. The new race of humans that girl can give us will need order. I’m the one who can control it and make sure people do what I say and we will have a more perfect planet. Which is why you are going to do what I say right now and tell your men to step aside and let me have what I came here for. Unless you want things to get messy.”
Guns are raised by Trevor’s men and all of them pointed our way. I can hear the hearts of those around me beating faster and their blood is flowing nervously through their veins. Their heavy breathing tells me that some of them are considering laying their guns down and going home.
This isn’t what’s supposed to happen.
If I’m such a gift to this world, those humans across from us should see me as that and lay their weapons down in order to help me get my gift to those who need it. This man, Trevor, isn’t the type of man who deserves even an ounce of this cure to use to gain power over the human race.
“C’mon, pal,” Trevor states, readying his own gun, “make your choice. You can save all your men and let me have what I want. Or I’ll kill them all and take it anyway. It’s up to you.”
Adam doesn’t say a word. The pistol is shaking in his grip, I can hear the metal rattling between his fingers. He doesn’t want to lose any of these people he’s tried so hard to keep safe. His daughter is amongst this group, standing behind everyone, and I know he would rather die than risk her life again.
He stares at the enemy and shakes his head, “I’m sorry, but you can’t have what this world desperately needs.”
“Wrong choice, pal.” Trevor pulls out a small handgun from a hidden holster around his belt and aims it right at Adam’s chest.
I stare at Trevor’s beefy hand wrapped around the trigger of the gun. Everything seems to be happening in slow motion as I watch his finger tighten on the trigger. Adam is still a complete stranger to me but that doesn’t mean I want to watch him die. I take a quick step backwards, away from Ryder and Carter, and leap through the air, landing on the concrete in front of them. I let the faces of everyone blur as I speed by them in order to get where I need to be. The trigger gets pulled and even the sound of the blast is faint as I run up to Adam. I knock him out of the way and he lands on the ground a few feet away from me.
Gasps fill the air and exclamations of wonder escape their throats. I feel a slight pinch in my left shoulder as I stand in front of Trevor and Michael. I turn my eyes to my arm, feeling a trace amount of blood trickle down. The bullet hit me instead of Adam and I honestly don’t feel a thing. There’s no pain or the need to scream out in bloody murder. I am quite angry that I have a bullet lodged in my shoulder and my favorite hoody is ruined beyond repair, but I’ll heal and get over it.
“Well, holy shit.” Trevor exclaims as he stares at me with his eyes wide open. “I didn’t even see you coming.”
I glare at him through the shades covering my eyes. It really wouldn’t take much for me to destroy this man. The frenzy is already building in my gut and I would love nothing more than to rip open his flesh and enjoy the taste of human blood. The fear of what that taste will do to me is the only thing holding me back.
“You really aren’t human anymore, are you?” he says, his eyes scoping me up and down.
I grit my teeth and say, “And you’re really a pathetic asshole, aren’t you?”
“I think we might have our hands full with this little girl, boys.” Trevor shouts to his men standing behind him.
“You’re damn right about that.” I say.
I jump up and slam my foot into his chest, sending him flying through the air, landing on the street in front of his men. I can hear him gasping for air and he puts a hand to his chest. I have to admit, it felt pretty great taking some anger out on that guy. He definitely deserved it.
Trevor isn’t exactly reacting the way I want him to. He’s not bowing down in fear of me or what I could do to him. Instead, he’s sitting up on the ground with a smile on his face.
“Let’s see what else you can do.” He says, attempting to catch his breath.
On that note, a woman charges me, a sword in her hand and a demonic look in her eyes. She’s wearing an all leather outfit and part of her stomach is showing as she comes at me with her weapon raised above her head. This will be easy.
She slices the sword through the air, attempting to hit me, but I’m quick to swerve out of the way. A growl comes from her throat and she glares at me. I can’t help but chuckle at this. She sounds like an angry cat with a hairball caught in her throat. She lunges at me and I leap off the ground and let her pass under me. When I land, I spin around and connect my fist with the back of her head. A slight gasp comes from her throat and she falls, face first, to the concrete at her feet.
Like I said, easy.
Trevor sends another one of his goons out. He’s short and stout, with a black goatee. This one isn’t coming for me and instead is heading for Adam with a gun aimed for his head. I take a quick step across the concrete and, just as the man pulls the trigger, I’m able to grab his wrist and bend it at an angle I never thought I could ever do. I hear the snap and feel the bone break against my skin. A shrill scream escapes him and the gun falls from his grip. I take his broken wrist and twist it behind his back. Then, I kick the back of one of knees until he’s forced to kneel in front of me. I let go of his wrist, kick him in the back, and he falls to the ground knocked out completely.
“Thanks.” Adam says, getting to his feet.
I shrug, “No problem.”
I look to Trevor. He doesn’t seem very impressed with the two people he sent after me. He seems rather upset that I was able to take them down without breaking a sweat. I watch him get to his feet and his eyes instantly glare at me. Michael stands next to him, looking impatient. He’s itching for something, I can see his hands shaking at his sides.
“I’m tired of this.” Michael seethes. “Let’s get this over with.”
The first gunshot breaks through the air as Michael quickly sends a bullet shooting to my group. What follows is chaos. Screaming comes from both parties as everyone breaks out
into a small battle. People rush past me, anger in their eyes and their blood. I can’t seem to move my feet. The sweet scent of blood fills the air and my mind. It’s so close I can practically taste it. I want to taste it.
That magnificent odor makes my mouth water and the frenzy shifts from rage to hunger. It’s enough to take my mind completely off of what’s going on. The people around me change into something that isn’t human anymore. They’ve shifted into something that’s sending my urge to devour them through the roof. This is much different than the zombie or vampire blood. This smell, this new taste I’m can feel running down my throat, it’s all that I want.
I bite my bottom lip and start searching for the source of the blood. I know it can’t be too far away, it’s so strong and wonderful. My feet spin me around and I push myself through the crowd of fighting humans. The smell gets stronger with each step I take. There might be more people getting hurt all around me, maybe even dying, but my mind is too focused on getting to the source of this amazing scent.
A young man steps in my way, a knife aimed out in front of him. I snarl at him as I rip the knife from his grip and let him stagger backwards. I grip onto the collar of his shirt and fling him to the ground with another man that has fallen victim to this meaningless battle.
“Carter,” I hear Ryder’s voice breaking through the shouting, “c’mon wake up.”
I push someone else out of my way and reveal the source of the blood I’ve been smelling. I stare at him, lying on the ground with a puddle of his own blood surrounding his head. Ryder is kneeling at Carter’s side, frantically trying to get him to wake up. Carter’s eyes are closed and his chest isn’t moving any longer.
He was a friend of mine. Someone who didn’t deserve to die like this. Not at the hands of an enemy or the hands of anyone at all. He deserved to live a long, happy life in the world that I’m going to help survive. This never should have happened to him.
Ryder stares up at me, tears building in his eyes for the loss of a dear friend. I stand tall, my hands clench into fists.
“We warned you this would happen if you didn’t cooperate.” Michael’s voice clouds my mind and I turn around to face him, “We will end all of this right now if you come with us.”
I can’t find my voice. Not that words are the best thing for me to use at this moment. Anger is burning through me and it feels like my whole body is on fire. The monster in my gut has been granted the ultimate permission to take over and destroy this man standing in front of me. I take a step forward and the fight around me seems to disappear. He’s the only person my mind is letting me see right now.
Michael lifts his gun and aims for me, “Don’t take another step or I’ll shoot.”
“Go ahead.” I don’t recognize my voice as I speak.
His hand is shaking furiously and his aim is staggering. He accidently pulls the trigger and I can feel a pinch in the upper part of my leg. I stop walking and look down to examine the wound. Like my shoulder, I don’t feel a hint of pain, only the anger that comes from it. I lift my eyes to him once more and he lowers the gun.
I take all of my strength to push myself from the ground, leaping one more time through the air to come down on this man. I tackle him to the ground, the gun flies from his fingers, crashing to the concrete. He lets out a shout for help, but no one comes to his aide as I pin him down. He grabs my wrists, trying to push me off of him. His grip is tight, but nothing to stop me from twisting my hands around, digging my nails into his skin. He lets out a sharp squeal and lets go of my left wrist. I use my free hand to grab a handful of his hair and lift his head from the ground.
“This is for Carter and everyone else I care about.” I seethe into his ear right before slamming his head against the concrete so hard that his skull splits and his eyes close forever.
I lift my head and the shouting around me starts up again. The fighting comes back to my view and I get to my feet. The monster is slowly making its way down to the pit in my stomach it calls a home and I turn around. Ryder is still knelt beside Carter, no one has bothered to go near him. I hear a blast coming from my right and I turn my attention to the sound. Adam stands with a gun aimed in front of him and he moves closer to me.
“Bridget, I think it’s time for you to leave.” Adam says, “I have the proof you need gathered behind the blue house back there,” he nods to one of the houses at the end of the cul-de-sac. “Get them and yourself out of here. We’ll fight them off while you get away.”
“What about you?” I say.
Adam lets out a sigh and says, “Five miles from here, there’s an old truck stop. We’ll meet you there.” He points toward an empty field behind the houses, then goes back to fighting.
I nod and force myself to walk away. As much as I hate to admit this, I’ll be glad to get away from the fighting and the blood in this place. I make my way through the crowd and get to Ryder. I kneel down beside him and take his hand. He turns his red eyes to me and shakes his head.
“We have to leave.” I say, quietly.
He nods, “I know.”
He allows me to help him to his feet. He takes another, long look at Carter before turning away from him and running with me. Our goal now, is getting to the others and finding the truck stop Adam mentioned. As long as it’s safe and we can hide there, I’m sure we’ll be alright.
At least I hope we will be.
* * *
There are seven of us total and we’re being followed. I can hear the footsteps running behind us and they’re catching up quickly. Of course people would chase after us. This isn’t a perfect world where we can just walk away risk free. But, to be honest, I’d rather have zombies chasing after us right now. I don’t mind destroying them anymore. No matter how disgusting it is to think about.
I take a second to look over my shoulder. Three of them are sprinting toward us, one with a machete, one with a small pistol, and the other with just his bare hands. He’s bigger than the scrawny young man running beside him and the brown haired beauty a few steps behind. She’s the one with the machete and a horrible snarl on her face.
I look ahead, there’s no hiding places for us. A cluster of trees and a small shed next to a burnt down barn. The woods would be ideal to hide in, but I know the humans with me would never go for it. Vamps are too tricky, even with me there to fight them. We’ll never make it to our destination safely if we don’t get these goons away from us. There’s really only one option to get those three to stop chasing us.
My feet come to a complete stop and I let go of Ryder’s hand. This next moment I would like to use to gather the strength I need to defend myself and the others against the three bad guys running toward us. I close my eyes and let the stench of their sweat and blood drift up my nose. It seems like the frenzy I allow to build in my gut from the smell of human blood is what makes me stronger. I can feel the hunger burning, feel the anger coursing through my body. All I want to do is rip these humans apart piece by piece. I want to release the monster inside me and let her do what she is meant to do.
“Bridget!” Ryder shouts and I can feel him standing a few feet away. “We need to keep moving.”
Slowly, I open my eyes and look right through him. Hank is leading the three girls away from the madmen behind me. Jason and Ryder stay behind, smelling of concern and worry. That smell will help. It will aide in allowing my strength to grow to the right point so I can do what I need to do.
I turn around. The smaller man has stopped running, the pistol is shaking in his hands. The woman slows to a walk, readying her machete for use. The bigger man, stands behind them, arms folded across his chest and a sly smile on his face. I pass him the same smile and take in a breath through my nose. The little one’s fear is so intense I can practically taste him already.
The brunette storms across the weedy grass first with her machete pointed up to the sky. By the way she’s moving, she has no idea what she’s doing. I’m guess she is new at this whole thing and probably joined the g
ang because she was hungry and needed shelter. Fighting for her life right now is all she has. Unfortunately, she has to fight me.
This girl, dressed all in black clothes that are much too big for her, swings her weapon at my stomach and I leap into the air, avoiding any kind of scratch at all. I land on my feet, watching as she steadies herself for another swing. It comes right at my head and this time I reach out and grab the blade, feeling it slice into the palm of my left hand. A look of bewilderment crosses her face. Before she can pull the machete from my grip, I rip it out of hers and give her a swift kick to the stomach. The breath is forced out of her lungs as she flies a few feet backward, landing on the ground next to the bigger guy. He pays no attention to the unconscious woman at his feet.
I toss the machete to the ground and turn my attention to the young man. His hands are shaking as he moves the gun back and forth between Ryder and Jason. He doesn’t appear to be the threatening type, not with how small he is and how young he appears to be. This kid is probably a teenager and was most likely threatened to do this. I don’t really want to hurt him, but when it comes down to it, I’m going to do whatever I can. It’s survival of the fittest right now and I’m pretty confident I’m at the top of the being fit list.
“If you don’t come with us,” his voice shakes as he speaks, “I’m going to put a bullet in both of them.”
I raise an eyebrow and walk closer to him until I’m standing right in front of him. He stretches his arm out, the gun aimed at Ryder. He’s not going to pull the trigger. His lips are quivering and his whole body shakes as he stares at me. If a bullet does come flying out, it will be completely accidental due to his shaking.
“I mean it, I’ll kill them.” He tries to threaten.
I shake my head and say, “No you won’t.”