by D. K Lake
I looked at Josh, and I think we were both thinking the same thing.
It looked as though he mouthed the word, run.
Run? I wasn't the most important person here, I wasn't about to run off and leave everyone behind.
“Crazies!!!” someone bellowed loudly behind us, and we all turned around to look.
One...two... three...four...five
Fuck!!! Why was I even counting? Run!!
Guns started firing all around. Lena grabbed my hoodie sleeve and started pulling me away from Gil and Neville, who both looked a little unnerved by the scene that was quickly approaching in mass.
Gil produced a gun from his waist belt and started firing, I didn't even know what he was firing at. Deadbies? Lane? Josh?
The calm forest suddenly turned into a war zone as more gunfire sounded around us. Then another, single, gunshot went off, but this one was close. I looked back over my shoulder and saw Josh holding my gun, and then I saw Gil in a heap on the ground.
Serves him right. I hope he burns in hell. I thought.
“Alex! Run!” Lane shouted, just as a deadbie rushed toward us and fell to its knees next to Gil and started chowing down on him.
I turned to look for Lane but another deadbie, a screaming deadbie, was heading my way and I had no weapon. I searched the ground for a weapon but they were all gone from where I'd last seen them. Then I saw Lena and Dan jumping over the fallen tree, weapons in hand. I had lost track of Lane as the deadbies were swarming around us like bees. I had to run. I dodged around the deadbies and took off into the trees, not stopping to look back.
I heard someone yell, “RUN!” behind me, but in all the confusion I had no idea who it was, and I was already running, so I pushed myself to run faster.
I ran as fast as my legs would allow, the whole time I was aware of someone behind me, I kept running, afraid it was one of Gil's men or a newbie after me. I stumbled but someone caught me by the arm and I found myself being propelled forward.
“Keep going!” he urged, and I caught a glimpse of the person who was holding the top of my arm and pulling me along.
Green hair. Drew.
We raced down a leafy verge and both ended up toppling over and rolling down the hill. I tumbled to a stop at the bottom, but it took me a lot longer than it should have to get back on my feet, I was sore and ached all over, and my legs and arms weren't cooperating the way they should have, so Drew pulled me up.
“Are you okay?” he asked, trying to catch his breath.
I nodded, and as soon as I responded he was already leading me away from the hill. I looked back over my shoulder to see if anyone or anything was following us. But there was no one, I wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. It was good that there weren't any deadbies behind us, but not good that I couldn't see Lane, Josh or the others. Drew grabbed my hand and started pulling me away as I was dawdling, I was waiting to see if one of our group came over the hill.
He led me around the trees, I had no idea where we were or where we were going. I only hoped Drew knew the way back. Every tree looked the same to me. After another twenty minutes of solid running, I had to stop. I pulled my hand from his and slowed down and bent over.
“I can't go any further, I need to stop for a sec.” I leaned against a tree, breathing heavily and gasping for air.
“Where did everyone go?” I asked between breaths.
“Took off, like us.”
“Did you follow me?” I asked.
“Did I follow you? Um, yeah, I saw you take off on your own so I took off after you.”
“Why didn't you go with your own group, you know, Lena and the other two.”
“'Cause Lena and the other two can take care of themselves, plus I was nearer to you when everyone scattered.”
“Where were you? Did you see what happened to Luke? They...they..” I couldn't even say it out loud.
I felt like it was my fault he was dead. He was only here because of me and now he was dead.
“No... I got there too late.”
A twig snapped nearby, and we both looked around, on edge. Drew put his finger to his lips and we both hid behind different trees, as approaching footsteps grew louder.
They definitely sounded like footsteps, not the deadbie-shuffle-dance, where they zigzag all over the ground. I stayed still, watching Drew as he tried to peek around the tree. I couldn't be of any help, I had no weapon on hand, not unless I counted my teeth, but I hadn't planned on going cannibal just yet.
I heard another footstep... it was close.
“Gotta ya!” said a familiar gruff voice from behind me as he grabbed hold of me, and held a knife to my throat in one swift movement.
It all happened so fast I didn't have time to react, but his stench gave him away before I realized who it was, Neville.
I felt the blade graze my skin as Neville raised his other arm up and pointed a gun at Drew.
Drew already had his crossbow raised and pointed at us.
“Ah ah ah.” Neville said, breathing down my ear. “I wouldn't do that if you want your girl here to live.”
I caught Drew's eyes, they flickered to mine then back to Neville. I was half expecting Drew to take off at any second. I think anyone else would have. Drew was faster than me and could probably outrun this unfit sleazeball behind me, I was amazed Neville had managed to outrun the deadbies and catch up to us. All Drew had to do was duck behind a tree and he'd be gone... Goodbye, Drew.
I saw the side of Drew's mouth curve up. Instead of running he was actually trying not to smirk at Neville. I think Neville knew, and I felt the blade dig in a little more.
“You think this is funny, boy? I'll show you what's fun-”
Neville didn't get to finish that sentence. Something whizzed past the side of my face, it was so close I felt a small gust of wind, and a second later the blade dropped away from my throat. I looked down at the ground and almost screamed, all this murdering and blood was becoming a nightmare. But I didn't scream, I was frozen out of shock that Drew had fired the arrow so close to my own head. So I stood there like a gormless idiot, gawking at the dead-Neville on the ground.
“You can thank me later.” Drew said, pulling his arrow out of Neville's head.
“You could have shot me.”
“Yeah, but I didn't.” he said with a cocky smile.
Drew bent over again and picked up the knife that Neville had been holding, it was Luke's knife. He then detached the knife holder that Neville had stolen from Luke. He wiped the blade clean on his own pants, cleaning off what I guessed was Luke's blood, and maybe a deadbie's or two, then he slid the knife into the holder and handed it to me.
“C'mon.” Drew said with his back to me already.
After another fifteen minutes of Drew running, and me running (or trying to), I fell against a tree, trying to catch my breath. Drew looked over his shoulder, slowed down and jogged back to me.
“Alex, c'mon, we gotta keep moving! We can't keep stoppin'”
“I don't think I can run anymore. I think I might pass out if I run anymore.”
My head was spinning.
“That pack is heading this way, we need to keep going.”
“Can't we climb the trees like last time?”
“And what if those guys come this way, they'd shoot us down.”
I straightened up and looked back the way we'd come.
“What about the others? We need to go back.”
“Are you insane!?”
“No, but they're my friends, I need to look for them, they might be following us, if we just head back a little...”
Drew shook his head and looked behind us.
“No. We keep moving. We're lucky we made it outta there, there's no way I'm going back, not with a pack of deadbies headed this way. Those dicks on the bikes must have drawn them to us.”
“And what about your friends? You're just gonna leave them?”
“I saw them run off together in a different di
rection. Evan will know I'll be okay, and he won't come looking for me, he knows I'll find my way back to them on my own. I want to keep going...this way.”
“And what about Lane, and Josh... and Stacey?”
“By now they're probably halfway in a different direction. Look, I ain't gonna stand around here all day having this conversation. Now move your ass!”
Drew grabbed my arm and yanked me along with him.
“All our stuff is back there. We have nothing! We need to go back at some point and get our stuff.”
“Our stuff? Don't you mean their stuff? Everything we had is now in their hands, that is if they survive that, they had a lot of ammo, they could make a dent. But if I have to sacrifice my bag then so be it, I'm not going back. Right now it's a bloodbath back there, deadbies fighting over fresh meat.”
“You mean... Luke?”
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to picture the scene. I had purposely looked away, but my warped mind kept recreating images of what it would have looked like.
Drew slowed down and turned to face me.
“Alex, there were more of them than us, and I don't want to find out how many more of them there are. Those guys had vehicles parked on the road, full of more ammo, I can guarantee there will be more of them.”
“But Josh shot their leader.”
“Leader?”
“Yeah, that, Gil, guy.”
“I'm sure they have a backup, I heard one of the guys on a walkie talkie, talking to a base-camp, there are more of them, and I don't want to hang around in case they come looking for us.” He leaned closer. “And I think it's been a while since any of them have had any female company.”
I knew what he was talking about but I didn't say anything.
“You think they'll survive that deadbie attack?”
“I don't know, there were quite a few guys and most of them had automatics.”
“Automatics?”
“Guns, Alex, guns.”
My head was such a mess, for a moment I had no idea what he was talking about.
“C'mon, let's just keep moving, and when I say we're far enough away we'll find somewhere safe for you and I'll go back on my own, but right now we need to get away from this area.” he said, walking off.
“What? No! I need to come back with you.” I said, hurrying to catch up to him.
“No, you'd only slow me down. I'd be quicker, and quieter on my own. Once the pack moves on I'll go back.”
I came to a stop and shook my head, not liking the idea of him going back on his own, and me being left on my own.
“Just keep walking. You can argue with me on the way.” he said.
We hurried through the trees, speed-walking so I could keep up. I didn't know how long we had been walking for, I guessed a good hour, through leafy foliage, and down steep muddy hills, until we eventually came to a road. The road was dead straight, and stretched further than my eyes could see, in each direction.
“Is this the same road?” I asked.
“No.”
“No? Then where the hell are we?”
“Utah.” he answered.
“Drew, you know that's not what I meant.”
“This way.” he said, pointing his crossbow down the road.
“Why that way?”
“I thought you were headed to Argon, Colorado?”
“I am, I was.”
Drew nodded his head toward the road.
“How do you know it's that way?”
“'Cause I'm a better map reader than Luke and this way would have been the better choice as the road led straight through a town about five miles back that way, where we would have found a car.”
“Luke wanted to take the other road because it was the quicker route.”
“I know, anyway, it's a good job we didn't drop in at that town, I have a feeling it's where those guys came from.”
Drew muttered something else to himself and crossed the road into the trees. We carried on walking, keeping to the edge of the treeline, out of view from the road. The light was starting to fade and my feet were starting to hurt. I wasn't used to all this walking, I hadn't walked this much since before I arrived at the prison, and back then I was more in shape, and, well.. not dying.
I watched a bird flit across in front of me and disappear into the treetops. I wished I had wings and could fly away whenever I felt like it. I looked in front to where I had last seen Drew, only to find he was gone. He had been in front of me a few seconds ago, now he had vanished. I stopped and spun around. The woods were getting dark and strange shadows were starting to appear, or was it my eyes playing tricks on me? One shadow, in particular, held my attention. Was it a shadow? Or Drew? It was moving slowly through the trees to my right. I stayed still and watched as it passed another tree, then I heard a strange groan. Not Drew! And definitely not a shadow! I quietly hid behind the nearest tree, watching around the trunk. It hadn't seen me but it had changed course and was shuffling this way. I carefully slipped out the knife and held it in my hand, trying to decide the best way to hold it. If the thing saw me it was going to come straight at me, I would need to deal with it, but I wasn't used to using a knife and tackling deadbies, I was more of a beat the deadbie until its head caved in type-of-girl. I could hear the thing getting closer, groaning and gurgling, its feet dragging along the ground through fallen leaves. I suddenly came out in a cold sweat, and rubbed my hands down my jeans and re-gripped the knife. It passed the tree I was hiding behind and came to a stop.
Oh, come on! Really!? Why couldn't it have kept on walking? It tilted its head to the side and turned around and locked eyes onto me. It was a female, taller, and half its face was gone, its left eye was barely hanging in there, and I could see all its teeth on the left side because its cheek was missing. I stepped forward and held out the knife. This was the first time since I had left the prison that I had come face to face with one. And it suddenly felt as though I had lost my nerve somewhere along the way. It hurried toward me and I found myself backing away. I bumped into the tree I was hiding behind. It came at me full pelt and I raised the knife and tried to stab it in the head but its arm got in the way and the thing grabbed hold of my shoulders. I pushed against its chest and managed to hold it back, but its nails viciously dug into my hoodie. Not that it mattered, I was already infected, a few more scratch marks or bites weren't going to make a difference. I tried the best I could to stab it in the head, but the knife just got stuck and I ended up yanking it back out to try again. Trying to stab one in the head was harder in real-life than it was on the TV shows. It snarled at me, dribbled on me, like some crazed animal, all the while it was trying to take a chunk of my face. I felt my body sliding sideways and before I could stop it from happening, we had both toppled over and the thing was on top of me, and I had dropped the knife.
“Just great.” I moaned, trying my best to hold it back.
I may be dying but there was no way I was going to let one of them finish me off. I tried to push it off me but I think all that running and walking had taken its toll and it was taking all I had to hold it back at arm's-length. A second later it went limp, my arms gave up struggling and the thing collapsed on top of me.
“Ugh. Get off.” I said, pushing it off me, and it rolled onto its back and I saw an arrow sticking out of the side of its head. I laid back down on the ground, taking deep breaths.
Drew pulled his arrow out of its head and cleaned it off on his pants.
“What are ya doing down there?” He stepped over to me and held out his hand. “Not the best place to take a nap.”
I ignored him and grabbed his hand, and he pulled me back onto my feet.
“I thought you knew how to use a knife? What happened?” he asked, bending over to pick up the knife I had dropped.
“I dunno, I got distracted thinking you'd left me. And killing one with a knife is harder than it looks.”
“Not if you get 'em in the right spot.”
“Where were you? Y
ou just vanished.”
“I was over there, and I thought you were following me, then I turn around and find a deadbie on my ass and you've gone. I thought you'd gone back on your own.”
“No. I just lost track of you.”
“Well keep up this time.” he said.
I followed him back the way he had walked, walking around the other deadbie he had killed. In front, there was a tall wooden building.
“What is this place?” I asked as he opened the large door.
“Dunno, some barn, but it's got a load of goodies inside.”
“Goodies? Please tell me that's not another word for deadbies?”
Inside the barn was dark but a few small, open windows on the balcony above let a little light in. He closed the door behind me. I saw a pitchfork leaning against a hay bale, then I looked to my right and saw a load more hand-held instruments for cutting wheat and other various farming items, but all I really saw was a stockpile of weapons. Curved blades hung on the wall, a rake leaning against it, more pitchforks, and rope neatly wound up and hooked on the wall.
“What is this place?”
“There must be a farm nearby.”
“A farm? We're in the middle of the woods, I didn't see any farm. What are we doing in here?”
Drew made a clicking sound with his tongue and beckoned me over to the ladder.
“You want me to climb up the ladder?” I asked confused.
“No I want you to dance for me.” he replied sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes at him and climbed up the ladder. Then he climbed up behind me and I sat down on the balcony which overlooked the ground below and the door. Drew stayed by the small window watching outside.
“What are we doing in here? We need to be coming up with a plan?”
“A plan?”
“Yes, what we're going to do? The others are out there somewhere, and for all we know those men might have taken them hostage... or the deadbies might have...” I couldn't even think about it.
The image of Luke's gushing throat was still making me nauseous and I hadn't even seen it happen, my over active imagination was too real sometimes.