We Are The Hunted (Book 1): We Are The Hunted

by Matlin, Perry T.

  "You ready?" he asks me, never taking his eyes off the infected, trying to break through the glass. I shake my head, not sure if I can speak at the moment, but then a thought crosses my mind. I need to speak. I need to tell him; in case these are my last words.

  "I… Paul I... I love you" I tell him, and he nods briefly, before finally turning to look directly at me. I know he doesn't feel the same, I know he never will again, but the look in his eyes is so tender in that moment.

  "I know. I know Ben. Thank you, and I'm so sorry" he says. Paul grabs me by the shirt then and pulls me to him. His lips find mine. It’s a brief kiss, a passionate one, and it’s everything. He pulls away, before turning back to the glass. In that moment, the glass gives way, and the dead tumble into the lobby before us.

  NINETEEN

  The dead tumble through the broken door, and fall upon each other, as I take a step back. Paul looks over at me, and then we take off running. I round the corner into the bathroom, just as the first dozen or so find their footing. They begin to stumble to us, so I run right through the door. Skidding to a stop, as Brooke slams the door shut behind us, I see that our plan has a hitch. The windows don't open, and they are the thick glass that is not broken easily. Chase is currently going at the glass with all of his might. I can see the frantic look in his eyes, as he pounds his bloody fists to the glass. I can see small fissures beginning to form, but they aren't spreading like they need to. I look around at everyone else, as they huddle around Chase.

  "What are we going to do now? We need to get out of here because they are coming, and nothing is stopping those... those things out there" Paul says, looking back at the door.

  “Chase hurry. Oh my God hurry” Brooke cries. I see that she has her hands protectively over her stomach.

  At that moment, the first noise of the infected fills the room, as they collide with the door. I see as the entire door almost comes away from the hinges. I frown as, Brooke takes a big step back. Chase turns to look at us, as he hits the glass again. With a noise like a gunshot, a small nugget of glass flies out of the window, causing the whole window to collapse into itself. Chase knocks the glass out of the frame, and pushes it all away, before working on the bottom pane. I grimace, as the blood runs down his arms.

  "Hurry daddy, they're here" Peyton whines, not knowing what else to say, as tears stream down her terrified face. I wish there was something I could say to comfort her, but I don't know exactly what to say. I've never been great at the whole concept.

  "I'm trying baby, I'm trying. Give me just one more... shit" he shouts, never looking away from the newly shattered window, as he cuts his fingers to ribbons.

  He knocks the entire frame of the window out, making it large enough for us all to crawl out of. I almost jump with joy, as he ushers Lily through the window. She drops through the window, before turning to reach for Peyton. That's when the door flies open. I whip around and watch as the dead spring into the bathroom. I hear someone begin to scream, as we all dart backward. Paul and Drew reach for their crowbars. The dead are rushing at us, filling the room with their foul smell. I'm just about to turn to the window, when it happens. I watch, as the closest infected topples over, landing just before Brooke's feet. She stumbles back, screaming in horror. The thing grabs ahold of her foot and won't let go. I reach for her hand, but it's too late. The thing pulls itself onto her and takes a big bite out of her thigh. She screams in pain, tears running down her face. She grabs ahold of my hand, and I pull her away from the thing, but it holds on for dear life. I’m crying, tears streaming down my face, as I play tug-of-war with the thing. Brooke is screaming, her eyes filled with the realization.

  I'm trying to pull her up, when another one comes at her. With two of the dead on her, she is too heavy to pull. I'm trying still, when two more fall onto her, and then her hand is yanked out of mine, and she disappears beneath the dead. I can't even see her anymore. I can hear her screaming, her voice ringing in the room, as agony floats from her. Then she stops. The noise is cut off, as Brooke dies. Tears flood my cheeks, when I see them pass over her. She's dead, and now they don't want her. The blood is pooling around her. Chase looks down at his sister, his eyes full of tears. I move away, as Drew kills the things on top of her. Paul shoves the garbage can under the doorknob and manages to get it closed. The door rattles but stays still otherwise. We really need to get out of here. Riley falls through the window at that moment. The door begins to rattle dangerously, as Emily crawls through.

  "We have to get out of here, before anything else can happen" I scream, as the door shudders. Paul looks at me, before signaling for Ryan to flee. I'm ushered next, but I refuse to leave him here. Thomas goes next, but at that moment Brooke stirs. She rolls onto her side and sits up dazedly. I can see the red color of her eyes and know she has turned. She is gone and is one of those things. We have to get out of here, or she will kill us. It's just the four of us now, and someone needs to go through now. I briefly wonder if the baby would have turned too.

  "Ben come on. Please hurry" Emily screams through her tears, as I turn to look at her. Brooke stumbles to her feet, and wavers before us. Chase lifts a gun out of nowhere and points it directly at her. His arm shakes slightly. Paul has given him Bill’s gun.

  “Ben come on, now” Emily cries, as she stares through the window.

  "I... I don't think I can do it" he says, his eyes glistening from the tears running down his face. I move to stand next to him, reaching over to steady his hand. He looks sideways. I can see the helpless look in his eyes, as he nods curtly, before turning to face his dead sister again. I feel the lump in my throat growing, as he readies to put her out of her misery. I take another step closer, as the door rattles again. The trash can is about to give way.

  "Chase...do you need me to..." I begin, but he just shakes his head, wiping the tears on his shirt. He looks at Brooke again, his hand not shaking, as he groans in agony. He looks so heartbroken, before he takes another step toward her. I stay frozen, my hand pressed to his, as he holds the gun.

  "I love you so much Brooke. You were my best friend, my sister through it all, and you helped me through so much. I will never forget you, but it's time for you to..." he pulls the trigger. A ringing fills my ears, but I can vaguely hear him finish his sentence with a single word "sleep". I look away, as Brooke falls to the ground, no more. She'll never smile again. He hands me the gun. She’ll never find her boyfriend or live the future she dreamt of. I begin to cry again.

  "Let's get out of here" he says, just as the door flies off the hinges, and dozens of the dead spill in. I jump backward, as they fill the space like never before. There is no staving them off, so we have to run. I turn just as Paul pulls me by the arm. He almost drags me to the window and goes to fling me through. I feel my elbow hit a piece of jagged glass.

  As soon as I hit the ground, I spin around, waiting for Paul to come through as well. I need him to be safe. I hear him shout, before he comes over the sill and lands beside me. I look at him breathlessly, before wrapping my arms around him briefly. He hugs me back, as blood runs down my arm. I turn to face the others. We're all gathered near the tree line, just outside of the window.

  "Where are they? What happened?" Riley asks, as Lily meets my eyes. She is crying silently. The look of tragedy tells me she knows what happened to her daughter, but does she know what just happened to her son? They seem to hang on my every word, and Peyton begins to cry as I speak. We stand there, just waiting but Chase and Drew don’t come out. I convince the others that they need to go get the cars ready. Riley argues with me.

  “I can’t leave him Ben” she tells me, tears streaming down her face.

  “I’ll make sure he gets out. Just go, or all this will be for nothing” I plead, their absence is becoming alarming.

  “I can’t. Ben I…” she cries, but Ryan pulls her gently away. Paul and I are alone. I take a step to the window, just before Chase jumps through the window. I can see the fear in his eyes.

&n
bsp; I stand there, the gun in my hand, as I wait for him to be free of the room.

  As soon as he is, Drew becomes visible. He goes to jump out, but something pulls him back. I run to the window, waiting for him to come back. He does. He jumps on the ledge, but their hands are all over him. They won't let him go, so I reach for him. I reach for his hand. That's when one of them bites him.

  "Drew, no! Please God no." I begin to cry, as more and more of the monsters attack him. He falls back, his hand nowhere to be seen. I try to grab for him, but I can see no less than seven bites, and I know where this is going. I know he's dead. He is going to die, and there is nothing, nothing at all that I can do about it. My heart shatters right there.

  “Drew, give me your hand. Give me your hand” I sob, trying to climb into the window after him. Paul is pulling me back.

  “Ben, just do it. I… tell Riley I’m sorry” he pleads, his voice a scream of agony. I picture him there, years ago. I picture us in class, on the boat, I picture him in his uniform. I picture him any way besides now, besides him dying.

  “I can’t Drew. Give me your hand please” I cry hysterically. He shakes his head, as blood pours down his neck, his arms, his face.

  I see his eyes rolling up in his head, as his body collapses into the ranks of them. I raise the gun, knowing what I must do. Knowing what he wants me to do in this situation. I point it directly at his head. I then squeeze the trigger with my finger. I know what is going to happen, before I pull the trigger, but it still doesn't prepare me for the splatter of blood, the deafening ring, and the way his head snaps back, before he disappears from view.

  "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry" I sob, as I back away from the window. I can hear them devouring his body, but I just take another step back, and then I feel an arm wrap around me. I feel Paul’s arm. My life has just changed forever. Chase grabs my arm and pulls me along. Paul holding tight to my hand. We run from the window, toward the cars and away from Drew and Brooke.

  TWENTY

  The three of us run from the bodies of our friends, our family. I can feel my whole body shaking. The blood from Drew is dripping down my face, fat droplets of scarlet guilt running slowly down my skin. I try to forget the look on his face, the way his eyes rolled up, the way his head snapped back. The way his voice sounded.

  I try to forget that I just killed my sister’s boyfriend, one of my best friends... I shake my head slightly, trying to push the images from my mind, from my memory. I feel my stomach rolling, my insides churning. I stop running, the trees spinning slightly, as I lose my balance. I collapse to my knees in the dirt.

  I throw up everything in my stomach. I feel my stomach revolting against me. I can’t get Drew’s face out of my mind. I can’t forget the look, the blood. I can’t deal with this. I feel a piece of me fracture then. I continue to heave, long past the time where the puke turns into yellow foam. Then I’m dry heaving.

  Paul places a hand on my shoulder, before reaching with the other one to grab my hand. He helps pull me to my feet and pulls me into a hug. I cry into his chest, unable to gain control. I feel my breath slowing then. His arms, his touch is making me calm down.

  “I can’t believe… I just… Paul… I… I killed… him” I say, the tears streaming down my face. He grips me tighter. I finally manage to stop the tears. I pull away from him, my body shaking still. Chase is leaning against a tree. His face buried in his hands. He’s crying uncontrollably.

  “We have to get to… get to the others” Paul stammers. We both turn to him then. The threat of the infected comes back to the forefront of my mind. I steady myself. My body is still shaking, my breaths are still bated. I move forward anyway.

  The three of us begin to stumble forward. Paul is nearly dragging me along. I keep looking back. I know we need to get out of here, but I feel shattered. Something is different inside of me. Part of me wonders if I’m suffering some sort of mental breakdown. Wouldn’t that just be fitting?

  “We’re almost there. Just a few more steps. You got this” Paul says, pulling me gently around the corner. Chase seems to have regained composure, though his lips are white, his eyes still streaming with silent tears for his fallen sister.

  We finally come into view of the others, and I take in the success of our plan. All of the dead are gone. Inside, feasting on the bodies of Brooke and Drew. Chase turns away from the group then. He runs for the building.

  Paul takes off after him, leaving me to stare after them both. Chase comes to the broken glass at the front door. He removes something from his pocket, it glints in the moonlight. Then he holds the flame to the bushes situated against the building. They erupt into flames. I watch in a horrified stupor, as the orange flames lick up the wall of the rest area. They spread rapidly. It lights up the whole clearing. Within seconds, all the dead inside are engulfed with the building.

  I turn to Riley then. She’s looking at me, her eyes question marks. She’s searching the darkness for the man she loves, the man that will never come back. His head snaps back again, in the center of my mind. I shudder.

  “He’s… He… Riley… I’m so sorry” I plead with her. My face is soaked with tears again. I can feel the panic gripping at me. Cold, rotting hands of anxiety, she is staring at me, her face as white as paper, her eyes filling with tears. I rush at her, pulling her to me tightly. Emily comes over then. She takes one look at us, then she begins to cry as well.

  “How did it happen?” Riley asks me simply. She pulls away, her face stained with tears. She pushes her blonde hair back, trapping it in a sloppy ponytail. She studies me, noticing then that the blood is streaked on my face, my clothes. I know then that she knows what the blood is from, what I must’ve done.

  “He was climbing through the window… and they pulled him down. They devoured him Riley. I was trying to pull him out, but he was gone. He was dying Ry. I saw his eyes, he was gone. I didn’t… I didn’t want him to become one of those things. Oh my God Riley, I’m so sorry. I shot him. I killed him. He told me to, he said he loved you and oh my god, he told me to kill him” I sob. Paul comes up to us then. Chase on his heels.

  Riley is looking at me in a way I’ve never seen. She is trembling from head to toe. I can see accusations there. I have the blood of her boyfriend on me because I shot him. I murdered him. She takes a step back, my hands dropping helplessly to my sides. Emily is looking at the blood with fear in her eyes.

  “He was already dying. He was bleeding out, Ben just made him not turn. You should be thanking him” Paul says suddenly. His voice soft, his eyes bright. I look at him fully then. He is staring right at me. It makes me feel better, not healed, but better.

  “We should get going” Thomas says suddenly. I snap back to the group beside us. We are going to waste their sacrifice if we don’t get out of here. I nod then. Looking at the cars, I wonder who I should ride with.

  “What if we just go with our own groups in each car?” Lily suggests, moving to stand beside her son and granddaughter. Her eyes are swollen from crying. I see that Peyton is crying hysterically into Chase’s shirt. I move to stand by Riley and Emily. They don’t look at me. My own sister and brother won’t meet my eye.

  “You can ride with Paul” Riley says under her breath, as she makes her way to Emily’s car. Thomas and Ryan follow along. Emily stands there, looking at me sadly.

  “She’ll understand what you did. Give her time Ben” she says, tears running down her face still, as she pulls me into a hug. She snakes her arms around me, sending all her love to me. I kiss her on the cheek, taking in her scent again. She turns then, leaving me as she heads to her car. Chase, Peyton, and Lily head for Chase’s car then. Paul, Lana, and I are left there alone.

  “I’m gonna ride with Thomas” she says suddenly, leaving us to stand alone.

  “Uh, no. I don’t want you out of my sight” Paul argues. Lana stops, she makes a show of rolling her eyes.

  “You’re not my father Paul. I’m riding with Thomas” she challenges, before leaving hi
m to stare after her dumbfounded.

  I look at him. He watches his sister go, then turns to me. He jerks his head to his car, and I follow wordlessly. I feel a breakdown coming on.

  “Are you... Do you need…” he tries, as soon as we’re in the car alone together. I start to cry again. I feel the hot, salty tears raging down my face.

  “They hate me. They hate me, and I’m a murderer. Paul… it hurts so bad” I tell him. He lifts the middle console up then and pulls me to him. I cry again, soaking his shirt with tears. He holds my shaking form for several minutes, before moving away. He cranks the car to life, and I buckle my seatbelt. He pulls from the parking lot, leaving the burning building behind, leaving my innocence, my sanity behind as we go into our futures.

  The tears stream down my face, threatening to stay forever, to never give me a second of peace. My mind is shooting fractals of agony, fractals of nearly incapacitating memory at me like bullets. Lodging into my sanity, latching on like intruders sent to destroy me. I’m once again consumed by the image of Drew, the image of him crumpling to the floor like a puppet whose strings were cut. My mind puts the moment on replay. His rolling eyes, his lifeless body, his blood splattering onto my face, his head snapping backward with the force of my shot, the force of the bullet, my bullet. The bullet that ended him.

  We continue to drive, the darkness enveloping us as Paul continues down the abandoned road. The others have quite the head start because of my breakdown. I can’t even see them anymore. Paul reaches over and grips my hand comfortingly. I look over at him.