Blaze

by Amelia Oliver

  Kayla

  The pressure on my stomach eases; drawing a deep breath in I finally open my eyes. Someone’s here? A shoe scuffs the floor beside my head. The weight’s lifted from my stomach completely. Too dark to make out the features of my rescuer, I attempt to thank them. But all that comes out is a wheeze. Pain explodes behind my eyes forcing me to shut them. A grunt echoes in the space, and with it, my arm’s pulled free. I bring both my hands up to my head, the pain there unbearable.

  My fingers come away wet. The pounding in my head tells me my skull’s cracked open, the blood confirms it's bad. My vision swims as more pain spreads through my body.

  "Still," a gravelly masculine voice whispers into my ear. A finger touches my scalp, another grunt sounds. Oh shit, that isn’t one of my guys, too dizzy to panic I just lay there.

  "Bleeding. Stay," the voice tells me. Yeah, bleeding, no shit. It leaks from several places, the viscous liquid having gone cold beneath me, leaching the warmth from my skin. It's too late, I'm dead. It's just a matter of time. My mum told me stories of heaven as a child. A place you go where you no longer have to struggle to survive, where everyone’s safe. I couldn't wait to get there; darkness once again covers my vision.

  "Drink." Whoever helped relieve the pressure is back. Something cool splashes over my lips and I lap at it greedily. Liquid pours down my throat, causing me to choke on it slightly as it slips past my cracked lips.

  "Ah, shit." The pain in my body rages on, something’s broken. Maybe several somethings.

  "Can you stand?"

  "No," my croaky voice barely audible. "Leg," a gasp escapes me as I try to pull it free. "Trapped."

  A groan escapes me as the man attempts to lift the beam pinning my leg to the floor. The bone’s broken. I can feel it move when he lifts the wood a little, snapping into place when he lets it go again.

  "Heavy. Push, I pull." His stunted words stir a memory, but I can't grasp hold of it through the pain. Doing as he says, I brace my hands against the beam and push with all my might.

  "Yes!" It moves. Slowly but surely, together we move the wood from my leg. The pain eases enough for me to clear my eyes with the back of my hands. "Can't see the damage. Help me get to the hall?" Whoever this man is, if he'd wanted me dead or to hurt me, he could’ve already. Arms laced under mine; he starts to drag me across the floor. I scream out.

  "Shh. Panda." Odd jerky speech pattern. Perhaps he isn't a native? Pushing with my good leg I slowly rise. The man's hands never letting me go as I hop into the hall. The faint moonlight from the window allows me to see that my leg is indeed broken. Shit.

  I glide slowly to the floor, a small pool of blood at my feet. The skin’s broken, revealing bone. An infection will set in and I'll die slowly. What a shitty end to a badass life. "I feel sick," I say out loud. Pretty sure I'm about to pass out, I lean back against a hard body. He smells faintly of rotten flesh which reminds me of something. I'm forgetting what that smell means, but before I can figure it out darkness takes me again.

  Panda Alpha

  My female was trapped. Blood pooled on the ground under her and the beast in me clawed to be set free. The need to feed on her flesh is so strong inside me...but I resisted. The need to make her mine was far more powerful. Now she sits between my legs on the floor. Her leg’s snapped. The skin there broken and bleeding. Images flit through my mind. I can’t remember why, but I know how to fix it.

  I shuffle backwards, laying her head gently down. My clothing is what I have always worn. I don't remember anything else. Dark with a bright round shape in the middle. A smiling face. Lifting the bottom, I take off the top. Scrunching it up into a ball, I place it under her head. Then I return to my people.

  We'd been here for some time. How long I don't know. But when I arrived, I had pushed my way into this place. The colourful rags on the sides fascinate me. A picture in my mind tells me I have what I need to help my female. I just need to find it. Turning over boxes, the contents spilling out, anger wells inside of me. It's here, I know it. Placing a hand under the sitting thing in the middle I flip it. Nothing.

  I search until the space is littered with things, scattered over my people. Finally, I find what I'm looking for. None of the people here moved or looked up at me as I tore the place apart looking for the things I now hold in my blood-stained hand. Several sniff the air as I pass but they don't open their eyes. I rush back to my woman, grabbing a length of wood on the way.

  Kneeling next to her pale form I close my eyes. If I breathe through my mouth it isn't so bad. The scent of her blood torments my hunger. I will my mind to open, to remember what I need to do to save my woman. Images fly at speed through my mind's eye. I set to work as if on autopilot. Pouring the liquid in the bottle over the wound makes her gasp but she doesn't wake. I rip off what's left of the material on her legs, leaving her bare to me, but I don't look. Not yet. I want to be better for her, no longer a monster. She makes me feel, want, need. All the things I never thought I'd feel again after I died. For her… I would beat back this monster clawing from the inside. For her I would not fail.

  Hands working on muscle memory, I stitch up the wound. They don't work like I want them to, but the gash is closed and the bleeding’s stopped. My mind feels clearer as I wash her exposed skin clean with the water I found in the room she was trapped in. Full of scars, bruises and cuts, I can tell she's lived a rough life. Her hair’s coated in mud, its golden tones peeking through. Using the sharp edge of her sword I remove the rest of the clothes from her body. I wrap cloth around the wood and then around her leg, binding it.

  Feelings stir inside my chest along with something between my legs as I look at her face. Memories surface of a female in my arms, naked and alive. As I clean my woman, I'm reminded of my hunger as her scent permeates the air around me. Forcing my eyes to not look at certain places, I finish washing her. Beautiful. Leaving her in just a covering between her legs I move to the window. Not a sound comes from what I now remember is called a bus, I let out a pent-up breath. If I hadn't got here in time, if I’d been out in the wastelands, she would’ve perished.

  Kayla

  The copper tang in my mouth makes my stomach roll. Sticking my tongue out to lick my dry lips only serves to crack them further. "Water," I croak. A hand tilts my chin and water pours into my mouth.

  "Chris," the croaking male voice says.

  "Huh?" I ask, completely confused.

  "Name."

  Oooh, ok. "You saved me, Chris. Thank you." I crack my eyes open a little. The sun streaming through the glassless window burns them. I hurt everywhere. Memories assault me. The roof, the pain. My body stiffens as I realise my head’s resting on the lap of a complete stranger. One who smells of death. I try to sit up, but he stops me with rough hands on my shoulders.

  "Head hurt. Stay," he grunts. Shit. I'm naked. Fuck. I do a mental scan of my private area, nope. Feels fine. He didn't hurt me. Something solid presses into my leg, a splint?

  "Why?" I clear my throat. "You could've just let me die. Why'd you do it?" The man at my back grunts, something stirs in my belly. Sitting up I slowly look behind me. "Argh!" He’s a fucking Panda! Shuffling across the floor on my arse, pain rolls across my entire body. Battered and bruised I push my back up against the wall with the window. I'll throw myself out if he bites me, I'd rather die than be one of those things.

  "Won't hurt. Mine," it says, head cocked to one side.

  Mine? Mine?! Is he shitting me? Blue eyes stare at me past the black area around his eyes. Looking past that, I can see he was once a handsome man. Square jawline, a light smattering of stubble across it. His nose leans slightly to the left. The area around his lips is black, but not as dark as the other Panda I've encountered.

  "How can you talk? You're infected!" I'm trying not to panic, the fact he’s made absolutely no move to eat me is helping. He shrugs his shoulders, the movement drawing my eye. I’m distracted by his bare torso and the lion's head gracing one peck, the other displayin
g an eagle. His toned abs lead down to very dirty green and brown pants. Army?

  Lifting a pile of black cloth off the floor, he unfolds it and slips it back over his head. I didn't see any bite marks and his bottoms are intact from what I can see. Where was he bitten?

  "Cleaned you," he motions towards my undressed state. "Didn't look. Name?" My hair covers my breasts and my legs are crossed. He sees nothing he shouldn't, but perhaps it's already too late.

  "Kayla. My head hurts." Lifting a hand to my head, a large bump and dried blood greets me.

  "Not broken. Leg is." I’ll be damned if I'm sitting here, almost naked, talking to a brain-dead zombie. I've either lost my shit or the world has. Could be both.

  "How?" He shrugs again, seemingly lost for words. His t-shirt has a big yellow smiley face on it, a huge contrast to the sad look on his. "Chris, you're a Panda, do you know what that means?"

  Nodding he looks out the window behind me. "Not like them. They listen, I tell."

  They listen to him? Like, he can train them? "Will they eat me if I go out there? I need some things."

  "No!" I jump, despite being on high alert, the shouted word from the Panda, Chris, sets my nerves on edge.

  "They… they’re in there," he clarifies. That's the longest sentence he's uttered. We both freeze at the unmistakable sound of paws running down the hall. Turning a corner Baby crouches low, a snarl on his lips.

  "Baby down. No! He's a … a friend?" Turning my eyes back to Chris's bright blue ones, I ask the question with my eyes. He nods then turns back to Baby.

  "Down," he commands. The timbre of his voice screams dominance, so much so Baby actually dips his massive head, laying on the floor, his golden eyes never leaving mine. Well shit.

  "Fuck I'm hungry," I say quietly to myself as I try to drag my t-shirt back on while Chris pushes from the floor. The muscles in my arms ache with cold, making it hard to get dressed.

  "Food. How?" he asks, his eyes searching mine. His handsome yet scary as shit face looks confused. I suppose Panda have a different diet than me. Is he even a Panda?

  "Um… I have some in my pack, in there." I jerk my chin towards the room that almost became my grave. When my head finally pops out from my shirt he's gone. The t-shirt’s ruined, so I tie it around me to hide my chest. Picking up my skin, I drain the last drops of water from it. I need water, but how am I going to get it with a broken leg? Grunts and groans come from the other room as dust plumes out of the doorway.

  "Chris?" Did more of the roof collapse?

  "What?"

  "You ok?"

  "No." A giggle escapes me as he emerges covered in dust and bits of plaster. Luckily his head is bald, so he'll just be able to pour some water over it to get clean. Realising that's not possible, I hold back a sob. If I can't get water, I'll die slowly. Walking over to me, Chris hands me a plastic tub. I rip the lid off to reveal moulding food. Shit.

  "Baby?" He lifts his head to look at me, "Food, boy. Please." My stomach growls and twists. Wrapping an arm around my belly, I groan. I've never felt so hungry in all my life. I've known hunger in intimate ways. Baby stands and slowly pads over to where I sit and licks my face. His long rough tongue feels like needles against my sore skin. "Thanks, boy. Fast as you can. Please." Turning he runs down the hall, the sound of his paws pounding down the steps the only noise in the building.

  "So-so-sorry." I turn my head so fast to look at Chris, I go dizzy. Did he just say sorry?

  "Why?"

  "Hunger bad. No food to give you." Damn. This Panda feels bad because he can't feed me?

  "Not your fault um, Chris."

  "Kayla! Kayla!" My name being screamed out sends shivers down my spine. I recognize that voice. Crowley. "My friends. Chris, the Panda! Please, don't let them eat my friends." Nodding he rushes past me jumping out of the window. Shitting hell. Grabbing the windowsill, I heave myself up off the floor. "Argh!" Agony lances through my leg. "Crowley! Fuck, turn back man!" I scream from above as he enters the area where Old Yella is.

  Kayla!" he yells.

  "Stop shouting, you fucking idiot! You're about to be eaten by a bloody group of Panda!" Pointing to my bus, I notice the first Panda emerge from my home. Oh, fuck me. Shit’s about to hit the fan, because Charlie and Connor run up behind Crowley shouting my name too. As they skid to a stop, they all stare at the Panda filing out of the bus just a short distance from them, then look back up to me. Shock and disbelief clear on their faces. "No!" I scream when Chris appears from the street at the side of the building I'm standing in.

  "He's a friend. They are not! Get into the building. Now!" I shout down while cupping my hands around my mouth to make my voice louder. They must hear me because all three of them race forward, cutting around the corner, feet sliding on the rubble littered ground.

  I have no idea how much control Chris has over the other Panda; I hope the guys make it inside without anyone being hurt. Leaning my ass against the wall, I wait. My leg throbs, my head’s pounding and the pain in my stomach spikes again. Dizzy, I sink to the floor. Once again darkness overtakes my vision.

  "What the fuck? Kayla! Kay?" Charlie all but sobs.

  Crowley growls, "Shit, look at her. She’s been beaten."

  "Do you think it was the Z?" Connor sounds pissed.

  "Nah. I don't see any bites. Unless they’re under this wrap," Charlie answers, his hands on my body. "Fuck! We should’ve gotten here sooner! But no, you just had to wait for the drop, didn't you? I knew I should've just gone after her."

  "Charlie, you would've been killed brother. Kayla will be fine just…" Crowley tries to calm the situation. My eyelids flutter open to the sounds of Crowley and Charlie at war with one another.

  "Char?" I croak, barely able to speak, the thirst in my throat burning.

  "I'm here, doll. Shit. Here." Charlie’s voice wraps around me. He’s here! Something cool touches my lips. My arms snap up and I wrap my hands around a skin, then greedily suck the liquid down my parched throat.

  "Oh. Oh my God," I gasp out.

  "Kay what happened to you?" Crowley asks. Charlie’s by my side and Crowley’s close, but I can't see Connor or Chris.

  "I'm here love. I’m here." Humour laces Charlie’s voice. His chuckle almost makes me smile, but the pain I'm in overshadows the joy I feel seeing them in one piece.

  "She's in pain Char." Crowley's face looks stricken as he looks from me to Charlie. Without a word Charlie bends and lifting my good leg to the side, he spreads my legs. Kneeling between them, he takes my face in his hands.

  "This will hurt, doll. I'm so fucking sorry." He looks like he wants to cry. Before I get a chance to react or ask questions, his lips crash against mine. My body spasms, muscles contracting painfully. Charlie swallows my screams as raw agony explodes through me. Stars burst behind my eyes. I'm mildly aware of shouting, the scrape of feet against the floor. A roar, human, not animal, more shouting as our lips press together.

  Charlie pulls back just as the pain fades, his face scrunched up in agony. "What the hell?" I gasp out. I feel… bloody amazeballs. Not a single inch of my body hurts, even the old injuries are gone. Charlie’s panting sweat on his brow. "Are you ok?" Reaching out a hand, I place it on his cheek. He's burning up.

  "Yeah. Just… need - a - minute," he replies between panting breaths. Looking to Connor than to Crowley, I wait for an explanation as Charlie lays his head down on the floor between my legs. My hand goes to his hair, playing with the golden locks.

  "How?" I look into Crowley's green eyes.

  "Charlie’s a healer. He can heal himself, and others. But… there must be a bond, otherwise it’ll kill him," Crowley replies, sadness in his tone. All the air leaves my body at once, leaving me lightheaded.

  "Is he dying?" Panic makes my voice higher than usual. Never before have I been more scared to lose someone. Not even my mother. But that's because I thought she was well protected. Three husbands should’ve been enough to keep her alive, but they failed. I now understa
nd. These last few months I'd blamed myself for not being there. For being cold-hearted. But it wasn't my job to protect her. It was theirs.

  "No." Charlie pushes himself up so only a breath separates us, and our eyes lock, blue meeting brown. The world fades, then disappears as he says,

  "I've never felt more alive Kayla." His forehead meets mine and a hand slips into the base of my mud-caked hair. Our lips touch and sparks of electricity jolt through my body as he tenderly kisses me.

  "I really like you, Kayla," Charlie whispers. A wide smile spreads across his face. He looks down at the small patch of floor between us, his cheeks turning red. An emotion swirls inside me, it’s been there since I first set eyes on Charlie, growing without me acknowledging it.

  "I like you too, Charlie." His face beams as he jerks his face back to mine. Even to someone like me, it's clear Charlie is absolutely fucking happy with my declaration. Smiling back at him, my eyes flick to Connor's odd coloured ones as he enters the hall. He squirms a little under my gaze. I wonder what he sees there? Looking into Crowley's eyes, I'm disappointed to see them blank of any emotions.

  "What the fuck was that Panda doing Kayla?" he asks, clearly very angry. The fuck?

  Huh? Oh shit. Chris!

  "Guys," Charlie moves back slightly so I can pick myself up off the floor.

  "Chris," I begin.

  But Crowley cuts me off, bitch.

  "Chris? First name basis with a zombie. What the fuck?"

  "If you'd…" I try again.

  "He talked to us, Kayla. Told us to go to HIS woman," Crowley practically yells at me.

  "Well, he…" Anger heats my blood, this mother fucker will not let me explain. I’m about to kick his arse.

  "He do this to you? Huh? Break your bones? Did he rape you too?" His eyes flick to the discarded torn knickers on the floor. Anger wells inside me.

  Without thinking I spring forward, grabbing Crowley by the collar of his black t-shirt; the damn splint on my leg making me trip and fall into him.