LAST DAWN OF A HORDE
Chapter Six: The Fallen
~John~
“I’m eating lunch here,” I
said.
We arrived at the
warehouse with nothing but knowledge that we shouldn’t be poking our heads
around outside; about Daniel’s sick death; and about our desperation to find
our other classmates. I dropped my satchel on the hay where I usually throw my
things over, and gladly everyone here didn’t look like they are so catchy on my
things.
Jules and Stanley met the
other group that foraged food, and by the grimace Jules made, I perfectly knew
that the food gathered (looted,) wasn’t that enough.
The rescue troop had
separated. Katie, J.D., and Jet sat by their sections. Their classmates were so
worried for them. I can see their return was already a big leap of relief.
Gray was hugged by his
nice girlfriend, Kat. They almost strangled each other as they knew that there
will be a time that they can’t do more things like that when…Well, it's not a
good thought to ponder. Then I saw Leo almost flying down the stairs as he
gives Jet a tight hug and kiss on his cheeks. Obviously, that classmate of mine
really is enchanted by Jet’s manly charms.
By the time I was eating
heated lunch (by the best friends Noe and June,) with Jules, Stanley, Rolcene,
Perry, Miguel, Jet, and Gray, I noticed Adrian and Geno by the stack of hay. I
didn’t see them have lunch, and instead, they were sharpening the dulled arrows
Jimmy probably made . They even borrowed Jules’ katana to fashion arrows
from birch tree boughs they snapped a while ago.
I filled my stomach with
good hazelnut soup infused with parsnips, lamb chop in orange sauce, and a few
rabbit legs the girls roasted. I’ve never been satisfied for food before, until
now. But there’s a matter to discuss.
Before Jules can pull
himself out of the table to go to his slumbers, I talked to him.
Rolcene said, “Okay! Plan
B for tomorrow guys! Carry on!”
When he was gone of
earshot, Jules said, “What is it that you want to talk about?”
I cleared my throat. “Are
we having salvage team tomorrow?”
Jules sighed. “Yeah. But
have you heard?”
“Heard what?”
“Some group of three were
out of the base,” Jules said. “Anee and Camille told me that the trio went to
volunteer on finding James and the others.”
The thought itself was
dangerous, but it lit up hope in me. “Just as we arrived?”
Jules nodded. “In case you
worry, Mr. Eddington, I tell you we have four cell phones here.”
My eyes widened. “Cell
phones? Some had brought cell phones?”
We sat by the hay where I
stowed my things, and Geno tossed the katana to Jules like nothing bad
will happen if the scabbard slipped and the blade slashed its owner’s face.
Geno stood up. “Thanks!
We’ll have lunch!”
Jules continued. “Four. I
know it’s against the school rules, but thanks to Gregory Guns’ puny school
policy. One cell phone was available from the second section, one from junior
students, and two from us Josephites.”
Cell phones.
“Is it ready for use?” I
ask desperately. “And hey, the hundred of us here aren’t just seniors?”
Jules sniggered. “Of
course not. About more than half of the count are fourth years. Then the left
are assorted. Some students don’t even recognize us, but I let them stay. A
life I reject will be a life tormenting my conscience forever.
“About the cell
phones…well, obviously, if you are bringing cell phones at school, you can’t
bring your charger unless you want to be obvious,” Jules said.
“How about bringing extra
batteries?”
Jules grinned. “Stop
asking skeptically, John. It’s just some of us don’t really expect zombie
infection every day, right?”
I nod.
“It’s good that one
sophomore and Daniel had constructed a universal battery charger out of stupid
wires and junks we found when we cleaned the warehouse. But the charger can
only charge one battery at a time, and unless the warehouse’s power goes out
when the government sees the stupidity of keeping city electric lines open, we
can fully charge one battery for twelve hours,” Jules explains, and takes a
good breath after.
“Twelve hours?” I
repeat.
He nods at me, and then I
hear Ella playing with Patricia and Jamie. “Oh oh? I took the letter U! Ask Kat
out there! My word should be YOU!”
Jamie answered, “So? You
can’t repeat a word that is already there!”
Patricia turned to Prince,
who was reading a small blue book with a title The Power of Six. “Dad!
Isn’t it the rule?”
I remembered—these girls
are calling him Dad since our junior year. In return, Prince heeded the
nickname.
He turned to the girls, and he said, “Yeah, you can’t
repeat a word.”
Ella looked smugged, but
she elbowed Jamie and they all laughed as they started tickling each other.
When Prince met my eyes, he smiled at me.
“Hi, father,” he said, and
he sunk his eyes back to the book.
“Hello, son,” I said back,
trying to smile so he won’t figure out, or anybody else—that I’m emotionally
broken far from near repair. I used to call him my son, as we were all calling
each other as members of a family as far as we want.
Seeing my classmates happy
ironically stabs me hard on the gut. If I see them in harm…well, you’ll call my
condition emotional breakdown, by then.
Jules chuckled. “You
should’ve seen them play chess,” he tells me. “Rolcene lost to Perry by a good
triangle form, and Rolcene made Gray really mad at him when he threw the chess
pieces all over the place.”
I smiled.
“Well, to answer you,
twelve hours is long, and we are all scheduled to call,” Jules said, wincing
like he was telling me a bitter news. “You want to call your mother? Go with
the line. There are a lot of students wanting to have a line to the outside
world.”
“Who will you call?” I asked.
“Isn’t calling costs almost six times the cost of instant messaging?”
Stanley suddenly sat
beside me. He was holding a cell phone, which looked pretty battered up like
ten owners had used it. “What was fun here, is that some companies are giving
free calls and text.”
“Really?” I asked
sarcastically, and Stanley dozes off as he called someone.
“Well, I’ll call my mother
first,” Jules answered. “But of course, the communication companies are keen to
notice long calls, so twenty students must call for about…thirty seconds each?”
I rolled my eyes as I
shooed him away. “I need to sleep.”
~Jules~
I was watching the sun go
down with Leo, Stanley, Jet, and Miguel. We were all witnessing the sun go down
for the second time. It should be the third, but in case you forgot, I didn’t
have enough time and peace to watch the sunset after we reached this warehouse.
Leo wrapped his arm around
Jet’s biceps, and even though he didn’t seem to mind, he was wincing like Leo
was something of a poison to him.
Jet sighed. “How long will
we stay like this?”
Miguel caressed the shaft
of his badminton racket painted gold. He takes good care of that racket, and I
would be happy to see him use it as a weapon against the zombies. “John is
asleep, right?”
I nod. “Wake him up at
dinner later.”
Stanley threw a rock on
the road. Leo didn’t like it, as Stanley hit a zombie right in its head. From
down the road, we heard a growling sound.
Leo slapped Stanley’s arm.
“Stop it. You’re scaring me.”
“Oh come on, these faggots
won’t see us,” Stanley said, making Leo angrier.
Leo was pulling Jet away,
saying, “Let’s go, babe. These freaks want to die.”
I looked skyward, and I
can say the sky is clear—so orange, and no single chopper was twirling around.
It’s just the zombies down of us that made me worry a bit.
Stanley was containing his
laugh. “Miguel, go with Leo and Jet. Go warn the others. Shut the windows up,
lock the metal door hard, and stay put until we come down.”
Miguel nodded reluctantly,
but he was pulling Leo and Jet with him to the rooftop trapdoor. Leo shook
Miguel’s hand off and clung to Jet like he’ll die if he lets go.
Jet didn’t look like he
want to go, but knowing him enough, I know he’ll be patient and tolerant to
Leo’s gender issues. He didn’t bear a single fault for being handsome, though.
If there’s a word handsomer,
that would be me. Just a joke.
I turned to Leo. “Leave
Jet, please? We’ll talk. Can you have Gray instead?”
“Gray? Oh, Kat is there.
She’ll shrug me off.”
“She has the right,” I
said. “She’s Gray’s girlfriend.”
Before he can argue,
Miguel managed to shut the guy (or going gal,) with him inside. Jet sighed, as
he had just been out of serious trouble. Jet’s face glistened with sweat, as if
Leo gave him a hard time.
“That gay’s freaking me
off,” Jet said. “What is it you want to talk about, anyway?”
I saw a very tiny dot over
the horizon. Something inching closer. But I didn’t want to focus on it. I
replied, “About your classmates and the other students inside.”
I tell him everything I
want to tell him. I was seriously doubting about everyone’s safety, and like
John, I can’t take any responsibility for a hundred lives. He was listening
carefully, and I gave Stanley a look that told him “Don’t throw rocks, you
bastard.”
“Well, we still don’t know
where their loyalties lie,” said Jet dejectedly. “But if they think of
treachery…”
“Then we’ll throw them out
here!” Stanley chortled, throwing another rock down. Neither of us knew where
it landed or what did it hit, but there’s a groan. I decided to sneak a peak,
and it’s not a good sight.
On the once clean roads,
hordes of zombies marching senselessly filled in. They were all hungry, and
when one saw me, he bared his grimy teeth at me, and raced towards the
warehouse wall. The wall should be thick enough, but I backed away as if it’s
going to reach me.
For as stupid as they are,
they can’t figure out how to reach us here on the roof or even the people
inside. I trust our metal doors, and if the infected can do it, they’ll need
about ten six-footer zombies stacked one by another just to reach the
warehouse’s top.
“Where did they come from?”
Jet asked. “Yesterday they weren’t that many.”
I agreed. I am now seeing
that sparkling dot over the sinking sun. It grew larger, and when I knew what
it was, I almost muttered something terrible.
“Let’s go inside. Choppers
are approaching,” I said, beckoning Jet and Stanley to the trapdoor. When I was
the last to go in, I heard a real serious whirring of helicopter blades.
I closed the trapdoor just
as I hear bullets being fired from up above, making the undead scream and groan
for a while.
“Kill the lights!” I
ordered. At once, Rolcene pulled the electric switch literally, shutting all of
the lights off. I was to scold him as he broke the switch Daniel arranged, but
I had gone down the base to gather everyone.
“When you hear choppers
around, run as fast as you can and hide,” I said with might, as the others
looked terrified, especially my female classmates. “We all know what will
happen if the police will see us, right?”
I hear a chorused “Yes”
and they all looked upset.
Just as the helicopter
stopped shooting and it sounded like it’s getting away, I raised a hand,
signaling everyone to scatter as we are temporarily safe again.
John looked at me
consciously. “It’s getting dark,” he said hopefully. “Can I—just me—find the others?
I can’t really sleep peacefully.”
I sighed. Before I can say
“I’m sorry John, but we can’t risk anyone now, especially you” we all
hear an audible yell.
“HELP! JOHN! HELP US!”
It came from outside, and
from a girl. It sounded panicked, and the door was being knocked hard.
“Sophie!” John yelled, and
as quick as a blur, he ran towards the door, and opened it. I come to see who
are behind the door, and it made me gasp.
Sophie, my fellow math
whiz classmate, was with two boys. The other one unrecognizable had blood
splashed around his face, as if he dipped his face in a pool of blood. The boy
standing next to him helping Sophie carry the bloodstruck guy was holding a
sharpened birch tree bough.
The girl placed a familiar
glasses on the bloody boy. I immediately recognized him.
Matthew.
I helped John and Jet
carry them inside, and a zombie took us by surprise.
Matthew was breathing
laboriously while Jimmy was soaked in his blood. They were all inside, but
suddenly John burst out of the warehouse to rescue Sophie who was pulled by a
buff zombie.
“No, you freaking bastard!
Let go of her!” John bellowed, and I wanted to tell him lower his voice, but I
didn’t. The zombie can’t have a bite on the screaming and shaking Sophie
because John was constantly pulling her into safety.
I stood there like I was a
complete useless guy. Just someone labeled ex-president. I shifted my eyes
inside, and I yell, “Geno! The katana!”
Geno bolted up, raised my
sword, and threw it in the air. Gladly no one was hit, and I caught the hilt. I
turned to John and Sophie again, and I can see the zombie was struggling to
take a bite on Sophie’s exposed arm…
I took off the scabbard of
the katana. Like a brainless lunatic, I charged.
“GERRRRROOOOOOOOOOOFF!”
Blood splashed on John’s,
Sophie’s, and my face. Sophie was finally free, and when we hear a thud as the
infected dropped on his knees, we staggered inside. More zombie lunged towards
us, and before I closed the door, I slashed off three zombie heads one after
another. I don’t care if they can still move without brains. I went inside,
still bloodthirsty for action.
The warehouse looked like
an evacuation center.
Matthew was being cleaned
by Noe, June, Grace, Camille and Anee. The next moment I saw them tending to
his injuries.
Sophie was cleansing her
face from blood, and told me, “Matthew’s not infected, don’t worry. He hasn’t
been bitten.”
“Where did he get his
injuries?” I asked.
“He got shot,” Sophie
said, wiping her face clean. Just her face.
I made a tsk-tsk
sound. If you have open wounds and injuries, then probably you don’t want to
hang around near zombies to let them spew their green saliva or their dirty
blood on your wound if you don’t want to get the virus. Whatever this virus is,
it’s so contagious.
John was done rinsing his
face, but left his whole body drenched in blood. “Don’t worry, I’ve got no
bite. Or wound.”
I nod. “Are the girls
tending Matthew fine?”
John glanced over his
shoulder to the table where Matthew was lying. “I don’t think they’ll make it.”
I nodded again. So far,
injuries and wounds caused not by zombies are the ones we can quickly heal
here. We looted a lot of syringes full of chemicals we don’t know, cotton
balls, liters of betadine and alcohol, bandages, and multivitamins on the
school’s clinic. Better to get it ourselves than letting the others get it for
advantage. Water is not even scarce here.
But we can’t treat gun
wounds.
“We really need to see a
doctor,” I said.
John looked anguish. “A
doctor? Where?"
Jules looked at me with
large brown eyes.
"Oh come on, Jules.
Going downtown again will not do.”
He seemed to read my mind.
I shake my head.
“Where’s Jimmy?” I asked
instead.
John pointed on the second
floor, and I see Jimmy sitting with a circle of students I recognize—Adrian,
Geno, Perry, Stella, and Gray. I can see them patting his back.
I sighed. “These things
are getting worse.”
When John looked on the
floor, his eyes widened as if I tell him a good idea.
“Where’s James?” he asked
me.
I don’t want to lie, so I
shrugged. “Jimmy was with Sophie and Matthew. No more.”
John looked so bothered.
He literally fell on his knees, hopeless. I bend my knees and join him, and he
wasn’t even crying. He looked like a robot being turned off.
James.
So taking it all in…from
the twelve of my classmates leading out of the school…Only four—no, five
survived? This is madness. It’s like I want to smash another zombie head into
pulp.
“John, it’s okay. We—we
will find your esprein. Tomorrow will be a good time. I’m sure we can
ask Sophie about him.”
I left John and approached
Sophie. Kat was helping in rinsing her arm, but she went away when I came. “Oh,
Jules. I—I think I’ll go. Yes! I need to fill the bathroom’s water tank! Yes!”
Then Kat Long set out,
carrying a blue plastic basin full of dirty water.
I sat beside Sophie. I
want to do this quick.
“Is James still alive? Or
the others?” I asked her directly.
Sophie looked like she
wants to cry. “We d-don’t know! James disappeared from us! And then…and
then…Matthew got shot! Jimmy speared two of the SWAT team! And then…and then…we
s-s-saw this warehouse, and the zombies are around, so w-w-we thought in
desperation that some people m-might be inside!”
I tapped her back, and she
didn’t cry. Good thing.
“Zombies can smell?” I asked
her, without inciting anything about the incident.
Sophie nodded. “T-They
can, so even in full dark, they can eat us!”
“Ssshh, ssssshh,” I said,
tapping her back continuously. She finally broke in tears, and I waved for
Prince and Ella to attend to her. Prince set down his blue book, and knelt by
Sophie’s side.
“Sophie? What happened?
Tell us,” he said, without having to pressure Sophie.
I left the three of them,
and I went back to John. He was still down.
“Come on, John, stand up,”
I tell him, raising his heavy biceps but they didn’t budge. They felt heavier
than lead. “Come up, little boy. We need to do something, plan things for
James, find out where he is hiding, and we’ll send good troops to rescue him
and—“
I was stopped.
I dropped John’s arms, as
I perfectly knew I hear an explosion that made my ears throb like crazy. In
short, it was too loud to bear.
Some people must’ve
dropped bombs from the sky.
~James~
I was dreaming.
I don’t know what these
dreams do to help me, but as far as I know, I was escaping zombies right now.
To be exact, four were chasing me. I know they can smell me, and we're playing
hide and seek. Just before they can see me, I’ll squash their heads with the
club I had in my hands.
But the problem was I was
asleep. There’s nothing I can do to free myself from slumber.
The sun stirred up hotly on the skies. As if it mattered
to us.
Today was one of the biggest fight for the boys—I was one
of the players, and the game was against Jet’s section. The flat ground was
bone dry, and all of the audiences are carrying umbrellas and wide fans with
them.
Standing before the six of us were the high net and
another six boys playing the last match with us. It was the playoff already; we
lost one time and we defeated them. They did not lose yet, making a playoff
between us. If we win, our class gets the trophy—boys and girls for volleyball.
If we lose…then we get the second place.
I was on the very front center. Our lineup was Leo, me,
and Perry for the front line, and on our backs were Jules, Geno, and Miguel.
Miguel has the ball, and ready to serve.
Second set came. Jet’s class got the first set of fifteen
points against our twelve points. If we lose the second set, it’s over. They
win.
The current score for the second set was ten to
five—we’re the five. Sweat glistened on our faces, and the sun’s position
against us wasn’t a good one. We kept squinting and eventually lose the ball.
Miguel got his serve. His serve wasn’t high, and when I
thought it will not pass to the next side, it did. Jet let J.D. get the ball,
and he tossed the ball back to us.
We almost panicked. Our classmates were cheering us, and
when my muscles moved, I volley the ball back to the other side. From their
side, Jet spanked it off and if it wasn’t for Perry’s strike, it would’ve
landed on our side.
Ten to six. The referee whistled, and the class of St.
Joseph burst into cheers.
“Nice one,” Jules the captain ball said as he tapped
Perry’s back.
The referee whistled again. Miguel got the ball on his
hands. He spiked to serve, and the ball touched the net. It wasn’t volleyed
back, so it was ten to seven. Jules called for a break, and five minutes were
given to us.
I hear Rich cheer from above the grounds bleachers. He
was munching peas, and I hear him say something close to “You can do it guys!”
We formed a circle. Jules came to our ears.
“Go to defense,” he told me. “Leo, catch the ball only if
you can, okay?” he tells Leo.
Leo nodded, his thin mascara wearing off slightly.
“Just a few more points to fifteen, guys. Serve well, and
let the ball if you see its trajectory falling for outside. Get it?” Jules
tells us, his breathing really heavy. He got consecutive games for today,
making him extra tired.
“Fight St. Joseph!” Perry urged.
“FIGHT!” we replied in chorus, followed by applauds from
our classmates.
We set ourselves on the field on the same position.
Miguel was on the serving line for the third time, and from behind, I can hear
Jules urging him to get a good serve.
He used spiking again, and the ball hit the net. Murmurs
of disappointment grew from behind, and Ellie yelled, “Substitution!”
They all laughed, with Miguel raising a peace sign with
his index and middle finger. Score was eleven to seven. The server for the
other side was Luke, and his serve ball flew very high. I set myself under the
falling ball, and yanked it to the other side. They broke lines and none of
Jet’s classmates hit the ball.
Eleven to eight.
The ball was given to us, and Perry was next to serve. He
received a lot of good luck cheers, and he threw the ball to the other side. We
turn into position, and I was near the net.
I jumped as high as I can, and spiked the ball downwards.
The referee blew, and it was eleven to nine. I kind of
get a lot of high fives, and before I stepped on my position, the ground seems
to turn to clay. My feet sank, and when I was calling for panic help, I was
suck to the earth.
And then I got to my senses.
It was already dusk, but I can see a dozen of zombies
pursuing me endlessly. At first I was asking myself desperately why they never
run out of energy, but now I’m telling myself Any distance from them will be
good. Run till you die, James. Better die from anything else.
I was sure the road was very near—the traumatic road
where Jasmine was shot on her head guaranteeing she was dead. The dirt and land
was sloping up, consuming my energy real quick. I always turn left to right,
and nothing was coming for help.
No one.
I found a club out of a fallen mango tree, and held its
rubbery bark. I held it tight until my hands turned chalk-white, and I faced
them.
They are coming.
I was very sure I’ll be hopeless; the match will be one
to twelve killing zombies who got nothing but their desperation and instincts
to kill. I got this bough. I was sure if this will endure the onslaught, but I
was also sure that hitting some students with this will earn me a case.
First zombie that looked like a grandpa out for a walk
came for me. Branch ready, I blurt out, “Sorry!” and then his head was gone. He
crumpled down, and still it didn’t satisfy me.
More came next, and the
bough I was holding was still intact, with just a squirt of blood on its tip.
The second and third zombie came together, and while they were far from me, I
thought they just want to attack me together. But as they drew closer, I saw
that they were like Siamese twins—their sides are intertwined, making a punch
on my gut.
“Twins,” I whispered. To
save my energy, I just poked in their middle, and they go down rolling the
hill, screaming all they want.
Four zombies came next. I
swat my bat on two of them, and I felt the bat I was using twitched—it’s about
to snap. The other two attacked me from behind, but I horse-kicked them, their
limbs so fragile their legs came off of them.
Five was scowling at me
from the distance. With one quick stop, they lunged uphill for me. I was just
about to prepare my bat for a swing, but the branch snapped. My only weapon
broke.
“You bitches! Want me to
use martial arts, eh?” I said like a crazy lunatic. The first one was obviously
aiming for my arm. I pulled her hair with my right hand, restraining her from
taking a bite on me. My left hand punched her stomach, and I didn’t expect her
innards to spill out that quick.
Before I can wipe both of
my hands clean out of sticky blood, two came on my front and back, sandwiching
me between them. I closed my mouth, as their mouths were drooling infectious
saliva. They were growling at me like they were dogs and I were a freaking
mailman.
My fists drove the one in
front of me down, while I elbowed the other one on my back hard I swear I heard
its ribs cracked. They both fell, and then I felt like I was running out of
breath.
The last three came. No
more zombie was following, and I was about to feel a heave of relief when I had
thought I can take them down.
But I couldn’t.
Two of them were boys, and
the other one was a skinny little girl in her soiled white daster. Their eyes
were all bloodshot, and I came to wonder if I became one of them…
No.
I remembered Andrea’s
resisting of the infection, and now I swear these puny little undead won’t stop
at nothing to kill me. And then turn me into one of them.
I balled my fists until my
veins were literally gone, just my flesh turning turnip-white. I taunted, “Come
here, little shitheads! Taste my fists!”
Well, one part of me told
me I didn’t do anything good. They became angrier at me. The burly zombie about
six feet tall pinned me hard on the ground. I want to yell out fury, but he was
dripping blood on me.
I thought I was ready to
escape some infected guy two times heavier than me. I was corrected as the
other skinny boy came wobbling on his knees, approaching me. And behind him was
the little girl as bony as he is. Both of them looking excited.
Will they earn a bit of
flesh when they munch on my brain? I don’t think so.
Groaning in delight of his
dinner, the big guy pinned my right arm I can hardly feel I still have an arm.
I was struggling hard, as I see his mates sprinting closer.
Help, I say in my
mind.
He was about to take a big
bite on my feebly twitching right arm, but I punched him straight on his face.
His nose broke, making another gush of blood on my face.
“That’s for you, ugly!” I
taunt.
He got his hold loose, and
I bend my left knee up. I yanked him off me, and he landed on my side. The
problem is not yet done. I was about to stand up, feel my arm was still
working, but the two undead got my back on the ground again.
I felt my spine was about
to snap and break, and this time the two felt heavier—even though they’re
awfully thin and malnourished.
I hear a wolf howl from
nowhere, and I know that if I escaped this three I’ll face a mountain wolf
next. It’s okay, at least I’ll die without having that stupid virus.
With one scowl, the girl
looked up the sky like a wolf, and darted her head towards my exposed neck,
with the other skinny boy holding my whole body down. Then I finally saw that
somehow, zombies cooperate.
I pulled my numb right arm
free and knocked the life out of the girl who landed on the struggling muscle
zombie, headless.
The little guy didn’t seem
to be happier than he can have me himself. His face frowned, or what I can see,
his reddish teeth bared at me.
He screamed hard like a
rabid dog, and I just closed my eyes, waiting for sharp teeth puncture on my
exposed neck.
Only that I didn’t feel
like I got bitten.
I was rolled blindly to my
right, my face buried in dirt. I was lifting myself up, and I heard a terrible
howl from a wolf, which I assume, same as the one I heard a while ago.
In the darkness, a gray
doglike figure stood furiously in the dark. He was barking—in a sense, as one
weakly shaking figure.
The two thin zombies.
I was about to scramble to
a run, but the wolf didn’t seem to notice me. Knowing wild animals like them,
they usually harm people since they’re untamed. But it seems to look at me,
straight in my eyes.
I bolt upright, and
moonlight sent a faint light on the wolf’s stern face. I see its golden eyes,
but something more was shaking my guts.
I think I hear it speak in
my mind.
Go, James. I bought you
time. Go, find the others. Save yourselves.
Feeling silly, I gave it a
nod, and it nodded too. With one quick jump, in descended on the woods, running
so fast it turned to a blur.
I felt nervous, not
because I felt it speak to me; but because I think I know who will tell me
something like that.
Den.
Before I break to tears
upon remembering her memories, I got to my feet, and realize that the zombies
almost crushed my legs. I had a hard time walking, and a step feels like a stab
on my heels.
I got no bite wounds, but
I got scratches I don’t want to know where they came. I got to the road, and
before I can look around, a full hand covered my mouth, and one arm pulled me
off the road.
