"I'm so tired and we haven't eaten anything in over a day." Von said breathing heavily. "Why do we have to keep running so fast?"
Up ahead the rest of the group stopped to wait for the two of them.
"I told him to keep up...it's not me." Nina said. Von got annoyed by this comment. Yeah he knew he was the slowest in the group but was it necessary for her to smear all over him too?
"We can't afford to slow down." JC said.
"Where are we going?" Von asked. JC looked around in all directions. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." Von stammered. JC only glared back.
"You have something to say Von?" He asked.
"Why don't you, for one second, just quit pretending like you know what you're doing right now."
"You know what I do know? I know that we wouldn't be slowed down as much if you weren't so..." JC stopped himself.
"So...what?" Von asked with questioning eyes.
"Okay let's just stop this." Susie got in between the two of them. "We have to figure out what we're doing."
"NO." Von pushed through her. "You were about to say something JC. SAY it."
"Don't push me." JC said not looking at him.
"SAY IT. JUST FUCKING SAY IT. If you're such a bad ass, such a leader, such a..."
"If you weren't so FAT." JC interrupted. The group fell silent. Jiko's mouth dropped.
A cold ball of ice formed in Von's throat and it became impossible for him to swallow. He could feel the tears welling up inside. He didn't want to cry in front of all them...he was perceived as the weakest already that he didn't want to add this to that list. So he ran.
"Why did you have to say that!" Susie slapped JC in the arm and ran after him.
"You guys! You can't just run off like. It's not safe." Owen said.
JC shook his head. "Now he runs." And he went to a nearby tree, dropped his bag and sat down.
Ahead Von kept running, unsure what the point was. He looked everywhere and saw a clearing up ahead. He got to the clearing and stopped running, gasping at what he saw.
"Von, wait up!" Susie said and she noticed him up ahead at the opening to a clearing. "Von, what is it....what do you...oh...my..." Susie couldn't finish her sentence. Von just looked at her and looked back at the mountain of dead bodies piled up one on top of the other. He walked ahead.
"Von stop!" Susie said but he didn't. Von went closer to the pile of bodies. She was now curious and joined him.
"Do you think zombies did this?" She asked.
"No....look at the bullet holes on all of these bodies. I don't see any bites or scratches."
Susie walked around the pile. There must have been at least 100 bodies on it, if not more. Who had done this? Why did they do this? And how have no zombies found these bodies for themselves to eat?
"I found a gun!" Von said from the other side of the pile. She couldn't see him by this point. "Oh and bullets!"
Susie kept looking around and noticed something moving back and forth through the bushes.
"Hey Susie! Do you know how to shoot this thing?" Von said coming around. Susie got him to quiet down as she approached the bushes. As she got closer she realized that it was a little girl rocking herself back and forth, her head tucked between her legs.
"Are you okay?" Susie called out the girl. The girl didn't notice and continued to rock. "Hey...we're here to help."
"Susie, I wouldn't..." Von said pointing the gun at the child, shaking.
"Von, it's a little girl, she needs help." Susie reached for the girl as she continued talking to Von.
"We're not going to just let her sit..."
"SUSIE!" Von screamed. The little girl's head shot up. Her eyes were completely black, blood dripping from her mouth. She jumped up and lunged at Susie.
BANG.
"What was that?" Owen said.
"SUSIE!" JC got up and started running towards the direction of the shot. Everyone else followed suit.
"Oh god." They found the pile of bodies and the other two standing over the body of a little girl. Von was holding the gun shaking.
"Susie!" JC ran to her and took her in his arms.
"He saved me....Von saved me." Susie said. The group looked at Von who tried to give a little smile as he shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I know how to shoot this thing..." He said. Everyone laughed.
A few hours later after walking through the dense forest they noticed the exit and Susie ran ahead realizing where they were.
"You guys! We're near Friendship Heights." Von's eyes grew realizing he too noticed where they were.
"And isn't that?" He pointed to a house. Susie nodded.
"That's Elizabeth Kingdom's house..."
The group walked to it as the door swung back and forth slightly in the stale breeze...
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