I had no other choice…I had no other choice…
“Please someone forgive me!” I prayed to whatever or whoever would listen to it as I smeared her blood all over me to feign an attack. I saw Jiko running into the house down the street so I figured I would wait in hiding until he came back out.
I was the one that caused everyone to flee the grocery store before the others got back with the cars. It was my turn to keep watch and instead of making sure that nothing happened, I saw a group of zombies and lured them over to me. I kept them just far enough away from me that I could get back in the grocery store, “forget” to close the door, and have them chase me inside.
“Zombies!!!” I yelled as everyone stirred in the store.
“Everyone! Weapons, now!!” JC instructed. Owen began throwing the weapons to other people and they all prepped for the onslaught, not realizing there were only five of them.
“How did this happen!” Lauren N. asked me.
“I don’t know but five got in! There are dozens more outside!” I lied. “We need to get out of here.”
Even though Ashleigh and I had been separated since Day 1, I knew we had to continue with our plan. We were able to give each other the nod a few days back when we fought a zombie horde…so I know she’s still on board.
I should explain myself though. I’m not a bad person, I swear. It’s just that Ashleigh and I knew that this was going to happen…it’s been a hushed conversation in her household for at least a few months now. A new medicine was being tested by her mother’s company that was supposed to cure all illnesses by temporarily suppressing certain brain activity, tricking the illness to believe that the body had “died” and to dissipate itself. This didn’t bode too well with those backing up the project and as money was being pulled out; the laboratory made drastic measures and began to experiment on humans.
The pill not only temporarily shut off the human brain, but it didn’t kill the infections the person had…it only caused the infection to breed through the body like an open playground. Somehow this combination caused the test subjects to reanimate with only the most primal and basic needs still functioning: to feed and survive. The test subjects didn’t care what they did to eat, but killing seemed like the most natural avenue and because of the amount of infection coursing through their bodies, it only seemed to make sense that the infection would spread easily and rapidly.
Ashleigh and I were eavesdropping a week prior to the initial outbreak. A test subject had escaped and infected several people in the small town the laboratory was in. Not the police, not the few military personnel that were deployed there, not anybody, could stop the rapid spread of infection. People were dying left and right…and within a day, reanimating just to feed again. It wasn’t for a few days until people realized that they needed to attack the heads.
“The head?” I whispered.
“It makes sense, doesn’t it?” Ashleigh explained. “They only have the desire to feed and what is controlling that? The brain…”
I was in shock.
But I digress. I haven’t explained how the two of us are involved…and seemingly trying to kill everyone else.
Her mother caught us spying and demanded what we heard. When we explained it to her mother, she broke down and began to cry. Ashleigh asked what was wrong and her mother began to explain to us the only way we’d survive.
“It’s going to happen any day now.” She began. “So when it does, be prepared to run for it. Your father and I need to go back and help with the situation…your parents are also coming with us Caroline. Meet us here. It’s the safest place you can be.” She handed us an address on a very official looking card. “They will only admit 4 people with this card. Survive. You need to.”
“Four people…” I thought.
We found out from Ashleigh’s mother as she was frantically leaving for who knows where, that there infected people coming from the pike. That was the day of our meeting. I knew we had a ticket to our survival but we couldn’t let others know. But we also knew that we couldn’t make it on our own…
The groups were too big. I wouldn’t be able to take everyone there with me. So I knew I had to slowly eliminate the group while getting us closer to the address on the card. If the plan succeeds, Ashleigh and I will be reunited and only two other people would have survived. This has to work, it must.
We all ran from the grocery store exiting through the back and down the street where the brick houses lined on both ends. People splintered at the sight of a small group of zombies down the street and somehow I ended up alone with Nina. She found a tree house in the backyard of a house and we climbed it, destroying the ladder on our way up.
“I think we’ll be safe here for a bit.” She said. The tree house had been previously used as evident from the used blankets and food wrappers that strewn the floor. We watched from out the window and could see other bodies running down the street, screams from some of the girls, and gun fire here and there.
“NO SHOOTING!” I could hear someone say.
Nina turned to me. “What should we do?”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure…can you see if there’s an exit we could take?” She went back looking out the window.
My heart raced as I pulled a dagger out of my bag. My hands shook as I walked closer to Nina, her back facing me.
“No but I think we’re safe to jump down.”
“I’m sorry.” I whispered.
“Huh, what did you say?” She turned around and screamed as I plunged the dagger straight into her heart. Her face was in shock as blood escaped her body.
“Why…” She said right before collapsing on the ground. I began to cry realizing what I had done. My mind racked around what I needed to do. There was no way I could just run out of here and no one question what had happened to Nina…I needed to come up with something. As if by instinct, I reached down into her wound and began to smear some of her blood on me. I gave myself a small cut on my arm and convinced myself that we were attacked by zombies. I hid her body beneath the blanket where she would be forgotten and I jumped down, a little over 10 ft, to the ground and tried to find anyone.
The street was silent. I looked around and noticed Jiko entering a nearby house.
“They’re back?” I thought realizing the others had come back with, hopefully, a car.
I decided to wait until he came out. I hoped he would come out. Knowing Jiko, he would absent mindedly decide and take a nap in a bed if he found it comfortable. Then I noticed three other people approaching the same house. It was David, Vankelia and Ashleigh. They entered through the garage and within a moment came out riding on bikes. Ashleigh was straggling behind, not being so good at riding bikes. I took this opportunity to try and talk to her.
“Ashleigh!” I whispered from the side of the house. She instantly noticed me and almost fell off the bike from surprise. She looked at me and then looked back at her companions.
“Wait up guys! I think I see a weapon in the bush! Let me go check it out.”
“Do you need us to come with you?” David called from up ahead.
“No don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” She walked her bike over to me quickly and ducked down the minute she was out of their sight.
“WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?” She asked worried. I explained everything and I tried to read her face for a reaction. “It had to be done…” She said blankly. Surprised, I agreed. “So now what?”
“Are you planning on going with them?” I asked.
“I had no choice…there was no one else. We left Elizabeth behind so that’s one less person to worry about.”
“Why don’t you just join me?”
“Give me a day. I’ll convince them to come back to your group then we can take care of this together.” She said. I nodded and told her to go back before they became too suspicious. “Where will we meet tomorrow?” She asked.
“Let’s meet at the wall. It should be the last time we see this destitute of a place.” Ashleigh agreed and she left.
“Never mind guys! It was just some metal scraps.” She yelled at the two ahead wobbling trying to get her footing on her bike. “I’m going to die on this fucking thing!” She said and smiled to me as she rode off.
I heard the door to the house open and realized that Jiko was running out. The others were gone and I knew it was safe for me to approach him. I walked out onto the street, got into character and began to cry. “Jiko!” He turned around and noticed me. He looked a bit dazed but he immediately ran over.
“Are you all right?” He asked. I collapsed and cried on the street.
“They got Nina!” I lied through my fake tears. “The zombies got her and I barely escaped.”
“Where are the others?” He asked. I told him I had no idea but he told me he would lead me back to where Christa and the other two were waiting. I looked back at the tree house and my eyes grew wide when I noticed that one of her feet was dangling out the door. I didn’t hide her well enough in the haste. I hoped no one would notice.
Everyone eventually reunited that night. They shared their ordeals through that scatter, celebrated the car that we got and mourned the loss of Nina. They asked me where her body was, but I told them that I couldn’t remember because of the fear that had taken over me. Everyone believed me, but I noticed Mel give me a second look. Could she read my face? Could she see through my lie? Whatever the case may be, that second look made it easier for me to decide on my next victim…
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