He lies on the hot sand
His own blood pooling around him
His blonde hair stained with dirt and blood while
Those creatures, those monsters tear into his flesh
I know before I cock the rifle that it's too late,
That I've lost him but I've got to try
"Hey!"
I shout and the monster looks up
I cock and aim
BAM
I hit and it falls to the ground
But there are more
There are always more
I
Cockandfirecockandfirecockandfire
Till I'm out of bullets
Till they all lie dead
And motionless
All of them
I shouldn't stop
I shouldn't look
But I can't help it
I shove the infected off of him
I move them
And my soul shatters
A heart-wrenching scream escapes me
It's harsh like this world
It pulls at my vocal chords
Ripping them to shreds
Grating against them with the sandpaper
Of my emotions
He lies there but it's not him
Thick red blood coats his throat
And leaks
From the open gashes where their
Teeth
Have torn through his clothes,
Through his skin
He lies limp and tangled, his body broken
Still
I manage to recognize him
I want to look away this hurts so much
But I can't
My eyes are glued to the gore like some sick fascination
The smell of iron stings my nostrils
I scream again
And this time tears fall
Leaving tracks on my dirt streaked face
Useless water full of old thoughts and ugly pain
He had hated tears, had hated how they came unexpectedly
How they fixed nothing
But he had love mine
"Makes you more human Sweetheart."
I can hear his deep Australian peppered voice whisper my name
I can feel his rough, slightly chapped lips on mine
I can smell his scent of sweat and sun, of soap and long ago summer rain
All this I remember
I am consumed by rage
My world has gone red
I turn and fire at will
The creatures drop but more advance
We are out numbered
We always are
But I don't care
Mikey is dead
And lying in the hot sand
His own blood pooling around him
And I, Claire, am no longer
Whole