Chapter Ten: It's Been So Long Since We've Felt Terror

As tacitly as she could, Cat removed her palm from the near-hyperventilating Latina's mouth and slowly inched to her companions flank. Her eyes refused to leave the Shepherds as they emerged from the corridor, blood and slop cascading from their mangled jaws and degrading upon the floor with a slosh that made her stomach curl and twist. On any normal circumstance, she loved dogs (she had one of her own; she preferably wanted an older dog because they were less wanted, and she had gotten exactly that. She gave the old boy a home until he passed away), just…not these kind. Hell, she hadn't even thought about them, given that they had never come across an infected animal since the end of the world. Quite needless to say, she didn't even know where to begin with their escape plan; no doubt these three dogs were ten times faster than the walker's they've been dealing with, and she was slightly beginning to regret her decision with bringing Tori down here.

Yet first, there was one thing that was a must. She clicked off the flashlight – her much taller, skinny comrade following her example in suit of her – and in the shade they were shielded. By chance the infected dogs hadn't noticed the shift in florescent light on the other end of the foyer, and she released a breath she'd been holding. If they had, she'd have to make something up on the spot and make sure Tori follows along just as expeditiously. However, though she was a quick thinker, her mind had made a "brain fart" as Robbie called it, and she was having a hard time coming up with anything at all. If they were lucky, the dogs would have just made their way into the room and they'd go their separate ways. Cat was foolish to think that.

Her walkie beeped and clicked, and Jade's voice elicited from the receiver. "Hey, you guys alright down there? We heard a lot of shooting coming from the basement and I was worried about you."

Each severed, canine head turned their way and Cat felt Tori's hand immediately grab hers, and her stomach dropped.

But she didn't have time to react, nor answer her lovers call.

The dog that had attacked her first, was the first in which had emerged from the room. Nearly half of his face was swollen muscle, and he appeared only to have one eye that was still completely intact. His fangs seemed in perfect condition despite their yellow coloration, they seemed to have been sharper than normal – made completely for digging into human hide and crushing bones. The thought made her quiver. It knocked her completely off of her feet and she was torn from her friend's side and thrown to the floor with a rough thud. Tori had went down as well by the second, and panic seized her. The dog's frantically snapping jaws were inches away from her face, and with all the strength she could muster she held him back with her hands to his slimy neck, pushing and pushing him away from her until she figured out a strategy in which she could get her fallen magnum back.

Cat unfortunately, had come up with nothing, and was left struggling upon the floor. Her arms were beginning to tire, but unless she wanted her face to be ripped off, than she had no other choice but to proceed what she was doing. A strangled noise emitted from her throat as she struggled, nearly matching the volume of the loud growls and barks in which these dogs were creating. Casting a risky glance at her companion, she had noticed that the Latina was in a better situation then she: Tori had managed to hold onto her shotgun as she was attacked and had just a moment to shoot as she slammed the sole of her shoe into the creatures face. The first shot rang out, and the bullet managed to make a comfortable home through the Infected's brain.

And then, another shot thundered along the hallway and her own attacker was shot within the shoulder, giving her momentum to push him off of her and make quick haste for her gun. Turning upon her stomach she grasped her magnum in both hands, twisted to her side, and with precision fired off the last of her loaded ammunition. Three shots to torso. "Damn it!" She cursed loudly, picking herself up off of the ground. Her attacker and the third, which for some reason, had stayed behind in their fight, stood several feet back, growls emitting boisterously from the depths of their muscular chests.

"Cat? Cat are you there?" Jade sounded increasingly worried, but again, she did not respond. God forbid her find the time. With quick thinking she grabbed vice hold upon Tori's skinny arm and rushed down the hall they had recently emerged from, heart hammering against her ribs. The dogs both sprinted after them, barking and snarling, but both girls had made a sharp U-turn into an open room, slamming the door closed right behind them, just as the infected beasts made haste to jump; ramming straight into the weak metal they had just hammered shut.

She took the walkie off of her belt, attempting to catch her breath as beside her, Tori leaned against the wall with her eyes closed and her hand over her heart. Cat searched the room quickly, making sure it was clear, before pressing down on the talk button to answer her lover's call. "Yeah, yeah we're here." She said; the snarling so loud her voice wasn't clear.

"What the hell is that noise? Are you okay, why didn't you answer the first two calls?" Asked their leader impatiently, though her voice kept low.

"Dogs Jadey, there are infected dogs! The basement is probably filled with them and we just got attacked – but we're okay. Only problem? We're trapped in a room and they're right outside."

"Are you fucking kidding me? Dogs?"

"I wish I was kidding! Don't come down here okay? I'll figure it out; these things are tough to get rid of!" Cat warned, and both girls pressed their bodies equally against the door as it wouldn't fall from the excessive rattle from the ravenous beasts running into it just outside. Her heart had leaped into her throat somehow, and she found it harder and harder to keep calm. Jade was good with these impromptu situations, consecutively better than she, she might add, but she did not want her to risk her life or any others just to save her and Tori. Two dogs didn't seem like much, but she'd felt their strength and she'd seen their speed.

"Stay where you are, Beck, Andre and I will be down in a minute." Said the Goth defiantly, and the redhead swore rather loudly, making Tori jump beside her. She pocketed her walkie and unloaded her additional ammunition from her belt, to furnish her empty magnum.

"Oh please, tell me you're not going back out there," Tori whimpered as her back pressed strongly against the rattling door, her eyes trained frantically upon Cat, and then fleeting back to the small square window that gave clear view of the dogs outside.

"I'm not." Said the smaller girl reassuringly, giving a reluctant smile the fell just as quickly as it came, "but just in case."

…
…

Jade, Beck and Andre were just as bewildered at the sight of the frantic beasts jumping up upon their two severed hind legs and snapping horrendously at a dangerously rattling door that no doubt, the two girls were hiding behind. The leader of their group looked farther off into the hallway, noticing that another one lay motionless upon the damp concrete floor, bleeding excessively from the head. She scowled and drew her gun before her, both hands holding the revolver firm as she made for a precise aim toward the profusely maneuvering German Shepherd, the largest of them all, who'd been shot several times in the torso, from all she could tell.

From beside her, her two companions had done the same, but one had made the incredible mistake of speaking, something she feared she had done when the two girls were alone, under the pressure of escaping without being noticed. "What the chizz are those things?" Andre asked in a hushed whisper. Jade's heart stopped beating for a fragile second when, albeit his voice was horrendously low, both dogs pounced from the door in which they were attempting to break down, and prowled forth, growls ripping from their throats and crimson slop dripping from their muzzles.

Despite their freaked, and quite frankly, their surprised persona's the three begun to fire without hesitation. The lights were flickering rapidly, humming and buzzing over their heads, making it harder and harder for their aims to be completely categorical yet she was sure the bullets were hitting them somewhere. They lunged all at once, their paws smacking against the concrete beneath, the small puddles sloshing and splaying as the pads of their bloody feet disrupted them. Beck was immediate to act and in his splendor he slammed the sole of his boot against one of the mutated dogs as is lunged for him. It cascaded upon the floor with a snarl that mingled with its whimper. The other was much more devious, and it seemed, smarter than his superior. Andre and Jade held their fire for a split second; for why, she could not recall, while Beck finally shot down the largest – once, twice in the head. Extra shots for insurance, she supposed.

Suddenly, the dog gave a rattle of his lacerated scruff and at once his face and neck had split into two, breaking off as though in branches with one another. From the middle blossomed tentacles like a flower, that had teeth sharper than those on the side of his split face. Jade faltered and along with her comrades, took a step back in surprise, and for the first time in a long time, terror. They had no idea that was even possible, it's never been seen before, and the other dog had not spurted any surprises like that.

"What…the hell…is that?" She breathed quietly, her hand simultaneously going to her shoulder to grab the handle of her Bowie knife, fingers tensing around the hilt. The dog took a cautious step forward, and at the moment she herself took one back.

"Oh come on, the fuck did we do to deserve this?" Beck queried, albeit the question was rhetorical.

Before anyone had a chance to even think about firing, Andre himself about ready to speak, lips parted; the door in which the dogs were previously attacked slammed open, and out came Cat and Tori. The dog however, did not look their way; several pairs of slimy eyes instead focused intently upon Jade herself – she could possibly handle it…if she knew how to kill it. She met Cat's worried glance and quickly drew her blade; her partner nodded and held the Latina, their newest addition, back with one arm and gently pushed her out of the way. She grunted and skillfully threw the Bowie toward Cat, who had maneuvered herself to catch it with one of her hands at the right time.

The movement confused the mutated beast before their eyes and he himself shifted to launch himself after the short redhead, who wielded the weapon in her defense, face scrunched up and irises wide in confusion at his new appearance. Jade of course, would not let it go any further than a few quickened steps, and hoisted her revolver up. Their unspoken tactic had worked, and she begun shooting and shooting, bullets pelting from their host and firing expeditiously at their target. It was hit several times in the physique, slowing his pace, but Cat had acted as she was supposed to and made a downward slice toward the middle of the dog's split heads with the Bowie in both hands, successfully cutting the tentacles apart.

Yet of course, when did they ever get off so easy? Not when Jade was around – it was like she was a magnet for bad luck or something. But now she could blame that on Tori, couldn't she?

Stupid gank.

Repulsive tentacles successfully ripped, yes, however just as Cat's arm came down even further, the tip of the Bowie hitting the ground, blanketed in crimson, the dog's face seemed to stitch itself back together, thus capturing her arm with knife-like teeth. Everyone sprung to action when a startled, anguished yelp elicited from her throat. – but Jade, heart hammering and blood boiling in rage, was the first to kill it with several bullets to his face, crimson blood splattering; not only the dogs, but Cat's as well. Andre kicked the dog away as it fell limp, grip released, and Beck had joined him in lugging it away just in case. Tori and Jade knelt down beside the fallen redhead, who tucked her arm into her abdomen and fell to her bottom, sobs ripping from her chest and tears cascading expeditiously down porcelain cheeks.

Jade could hardly breathe as she gently pried her partner's arm from her stomach, working quickly to inspect it. If it was like any other infectious bite, what was in store for Cat was not…swell, and each of her fears would have come true. She shook her head, her eyes watering, and bit her lower lip. Her arm was completely rived, gashes ripped straight from it so deep she could nearly see the bone. Blood gushed like a waterfall, spilling over her hands and onto her attire (not like that mattered).

"Oh God," She whispered as shaky hands gathered the redhead to her body, rocking her back and forth and kissing the top of her head. "it's going to be okay, Rina. Just stay with me, don't you dare think about leaving me here. Don't you dare."

"N-no…" Cat whimpered, nevertheless clinging onto her while the others were in a frenzy of panic, "you…you know what will happen. Just…just shoot me now, and get it over with. I don't want to h-hurt you. Or any…of you"

"What are we going to do?" Andre panicked, hands clutching his dreads, "We can't let what happened to Sinjin happen to her too. I know you won't let that Jade, but by God, neither will I. And neither will Beck, or Tori, or Sikowitz, or Robbie or even Trina. Nah man, that just won't happen!"

"A blood bond." Tori said from beside Jade, voice fairing just softer than a regular whisper.

"Blood bond?" She snapped, her grip tightening upon the rapidly bleeding and trembling Cat, "what the hell is a blood bond?"

"Something that may just save her life."

How'd you guys like this one? :) I tried to make it as descriptive as possible, if you haven't noticed, because I want you guys to feel like you're actually there. You know what I mean? It probably didn't work out the way I wanted it too, but oh well. I think it's pretty good. Leave your opinions:)

Okay. So is anybody else as upset as I am about this whole Bade break up? I mean, it's not my favorite couple (which are as follows; 1. Cade 2. Candre. 3. Bade) but I was pretty upset. Jade at the door when Beck didn't open it, her expression and his expression - their reactions as a whole basically - just literally ripped my heart out. No matter if it's a TV show or not, it was just overall sad. I know they'll end up back together sometime, I can't picture them with anybody else, but for now I guess I'll just have to deal. Not too happy with this episode. Not at all. :/

Quick announcement. I'll be posting a Candre one shot shortly and hopefully updating "Of Pianos and Cupcakes" as well!

Anyway...

Thank you; sloth13, CorsomoeeCorey, CertifiedZombieSlayer, LostInASeaOfSilence, Jeremey Shane, Kidd, and Infinii for reviewing! You guys keep me going! :)
Remember, five or more for the next chap! :p