Day Sixteen of the Zombie Apocalypse
It seemed we had been running for an eternity in whatever direction we thought plausible. I hadn't the slightest clue of where we could possibly be anymore. Everything was a blur of grey bark and dead leaves that crunched rhythmically under my feet. I wasn't sure if we were getting closer or farther from camp as we followed the loud, unidentified noise, or if we could ever find our way back.
All I really knew was that my muscles ached with each step I took as I sprinted along Fang, and with each step the noises got louder, closer, more terrifying. I didn't know if I wanted to find the source of the skin-crawling noise anymore, but my curiosity longed to understand what it was coming from. And with Fang by my side I felt safe enough to check it out, even if we could possibly before running to our deaths.
As we slowed to a stop, coming within eyesight of the horrendous noises, I silently cursed my curiosity because it obviously wanted me dead. Coming to check out the noise had been a huge mistake, and right now I wasn't sure if I was shaking from the adrenaline rush or the fear. Finally, after standing there, staring in horror at the scene in front of me, my wobbly legs gave out and fell to my knees, whether from the exhaustion of running, or from the emotions that had seeped into my system; taking me over, I wasn't sure.
Hundreds of zombies stood just mere feet away from me, swaying eerily as they moaned and groaned, straining vigorously against their restraints. I watched as one zombie more towards the front pushed and shoved so hard his arm fell off, dangling by the bone at his side. Dark red blood splattered the ground, and the white bone stained with blood poked out like a knife; deadly and merciless.
I gulped, watching as the scene played out in front of me, trying in vain to hold back the sheer terror that screamed through me. As I looked around I realized something. JJ and Luka had never been here. They couldn't have been. If they were they'd be long gone, zombified creatures of what they used to be. I strongly doubted they had ever even been around this area.
"Max," Fang whispered, and I felt his strong arms wrap around my waist as he picked me up and set me back on my feet. I leaned against him, struggling to regain the breath I didn't realize I lost. "Are you okay?" He asked, his lips right next to me ear. For a second, one measly second, I thought about telling him no. I thought about sinking into him and letting the mental breakdown that so badly wanted out of its cage to be let out. I thought about sobbing into his chest for everyone I had lot and everyone I would lose, but I wouldn't dare do that. I would not let my dignity be washed down the drain- not yet anyways.
"I'm fine," I growled out through clenched teeth, pushing myself away from him. "Let's get out of here," with that I took off, leaving Fang momentarily stunned before he caught up with me.
"Max, you're-" he started but my glare cut him off, and we continued our little marathon to whatever was in the direction we were heading.
o.O.o
There was nothing around her as far as her eyes could see; except for the colors. They surrounded her, swirling around her and caressing her. Keeping the darkness- for, besides the burning lights, there was nothing but the dark- at bay, making her feel less isolated. They surged around her, changing in shades and hues. Flaring up and dying down, matching the only other sense she had- her hearing.
She heard voices around her, and for a long while, she had no recollection of who any of them were. However, as time crept by, she slowly began to remember. JJ realized that the colors correlated with the voices fairly quickly. When Nudge spoke, mocha and a hot, magenta pink would shoot up in front of JJ, swirling together. The colors got darker the louder the other girl spoke.
There was a spark of white, now, speckled with black. Angel. "We can't leave yet, Iggy."
A rainbow of colors exploded in front of JJ, giving her a brief headache. Had she been conscious, she would have made a joke about how it represented his sexual preference.
"Max said an hour- it's been over that. Either her and Fang have shacked up and we're going to be carrying a baby around with us in nine months, or they're in trouble. Whichever it is, we've got to get going."
The white flame was in front of JJ once again, but now the black was starting to overtake it, as if it could sense the malice in Angel's tone. "Iggy, I get that when you're stressed you turn into even more of an idiot than usual,-" JJ could tell that they'd been having this argument for some time, if Angel was actually insulting him, "-but if you haven't noticed, there's an unconscious girl lying in front of you, a guy having a mental breakdown a few feet away, a dead girl in need of a burial, and three people missing."
"Do you think I don't know that?" Iggy shouted. "Do you think that I don't know that I have to choose which one of my best friends to save?"
"Iggy…"
"No, just tell everyone to get ready to go- get their stuff packed, whatever."
Angel's flame was just a flicker now, and JJ could barely hear the other girl. "Wait. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to deal with our resident mental patient."
JJ heard footsteps, and then all that was left was the darkness.
o.O.o
If you asked Luka, he would say that he had known that he was sitting in the dirt. He would have furiously denied that he was sniveling in his crouched position, and blatantly proclaimed that he had not been crying.
Just writhing in pain. Writing in pain was good with him.
Later, he would joke about the excruciating pain that shot through his cranium every ten seconds- at most. He would laugh at the way that Angel fretted about, worried at the idea that it had been a side effect of the hair dye.
Of course, he knew what had caused this: the corporation that his own sister ever so eagerly supported not even a month ago. He even knew who caused it; Maya, the girl he had ever so eagerly flirted with not even a month ago.
Well, he didn't know that now- but there was an electric current only half a notch away from frying all of the cells in his brain, so you'll have to cut him a break.
In the seven point nine (he was counting now) seconds he had between the bursts of pain, he wondered what JJ was doing, and why no one had come out to check on him while he was having multiple epileptic seizures. (He got that they had their own crap to deal with but epileptic seizures)
During the three point five minutes that the pain lasted (it was harder to count this, since he was convulsing on the ground, but he thought he was doing pretty well, considering his condition) he hardly knew who JJ or the people who had not come out to check on him were. All he saw was Maya's face.
Yes, he knew how bad that sounded. But it wasn't anything good about Maya's face- he didn't see her concerned face hovering over him like he would if he saw JJ (though she was currently in a bit of a fix too, so maybe not).
He saw the cruel smile she had sent him, when he had relayed a cheesy pick up line to her ('Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?'). The sneer that she sent him ever day after that. The scowl she flashed when she had to deposit Iggy and him in their cell. Maya's deeply contemptuous (one of the SAT words that Logan had told Luka in his senior year) stares was the last thing he saw before a firm hand was placed on his shoulder, breaking him out of his… reverie. He looked up and over at Iggy. The other boy muttered a few words that Luka did not hear, because this mental shock wave apparently affected his damn hearing, too.
He nodded, because people usually liked nodding whether it held meaning or not, and stood, following Iggy over to the group of people near the cars.
o.O.o
In the movies, the comatose always woke with a gasp, or their eyes flew open, or something dramatic. None of that happened to JJ. Her eyes fluttered- when the frick did her eyes start fluttering- opened and she had a serious headache, but other than that she didn't think that she was going to be starring in a sitcom any time soon.
She didn't see anybody rushing to see if she was alright, so that ruled out a romance too. She scowled. You'd think that after dragging two prone bodies through the woods and being unconscious for God knows how long, her friends would at least have the decency to be waiting at her bedside.
With a small 'harumph' she got out of bed- and proceeded to fall flat on her face. (Maybe this was a comedy?) She caught herself at the last moment, deciding that if no one was going to be waiting on her, she'd just have to find someone and shout at them for not doing just that.
When she shoved the curtain of her medical tent… thing aside, though, there was already plenty of shouting going on.
"We need more hands over here to help dig this hole!"
"Well, that's too bad, because we're already short on hands to load the cars!"
Since there was already so much yelling going on, she didn't mind adding her own voice to the cacophony. "Yo, where's my welcome party?!"
While she wasn't ignored, per say, there wasn't the big freeze she was expecting either. The group that was digging a giant hole glanced at her and continued digging. Meanwhile, Angel shot her a shocked and happy glance but Gazzy quickly shoved another pile of hastily put together items- honestly, did none of these people know how to pack? Why were they putting her made-to-order, deluxe tent with Iggy's nasty snobby Earl Grey teas?- into her arms and she was forced to turn away. Gosh, what did it take to impress these people? (Honestly, most of them didn't even react that harshly to the zombie apocalypse, so she wasn't that shocked, but give a girl some credit.)
The only person that seemed even remotely interested in her revival was Iggy. He hobbled over, relief etched onto his face and JJ innerly gloated. Finally, someone was giving her the attention she deserved after getting Luka and Anna to the camp and pulling herself out of her unconscious bliss.
But no. On his way over he picked up a pile of junk- he didn't even break his stride; he brought one arm down and scooped it up. JJ was impressed, even if she would rather drink Iggy's fancy tea before she told him- and passed it off to her.
"Thank God you're awake, we need more people to help load the cars!"
He didn't notice her scowl as he turned away, or how she discreetly flipped him the bird. She stumbled over to the closest car, passing by the cluster of people digging. As she did, she noticed for the first time the oddly shaped pile of fabric. Except, as she neared, she deduced that it wasn't a pile of clothes, it was the same lumpy black blanket- no.
The supplies clattered to the ground, but she couldn't hear it over the buzzing in her ears. Angel's words above her bedside came rushing back to her, hitting her like a punch to the boob (because 'a punch to the gut' was a cliche that she would not have any association with). "...A dead girl in need of a burial," she had said. And JJ knew instinctively that if she were to lift up the cloth it would be Anna's face that stared back at her.
And to make matters worse, at that very moment, Lissa glanced up at her, green eyes lighting up in recognition. Filthy hands groped at the ground, trying to find purchase to pull herself up. JJ wouldn't have been able to move if she wanted to, and boy, did she want to.
Lissa knelt in the grass beside her, concerned eyes meeting wary and shocked brown ones. She didn't reach out, didn't try to console her, and for that JJ was grateful. Few words came out of the red-head's mouth, and when they were, they were spoken low and sternly.
"What the hell happened out there, JJ?"
Hey, sorry for the long wait. I would give you guys an excuse but honestly, I haven't felt up to this story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, you know who you are. Short AN's from now on, because I annoy myself when I write lengthy ones.
QoTC:
Favorite type of gum?
LoTC:
Gimme, gimme that love, I'll be waitin' for ya'
Catch my hand, I'll be fightin' for ya'
Let me in, yeah, let me get closer
Got me runnin' wild like I feel it all over
Catch my hand, I'll be fightin' for ya'
Have an awesome day!
-Random :D