Human

The last thing I saw was the hem of his coat, fluttering in the cool breeze from outside as he crept in through the window. I tiptoed over the yard, the tall grass covering parts of my boots, crushing plants as I made my way over to the house, my blade shining in the sunlight. Tilting my head, I looked through the window, carefully pulling the sheer drapes from out of my line of sight. I hushed my ragged breathing as I observed him, as he clumsily stumbled across the tile floor of our kitchen.

"Just be still," I heard him say, my eyes flying up to find who he was speaking to.

Abby let out a whimper, her mouth opened wide like she was about to scream before they pressed into a thin line, as if she'd forgotten how to speak. She backed up against the counter, her hands clasping the porcelain of the sink. Soundlessly, I mimicked his actions, bending my knees to crawl through the gaping window. The wind from outside blew the hair from the back of my neck, and my eyes found hers from across the room.

Without thought, I pressed a finger to my lips, and her brown eyes fixed back on the intruder. I was a ghost floating through the room as I stepped toward him, fingers tightening around my blade, so much I thought they might snap. He fidgeted with the pistol he held, his index finger sliding over the barrel to rest on the trigger, bringing it up in the air.

Her eyes tremored with worry and fear, flickering back to mine as I stood behind the stranger, her thin lips parting as she watched me. My eyelids widened as he whipped his head around without warning to see who she'd been looking at, dark eyes staring me down. I thought I heard him snarl at me as I grabbed a large portion of his hair, knotting my fingers in it.

It only took a second; after that, it was over. I couldn't remember stabbing him, but I knew that I had as I pulled free my knife from his neck, letting his body fall to the floor, his head smacking into the tile. I turning him over from where he laid on his side, red spewing out from the gash I had created. His tanned skin was painted red, my canvas, and I was the artist, tearing the slice I had made open wider, until his neck didn't look as clean cut. His blood made a mess of our kitchen floor as I tore through his skin, kicking the gun away from lifeless hands; it slid to a stop as it hit the front of Abby's converse.

"Brooke!"

The sound of her voice snapped me out of my daze as I stared up at her glossy eyes, standing straight once again. I kicked the man hard in the waste, causing his body to roll over. I didn't want to see his face, his eyes still wide open.

"Are you alright?" I asked her breathlessly as I walked her way; I noticed how she backed up into the cabinets.

"Who is that?" she sucked in the air around her, blinking rapidly. Tears ran down her flushed cheeks as she looked from me, to the body, and back again. "What did you do?"

She asked the last part almost in a whisper, shutting her eyes, still trying to block it out. I knew she couldn't; she had watched me the entire time.

"Abby, look at me."

"What did he want?"

"To kill you," I answered; wasn't it simple? I told her there were bad people, and now, they had found us. They had found her before I could, but I hadn't been too late this time. I had saved someone; I had saved her.

"Abby, I saw him climb over the wall, I followed him. I had to stop him. We have to-."

Abby cut me off as she gasped, screaming my name, but she wasn't fast enough. A hand grabbed the back of my head roughly; I felt it pulling out my hair. The weight of the person holding me collapsed on top of me, too quick for me to think, to act. They held my face to the floor, my hands that clutched onto nothing but the marble floor smearing in the large pool of blood. The person turned me over, clutching my neck, lifting my head up only to smash it back onto the hard floor. Over and over, they pulled me up to smack me back down; I was being shaken around like a rag doll.

My vision began to blur and sting from tear that brimmed my lower lash-lines, as I tried to blink them away. Another man held me from under him. Panic found me almost instantly as my eyes swept over his face, his teeth clenched at the sight of me. A large 'W' had been carved into the skin on his forehead, greasy strands of hair falling down and over his large, almost black irises. I brought the hunting knife still in my hand down onto one of his thighs that trapped me.

I thought I heard him scream out, though I couldn't be sure as he twisted my wrist. Pain shot up my forearm, and I clenched my jaw, rolling my head back.

The knife I held crashed to the floor as I yelped, still struggling. My legs thrashed around as I tried relentlessly to turn my body over, to be in control of the situation. I couldn't see past his face now as he wrapped his long fingers around my throat, cutting off my airway. My head began to pound, from lack of air or from the floor I couldn't tell anymore. I tried sucking in air, but nothing came as I brought both of my hands up to his face, my uncut nails dragging down his cheek. He hissed at me as I choked, unable to think.

"You gotta make it hard, don't ya?" he growled at me, as I fought to just keep my eyes open. My hands traveled down to the fingers crushing me, desperate to pull them lose. It was hard to move at all as my eyelids fluttered open and closed. I felt my fingers loosening around his hands as my eyes rolled up to stare at the ceiling.

A gun shot bounced off of the walls; my ears rang furiously. Drops of liquid coated my face, and suddenly, the weight on top of me was removed. My eyes slid shut as I took in a deep breath, wheezing. I was pulled from where I laid on the ground; someone was rubbing my back in small circles as I grabbed at my throat, making sure his hands weren't still on my skin. My hearing came back to me, though my ears still rang madly. Sobbing and shuttering breathes was all I heard, and I realized I didn't want to open my eyes, to see her like this. I'd brought it on her, but what choice had I been given?

"It's okay, it's over," she covered up her crying as she sat me upright on the floor. I opened my eyes slowly, looking around to see two bodies sprawled out. There was blood everywhere; on my shaking hands, our clothes, the floor, and her sun-kissed fingers that held carefully to a pistol.

I looked up at her, and when I spoke, my voice came out scratchy and worn out, almost nonexistent.

"You shot him."

She nodded, my eyes unable to get any wider. She'd killed him; both of our hands were dirty.

"I had to do somethin'," she wiped her eyes, blood smearing across her cheek, "I thought it was too late; I couldn't get a clear shot of 'em; I didn't wanna hit you," she shook her head, her own body trembling, "I thought I lost you."

My head felt as if it had been split in two as I tried to listen to her.

"Abby," I coughed, grabbing her shoulder, "we've got to get the others. I don't know how many there are, I don't know where they came from. We've got to tell them. People are in danger."

She looked at me from under her light lashes, her eyes flooded with tears that fell down to her knees, soaking into the fabric of her jeans. After a moment, she nodded, rubbing her eyes dry. She stood up on unstable legs, holding out a hand for me. I walked over to the second man we'd killed, picking my knife up.

I held the knife and my wrist in my uninjured hand as I walked to the door. The blinds in the living room were cracked open, and I peered out into the street. It was quiet outside, and that made my stomach flip as I watched Carl's house from across the road. Where were the people, the children? Hadn't they been out before? My memory was dodgy as I turned back to Abby who held the gun at her thigh.

I shot up perfectly straight, jumping slightly, the sound of explosions and fire so familiar to my ears. I saw the flashes of remembrance in her brown orbs as they shined at me, not having to ask what the noise was that seemed to shake the ground from under our feet.

We both heard the popping noise from outside the front door moments after, and I knew from the feeling in my gut that something bad was lurking outside this thin sheet of wood.

"Gun shots," she told the dead house, my heart sinking in my chest.

"We've got to go," I told her, air filling and leaving my lungs so quickly, I thought I'd forgotten how to breathe. She rushed to my side without any words as I grabbed hold of the door knob timidly, turning it, wanting only to know that our group was safe from what was out there, though I couldn't seem to trick myself into believing it. The door creaked as I pulled it open, sunlight shining into my eyes.

I heard the moans of the dead.

A/N~ sorry for taking so long to update! I have school but I'm still on fall break so I thought I'd update. Plus the premiere was good so it made me wanna write even more. Also, sorry for the kinda short chapter. I hope you guys still liked it! I'll try and update again soon!