Zoey's POV
"Ellis! Damn it, watch out!" This was the fourth time I'd saved Ellis from the claws of a Hunter and the threat of oncoming infected all because he'd ventured too far, and sought to kill every infected scouring the area without waiting for us.
He laughed, and tried to reload as fast as he possibly could while at least ten infected were clawing at his tunic. They were easily ignored once he had his military rifle secured and shooting each of them until they were dead. "It's okay, Zo! I gawt it!" He took an immediate left into the laundry room and shot the infected that were hiding from him!
"Son, you're gonna have to slow down. I ain't as fast as I used to be, kid." I nodded along with Bill's response and pulled Ellis' energetic self away from the infected who were running away from us.
"Save your energy, Ellis. I ain't offering to carry ya sore ass if you run outta gas." Francis grumbled as he took down a Smoker along the rooftops of the alleyway.
"Is the kid okay? He ain't tirin' y'all out now, is he?" Coach's voice boomed into my speakers. I let out a chuckle as I secured my own weapon.
"No, I'm not, Coach! I swear!" Ellis answered, despite the fact that Coach couldn't hear him through his speakers.
This made me laugh harder. Thankfully Louis was paying attention and managed to kill an infected before he took a swipe at my helmet. "He's behaving himself, Coach." I replied.
"Dunno how you put up with the kid sometimes. He's too energetic for me, son, no offense." Bill nodded towards Ellis, signifying he hadn't taken offence to his comment.
"S'all good, Bill. Ya better thank me when I have yer back though! I'm a purty darn good shooter, I can tell ya that, and I ain't braggin' nothin'."
"He's a good kid. Take care of him. We're just roundin' the block. We'll see y'all at the church safe room by nightfall."
"Sounds good Coach. Stay safe!" I replied.
"Good luck y'all!"
The speakers turned back to their deafening silence as we trekked past the rubble along the main street of Riverside. I shuddered as I recalled how the Smoker and the Hunter had me incapacitated along the side of the pavement. Thankfully, Ellis' voice alerted me back to the reality of our mission. I replaced my magnum with an AK-47 before Francis helped me up the ladder leading to the office rooms.
"I ever tell y'all 'bout the time my buddy Keith and I were on the top of a burnin' buildin', and we had tuh fight our way down five floors of zombies and – Hey, wait a sec… I guess that was with the other guys. Oh, shit, man, I can't wait tuh tell Keith 'bout that one!"
"That was in Savannah, right? I think you told me about that one." Louis commented as he opened the double doors leading to the main room of computer desks and office chairs.
Ellis slapped his hand over his helmet in exasperation. "Aw yeah, I did! My bad, Louis!" Ellis laughed lightly before patting Louis on the back, and made his way to the exit and stepped outside. I exchanged looks with Francis and Bill, trying to hide my smirk as I recognised how much they wanted to shut Ellis up.
I had to admit, he brought a heap of fun and enjoyment to killing zombies. Without him, we'd all be silent and gruelling over our mission. In a way, Ellis brought life to our group, and it was something that we needed to keep us together, and ultimately, stronger in preparing us for the inevitable battles against the infected. He made ease of every situation, no matter how detrimental. And the occasional joke or two wasn't too difficult to suffice… at least not for Louis and I.
The remainder of our trip was talkative – albeit for Ellis' input – but also quiet, in regards to the infected. We hadn't come across anything immensely dangerous like a Tank, and thankfully, there weren't any frighteningly mutated infected like those from the southern states. I flinched, thinking about Maia's descriptions of the Spitter and the Charger.
"Yeah, y'all are lucky tuh not get them infected up here. They're nasty." I giggled at Ellis' slight involuntary shiver as he recalled previous incidents of having been charged or back-humped by a Jockey.
We passed the Florist car park, as well as the street in which we fought the Tank the last time we were fighting through Riverside. It was eerily quiet now, and I noticed that nothing had changed in the environment. Not that I expected civilisation to rise while we were gone, but I recognised the Tank's decaying body a few metres away from us, and the blackening of the road from where I shot the gas tank. It made me realise how we must be the last survivors left in Pennsylvania.
"Everything's the same." Louis commented, thinking along my same train of thought. "Do you think some other survivors could have passed by through here?" He asked, grimacing at the Tank's immediate closeness to his left.
Bill replied as he threw his cigarette to the ground and stomped on the ashes. "Doubt it. This place hasn't seen life since our last visit."
"I guess." Louis said uneasily. "That's unfortunate though. I mean, so many people lived here, right Zoey?" he asked.
The sudden turn in the conversation caused my hesitation in answering. I gaped, unable to respond. "Uh…"
Ellis cut in. "Aw yeah, yer from Penny aren't ya, Zo? So yer family must be 'round then right? Or did they git evacuated and all before the infection spread?"
I bit my lip. I hadn't been anticipating a conversation like this to happen, but of course, with Ellis around, any conversation was possible. From family, to Keith, to god damn alligators! Bill and Francis sensed my hesitation and acted upon it.
"We're nearing the church soon. If you guys don't shut it we'll let the infected run after you." Francis remarked, before giving me a tight squeeze as we neared the first carpark by the church.
"Hell, me an' Louis can take 'em all! That ain't no problem fer us, Francis."
"Not if I'm the one chasing after you with my shotgun." Francis muttered under his breath. I threw my hand over my mouth and forced a throaty cough as I tried to muffle my laughter from Francis' comment.
At that moment we arrived by the intersection blocked by traffic as the first church of Riverside loomed ahead, only a few feet away. I took a deep breath realising the proximity towards my chosen destination, and I hoped he would be there, the church being the first place we'd first officially… met.
In some far-off chance that he was there, I wasn't going to accept Tokarski's orders of having him medicated. It all seemed too inhumane and unfair in regards to the man, and I couldn't allow myself to do that to him. In a way, I was nervous to approach him a third time, knowing we'd left our last meeting with unfinished business. I still hadn't told my teammates, or anyone else for that matter, that he could talk. I wasn't sure if he could string sentences together, but I knew his ability in being able to talk would count immensely to ensure his humanity was still under a strong hold.
Francis lightly nudged me, drawing my attention away from the church ahead of us as he looped his arm around my shoulders. "You think he'll be around here?" he asked in a quiet tone, not wanting to bring anyone else into the conversation.
I turned behind me to watch as Louis, Ellis and Bill scoured the Quik Buy convenience store. Bill was barking something at both of the men who seemed as if they were receiving a brutal scolding. I smirked slightly and turned back to take in the admirable building before us, a place guaranteed to ensure safety and security, but inevitably, it was just as overrun as the entire suburb.
"I hope so." I responded quietly, squeezing Francis' muscles along his back, trying to keep my breathing calm.
He didn't flinch from my grasp, and instead tightened his own as he gazed back down at me with a worried expression outlining his features. "And what if he's not here?" he asked.
"Then we're fucked." I said simply, stating it matter-of-factly. Francis furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his jaw, unhappy at seeing my impassive expression.
Sudden thumping footsteps came from behind us as Bill roughly grasped a cigarette from his chest pad and lit it, glaring at Francis. "You're taking care of them." He motioned his head towards Ellis and Louis who were fighting over who was going to kill the Hunter. "They're a bunch of damn kids." With that said, he stomped away, grumbling unintelligible insults towards them as he neared the church gates.
Francis gently kissed me before staggering towards the two men. Ellis was complaining at having shot the Hunter first, but Louis positively interjected, stating his bullet pierced the Hunter's shoulder. I laughed lightly before following Bill into the courtyard of the church, the white walls crumbling to reveal the cemented bricks underneath the exterior.
I climbed the posted ladder to join him on the second story of the church, just outside the safe room attic. He silently handed me his rifle to hold, as one of his arms reached inside the door and plunged the iron bar from its hinges. With a loud clatter, the bar fell to the floor as the door swung open to reveal the safety of the attic. "Ladies first." Bill motioned, his old fashioned values never faltering – even during a zombie apocalypse.
"Thank you, Sir." I grinned, stepping inside to place my weapons down, and noticing the large, messy scrawling of the church guy's ramblings along the wall. "Nothing new here." I muttered to myself, taking a seat along the edge of the wall. After a few minutes, the three men followed us inside, and Francis tightly locked the door behind him and ventured to sit alongside me as the room fell silent.
Ellis' boots constantly tapped against the frisky floorboards in habit as he gazed around the room in thought. He faced the wall with the church guy's scrawlings, and must have noticed his previous message etched between the lines as he turned to glance at me with a cheeky grin on his face. "So what now y'all? We stayin' here fer the night, or are we gonna check out the area fer abit?" he asked smoothly, fumbling with the cap tucked inside his helmet.
I cut in before anyone could interject. "I want to check out the area. If some of you want to stay inside, that's fine. I just want to go downstairs to the church and look out near the cemetery. There's a possibility he might be here."
Ellis immediately piped up. "We'll I'm cool tuh go! Y'all comin' with?" he searched among the faces of Bill, Louis and Francis, waiting for their answers.
"I'm coming." Francis answered quickly, grasping a hold of my hand.
"We might as well help you out." Louis answered, standing from the floor. "You with us, Bill?"
He grumbled in his spot, dissatisfaction clear on his features. He watched as we all stood to our feet and grasp at our weapons and sighed in frustration. "Ah horseshit. I'm gettin' too old for this." He started to rise from the floor, but Francis stepped over to help him up.
"Up and at 'em old man. We got an infected to find."
I began my descent on the ladder leading to the front room of the church and unlocked the bolted door before us. My sight immediately crept toward the grand piano as the door opened with a creak. But the area was empty with no signs of infected life. My heart physically dropped as a sweat picked up. What if we couldn't find him? What if he wasn't here? Where in the hell would he be?
And most importantly… is he okay? Is he… alive?
"Nothing here." Louis confirmed as he strolled around the back of the church, noticing nothing out of the ordinary.
"We'll try the cemetery." Francis added, trying to re-affirm the infected's whereabouts, and to give me a sliver of hope in finding him here.
We jumped out of the wreckage of the church wall and leapt over the sandbags along the edge of the church's perimeter. Despite the darkness of the early dusk, there was no sign of any infected life. Not even a body idly standing by the stone wall or one lazing among the grass. There was nothing.
"This doesn't look good." I commented, sharing a glance with the guys around me. "I feel like…" I couldn't finish my sentence. There was something wrong here.
Ellis sidled up next to me, waving a hand in front of my face to get me out of my daze. "What's goin' on Zo? What'cha feelin'?"
"I think something happened here. There's a reason why there's no infected around. I'm pretty sure there was some sort of incident." I couldn't make sense of the situation; it was eerily peculiar at how silent and secure things were out here.
"Like what? Something to do with the military?" Bill asked, trumping toward the shed to search inside. In that moment, I was sure he knew of the military's plans to bomb the country. Conducting himself in a military fashion, maybe the thought might have crossed his own mind.
"Not necessarily." I answered stiffly. "I-I don't know." I fumbled with my choice of words. "I just know something isn't right. I don't know what to do." It was in this moment that I truly felt we were at a loss.
"Let's continue on." Francis suggested. "We don't have to go as far as the train yard, but we'll check out that abandoned house south of here. We could find something inside there." I loved Francis for his decisions, as I knew he was doing it out of the goodness of his heart to see me happy, and for us to find the infected man. It made me realise that Francis wouldn't give up, despite the loss of his whereabouts, until we knew exactly where to find him and how to transport him back to the evacuation station.
And then this made me realise that I'd doubted my decision. I was ultimately considering giving up my search, all because I'd failed at finding him near the church. What kind of leader was I if I couldn't stick to my decision, or if I gave up too easily?
Not a good one, that's for sure.
"Let's go to the house." I affirmed to my comrades, giving Francis a wink as Ellis led us out of the cemetery, passing the church gates.
It was then that the static in my earpiece hitched in volume. I rapidly grasped onto the system by my ear and lowered the transmission. I realised the others had done the exact same thing.
And then, without a second passing, we heard six consecutive shouts of "TAAAAAANK!"
Maia's POV
The Tank pounded closer, his thundering footsteps fissuring the concrete beneath our feet. His loud and menacing roar instilled a deadly silence in the street we inhabited as the common infected fled in fear. I posted myself on top of a dilapidated Ford Pinto and positioned my M60 along the length of my thigh to grant me added support as I throttled an entire clip into the savagely toned torso of his back.
With so many survivors huddled into one street, the Tank had little idea of which direction to pursue. His anger reached its limits as he boomed after me – his chosen target.
"Daniel!" I shouted at the shadow behind me, and gently threw my M60 horizontally toward him. He caught it smoothly, as I had little time left to clasp onto the handle of my Silenced SMG before launching myself off the Pinto.
Seconds afterwards, the Tank stopped by the car I had previously resided and grasped at the rusty blue metal that was effortlessly picked up with his monstrous sized arms. He viciously hurtled the vehicle in my direction, but I easily dodged the incoming threat as I dived to the side of the road, onto the pavement of the street.
I landed awkwardly, and skinned my left knee as it scraped against the concrete, but thanks to the added support of our uniforms, I had merely scuffed the fabric of my tunic, and willed the pain to go away.
"C'mon girl. Up and at 'em." I heard Coach's voice through my speakers and turned to face in his direction, when all I saw was Matthew running toward me.
"Don't think about the pain Maia." Matthew crouched down next to me, and offered me his hand. I took it thankfully and plastered myself on two steady feet. "We still gotta take care of him." And with that said, he tore off after the Tank who pursued Rochelle and Nick. I caught my breath and reloaded my SMG before venturing after them.
I nodded my thanks as I passed Daniel who had easily disposed of the empty M60. He ran alongside me as we gradually closed the distance between us and the rest of the group.
"Damn it Rochelle!" Nick cussed, as Rochelle had grabbed a hold of his arm just in time for them to avoid the slab of cement heading their way.
"Take it down! Shoot the damn thing!" Rochelle shouted. Her movements were sloppy which caused the majority of her bullets to sway and hit the Tank in ineffective spots. But I could detect how exhausted and frightened Rochelle appeared, and tried not to blame her for her inaccuracies.
"C'mon big stuff! Over here you hunk of shit!" I grabbed at an unlit Molotov cocktail and pitched the bottle at the back of his disproportioned head. Rage pierced his exterior features as he howled into the early morning and stalked after my frenzied footsteps. I paced myself at a decent speed and turned around to clip him directly in the face.
He stumbled with the impact of the bullets, as blood painted his face in what appeared to be a deformed artwork. His stumble only brought him closer to Daniel, who had been tailing him. The Tank realised how close he was to death, and launched himself at Daniel's body, hurling him high above the air.
"Daniel!" I didn't even hear the intensity of my screams as the Tank launched him higher. Shouts and screams pierced the atmosphere but all I could inevitably focus on was Daniel's flailing body and shouts of pain.
The Tank released him then, and sent Daniel's body throttling metres away from our throng. His body collapsed awkwardly and we all heard a sickening crack as his body fell motionlessly.
"Daniel, I'm coming!" There were no other thoughts in my head besides Daniel in that moment. I ignored the Tank's whereabouts and the shouts of the group behind me as I sprinted and pushed my tiresome legs towards the limp body at the end of the street. I skidded along the road and landed with his head in my lap, slapping it in a daze as I tried to get a response from him.
"Daniel! You have to get up!" His body wasn't reacting. There was no movement. No pulse. No life. I felt my heart beat twice as fast, as if it were beating on behalf of Daniel too. "Get the fuck up Daniel! You have to help us fight!" I continued to slap his face, trying to ignite some form of response to let me know he was still there.
And then I felt a body on my left as he took Daniel from my arms and cradled him closer. I didn't realise I was crying until my eyesight became fuzzy and blurry. I hastily wiped the tears away, trying to search for Daniel's familiar face. His limp body was held in the arms of Matthew, who caressed Daniel's head, also trying to remove the tears that spilled down his cheeks.
I could hear him mumbling unintelligibly in a soft voice that I didn't realise he had. "I'm sorry Daniel. So sorry I couldn't save you. I'm sorry I let that Hunter attack you when we first met. I-I thought you were infected." Matthew's own body seemed to be quivering. I tried to swallow my emotions away as I clutched onto him, and leant my head on Matthew's shoulder, my face directly above Daniel's. "I'm sorry the Witch chose to attack you instead of me. I'm sorry I didn't help you and Maia out sooner when I realised a horde had appeared." Matthew's voice dropped to a deadly low whisper as he spoke his final words to a friend he'd grown accustomed to in this world gone to hell. "I'm so s-sorry Daniel."
We stayed in that position for an endless amount of time. I couldn't bring myself to leave his body here, but there was no way to carry him with us in our state. I felt the sorrow pierce my emotions as my heart beat heavily in my chest, forcing myself to keep the tears inside. I couldn't break down now. Not yet. Not in front of these people. But with my emotions locked away inside me, this only allowed my rage to build up in a torrent of fury.
"Shit! Fucking shit! Why the fuck did this have to happen?" I ripped off my helmet and shoved it into the ground, cracking the sight screen and the neck guard. Oh how much I wanted to physically hit someone… but I knew how wrong that sounded. I couldn't let such emotions get the better of me.
"This wasn't supposed to happen." I whispered, holding myself together in an attempt to recognise to the others how well I could handle these situations. "We weren't supposed to lose anyone." I was breathing haggardly again, trying to contain the sorrowful emotions uneasily thickening inside me.
"I'm so sorry for your loss Maia." It was Rochelle's voice I recognised. I turned to face her, and realised her group were a few feet away from us, granting us privacy for our lost teammate. The Tank lay dead along the pavement a few feet away from us. Rochelle awkwardly stepped closer, almost as if she were expecting me to lash out at her. Once she was close enough, she gripped my shoulder tightly, offering me her support. I collapsed under the pressure and pulled her in for a hug, trying to draw strength from her to endure the remainder of this mission. She flinched slightly upon my initial contact, considering I had wanted to hit her, but she warmed up to me in an instant and tried to hush my pleas.
After what seemed like hours later, Matthew pulled me away from Rochelle and pulled me into him instead, burying his face into the crook of my collarbone. I held onto him, Daniel's scent lingering on the tunic of Matthew's fabric painfully reminding me of our loss.
"I think it's time we get goin' y'all. Zoey…" Coach paused for an awkward moment and shared a glance with Rochelle. "Zoey wants to know what's happened."
I realised then that I had heard her voice through my speakers, but my emotions hadn't let me recognise or respond to her pleas. I grudgingly picked up my helmet and placed it back securely on my head. Immediately, I could hear her frenzied voice growing in tumult.
"Maia? Coach? Damn it, someone answer me! What's going on? What happened? Is everyone okay? Someone respond!" I glanced back at Coach, motioning for him to reply as I solemnly looked down upon Daniel's frozen body. I'm sorry…
Coach dipped his head and took a few steps away from the group. I heard his muffled voice as he lowly revealed what had happened to Zoey. Despite him whispering, I could still hear his words, and flinched when he spoke Daniel's name. "It's Daniel." He spoke lowly, trying to ensure we wouldn't hear anything. "Zoey, he didn't make it. I'm sorry."
There was silence over the speakers. I realised that I didn't want to hear Zoey's response, as it would only ignite further rampant emotions from me, so I removed my helmet a second time and waited for the inevitable.
"Zoey, calm down girl –" Coach paused for a few moments, nodding his head continuously. " – yes, we're fine." His head flicked up towards me, but once he realised I caught his eye sight, he looked towards the floor. "She'll be okay." Of course Zoey would have asked about me. It was just the person Zoey was, and I admired her for it.
They exchanged further words, none of which I heard as I rejoined Daniel's body as Matthew helped me place him in the garden of a nearby house. I ripped overgrown flowers from their beds and placed them over Daniel's heart in gratitude of his life… and his death.
Our teammates joined us then in a silent farewell. Matthew's hand clutched my own as we stared down at the body of our lost teammate.
Coach's voice was the first to break the silence. "Ev'ryone grab a hand. We'll be sharin' a prayer with our friend, Daniel here." I noticed Nick hesitated at first, but then he scowled and grabbed Rochelle's hand, who was next to Coach. I held onto Matthew's as Coach's large palm embraced my right hand.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
I'm sorry, Daniel.
"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."
I'll miss you. Thank you for everything.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."
I'll never forget you. You've made me so proud.
Zoey's POV
Bill picked me up off my feet and led me into the kitchen of the abandoned house, away from the solemn looks of the other men. He placed both hands on my shoulders and gave me a level, direct stare. "Don't let this affect you, Zoey. Don't blame yourself for the fella's death. I know what you're like."
"If they didn't come –"
"That's bullshit." Bill cut in, tightening his hold on me. "It was their choice whether they wanted to pursue this task with us. The events that take place here are not your fault."
I shook my head, ignoring his comments. How could I have let them join us? What was reeling through my mind at the time to have them accompanying us? It was a selfish and stupid mistake. "They should leave. Everyone should leave before something bad happens again. I couldn't deal with another death on my hands." I glanced down at my hands then, noticing the blood smears of the infected since our return to Riverside. I felt an immense cloud of guilt for my actions.
Bill's tight grip faltered as his fingers clasped my chin in an attempt to make me look at him. "Damn it Zoey, this isn't your fault!"
"Bill –"
Another voice cut me off. Would I ever be allowed to express myself? "He's right ya'know. None of this ain't yer fault, Zo. Ya gotta stop blamin' yerself for actions that had nothin' tuh do with ya in the firs' place."
I gripped my hair, thoroughly frustrated with myself. But their words provided me with resolve and a hint of the truth. None of it had been my fault.
"Listen to the old man, babe." Francis joined us in the room and leant against the wall frame as he crossed his arms boldly. "I hate seein' the guilt on your face. You gotta deal with your own problems, and they'll deal with theirs."
I smiled slightly, despite the solemn situation as Louis joined the party. "Listen to us men, Zo. We know what we're talking about." He coaxed a smile out of me and the rest of the throng as I tried to put the death behind me. It was a shame to have lost a teammate in our mission, but in reality, we'd be gaining so much more. In consequence for the death of our friend, we were restoring mankind and humanity back on Earth. Some lives had to be lost in order for others to be saved.
"Well." Bill interrupted the silence as he lit a cigarette. "We should probably head back to the safe room." he said as he lightly clasped his trustworthy assault rifle and motioned for us to follow him.
Louis eagerly nodded. "Yeah, these woods give me the creeps!" Louis fumbled with his holster before securing a weapon in his hands and following Bill out the door. Ellis jumped at the opportunity of leaving and giddily left soon after.
"You think these woods are creepy?" Ellis replied. "I ever tell you 'bout the time when Keith and I…" His voice trailed along with him, as I was left with Francis in the abandoned house.
He made eye contact with me and lightly stepped toward me, easily pulling me into the warmth of his arms. "Don't ever blame yourself again, darl. If anyone even decides to put the blame on you, they'll hafta go through me first!" I smiled nervously, and kissed his sweaty cheek as he grabbed a hold of my hand and led me outside, following the flashlights of Bill's leading rifle.
"You don't think they will… blame me, do you?" I asked once we passed the ambulance along the street. Francis' grip tightened on my waist as his gaze pierced the environment around us, ensuring we were safe from any lurking infected.
"They better prepare themselves for what's comin' if they do. I won't let their words hurt ya, Zo. And I think I can say the same for Ellis." His voice sounded rough. His hand tightened again as he voiced Ellis' name.
"And Bill." I took a deep breath. I knew they'd always have my back.
"And Grandpa."
We passed the entrance into the cemetery and shot at a few infected that had turned up since our departure. I watched up ahead as Louis and Ellis entered the church from the broken wall, all except Bill who trumped along the exterior in scavenge for supplies. I don't know why he'd begin to search for anything, because we had all the supplies we needed attached to our uniforms already.
Nonetheless, I didn't stop Bill from searching for anything important. But then Bill stiffened in his spot. My blood ran cold as I heard his shrill shouts. I bounded out of Francis' arms, just in time for me to hear Bill's bewildered voice. "Zoey! Zoey! It's him! He's here!"
The closer I approached to Bill, I dropped all of my weapons and threw my helmet off before I backed up into Bill who kept me at bay from the creature on the floor.
"Shit."
At the floor by our feet was my infected friend. I pushed Bill out of the way, despite his efforts of trying to keep me safe and away from him. Bending down, I placed my hand over his neck, his black eyes as deep and penetrating as the midnight sky stared up at me with alarm and unease. Upon recognition, he gasped and clutched onto my left arm, almost as if he were pleading for me to help him up.
But his hold loosened as he fell back down along the grass, his weary gaze disappeared as he closed his eyes in exhaustion. I took in his entire appearance and noticed his shredded black clothing caused by the claws of other infected, and the blood, cuts and bruises smeared and swelling along the length of his light grey arms and radiant face.
It was then that I looked down upon the grass and noticed the thick puddle of blood around his body.
A/N: I admit, I was pretty teary-eyed as I wrote Daniel's death, I think its because I'm too in touch with my characters. But I love them all anyway, and RIP Daniel, for you will be missed!
On a happier note, you guys are freakin' awesome for keeping in touch with this story as it's topped 17000 hits! So a huge thank you goes to my readers out there, because without y'all, this story wouldn't have made it as far as I initially planned.
See you at the next update!