Human


I dug my boots deep into the earth, desperate to catch onto something, anything to stop their pursuit home. For what felt like hours, I screamed into the gag that had been forced into my mouth, my teeth biting down on the cloth in such a harsh manner that it left my jaw aching and my throat raw from ignored protests.

My shoes made thick, deep lines in the dirt as we began to slow down, and I dropped my head low to rest my chin against my collarbones. Beads of sweat dripped down from my hairline, dampening the blindfold that tightly wrapped around my head.

"Open up!" what sounded like a man's voice commanded, their fingers digging into the skin of my arm further, "we found her!"

Many gruff voices rang out afterward, calling to one another that their members had returned and succeeded in their goals. Rusted metal gates were unlocked and pulled open shortly after, allowing us to step foot into what these people called home. The world around me was very silent save for everyone's breathing as I continued to struggle and thrash in these people's grasps. I knew it was pointless to do so, but I was never one to give up so easily. I had grown so accustomed to fighting back by now that it was instinct.

Long nails dug and twisted into my hair, tugging the locks against my already tender scalp. The person yanked my head back without any warning or care, and I inhaled through my nose in sharp, quick breaths. I knew by now we had neared their shelters base, as our steps were few and far in between.

"Bring her here," a new voice called to my kidnappers, and with no hesitation, I was shoved and hurled into a stranger's arms. They grabbed me eagerly and roughly, shoving me to my knees in the dirt. The only thing I could do was tilt my head upward, gritting my teeth and waiting for what was to come next. I recognized the voice, and all of the evil it held.

My blindfold was yanked from around my head, and I clamped my eyes shut as if it would hide me from the towering figure in front of me.

"This will do just fine," they continued to speak to their group members, and I bowed my head, letting it hang there in such a weak and tired state. "I see she disposed of Sarah."

The leader's voice was not laced with hatred or anger of any sort, just indifference in the fact I had managed to kill one of his people before they had abducted me from the forest. I had wanted to prove to them how scared they should truly be of me, but now, as my body slumped down in the earth, I felt completely and utterly helpless. For so long, I had been surrounded by family, by people who had a way of convincing me they were immortal. It had been such a long time since death had touched me, and now that Abigail was gone for good, my world shattered.

"She was too quick-," the woman's voice started to defend herself, but was cut off with a wave of the man's wrist. He didn't seem interested in listening to either of them speak about me or anything else, only wished for them to do as he asked.

"Take her to the basement. Make sure she is bound properly."

With that, the man left us in the cool night air. His people pulled me up and out of the dirt, my legs shaking as they pushed my arms behind my back. I was convinced my body couldn't handle much more of this wandering. It would be a matter of time before I collapsed over my own two feet.

"No peeking," the female voice whispered to me like it was a tease, before tying the blindfold back around my head. She ran her fingers through my tatted hair as if to comfort me, like she was silently apologizing for having yanked me around by it only a few moments ago. The more she became physical, the more I shivered and flinched away from her touch. I let out a few grunts that became muddled by the gag still forced into my mouth, as we turned down what felt like an endless maze of hallways.

I tried to tune out the creeks and moans this building held, as if it were settling into its foundation, but I found it very difficult. Some of the sounds seemed to be very far off, perhaps on a floor above this one. The further we traveled, the more noisy it seemed to become, until the cries and rattles I heard sounded more distinctly like a human's. At first, I had mistaken it for a walker, or even an animal. The sounds coming from all different sides of each hallway we made our way down sounded painful - hurt and alone. I let out a few questioning sounds, turning my head toward the direction I thought I'd heard the noises. After a while of listening for the cries, though, I had eventually given up, deciding it was very possible I was hearing things.


Everything within this room was quiet, enough that I could hear the water droplets splashing onto the concrete, making a small puddle in the corner. The air smelt musty as I pulled furiously on the ropes that bound my wrists, tender skin raw and burning. I picked absently at the cords, shifting on my knees as I traced the shadows on the wall.

The leader's right hands had bound me and forced me to kneel, removing my gag and blindfold in a way that seemed like they were left disappointed. Still, they did as they had been ordered to without any comment towards me. I couldn't tell anymore, how long ago they had left me in here for. My head pounded furiously and my stomach felt as if it was chewing on itself, leaving a dull and unignorable ache underneath my ribcage.

Light from outside spilled into the dark room as a door was pulled open with a soft squeak, footsteps bounding toward me from behind. I whipped my head around, searching for a figure, tugging on my binds as they neared me.

"Still struggling," a low voice called out, the footsteps stopping in front of me. I lifted my head, able to make out the lower half of their face. A small amount of stubble covered their chin; the tip of their broad nose was unobstructed from the black hood they wore.

"You should eat something," they told me, my gaze flickering to the floor as they set a platter gently at my knees. Dried up fruits and assortments of undercooked meat lay on the tray's shiny surface. I scrunched up my nose in disgust, turning my head away. "Or don't."

"I don't want your food," I hissed, burning holes into the concrete in which I sat. My legs felt sore, my muscles strained from having kneeled for hours, days - I wasn't sure anymore how long they'd locked me in here.

"Lucky," they mumbled, and I glanced at them sidelong, "we're lucky we found you so quickly."

"I got two of you," I reminded them, a heavy silence falling over us. I had taken one of their members that day, and in return, they took Abigail right from under me. And when I had returned to that spot days later, I haven't been quick enough to run away, though I had shot one other. I had aimed to kill.

Suddenly, they kicked over the platter, and I jumped in my spot, watching as the meat toppled over onto the ground, the metal tray flipping over and colliding with the wall on the far side of the room. It echoed as it spun to a stop.

"You got two of us," they spat, grabbing my chin, forcing me to look at them, "but we got you."

"Keep counting your luck," I glared at them as they removed their hood, looking down at me with distaste. I knew his face; it had kept me from getting any amount of sleep. He made me feel sick.

"Why did you look for us?" he asked me, squeezing my cheeks so hard they'd bruise.

"You killed her," I answered slowly, watching as his eyes lit up in remembrance.

"Ah," he nodded, chuckling to himself, "the blonde one? Shame we had to ruin her pretty face."

My stomach churned as I relived it, uncut nails digging into the soft skin of my palm as I bawled my hands into fists, tearing my face away from his fingertips.

I could hear her screaming in my ears, and I shut my eyes tight to stop what I was seeing.

"I'm going to kill you," I spoke flatly, breathing harshly through my nose, still working on the ropes. "All of you."

He was silent for a moment, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, but I didn't want to look at his face. It had been engraved in my mind since he'd pulled Abby off of her knees. We had all been lined up, as he paced back and forth in front of our supply group, hesitant on who to take. It was me who found these people in the woods; her death was on me.

My hair stuck to my forehead in tangled sections as I tried to regain control of my breathing, opening my eyes timidly at his words.

"You've got fire, kid," he spoke after some time. "It's almost a shame, really..."

I felt my nails snapping the strings slowly, as I chewed on the inside of my mouth, listening to him.

"I wish I had someone like you here with us; it'd help. But," he sighed, "rules are rules. The young ones don't get to keep going." His cloak drug the dampened ground, "You just aren't gonna last much longer."

"I'm going to get out of here, and then-"

"You're still too weak, too small," he yelled over me, crouching down to my level. He brought his thumb and forefinger under my chin once more, tilting my head up, "Might wanna eat."

Just as fast as he'd come in, he stood, walking swiftly back to the door. I turned my head over my shoulder, watching him with beady eyes, finally able to suck in the air I'd stopped breathing. He grabbed the edge of the door, tilting his head to look me over, smiling slightly at my position.

I'd show him what survival looked like, what it felt like to beg someone. This was for her.

"I'm going to get out of here," I told him, shaking, "and when I do, I'll kill everyone here."

His smile grew slightly at the edges as he made to leave my cell.

"But you!" I screamed at him, my throat dry and my voice scratchy, causing him to stop in his tracks, "I'll save you for last!"

I thought I heard him laugh as he began to pull the door closed, "Do you hear me?! I'm going to fucking kill you!"

As soon as he had come in, he was gone, leaving the room to once again me engulfed in shadows and whispers I only half paid any mind to. My mind that had been clouded with anger and hatred only a moment ago started to subside, and I was left to my own devices, fitting the pieces of my puzzle together and wondering when I had let myself sink so low into this abyss.