Chapter Thirteen: On The Road

(Dead)

That was the only thing that went through my mind for the last hour.

(They were all dead)

I laid there in the bus aisle looking up at the roof through my good eye.

(Meredith, Sky, Sandy, everybody, they were all dead)

I place my hand on my forehead when my headache wouldn't go away. We've been driving around Yuma one last time before heading out of town to where I don't even know. My stomach was queasy from the smell of blood and decomposed flesh I smelled outside.

(That stupid bitch Jenny, I know she had something to do with this) I thought

I closed my eyes trying not to cry, but I did when I saw Meredith's face when she knew she was going to die in my mind. I shook my head to get that image out of my head.

"How you guys doing back there" Marc asked

"Sick, hungry but ok" I said

"What about you Matt"

I sat up to see Matt fast asleep, curl up in a ball on one of the buses seats. "He's asleep" I said as to stood up and walked over to Marc.

"Are you ok" I asked

"Yeah, I'm ok" he said

I looked out through the window to a desert road. Nothing but sand and a one-way street with a few cars crashed into one another and a few zombies walking around or trying to catch the bus.

"Where are we going" I asked

"I don't know but I think we're heading toward Phoenix" he said

"Are you sure that's a safe place to go" I asked

"Not sure but we might find some shelter or another place to hide for now" he said

I tried to smile but I couldn't "do you think we can make it, it's almost a three-hour drive and we're not exactly on a well secure bus"

"Don't worry, as long as we don't stop we won't get attack"

That when I smiled and walked back to my seat and look out the window to the dead world. Another hour went by and it was taking us longer to get to Phoenix then we thought. We had to take different roads and streets because some were blocked by a pile of cars or there were too many zombies.

We've been lucky so far outrunning the dead but there were so many of them that I sat as far away from the window as I can. By the late morning I was starving but that wasn't the worst part.

"Bianca, we have a problem" Marc said

"What is it"

"We're running out of gas" he said

"What! I thought we had plenty of gas to get to Phoenix" I said

"Well, from outrunning the dead things and taking new routes it was wasting the gas" he said

"But we can't stop, if we did, we're dead meat" I said

"And we are too when the gas runs out"

"True but it's not like there's a gas station near by"

We past a sigh that said that there was a circle K next exit and without thinking what we might run into Marc turns at the next exit.

I ran over to Matt who was still sleeping in a curled up ball and shook him "Matt get up"

Matt blinked a few times before opening his eyes "are we dead yet"

I rolled my eyes "no, but we're going to make a quick stop"

Matt looked at me like I was crazy but looked out of the window "where are we"

"We're heading toward Phoenix but the bus is running out of gas"

I stopped talking when the bus came to a complete stop "guys, do you see anything out there" Marc asked

I looked outside the broken window and what luck we've been having, not a zombie in sight. "I don't see anything"

"Me either" Matt said

Marc put the bus in park then stood up "ok, do any of you know how to pump gas"

Matt shook his head "I'm not even old enough to drive"

"I do" I said

"Good, then Bianca, you pump the gas into the bus, I'm going into the gas sation to get some supplies"

We nodded and taking a deep breath, Marc open the door and we stepped out. We looked around the place, it was the first time in a month I've been outside in the empty dead world. It was quiet, too quiet and the smell was so unbearable but the coast was clear.

"If you see anything run back into the bus and wait for me" Marc said "the bus will keep you safe enough till I get back"

"Just hurry up" I said

Marc walked off into the circle K as I grabbed the gas pump. "Matt keep a look out, will ya" I asked

Matt was looking at the sky then the land around us, "are you scared" he asked

"What kinda of question is that" I asked putting gas into the bus.

"Well, are you" he asked again

I looked away from him for a moment to view the scenery again "of course I am, why wouldn't I be"

Marc enters the store as quietly as he can, he didn't see or hear anything but you can never be too careful. He gripped tight on the gun in his pocket as he looked around. By the way it looked in the gas station other people have been here before.

He walked over to where the candies were at and nearly jumped when he saw a decomposed body lying on the floor. It was a dried up old skeleton bones with bits a dried flesh on it. Flies, worms, and maggots covered it and the smell was unbearable.

Marc kept his cool as he grabbed whatever candy he can get then ran over to the cash register to get a plastic bag. God, he was hungry as he ran over to where the sodas were at but stopped when he heard something. He ignored it as he started grabbing sodas and water bottles and stuffed them into the plastic bag then ran back outside.

"Hey guys" I heard Marc running over.

"What's in the bag" I asked

"Food and drinks" he said, opening the bag to show us the junk food "this will be enough when we get to Phoenix"

"Ooh, Sweetarts, my favorite" I said, grabbing the bag.

"Did you get some Butterfingers" Matt asked

Marc nodded then looked around to see if there were any zombies near by. "We've been lucky so far"

"Yeah, but can we go, this place is giving me the creeps" Matt said

"We will, but let me use the bath room real quick" he said

"Ok, we'll be in the bus" I said

Marc ran back into the store, he double check around the cash register to see if, maybe, there were an extra gun or bullets around.

(You would think there was since it's a gas station in the middle of nowhere) he thought.

He looked around and what luck this day has been turning out, he spotted a gun and a box of bullets. He grabbed the gun and filled his pocket with the bullets. He then walked over to the bathroom, but saw that it was blocked by a few boxes. He raised an eyebrow but throws the boxes away from the bathroom door.

He didn't open the door the whole way when a decomposed zombie roar and attack him to the ground. Marc dropped his gun as he reached up and grabbed the zombie's neck to prevent it from biting him. Blood and drool dripped from the zombie mouth and fell onto Marc's face. Marc tried to reach for the gun that was only an inch away from him.

He struggles to keep himself from getting bit as he tried to get the gun. The zombie was a few inches from Marc's shoulder and Marc could feel his fingers piercing through the zombie's flesh. Marc push the zombie away for a moment to grab his gun but when he did he felt a sharp pain in his legs, he ignored it and turned on his back and shot the zombie in the head.

Blood spattered into his face as he tried to catch his breath. He felt something warm running down his upper leg and look down. He saw a piece of his pants missing and a large bite mark on his skin. Marc wanted to cry or yell because he was bit and was the only one that can take Bianca and Matt to a safer place.

"MARC!" he heard Bianca shouting "MARC, HURRY UP, THEY'RE COMING"

Marc got up, took off his shirt to wrap around his wound with and limped outside.

I saw a half a dozen of them running over to the bus like they can smell us from a far.

"Oh my god, we're going to die" Matt said as he clutched on to the seat.

I would have said "shut up, Matt" but they were getting closer and this isn't a very safe bus. Then I saw two of the dead's heads blowing off by gun shots. Marc quickly got on to the bus and closed the door.

"Hang on guys" he said

I sat down in a seat and looked back at the few zombies that were left. Marc back up and didn't stop till he ran over them then went forward.

"Whew" Matt said trying to calm himself down "that was close"

I continue to look back to see more zombies coming after us but with food and a full tank a gas, my worry level went down from ten to nine. I got up and sat down in the same seat with Matt, who was eating a Butterfinger.

"Sweetart" he asked

I nodded then looked at Marc "Marc, do you want anything"

Marc shook his head and for some reason he was sweating pretty badly.

"Are you ok" I asked "and how come you're in your muscle shirt"

He looked back at me in the mirror "I'm fine, there was a zombie hiding in the bathroom. He scared me a little but I killed him" he smiled "and I cut my leg when the zombie tried t attack me so I'm using my shirt to cover the wound"

"Oh, but do you want anything" I asked

"I'm fine, really" he said

I shrugged and grabbed a water bottle.

Marc was hungry and thirsty but he didn't want them to see his wound. He was already feeling sick and breathless but he had to find them a safe place before he turns into one of those things. He looked down at his wound and saw that his whole pant leg was soaked in blood. He saw a sign that said Phoenix was only a couple of miles away. He sighs, knowing his fate was sealed . . .

Chapter Fourteen: Marc's Last Minutes: Marc died that leads to a bus crash and Bianca and Matt defending for themselves in the Dead world.