Chapter 11- Bloodshed
57 Days After the National Outbreak
EPOV:
Bodies fall at my feet; blood splatters against my face, smelling like death warmed over. I wish I had time to wipe the blood away, but they keep coming. They all look so different but move as though they have one mind. That single mind wants one thing: flesh. As I watch them move toward me, I realize there's probably not a single trace of humanity left in their bodies. While their bodies are animated, their souls are long gone. They snap their jaws, looking animalistic as they wag their head back and forth. The smell of Bella and me are probably driving them mad. They move as if they can't attack fast enough. Their bodies can't accommodate their need to eat. The hunger is in their eyes, haunting me.
I feel the rapid beat of Bella's heart rate as her back stayed glued against mine. She's shaking, but her fear doesn't prevent her from defending herself. She shoots one zombie after another, only pausing long enough to reload her guns. The crowd surrounding us seems endless. Where the hell did these fuckers come from? Almost mindlessly, I shoot at them. Aim. Fire. Aim. Fire. No rhyme or reason to any of it. All I know, is that we need to survive this. It doesn't matter how many we have to kill - how much bloodshed we have to cause - we're surviving this.
"I think we can make a run for it!" Bella screams out between gunshots.
"Where?" My eyes dart around and find nothing more than the living dead.
"There's an opening. You can't see it, but I can. Trust me."
"I trust you."
"Then get ready to run!" She shoots twice more before adding, "Now!"
I turn on my heel and follow her, chasing her through the crowd and killing anything in our path. My arm grows tired, but I keep shooting, knowing it's the only way to remain alive. Otherwise, we'll both turn into them. Bella darts through the herd, little enough to squeeze past the dead and shoot along the way. We dart into the city as the sun begins to set. The scenery is strangely beautiful. The bright sun begins its descent toward the city, causing everything to look grotesquely fantastical - like something out of a dream. Or a nightmare, I guess. A beautifully crafted nightmare, which I'm sure my uncreative mind could never come up with. Knowing this is reality, blows me away completely. The sounds of them approaching us from all sides focuses my mind once more. Their snarls are such a contrast to the beauty of the city. I aim my gun and shoot, listening as the bullet slices through the air before slicing through the zombie's head. I'll never get used to this.
My frantic eyes dart to find Bella's little body. She's far ahead of me, sprinting forward and I immediately propel myself forward, quickly catching up. She's covered in blood, but she still looks so sweet. I think it's her eyes or maybe the aura that surrounds her. She feels so kind; she feels like home. I'm sure she's home to someone. What a lucky person that someone is, to have someone like her as their rock. She won't be my home, but I'm lucky to have her as my friend. Such a brave thing in a small package. My eyes follow her as she puts a bullet in another zombie's head. I wonder if she knows how incredible she is? As she pulls the trigger once more, I smile, knowing that somehow, someway, we'll both survive this.
"Let's just get into one of those buildings ahead!" she shouts without sparing a moment to look at me.
She doesn't wait for my response and takes off running even faster. I sprint to catch-up. I watch her movements out of my peripheral as I deal with one threat at a time as they crowd around me. My heart is in my throat and my breaths are so quick, I'm nearly panting. I feel as though my heart's about to explode. Maybe it will. Maybe that would be the way I exit this world. I suppose that would be a far better death than being eaten alive. Eaten alive until you turn into one of them. The thought sends a shiver down my spine before a hand on my shoulder stills my breathing all together, causing every hair on my body to stand in attention.
I quickly pivot to find a walker that must be around three hundred pounds. Its flesh is decaying and the hair on its head is beginning to fall out. The hair left on its scalp is stringy and its skin is nearly gray. This zombie looks oddly fresh. Well, as "fresh" as a zombie could look. It begins to mindlessly snap its jaw in my direction, the hunger filling its eyes. With my free hand, I reach for my knife, pulling it from my belt and holding it firmly in my hand. I'm still for a second, mesmerized by the way they all seem to move their mouths. It's like the only brain activity they have revolves around carnage. They don't have personalities - they don't have anything. There's nothing to differentiate one zombie from the next outside of their appearance, and even that can be eerily similar. It pains me to know this thing once had a personality. Maybe this monster before me had a family; maybe he had someone who loved him.
"I'm sorry," I murmur as I plunge the knife into its throat.
"Fuck!" I hear Bella moan in a distance.
My eyes scan the perimeter for her and find nothing more than buildings and the dead. "Bella?" I call out, to receive no response. I stalk forward with the knife in my left hand and a gun in my right, killing everything that gets in my way as I search for her. I hear her fire her gun, which is a good sign, and follow the noise. With my heart palpitating in my chest, my eyes search for her, fearful of what I may find. I turn a corner and find her, on her back on the ground, blood pooling from her arm. Has she been bitten? My breathing nearly stops as I take in the scene before my mind starts working again and my body springs into action. With a roar of anger, I shoot the zombies in front of her. They fall to the ground, one by one, before the final one lands directly on top of her.
"No!" she whimpers. "Make it stop! Make it fucking stop!"
She pulls out her knife, pushing it into the neck of the creature above her whom is already dead. Blood splatters onto her face, and I'm so horrified by the sight I don't notice the other zombies moving toward her… until they're on top of her, as well. They fall beside her, biting and searching for their next meal. She screams, thrashing beneath the body on top of her. I try to run to her, but I quickly become surrounded, too.
"Fight, Bella! Fucking fight!" I scream as I begin firing my gun off at the crowd of walkers surrounding me. I hear her crying. I hear her screaming. But I can't spare a moment to look. They're everywhere. Everywhere… God, maybe this really is the end. Tears fill my eyes as I think about Bella… as I think about Kate. Kate, who thought I would go to the ends of the earth for. If I don't find her, she may think I abandoned her. God, I wish I was able to turn back time and tell her I love her one last time. And Paul… my best friend. I may never see him again. Fuck! Stop feeling sorry for yourself and fight! Fight for Kate. Fight for Paul. Most importantly, fight for Bella - the girl who's risking everything for you. In a blind rage, I shoot. My mind barely registers what my body is doing. I watch bodies fall around me, but I feel absolutely nothing. I feel blood cover me, but I continue to move forward. I hear myself screaming, but it's like the sounds coming toward me from the end of a tunnel. I feel like I'm watching myself fight from afar; as I move, I feel like I'm no longer in my own body.
Bella's screams are the only thing that really register in my mind. They're the only thing that keeps me going. As soon as I'm able, I turn to run to her, and tears run down my face as I take in the sight before me. There's blood everywhere - the dead everywhere - and the only part of her I can see is her face. Her beautiful face is marred with the most horrifying expression. Tears run down my face as I run to her. She may be dying, but I can't let them continue to eat her. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! The sounds of flesh tearing and my screams are the only thing that fills the alleyway. Bella's no longer making noise, instead, she stares horrified as their mouths pull on different bits of organs, muscles, and flesh.
I drop my gun - shooting them would be far too easy and unsatisfying - and reach for my second knife. With both blades in hand, I attack the lot of them, leaving not a single one alive. They deserve to die. Fuck, I wish I could reanimate them one final time just to murder them again. Tears are coursing down my cheeks as I stab them each far too many times than necessary. I wonder if they can feel pain. I wonder if they can suffer like Bella has.
As soon as I'm finished and the final one is dead on the ground, I drop to my knees beside the girl I have so quickly called my friend. I don't wipe my tears away, I let them flow, knowing this tragedy isn't something I can bottle up and avoid. The pain I feel is so profound. I never knew I could have these feelings for a stranger. I never knew someone like Bella could affect me so greatly. For a moment, I want to die, too. I'd give anything to be able to take her place. Someone like her deserves to live. I wish I could give that to her. But I failed her - just like I've failed everyone else in my life. I close my eyes and bow my head, hoping more will come and take me, too.
"Get them off of me," I hear a voice choke out.
My eyes fly open in shock. "Bella?"
"Please, get them off. I can't stand it anymore."
Without another word, I begin pulling the corpses off of her, until I reach the one most directly on top of her, lying horizontally across her stomach. Its stomach has been torn open and what's left of its body is a bloody mess. Was that what they were eating? They were eating another zombie, instead of Bella? That doesn't make any sense. When we smelled like zombies earlier, they didn't harm us. Hell, they didn't even acknowledge us. And now… now they're cannibalizing one of their own?
I throw the last zombie off of her and without uttering a single word, I pull her into my arms. She sobs against my chest and as the daylight drifts into twilight, I contemplate how close we both were to death.
A/N: Coheed and Cambria was amazing last night! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed the double update! Please review!
