Hunting a Dream

I'm insane, what was I thinking showing her the bright pictures. She is looking at me weird and it makes me feel weird, my insides are cold and my face is hot. Why is my face hot? It's like…I don't know…I'm scared, my claws are twitching. Is this what it feels like when you want to kill a Livy? No, I can't hurt her. She liked the pictures I know she did…she said beautiful. Wait what is she doing, is she laughing? Is she laughing at me? Ray, focus listen to what she has to say.

Becca was laughing; she had never seen an Infected get embarrassed before. She wondered what he had been like before all this went down. If she had met him sooner she probably would have thought he was cute. She could hear her mother now, "Good job Rebecca, another loser boyfriend…why would you date a zombie?" She was laughing even harder now. Ray began to shake his head and move his hands back and forth across his throat, almost like her dad did when he was saying, "Rebecca stop talking or your mom will bust both of us." She stifled her laughter with her hand and kept on giggling until she heard the groan and the hacking cough coming down the hallway.

I could smell Boom coming down the hallway way before Becca had begun laughing, I could tell they were at my door now and I saw Smoky walk through the door first. Smoky saw Becca and let out a shriek pointing at her. Becca backed up against the wall in fear as Boom also entered the room seeing her he began to lick his lips. I stepped in between Becca and them and let out a low growl. Boom backed up in fear, careful of the sharp countertops lest he pop like a balloon. Smoky pointed at her and let out a low growl again gesturing to his mouth. I shook my head and made my two fingers on my left hand brush against my right so they looked like they were walking. Smoky groaned and shrugged then made a motion that looked like drinking. I pointed to the fridge and he opened it pulling out a Coors Lite. Becca cocked her head, "Is that…beer?" I nodded in response.

"Why would Infected drink beer?"

Boom growled in her direction and she drew a knife from her boot and pointed it at him. I stood between the two of them and drew on my white board, "Hate word."

"Oh…um…I'm sorry?"

Boom seemed genuinely surprised, but then again if your filet mignon looked up at you and apologized for pointing a knife at you you'd be a little thrown off as well. I sighed and grunted at Smoky and he tossed me a beer. I drank it feverishly and felt a little better with the cool beverage in my hands. I looked at Becca and felt a little bad, I held out my drink to her. "No backwash." She replied to me. I felt like an idiot and I motioned for Smoky to pass me another, he threw it my way and held it out to her. She looked side to side before saying, "I'm underage."

I rolled my eyes and grunted at her and I guess she knew sarcasm well because she snatched it out of my hands and stuck her tongue out at me, "Yeah yeah…smartass…" Smoky laughed at me and made a whipping motion followed by a, "Wpish!"

"Oh!" Becca yelled at me, "Even after turning that's still a thing…your friend's funny." She took a big sip, "But he is right, I have you whipped."

I growled at her and she laughed, "Easy there Tiger, I'm not trying to hurt your feelings…you did save my life and all." She patted my head and continued to drink. She must have been a real lightweight, because about three-quarters of the way through her beer she was tipsy. "You guys…you're all right…I mean…I thought you were gonna eat me."

I drew on my white board, "They still will."

"Hey! You're a Stillwell!"

I slammed the palm of my hand into my face and shook my head, Becca continued to giggle and I carried her off to the bedroom without windows and I barricaded the door for her. I looked at Smoky and Boom who looked at the door hungrily. I growled to warn them away and they left. I sat on the couch and began to watch a movie.

Will paced the room back and forth, "Becca should have arrived by now…we should go back to look for her."

"We don't have the kind of manpower to go out and look for her, so it wouldn't be a wise decision." Tanner replied.

"But she's our friend," Sarah said, "we have to find her."

"I know, but there's nothing we can do."

Will loaded his shotgun and grabbed an extra pistol and a UZI. "There's always something to do. Come on Sarah."

Sarah shouldered her rifle and they left the safe house cautiously. They weren't too far down the street when they heard a very loud garbled noise. They continued to follow the noise, it slowly becoming clearer. "Is that…Despicable Me?" Sarah asked.

"Who watches a movie during this shit?" Will asked.

They continued moving, coming upon a large apartment complex, lights flickering at the studio apartment at the top. They slowly climbed the fire escape making sure not to cause too much noise and draw any attention to them. They reached the top where they saw the movie playing, but the room was empty. They entered slowly and did a quick sweep of the apartment, finding a barricaded door; Will shifted everything to find Becca snuggled in cozily into the bed. "Becca…Becca!"

She woke gripping her head a little, "Shhh…ow god I should not have had that beer…"

"Wait, you have a hangover from one beer? God you're a lightweight…"

"Screw you, why are you here?"

"We came looking for you."

"We?"

Sarah called them from the other room, "Hey guys you're gonna want to see this."

They entered the room and Will saw the vast wall of paintings that lined it, "Holy shit! Who did these?"

"Oh, Ray did those." Becca said.

"Ray? Who's Ray?"

As if on cue a Hunter dropped from the ceiling and…waved at them…Sarah was the first to freak, "Hunter!" Ray made a sound like, "Huh?" before realizing what was about to happen, he dove behind the couch as she and Will began to open fire.

"Woah, woah! Guns down!"

"Guns down? Becca are you crazy?"

"Ray saved my life!"

"THAT'S Ray!?"

He stuck his arm up and waved again. Will didn't know what to make of the situation, but before he could process is a Smoker and a Boomer entered the room glaring at them. "Shit!" Will cried before the Smoker tangled him up and began to drag him across the room.

Oh shit, this was all my fault I knew I should have just stayed hidden and let them go on their merry way, but I wanted to introduce myself. Now Smoky and Boom, who hadn't eaten in a while, were about to make a meal of her friend. The Sarah panicked and shot Boom which made him explode and Smoky to stumble. She aimed at Smoky and I stepped between the two and growled at Smoky to let the Will go. He cried back at me and pointed to where Boom used to be and held Will in a vice-grip, ready to feast. There was no time; I cleared the room slicing Smoky's tongue and then spun slicing his throat as a warning. I must have been in the heat of it, because my cut was too deep. Smoky fell to the ground gripping his throat, puff of smoke escaping his hands when he coughed. He looked at me with sadness in his eyes before falling to the ground, the smoke slowly escaping his open throat. What had I done, my claws kept shaking and I could smell Smoky and Boom's blood on my hands. Becca approached me and put her hand on my shoulder, I spun knocking her away and screaming at her. A warm salty thing running down my face. The look she gave me was on of pity. She looked at the ground, grabbed her stuff and walked out the door. I brought Smoky and Boom to the roof and began to burn what was left of them, my cries of anguish could be heard across the whole city.