2. Saved or fooled

I didn´t thought about it and my instincts took over, I reached out for my hockey stick, jumped down and got ready for my next move. I landed right next to the stranger´s head, screamed as I charge my power and swung the stick like if I were to hit a golf ball.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

My stick hit the dead rotting corpse right in the level of its eyes and got stuck. But thanks to the force I made, it flew from the stranger and landed behind some bushes. My reflexes spoke again as I picked up my gun and scan the area for more walking corpses. I spotted two more on the way to us and with two quiets shots, they fell down, completely dead this time. I looked behind me after making the two shots, but silence took over the forest like before. My gun found its place next to my hip and I made my way to collect the stick. It was really stuck in there so I had yank it. I heard movements behind me and this time my paranoid side of the brain spoke, so I let go with whatever I was doing, raise my gun again and pointed it at the stranger. The man had his hands up, and laughed quite awkward while I observed him from top to toe.

"W-Whoa, chill, no need to point that at me. I don´t have a gun, I-I can prove it." He said with a tone of fear for being shot but with a smile. Slowly, he reached down to his pants and dragged up his tank top to show that he wasn´t hiding anything. I was skeptical and gestured him to take of his bag. He thought about it for a moment and I knew he could feel the pressure. I lowered the gun, put it back where it belonged and continued to yank my hockey stick. I made the choice to let him chose if he wanted to show what´s in his bag or not. Not that I trusted him, because I didn´t, I had my eyes on him all the time, but he seemed like a guy that couldn´t fight. He didn´t even had knife in his pocket, so I doubted he had a gun or something deadly in his bag. But the desire to know what´s he got there grew, maybe if I´d let him die before I could have easily looked for myself. My thoughts got irrupted when the man spoke his name.

"My name is Jake." He reached out to shake my hand with a smile but received no hand in return. But I did smile back to him and got my stick out from the dead body. I let the blood be and my eyes locked on at Jake´s face. He looked awfully clean to be running out in the forest. I looked on his feet and asked what happened to his shoes.

"Umm… That's a funny story." He relaxed and started to wave with his hands. "You know the three corpses you killed, which was so badass! " It wasn´t really that badass I thought for myself but rolled with it. "-I threw my shoes at them before and kind of ran away." He laughed and I only looked at him with a confused smile. "But anyway, what´s your name?"

"Saga." It was a short determined answer. I didn´t really wanted to give out my name, it just slipped out of me. But I didn´t gave it much thought, he seemed nice, and what´s if he knew my name. We both gonna die someday with ours name´s blowing away with the wind. And it was too late to take my name back now.

"Saga. Nice." He looked at my face, my ruff hair and the hockey stick I had in my grip. "So where are you from?" he asked with curiosity.

That's a question I didn´t answer. And why would I? I had already given my name, I don´t want to get to know him and get all friendly. All I wanted was to have a reward to saving him or be left alone. So I spun my heels and walked to the tree I slept in, took my things, said good bye and left. Jake was surprised by this and ran after me but didn´t get too close.

"I sorry if I offended you or something, but I really want to show you my gratitude for saving me and I was thinking-"I interrupted him.

"How about you give me something in return? You got ammo?" I looked at him as I pointed the bloody hockey stick at him, putting blood on his top. He shook his head. I sighed and continued. "You got batteries?" He shook his head again with a sad look on his face. A bigger sigh came from me and I asked him pretty annoyed. "Do you have food? Cans in your bag?" Nothing. "You got anything in your bag at all?"

He didn´t answer that but instead he said his camp had food, lots of it, even beds and showers which I could have or borrow if I wanted to. I looked skeptical at him and waited. He could be tricking me and leading me into a trap, getting all friendly, getting to know me, my secrets and weakness, then trapping me, eating me by piece after piece, or worse, turning me into one of those things! I stopped myself before I would collapse and pointed the hockey stick at his throat. He jumped and got panic in his voice.

"I-I not lying! I live with like 20 others in a bunker under the ground! We have food, beds. Free from the dead shits!" He paused. "We have been living there for two whole years now. Our leader are very generous and are aware of the awful things that´s out here. My brother and friends lives there. We got a cook. We got people from all across the land." He just kept talking about the place and the people who lived there. I sigh, took away the stick and told him to go first to show me the way. It looked like he wanted to hug me for trusting him but kept his distance after seeing my 'not-so-friendly' face. He started to walk and kept on talking about the place, about the leader, about the people. There was even kids. Kids. I thought about that, back to my previous groups, back to my friends I lost when this began. I blanked out from Jake's talking and just walked behind him. If this was a trap, this would be a good timing to jump out and kill me, I wouldn´t have the chance to react and survive. I mean, I´m quite good with my gun and melee fights but I´m only 20, so…

"We´re here now." I shook my head to get to the reality again and scan the area. Nobody. Nothing. Quiet. His sudden yelling made me look at him with big eyes. Who yells at a world like this?

"Why are you screaming?" I hissed at him and dragging him down to my level of heights. "You want the dead to find us?"

"No, no, no, no, no. It´s cool, this area is fine. I´m calling my brother, he´s on the lookout."

I don´t get this guy, one moment he´s all panicking and full of fear, and later super happy and casual. Does he even how to be out here? I started to question be here or even saving Jake in first place when another lookalike man came out from nowhere with a pistol. His expression was serious and didn´t even looked at me, like I wasn´t even there. He obviously didn´t want me there. I saw as Jake told, or more like tried to convince this man that I, Saga, saved him. He said how awesome it was and it was a herd that came towards us. Urggghh… Can´t he just shut it? I just want a reward and go.

"Bob." Cold. The man suddenly looked at me and waited. I said my name but was almost interrupted by him. "We´re brothers, so… Thanks for saving him, Jake is quite important to us." I nodded and looked at Jake who didn´t seem happy for being called 'important', he even looked sad. "Well anyway, I guess you want to come in." then he went.

Jake shrugged and went after his brother. I considered to just walk away and leave but Jake called my name and I felt forced to follow. We came to a door, a big metal door which probably led underground. I shivered, felt sick and couldn´t move. I watched as Bob opened the door and Jake told me to come. With small, uncertain steps I went in after Jake. It was dark inside when the door closed and I could feel the panic rise. Suddenly, the whole corridor light up and I saw everything. People walked from door to door. My feet went on its own and stopped at an entrance to a large dining room. I saw several women and men, but no kids. I felt Jake behind me and asked where the children was.

"They-umm… further down the hall. Kinda isolated from this area." I felt disappointed and Jake could see it. "Come, you gotta meet Isa, she runs the place, you know the leader I spoke of before." I nodded.

As we walked down the long corridor, passing doors and a bunch of people. They all looked so relaxed, so 'not-knowing' about how it´s out there. Some part of me did envy them, but not really at one point. My grip around my hockey stick tighten and I felt trapped inside this bunker. My breath got heavier and I needed to go out, get some fresh air. Dead people or not, I rather be out there than down here in this grave.

We had come to a door with a number on it. 143. Just now I had realized that every door had a number over it, wonder why, if it means something or just how many door existed down here. Bob knocked and went inside with Jake and me after. In the middle of the room were a desk with an old woman behind it. She looked at the brothers and then at me. She welcomed me to sit down on a chair and I did. It has been awhile since I saw a really old human who lived or was sane. She introduced herself as Isa von Frech and wanted to shake my hand which I took and told her my name.

"It was a while since we got a guest here. We are pretty isolated down here." He rested and shrunk down in her chair. "I understand you saved Jake here?"

"Um yes. But… How did you know?"

"Bob called me and told so."

"You got cellphones?"

Isa laughed because of how dumb I looked when I asked that question. She showed me a walkie-talkie and got a giggle from me. My first thought was that they had batteries, batteries are going to be my first request as a reward. And luck was on my side. Isa mentioned that I needed a reward, but nothing about what I wanted, but what I would get.

"Because you saved Jake, I willing to let you stay for the night. A shower before dinner too and some breakfast before you go tomorrow. I´m sorry for sending you away, but we don´t have… umm… room enough." Isa smiled and I wave my hands and assured her that it was okay, even though I doubted her for some reason. Isa then informed Bob to get Linda to show me the shower and to a bed, Bob left and told Jake to come to but Isa didn´t want that. She wanted to hear how Jake felt she told Bob with a tone of anger. I sat uncomfortable on my spot and jumped when a woman, Linda put her head through the door opening and asked who Saga was. I raised my hand and she looked at me like 'yea-that´s-you' and told me to come. Bob stood outside but went in to Isa again after closing the door shut.

"So, your little ass saved Jake from these monsters huh? How old are you?" She didn´t looked at me when she asked me these questions, so I doubted she really wanted to know so my answers were short. She shrugged and kept on talking who she was. Before the accident she was a nurse and had the duty to take care of the wounded here too. She looked like to between 25-30, but I didn´t asked. She had long brown hair and a white long sleeved shirt and dark jeans.

We stopped at a small room, it looked more like a prison cell. She told me to that this was where I was going to sleep. Then she showed me the showers which was opposite of my room so I could easily slip between the showers and the room.

"The dinner is served about two hours or so but you can come when you feel like it. You can meet some real nice people there." She winked and wave 'see-you-later' and went.

After the shower, the change of clothes and making it 'OK' to sleep in my guest room, I set off to the dining room where it seemed like all the living were. I looked for Jake but didn´t saw him nor his brother. Then Linda call my name and I walked over to her. She sat with five other, a tall man with glasses named Allan, another girl named Caroline with short hair, and older woman named Ylva with glasses too, and a couple. The man, Tennessee, was big and muscular while the young woman was short and chubby with short, curly hair named Rita. They welcomed me to sit down and they talked. It was a nice, to be around people. People who talked, laughed and sang. In a very long time, I relaxed, maybe with some new found friends.

Back at the room, I lay down, placed my belongings next to my head. A Yondu Pop Up figurine, an old book and pens, my CD-player. I made the bed as comfortable as I could and fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up by someone knocking on my door. My first reflex was to drag my gun out from the holster, which hung at a wooden chair, but realized where I was. I sighed and went to open the door. It was Jake, he was breathless and looked scared.

"You gotta go."

He didn´t make sense. First he wanted to me to come and now go? I told him to calm down and asked what was going on. He told me he could say but did it anyway after he close the door after he walked in. "It was bombs."

I stared at him.

"In my bag. Isa- She- arrgggh! She is gonna blow up this place! She says there is no food left and the quickest way is to kill everyone instead of sending them of. She thinks she is helping them… He slowed down, hands resting on my shoulders and was breathing like normal.

Maybe because I ´m still very young or just stupid, but Jake didn´t make sense. Why was he telling me all this? Isa going to blow up the bunker? Suddenly this place got smaller and smaller by every seconds that went. I felt cramped. I shook my head, removed his hands and started to pack down my things in my bag.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"You did save me from turning into a walking corpse… Thought this was the best thing I could do, save a life." He stood at the door with a fading smile. "You have 20 minutes to leave, that should give you a head start." After that he left with the door open.

I was confused but didn´t have time to think about that. I was quick with the packing, went swiftly along the corridor but got caught by Allan who asked me where I was going.

"I´m leaving and you should do to." I don´t know if Jake has told others about the bombs, but I could just not say anything now, when he is standing right in front of me. I easily pushed him out of the way and screamed behind me "Or you should hide and take shelter under a table or something!" I could only imagine Allan´s look on his face, so confused and scared. Of what I heard yesterday Allan hasn´t been the bravest man here.

The exit was unguarded so I just sneaked out, away from this grave. I jogged so far I could to not be caught in the explosion. I hide in a trench and waited. It didn´t take long. The sound was deafening. I pressed my hands over my ears, it felt like I was gonna destroy my own head by pressing so hard. I noticed rocks, twigs and branches flew over my head and landed by my feet. It was lucky that I didn´t get any on my head, some rocks were pretty big. When the explosion was over, I slowly stood up, figuring out if I were to go over to the ruins or not. I was scared to find something I didn´t want to find. I picked up my bag and my feet walked on its own. I stood next to a fallen tree and found myself at the destroyed place. Ruins, big rocks and trees lay over the dead bodies. The place was quiet, like the wood mourn the dead but at the same time feared what would happen next. I looked around for… I don´t know what exactly, but something. Maybe survivors or supplies that didn´t get buried. But nothing. Everything I saw yesterday was gone. The people I saw and talked to was gone.

"Oh my god!"

Just when I was about to go, I could heard Linda´s voice. I froze and tried to listen where she where standing. It wasn´t that hard for she literally yelled so loud. I understand if she was sad and such, but screaming in the woods where dead humans wants to eat you, I wouldn´t do that. I came to the place where she stood together with Allan, Tennessee and Rita. What´s the odds.

"You shouldn´t do that."

Linda turned to me, she looked angry. She came at me and poked me in the chest.

"YOU! It´s your fault! You came here, being all friendly and then, and then just blows up my home, our home! You just killed a hundreds of innocent people! My friends. Are you happy now?!" She pulled her hair out of frustration and continued with her rage. "Why did you do that? We were nice to you, we gave you food, a shower, a bed but you HAD to FUCKING blow our home up!"

She was accusing me for something I haven´t done. While she continued to burst her anger on me, I could only think of three things.

1. Take all the shit and do nothing.

2. Stop her and tell her what really happened

3. Slap her and tell how wrong she is

(Thanks for reading and the voting ends 11 July, your choice matter for the story to continue :D)