Now, with all your reviews, I feel like I've been given a challenge.
And y'all know how much I love a challenge.
For maximum enjoyment of this chapter, I recommend listening to "Smother" by Daughter
They didn't know how it happened. They were all tired, having closed their eyes for a moment, hoping to get some rest and to get Aria back on track.
They didn't know how it happened.
Lungs burning, they ran as fast as they could; Mei took the lead, holding Wendy's hand tight in her own as Roberto guided Aria and Kit and Freddy kept lookout for any other undead on their trail. The fast-moving horde behind them seemed to be growing, but neither fourteen-year-old could pinpoint where the zombies were coming from. They weaved through streets, panicked, and rounded corners as sharply as possible. Aria gripped her sword tightly as her chest felt as though it was going to implode, each step a jab at her heart as she tried and tried to move faster.
All they could hear was the groans and the moans, the skidding footsteps and the hurried shuffles.
The world was finally showing the teens what true fear was.
No set destination was in any of their minds, the only word sticking in their plans being "safe". They didn't know how much longer they'd have to run; freedom was looking like a bleak and impossible hope - nearly wishful thinking.
They turned another corner, skidding roughly as they all tried to regain their breaths for that split second. Mei tugged Wendy into her arms, eyes searching for any oncoming hordes as Kit and Freddy watched behind them, and gestured wilding to the front of them.
Roberto's response was quick, loud, and the most authoritative since he'd joined their group: "Everyone climb, now!"
The first to reach the bus was Mei, who'd stopped suddenly, Wendy now hoisted over her shoulder, and searched around frantically for something to help them climb up. All she found was a car, and immediately and called out to Roberto. As Kit, Freddy and Aria kept an eye on the slowly approaching horde behind them, Mei, Roberto and Wendy opened the doors to the car and pushed as hard as they could. It moved slightly, stopping as soon as they reached the bus's doors, and then frantically climbed up. Wendy almost slipped as Aria jogged over, but was deftly caught by Mei as she ordered Aria to hurry up.
The moment Aria was up, Freddy followed; he held his hand out for Kit, fingertips brushing as she prepared to climb up.
As soon as his hand was around her wrist, the heel of her boot skidded against the roof of the car. Kit's foot slipped, her leg wedging between the bus and the car, and a sickening crunch was heard as she followed. Freddy lost his grip on her wrist, and a pained shriek tore loose from her throat. The entire group called for her, barely heard over her scream, and Freddy leapt from the bus without a second of hesitation.
He hooked his arms underneath her own, hoisting her out from between the two vehicles, and averted his eyes from her twisted leg - it was bent in an impossible direction, bone bursting through skin and blood practically seeping through the wound.
Wendy's eyes were shielded by Roberto as Aria and Mei held out their hands for the duo. Freddy lifted Kit into his arms, holding onto her as best he could, and glanced between the bus and the horde - the horde that had just rounded the corner, twice the size it had been before thanks to Kit's scream.
"Freddy!" No one was sure who called it out, but the moment it was, he turned to the group and begged them to keep running. Mei practically moved to dive at them, cursing at them and ordering them to climb back up, that they had enough time before the horde made it to even the car, but Roberto held her back; Freddy nodded to the older boy, steeling himself with a deep breath.
The moment the first zombie crashed into the car, he jumped off and sped past the bus, further down the street.
He weaved around the cars, undead bodies clogging each possible route as he assessed any way out. Kit needed help, he reminded himself, and the group would be slowed down if she was with them. He wasn't going to leave her, though; not like this.
As soon as Freddy emerged from the small river of cars, he turned for the first empty building he could find - he burst through the door, dropping Kit as gently as he could, and then slammed it shut. He locked it, wildly turning for a small cabinet by the door, and began to push it as hard as he could against the entrance.
A body collided with the door. The cabinet rattled violently at the impact. Freddy pushed harder.
Before he could get it securely in place, he was knocked off of his feet by a groaning, gasping body. Kit screeched his name, reaching hurriedly for her Pardini. The muffled shot didn't come right away - Freddy hardly heard it; he was too focused on the chomping teeth in front of his, the arms prying his fingers away from the face that smelt of rot and was too slippery to get a grip on. His arm was yanked away from the face, and a neck turned - teeth sank into skin - Kit screeched louder - the body went limp.
They hardly registered the fact that the cabinet had been shifted dangerously away from the door. They hardly registered the fact that a hand was reaching into the doorway, blindly searching for the screaming girl whose warmth beckoned them. All they knew was that Freddy was bitten, Kit was stuck, and both were doomed.
Freddy moved for the cabinet again, giving it a violent shove into the door, and ignored the hand becoming wedged in between the wood. Kit, wiping tears from her face, crawled over to him.
"Stay back," was all he said. She shook her head, ignoring the pain in her leg, and scooted closer. "Kit, stay back."
"No." It was barely a whisper, too quiet to even be a sound.
"Kit-"
"No," she repeated. As though making her point, she crawled closer, wrapping her arms around his legs and burying her face in his knees. "No."
Releasing a defeated breath, Freddy removed her from his knees and sank to the ground beside her; he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair. "I'm so, so sorry."
She merely shook her head, her sobs starting up properly. Freddy felt the tears fall down her cheeks, landing on his collarbone, soaking into his shirt. He rubbed a hand over her back soothingly, telling her it'd be alright. They were fine. Everything was alright.
Kit only continued to sob.
It had taken quicker for Freddy to begin to turn than it had Iza. Blood flew from his lips as he coughed, staining Kit's long white hair as she held onto him for dear life, shaking her head and frantically saying something - something Freddy couldn't understand - was that French? Was she speaking in French? He didn't know much, and it pained him to think that she was saying something to him - something he couldn't understand - he'd never understand.
The bite burned like hell, his hand spasming against his will as he coughed up more blood. His lungs burned. He felt like he was drowning in his own blood. The world was slowly losing its colour.
His sudden desire for warmth, to sink his teeth into it, to devour it, was what made him try and shove Kit away. Her nails dug into his skin, the girl shrieking that she didn't want to leave before babbling in French once more. Freddy begged her to try and hide. Kit shook her head and cried harder against him.
Freddy Cruellar died cradling a crying girl in his arms, his last breath spent listening to her cry out for someone to help them.
Katherine Harper was bitten only seconds later, mourning the loss of the boy who'd came back to help her, to try and get her help instead of leaving her between the bus and the car.
The entire group was shell shocked, hardly registering what had happened until a body crashed into the bus and nearly knocked Mei off of the side. Without even thinking, Roberto turned for Mei and demanded her phone. She handed it over wordlessly, taking Wendy again and holding tightly to Aria's wrist, keeping her from falling as well; Roberto searched through the phone, letting out a breath when he found what he wanted, and turned the volume up as loud as he could. Death metal blasted from the phone's small speaker, loud as humanly possible, and immediately earned the attention of the horde. He pulled his arm back, swung it hard, and the music flew through the air.
The phone crashed through a window of the house across from them. The sound was enough to attract the horde's attention.
As soon as the horde turned for the house, Roberto gestured for Mei to climb down with Wendy. Mei leapt down, Wendy tucked into her arms tightly, and rolled along the road. Her head hit the ground, warm liquid trickling down her face, but all she cared about was Wendy's safety.
The younger girl was fine, as far as she could tell, and she waited patiently for Aria and Roberto to follow.
They couldn't hear any gunshots - no sign that Freddy and Kit were fighting back or in any trouble - and silently they all cast glances to one another. Majority of the undead had been drawn to Kit's scream, half of them leaving to follow the fourteen-year-olds and half of them staying to get a feast from the group on the bus. Once he joined the other three, now waiting behind an empty taxi as they caught their breaths, Roberto gestured to the road ahead.
Even from the distance they'd covered in the span of two minutes, hobbling away from the bus and the cars as more and more undead crowded around the phone, they still heard the loud music blaring from the tiny speakers. Mei cringed every time she turned to look around too quickly, and Wendy resisted every urge to wipe the blood from the older girl's face that arose. They were deathly silent, still reeling from what had just happened - what the two fourteen-year-olds had just done. Aria's hands gripped her sword tightly - too tightly - while Roberto steadied his breathing and glanced around cautiously. They needed a safe way out. They needed a clear path that didn't immediately throw them into danger.
He turned back to the group once they were out of the horde's hearing range, a dedicated expression painting his features. "We're going to the mall," he announced. The girls watched him in shock, confusion evident on all their faces.
"But we can't remember the fucking way!" Mei snapped, keeping her voice hushed. "It'd take too long to get the fuck back there, and even then it might be fucking overrun with zombies!"
"It's better than staying put right where we are, waiting for the horde to find us." Roberto frowned, glancing at Wendy. "The roof is big enough for us all to camp out, wait for the helicopter, and maybe write an SOS message for someone to see. The supplies in the stores should last us, too."
Mei shook her head with a growl. Going back to the mall would be suicidal, but Roberto had a point. Who knew when the phone's battery ran out? What would stop the horde from finding them again?
With a reluctant sigh, she looked to the older girl in their group. Aria was in a slight daze, breathing still laboured from the run, and looked about ready to pass out on the spot from exhaustion. Mei scowled, raking her hands through her hair. Shit, shit, shit, this was not how she had hoped things would be going after they got the medication from Hui. She wanted there to be fucking peace, fucking quiet, and fucking safety. This shit was messed up, fuck it all.
"Alright,"she growled, then added a little louder, "Alright. We'll go back to the fucking mall."
Roberto nodded to her. "Thank you, Mei," he said softly. He cast his bicoloured gaze to the child in their group, holding a hand out for Wendy to take. "Wendy, I need you to do me a favour."
With a nervous stare, Wendy nodded. "I need you to run ahead check to make sure there's no zombies coming this way. Okay? Just peek around the corner and come straight back."
"O-Okay," Wendy mumbled. She cast a hesitant glance back to the two girls, fiddling her fingers in a nervous fidget, before finally taking a few steps forward. She hurried toward the end of the street, passing the buildings cautiously; as soon as she was out of an earshot, Roberto turned to the orange-haired girl and offered his hand. She shrugged, leaning on her sword as she continued to catch her breath. Mei, in an act of uncharacteristics, patted her shoulder reassuringly. Roberto didn't bother reading too far into the gesture - as long as they were getting along, they were fine.
He turned his gaze back toward Wendy, who was slowly but surely getting closer to the edge of the corner building. She was lined up against the wall, moving inch by inch towards the edge, until finally she peeked over quickly to get a good look at what was ahead. The glance lasted for a second, but she came sprinting back as quietly as possible when she was done; upon her face was a hopeful smile, eyes bright with excitement.
"There's people," she gasped upon reaching them. The three teens looked between themselves with small smiles, their luck finally turning around. Maybe they could finally make it out, this time without losing another one of their group.
Before he could stop her, Wendy turned on her heel and told them that she'd go say hello, try to get them to point them in the direction of the mall. Roberto reached out for her, attempting to grab her arm and scold her for not staying with them, but she moved too quickly in her excitement.
She rounded the corner, waving, calling out to the group approaching.
The teens heard swears, a shriek to shoot a zombie.
Roberto rushed forward, tripping over his own feet and twisting his ankle in the process, but got back up and continued to call for Wendy.
A bullet fired.
Wendy flew backwards onto the street.
Blood splattered everywhere as the girls shrieked in shock. Roberto stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes widened in shock, his blood running cold and his breath escaping him.
"Wendy!" Mei shrieked, pushing forward and leaving Aria behind. Roberto was quick to move again when he realised that Mei was running in the direction of the child, hastily pushing her back toward Aria as he attempted to limp toward Wendy. He drew his guns, readying them to fight, and took in a deep breath as he tried to keep calm.
Once he got a better look at Wendy, he nearly vomited right there and then. Blood was everywhere, painting the concrete and mixing with her blood-coloured hair. Her expression was mixed between blank and shocked, the realisation of what was happening most likely dawning on her before the shot had even fired. The right corner of her face had been blown clean off, the top of her eye visible without the layer of skin to hide it. He was fairly certain, if he looked hard enough, he could see- Oh God-
He could barely contain the enraged scream that tore from him as he rushed around the corner, raising his guns in anger and firing two bullets blindly ahead of him. Another shot rang out before he could shoot a third, blood splattering onto the road, onto Wendy's body. Roberto clutched his side in agony, sinking to his knees with a distressed groan as the blood poured out like paint from a tipped can. It pooled around him as the group around the corner advanced, the voice demanding Wendy be shot speaking again. This time ordering the death of Roberto.
"He could be bitten," they said. "The bite makes people savage, remember?"
Aria and Mei could only watch as Roberto glanced at them, wordlessly begging them to run, before finally turning back to his fate. Aria quickly grabbed Mei's arm, pulling her back towards her, and quietly ordered her to run. They needed to get away - don't let his sacrifice be in vain, Mei.
They barely saw the impact of the shot, but still managed to let out distressed whimpers at the sound of the body colliding with the ground. Mei's hands trembled uncontrollably, her axe almost dropped twice as Aria dragged her away. They continued to weave through streets, barely stopping for anything, until finally they collapsed outside a small apartment complex. Their lungs burned, their limbs shook violently, and they didn't know what to say or do.
Wordlessly, Aria nodded to the door of the building. It seemed quiet, probably meaning there would be a small number of undead to deal with, and the top of the building appeared to be big enough to accommodate a helicopter. This was their spot, her eyes said, and they needed to claim it.
Mei agreed with a sole nod, brandishing her axe and steeling herself.
Mourning would come later. For now, they needed to focus on survival.
Nothing but survival.
Almost as though they'd routinely practiced the actions, like a well-choreographed dance, Aria and Mei snuck in and past the first number of undead. They kept their arms linked together, lips sealed shut as their fingers grasped each other tightly, knuckles turning white. The ground floor had been cleared without need to shed blood, but the floor they'd need required a bit more violence.
The stairs were quick to navigate, minimal undead able to stay upright long enough to notice them. By the time they reached the fourth floor, one more away from their destination, they acted.
Mei was all blunt force and swift kicks, what could only be considered fighting dirty against another living being. Against the zombies, they were tactfully placed and effected in handing them to Aria for a quick finish. Aria was fast and left puddles of blood in her wake, somewhat satisfied with the feeling of cutting into flesh like she had only days ago, just before everything had turned to hell. Before everyone had left, willingly or not.
The fourth floor hall was cleared, the fifth beckoning them - and then, the rooftop. They made quicker work of the fifth floor, much less undead to deal with. Picking the apartment closest to the stairs leading up to the roof, they entered the unlocked two-bedroom suite and shut the door silently behind them. Soon enough, they were working to barricade the door, shoving the dining room table, the chairs, a heavy mahogany cupboard in front of it. Certain it was going to last for as long as they needed, the two set about searching the apartment.
It was small, but still big enough to house the two of them. At least for a day or two. On top of that, it appeared to have a good amount of non-perishable food. Aria stacked the cans of peaches and soup she found on the kitchen bench while Mei continued to search, inspecting the master bedroom for any useful items. She eventually pulled out the huge comforter and dumped it on the couch in the living-dining room, as well as a few pillows for reassurance, and told Aria she was going to check out the second bedroom.
Aria followed close behind, wanting to see if the second bedroom had anything interesting inside. From what photos she'd seen on the fridge, only a young couple lived in the house. Mei had already looted the master bedroom, and so her mind couldn't help but wander at the possibility of there being random and time-passing junk in the extra room.
Mei set down her axe as she opened the door, pushing it wide, but was quick to stumble back as something crashed into her.
It took Aria a moment to register that it was in fact a zombie they had missed - bearing a rather uncanny resemblance to the man in the couples' photos. Mei's eyes were wide with shock as she tried to reach for her axe, but the zombie's hands latched onto her outstretched arm and pinned her to the ground. She barely made a sound, barely realised what was happening, as teeth sank into her forearm.
Aria did, though.
She let out a panicked, "No!" and unsheathed her sword, driving it through the zombie's skull. It ceased all movement altogether, limbs limp as the teeth loosened on Mei's arm; barely done as Mei simply laid on the floor in shock, the pain barely there, Aria dove for the axe and lifted it high above her head, eyes on Mei's bite.
Recognition flashed in Mei's lavender eyes. Before she could protest, the axe came in contact with her flesh.
The axe was severed cleanly. Aria pounced on Mei as the younger girl took in a stunned breath; she straddled her, pinning her good arm to her side, and clamped both of her hands over Mei's mouth just before the scream of pain ripped through her. It was muffled, hardly loudly enough for anyone outside of the apartment to hear. Tears flowed freely from Mei's eyes as the upper half of her severed arm flailed helplessly. Blood sprayed from it, Mei's screams still active even a moment after the bitten limb had been cut off. Aria needed to shut her up so she could burn the wound, seal it off so it would stop bleeding.
Unable to think of anything else, she shifted her thumb and forefinger, hooking them over Mei's nostrils and effectively cutting off her air supply.
Mei panicked even more.
It wasn't until her face began to turn red and her thrashing died down that Aria leaned down and began to whisper to Mei, tell her that she needed to be quiet in order to seal the would, and that it was going to hurt whether she liked it or not. Mei, still unable to stop her tears, nodded frantically as she continued to panic. Aria removed her hands, wiping the snot she'd pinched from Mei's nose onto her jeans, and watched as the younger girl breathed in and out, deep and shaky but still very much alive.
Aria prayed that her plan - her stupid, on the spot plan - had worked. She didn't want to see another one of her kids die. She didn't want to put down another one of her family. The last of her family.
"Mei," she said, trying to smile. The reflection in Mei's eyes showed a pitiful, weak attempt at one, and it made her cringe internally. "I'm going to grab a metal object, okay? I'm going to heat it over the stove after I sterilize it, and then I'm going to cauterize the wound with it, okay?"
Mei nodded, silent save for a small whimper. Aria quickly got off of the younger girl, hurrying for the kitchen and grabbing the essentials. She searched through the drawers, finding a nice, large utensil that people apparently used when serving cake. It was big enough to cover most of Mei's stump of an arm, which meant it hopefully would do the job quicker. After finding some hand sanitizer that required no water, just the belief that it would kill ninety-nine percent of germs in one use, Aria set to work finding some alcohol for Mei's arm. It took a while, but she managed to find a near-empty bottle of whiskey in the back of the fridge. Finally, she lit the stove and set it on high, balancing the cake server over the flame as she searched for a cloth for Mei to bite down on. As soon as she found one, the metal of the server was almost red - the precise appearance Daniel had said to look out for when he'd taught her this.
She removed t from the flame, rushing to Mei's side with the cloth and whiskey. She rolled up the cloth and stuck it in Mei's mouth, telling her to chew on it instead of screaming ("Please Mei I know you can do it please."), and then poured the whiskey frantically over the wound. Mei hissed, eyes squeezing shut as she bit down onto the cloth, and Aria took that moment to gently place the flat side of the cake server onto the wound.
Mei's hand shot out and grabbed Aria's hair, but she was not deterred. Aria kept the cake server on the wound, noticing less blood coming out, and moved it down to the small portion it didn't cover. When she was done, the wound was barely even bleeding, and Mei was breathing heavily as the tears fell down her face once more. Aria reached up and wrapped her fingers around Mei's hand, gently prying it from her hair, and told her she was finished, Mei had been such a brave girl, it was all over before she'd even known it. Mei could do nothing but nod in agreement, shaking uncontrollably before she finally passed out from shock.
Aria left in search of bandages.
Hardly enough time had passed to rule out Mei turning. Only another fifteen minutes would tell for sure.
As she returned to Mei's side five minutes later, ready to dress the younger girl's sealed wound, she prayed once more that her plan had worked.
Please, God, let this one live.
I'm gonna get so many angry messages from a few people for this.
But that was the end of Finale~ Now for the epilogue...