Eyes flashed opened, alarmed by a sudden scent. Iron-filled and rich, the smell intoxicated her stomach and woke her mind. Quickly, she stood amidst fallen debris and frozen dirt. Eyes, heavy and tired, strained against the bright morning sky. She looked to her right and left, but everything was barren. Winter had swept through the land with a vengeance; its tight grip kept everything frozen and on the brink of death. Instantly, a hunger took over her body and her mouth began to water. The cramps were light, but came at an increasing rate; food was top priority.

Subconsciously, she rubbed the flat panes of her stomach, void of any evidence of her pregnancy, and moved forward. That scent called, her, made her boot clad feet pick up at an alarming pace. She began a slow run, careful to observe the grounds around her.  She listened as thin, dying branches clashed against their neighbors and snapped toward immediate death. She looked through the abandonment around her, only the dark smoke signaled what happened to the mountain side, and…

Suddenly, she stopped. While the need to feed was great, she realized that she was alone; woke up alone and ran from the safest place to find others. This time when she looked around, it was not for food, but survival. Where was everyone?  Where was the van?

Quickly, feet retraced their steps; however the direction led her astray. She looked at the scenery unfold, still and identical, but nothing seemed familiar. The cramps grew in intensity, made her double over and reach out for a dilapidated bark to keep from falling. No, she whispered, her hands created circles across her abdomen. Not like this…she thought. She must find the others; she had to make sure they were alive. However, her body was no longer her own.

As soon as she stood to continue her journey, a pain shot from her stomach and exploded through her center. Uhh, she gasped as her head flew backwards; her vision went red.

Like an electric, a spark tapped her heart, and it stopped. She convulsed, tried to recover from the pause, but one last pulse kissed her ribs and sent her motionless and weak. Through blurred vision, she watched the world spin before her head slammed into the ground. Ahh, she whimpered; sent a soft whistle for help, but silence came back to comfort.

Face down, a sharp coldness spread through her cheek and yet, she couldn’t tell if the ground was the source of her wet face or her tears, but all she knew was that she could die her; alone.

Please, she whispered, on a last breath.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement to her left. She managed to drag her head that way, as the world glowed through that strange red hue. For seconds, she stared through the trees, tried to distinguish innocent shadows from potential threats. Her fingers twitched at her side, scratched against the ground for a weapon, as she continued to watch.  

Harsh breaths intensified as those red eyes scanned every surface, every crevice, and came up empty. Exhaustion pulled her from the threat; too tired to made an escape and too feeble to fight for survival. She gave up and crashed; allowed her body to sink deeper into the cold earth and hoped that snow would come soon.

With a slow blink, she opened her eyes and blanched…

There, in the middle of the woods, right in her view stood a dark silhouette. Her eyes widened, as the shadow man tilted his head in recognition.

By the sheer size of him compared to the landscape he seemed to be a big, brawny man; broad shoulders lead to thick sculpted arms by his side, while long legs held the weight of firm thighs and bulging calves. She studied him, tried to identify a weak spot but came up empty. She played dead; kept her eyes glued to the figure without a blink and slowed down her breathing. She watched him.

He stood there, almost with purpose, his body erect with alertness and danger. As he continued to watch, she started to feel desperate. She had to run; she must escape…she thought. With all her energy, she prepared to move quickly, but only ended up on arms and knees. Once more pain shot through her abdomen, but she ignored it. Quickly, she looked back at the figure; he moved. Heavy foot after heavy foot, he approached.

No, she whispered, and pushed off the ground, only to fall back down on shaky knees. Ahh…her scream was almost silent, her energy depleted. She turned her head and watched the man’s pace increase, determined to reach her within a few strides. Not one to back down, she kept her attention on him, kept those mutated eyes on him, and the rest of the world blurred around them.

Something slid down the man’s arm into his right hand, a sharp knife. The daylight sky reflected from its polished face; the light blinded her.  She’s dead…he will kill her.

Once again, she tried for escape, but her body burned from the inside. Chills spread like fire across her skin; she dropped to the ground for relief. He would realize she was no longer human, and like she’s done so many times, he will end her suffering. She laid her head against the dirt, content with her finale.

She watched him, until a ski mask could be seen across his nose and mouth. His pale skin glowed under his thick, dark hair, as the tendrils swayed in the winter’s chill. His long strides brought deep set, hazel eyes closer, and for a second, he looked familiar…

With a name on her tongue, she looked away, afraid of the truth. This was the end, everyone died alone in the end… Her eyes closed, and she waited…

breathed…

waited…

Curiosity opened fearful eyes and exposed no threat. The man stopped. While his eyes were no longer on her, she took in his bleeding left hand and the tarnished knife. She looked to his face in confusion, but he looked beyond her fallen body. Painfully, she turned her head to the right, only to see another person…no, a child.

Tawny skin shimmered underneath an unruly bed of light curls, while a dark uniform adorned her person. The girl’s face, framed by the luscious locks, was round like her own, and held full color stained lips which balanced out cherub cheeks. She watched the girl in awe, as glassy eyes looked back. Suddenly, the girl smiled and deep set dimples carved perfect half-moon shaped caverns. Gradually, the girl’s smile widened until the first sign of pearly teeth glimmered. The girl paused, looked at the man in hesitancy, before her expression strength to the max, and the air froze around them.

The last bit of blood that kept her alive, quickly stopped in her veins and her heart followed. Impossible, were the only words she could comprehend as her mind exploded. No…

Those innocent pearly whites, on the youth, morphed into deadlier weapons as the girl exposed more. A face, so angelic that she thought the girl was an angel, now held something so frightening even she was afraid to acknowledge. Out from behind those beautiful lips were two, inch long incisors. The girl had…fangs.

She let out a scream, a blood curdling scream as the pain shot through her abdomen, her head, and caused her eyes to close. This time when they flew open, her vision was no longer red, the beast inside her gone, but the monster in front, was now crotched beside her.  No, she whimpered.

With sad, innocent eyes, blood tears rained down the girl’s face as the youth dropped to her ear. I’m sorry, mommy, was the whisper she heard and then the bite.

“Ahh.”

Dehydrated, my throat pained against the movement and chapped lips cracked from the stretch. The first thing I heard was my own inhale, the second thing was the silence, identical to the dreams. Fear stopped me from opening my eyes. Instead, I stayed still, relied on my other senses for clues of where I was.

Already on my back, it was easy to sink deeper into whatever I laid on without much movement. I waited to see if the cold surface would support the weight like a rock, or give in like a mattress. Slowly, the shell caved under my weight and enveloped my form. A smell of leather emanated from beneath me, and I made the link.

I listened for sounds of others in the van, but all I heard were two heartbeats. Who else was with me? I thought. I breathed deeply, tried to catch a key scent, but it was my own that covered the entire vehicle. How long have I been in here? Alarmed, I jumped up immediately from my slumbered state, with hands high, ready to strike.

At first sight, I shrunk away for the bright, gray hue of winter’s day. I focused on the grey seats and silver carpet on the floor. Occasionally, I stole glances of the interior, noted how many rows, seats, even the dashboard. My predictions were right; I was truly alone.

Even as I analyzed every inch of the car, observed the abandonment, I could still hear that second heartbeat. What the hell, I thought. Maybe my senses were jumbled and what I heard came from something else, or maybe I was going crazy.

Where were the others?

I took a second look around the cabin, this time for clues. Why would they just leave me here, I thought. The trunk was empty, underneath the seats bare, even the ropes which held the bags on the roofs were missing. It was empty.  

As my eyes went to the window, I searched the dead remains of Winter’s chill, but it held no signs of a camp. Where was everyone…?

BAM.

A loud sound spread through the clearing and rocked the vehicle. I crawled closer to the window and watched as trees shook and branches swung like frantic victims. I turned my eyes to the sky, where a dark fog from higher ground spread its greedy fingers open and encompassed any threats of snow. Series of small burst echoed in the distance, sprouting more darkness. Shadows played on the ground, hid nature’s most basic shapes and played with one’s own fear. What I knew to be dried up branches, were now the limbs of the undead. Before long, I found myself reaching for an invisible weapon. Anything, I thought, as my heart raced and my eyes frantically looked for a sharp object. I climbed into the front row and pulled on the glove department with a glimmer caught my eye. Like an alarmed deer, I stopped all movement and looked in its direction. Hidden in the tree line to the left of the driver’s side, the angry sky reflected off a piece of metal, held in the gloved hands of a hooded figure.

Suddenly, images of past nightmares came forward; a particular one happened this morning. From the shadows, the figure stared, neither moving, nor acknowledging the dark ashes which begun to fall. Quickly, I looked for any recognition through the darkness. I surveyed his clothes, and while they looked familiar, it was nothing but a black multi-pocket military coat, and black cargo pants. His feet were hidden in the brush, but I would bet he wore combat boots. Actually, the more I looked at him, the more I became convinced that Norris had somehow survived, or worse, his minions.

“Move,” I whispered, challenged him with my eyes, as my fingers scanned contents of the glove box. Papers were everywhere and nothing of substance.  As he continued to watch, I snuck a glance at the door knob and noticed it was gone. I looked behind me at the opposite door, but that too was missing. Quickly, I hopped through the opening and looked toward the rear doors.. “Fuck you!” I hissed. This was a set up. Something’s wrong and…

He moved; took a step forward and continued on. My mind went into over drive as I moved back toward the truck. Being in a small clearing, probably made by off-road driving, the trees shrunk back and offered no canopy. Once the figure cleared the trees, he glowed, along with his weapon.  It was the blunt and weathered, but there was no mistaking the machete. “Jasper,” I crooked out, frozen in confusion.

A gloved hand moved to his hood and unsheathed his face; hazel eyes observed me cautiously. “Jasper,” I repeated and brought my empty hands up to the glass. “What the fuck?” I snapped.

He stood still on the other side and watched me. His suspicions were not hidden, neither was the tight grip on his weapon. Something happened, I thought. I looked down at my own hands for a clue.  

So they were alive, and yet I was the one trapped inside, I thought. At that moment, I caught the orange tinge of a prescription pill bottle on the floor. I bent over and picked it up; it was empty.

Did they drug me? I looked back up at the man, my fear and anger rose. “What the fuck!” I yelled and threw the bottle at him, but the glass stood up to the test. “Let me out!” I went to kick my foot next, but a loud click echoed through the car. The locks were unengaged, and the front passenger door swung open. “We need her vitals. I need to check her…”

I spun from Jasper to catch another hooded figure enter quickly and slam the door shut. “Lock it,” he shouted toward someone outside the vehicle and by voice alone I exhaled.

“Michael, why the fuck am I in here?” I snapped and climbed over the middle seat. However his response was frightening.

Click.

As soon as I sat up right, I was face to face with the end of his black double barrel hunting rifle. “Don’t fucking move, or I will blow your shit,” Michael hissed. Shakily, I nodded through racing heartbeats; my eyes never left the two chambers.

Through the glass, another voice spoke, “Celeste, can you hear me?” I nodded. “Okay, good. Are you in any pain?” I shook my head ‘no.’ “Do you remember anything?” I paused, and the man yelled to Jasper. “Go get Miriam, now!”

“The cove…”I rasped out, but the only one that heard me was behind the gun. “Michael, what’s…”

“Shut up,” he snapped, and looked toward the window. “Let’s get this over with doctor.”

“Okay, okay. I need you to check her vitals. Is she shaking?” Doctor Marab asked.

“No,” Michael answered.

“That’s impossible; it’s thirty degrees out, and she’s not wearing a coat. Check her pulse; two fingers…”

“…I know what I’m doing.” Once again, Michael was aggressive, and a little frightening. At one point, I thought he would always protect, and now he wanted my head.  

“Michael,” I whispered and tried to move out of the gun’s way, but instead he pushed it forward and pointed it at my abdomen.

“I told you not to move!” He yelled as if he was talking to an enemy, and I saw red.

The fear he brought upon me morphed into a pulse and my adrenaline spiked. Before I could control myself, I smacked the tip of the rifle away from, resulted in it falling from his hands. The locks unlocked and fast movement approached the car, and stole my attention. In that time, Michael gained the upper hand and lunged for me, right at my throat. Callous fingers wrapped around tightly in a deadly gripped.

I clawed at his arm, tried to impact some damage to loosen his hold, but his grip tightened and madness took over him. I looked into blue eyes, which at first were so familiar, but now they stared back as a stranger would, as I would to an undead.

Commotion stared outside as ashes covered the windows.  The front doors were thrown open and voices called for Michael to let go, but he didn’t. “You killed her!” he screamed, over and over, as his eyes watched, recorded every second of my demise.

He was close now. Fingers balled up tightly, and I swung, connected with his left eye. “Ahh!” he gasped and let go. Quickly, I kicked him square in the chest and immediately, crawled back over to the last row. Michael fell back on the others, before he recovered and lunged for me.  

I punched the rear glass, but it resisted. I went to punch again, when an arm grabbed my hair and pulled me backwards. “Michael, please,” I screamed. For a moment he paused, his eyes squinted, but my body fought back. No, I thought, my reflex acted on its own.

“You will kill her,” he whispered and replaced his hand across my throat. Instantly, my vision blurred and everything went red. The power inside consumed me. My arms moved, punched, scratched, pulled, but nothing affected him. His fingers tightly significantly and all the air left me.

Darkness, colder than the air and darker than any shadows, appeared before me.  It became a tunnel which grew larger and larger; it swallowed the images of reality. My abdomen exploded in pain, as if it too had someone’s death grip around it. Please, I begged internally until I heard a scream.

“Get off of her!”

What consciousness I lost, momentarily came back as I recognized that light, high pitched voice. “Violet,” I mouthed and at the same time, Michael’s grip had vanished.

“Violet, stay back!” Someone yelled over the demands of the doctor.

I took a deep inhale, which brought life back to me and immense pain. My lungs expanded greedily, as sharp pains attacked from all the activity.

“I need to get in,” Marab said, with his hands on the rifle. He gave it away before he pulled Michael back. “You almost killed her,” he shouted.

“I…I…” Michael stuttered and the van filled with such grief. “Shit…she’s not, no, it wasn’t her.”

“Go take a walk,” the doctor yelled and looked at Miriam. She exchanged a knowing look and whispered something in his ear. Michael didn’t move, ignored her at first, but then I smelt his immense pain. It held bitterness that strongly resembled sulfur. “Go after him!” Marab ordered, before his attention was me.

“Will she live?” Violet’s voice was surprisingly close and before I knew it, platinum hair popped over my face. “I knew you were tough,” were the last words I heard before blacking out.

+++++

This time when I woke, it was to the pita patter of a rain fall. The smell of leather filled my nostrils, as I lay on my back like I did before. This time I wasn’t hesitant about opening my eyes. I did so with haste only to watch the water hit the glass windows.

They gave me a winter coat to shield from the cold, while plush gloves caressed my fingers. I made to move, but found that restraints were placed around my wrists. I was able to sit up, move along the back row, but that was all. “Fuck,” I whispered.

I looked up in time to see someone approach. Their high hood shielded their face from the downpour, while the bag they carried was weighed down by its contents. I watched as they moved for the driver’s side and listen for the car to unlock. Seconds later, the door quickly opened and the person climbed in. I would have never feared another human being, but after the last time I woke, I shivered in my seat, and pulled hard against the ropes; he was back to finish the fight.

“Michael…?” I whispered. Goosebumps spread along my flesh like wildfire, as the person threw the bag onto the middle row. They had yet to lift their hood, and the rain masked their scent. “Who are you?” I asked when he didn’t acknowledge my first words.

“Your only friend.” The hood came off and hazel eyes looked back at me. They revealed warmth that contradicted the coldness around us. “How are your wrists?”

“They’re tied up.”

“Well, you haven’t been the kindest person lately,” he said and took off his gloves.

“Well, I can say the same about someone else.”

“You almost killed everyone, Celeste.” Suddenly, Jasper was still and his words hit me like a bullet. In his eyes, I felt the memory come back, could smell the anger, confusion, and fear. His heart beat spiked, but slowed down almost immediately.

“Jasper,” I snapped him out of his thoughts, but his eyes held on to the story. “I don’t remember anything. Tell me.”

 “I don’t remember anything. Tell me what happened after I left the cove,” I ordered. What came next was a tale of someone else, hidden within my own skin.

“Right after Marab got you out, I went back for Michael. Celeste, the whole place was infested with those fuckers, the mutant ones. By the time I got inside, the militia had blocked off Level one and the stairwell up. I heard over the radio that Karen and some of the doctors got out, but they were still looking for something, and someone.”

“The militia knew about me. Who sent them?” I asked. Jasper looked beyond me, out into the rain as he cracked his knuckles, a trait that showed he hid something in his deep thoughts. I narrowed my eyes at him, ready to call out his silence, but then he spoke up.

“I don’t know.” Finally, he turned toward me.  “…but Michael knew. That’s why we had to get you out that night. They had everything planned for weeks, down to medical supplies, hidden files, even the meals they stole from the kitchen. However, that picture you discovered, the one with…” he paused, her name on the tip of his tongue, but like him I couldn’t utter it either.

“The one with his brother?” I contributed and it seemed to  bring Jasper out of his remorse.

“Yeah, that one. Well, it did something to him. After I got lost in some tiny hallways on level two, I ended up back in that board room. He was there, staring at the photo. He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn’t realize I was in the room until he swung his rifle in my face. I don’t know, Celeste, but he’s been a loose cannon since.”

Memories floated back to the picture and the look on his face when I assumed it was him. “He said he was the one who shot down the plane…” suddenly, my mind brought back everything, from the conversation with Michael to the militia’s word before the others showed up. “The militia, they said they were ordered by the president…oh shit,” I gasped and remembered who exactly Michael was. “How can he be the president’s son?”

“What are you talking about, Celeste?” Jasper asked, his eyes wide in confusion. Quickly, I retold everything I overhead. As the words left my mouth, I thought of Henri, Michael’s brother.  Why would the President only want one son back? “You don’t think…”

“Fuck, this shit,” he cursed, as the wheels turned. “First we have to deal with the Cove’s bullshit, now you think this whole mess is a government conspiracy. Celeste, you are out of your damn mind with the rest of those people. Karen and those doctors are sick fucks. They did this to us, to Violet, not the government.”

“Jasper, but what if…there must’ve been a mole amongst Karen’s elite,” I whispered and both of our thoughts went back to one man.

“Marab,” he spoke the name. Could this all be a set up? Could he be the one leading us straight into darker hands?

“Jasper,” I reached for him, but the strings resisted. “Fuck, you need to cut these ropes. We need to get away from them,” I expressed urgently. If it was up to me, I would leave now, but there was one part I was still missing. I looked at the ties around my wrist; it was Jasper’s signature knot, the one he used on Michael, too.  “Why the hell am I tied up?”

Jasper looked down at my wrist and knew that I identified him as the one who did the bidding. “…because you snapped. Sage drove until he was the last one conscious and even that ended. We were all passed out in the van when Michael heard a gnawing sound, almost like grinding of teeth, but he thought he was mistaken since that’s the sound of the undead.  However it never stopped, only grew.” He pointed to where I sat and then to the floor. “Both of you were in the back row; he was on the seat, while you were on the floor. You rose up from the belly up like so sort of resurrection.”

My eyes went to the floor, his words reimagined. I urged myself to remember, and yet, all that welcomed me was the pain deep in my abdomen.

Jasper continued on, “he watched you, Celeste. He watched you sniff the air. Even as you stood and look at everyone single person like you didn’t know them or cared; all you did was search for something. Before long, your attention was set on the trunk.”

The caravan was similar to any other van, its trunk sat open behind the last row. I turned, slightly, in its direction and observed the grey carpet. Everything appeared fine, but upon closer inspection, there was a mark. Small and light, on the edge of the door was dried, brown stain. “Blood?” I asked, in denial of my own actions.

“Violet bled; no one knew. She slept in the trunk, but you had to get through Michael first. He saw it in your eyes, Celeste. The yellow was there.” That was the hue which haunted your dreams at night, it was the color you saw whenever your friends were taken down, or watch a Z reanimate. It was the sign of the disease, the identifier of the sick. People whispered that its what gave the Zs such good ability to hunt at night, see through the dark. However no one has ever returned from the other side, except…

I looked at my companion, and noticed that his hazel eyes seemed lighter, golden actually. “It happened to you,” I voiced and then realized it happened to me as well. Violet witnessed saw them change. We were trapped in the room full of Zs, when I felt the energy take over me. “What happened,” I demanded.

Jasper responded immediately, his words animated with the tale. “You reached for her, but Michael didn’t let you. He stopped you, but you attacked with vigor. The commotion woke everyone. I tried to grab you, but you punched me in the throat. You knocked Miriam unconscious, and went after Sage. He cut himself, and while the wound closed somehow it reopened. Fuck, you moved so quickly; pinned him down before anyone knew it and grabbed his throat.”

“Did I kill him?” my heart rate echoed in my ear, as I continued to ignore the pain, but with every second it became hard to breath.

“No. Michael managed to grab you and pulled you from the van. Marab gave him a syringe filled with a tranquilizer, and when he got the chance, he sent it deep.” Jasper pointed to a spot right in the middle of my stomach. “You fought like an ox, put a couple of bruises on his white ass, but he kept you at bay, until you passed out. We’ve kept you out for the past three days.”

I tried to digest everything he said, but I couldn’t wrap my head around it. The last time I lost control, I was still conscious, aware of my actions. Was I getting worse? Did Karen inject me with the virus like she did to Jasper? How long would it be until I completely transformed. “You have to tell them, you have to tell the others that I am fine,” I stuttered, even though I didn’t believe one word. Even now, I fought against overwhelming hunger pains. I pinched my lips shut, forced my teeth not to chatter, and kept the saliva back. The pain only grew.

“Of course, you are fine now. Celeste, whatever they planted inside of you is not normal. It’s not just a fucking parasite.” He spat, and his words became bullets, aimed at my sanity. I turned away from him, in fear that he would see the struggle, but he was right. “It’s in all of us, you, and me, even Violet.  That’s why my senses are heightened, that’s why Violet is so sensitive, and that’s why you morphed.”

“Then, explain to me why I’ll the only one that’s tied up…” I snapped, and Jasper paused. His eyes narrowed as my breathing became labored, and my heart rate sky rocketed. Goosebumps covered my body, only to bring chill down my spine. Before long, my body temperature dropped. “Oh, no…” I whispered. “You need to leave, now,” I demanded, feeling my control ebb.

“Let go, I need to see it,” he said. Too absorbed in my own demise, I didn’t hear the birdcall he let go, or see the figure move from the shadows.

“Ahhh!” I screamed as pain exploded from my groin. My hand jerked out, but the restraints stopped me from grabbing him.  My body left the seat as the pain came again, this time with a promise to rip me apart.

“I’ve morphed before...”he began. “Sometimes, when there’s danger, it takes over. I get chills all over and my heart slows. For a split second, I feel like I’m dying, but then there’s a surge of energy and my reflexes goes into overdrive,” and suddenly, he described everything I felt at the moment.

As my body dropped back to the seat, I was left paralyzed; my head hung from my neck, and arms fell limp against the leather. My blood no longer pulsed through my body like a crazed river; no it slowed, nearly stopped in its track. My nerves were lit with electricity and I felt everything. The tiny strands of wool from my sweater smothered my skin, while Jasper’s light breathes slapped at my face. My hearing intensified to the point where I could hold his wet, beating heart in my hand and it wouldn’t be louder.

Beyond the van and the rain, I heard the snap of a branch. It was a sharp sound that ignited a direct alert in my body. The tiny hairs on my neck stood, while the air became musky, filled with iron.  I zoned in on…him. “He came back to finish the job?” the words left my lips, wrapped in a deeper resonance than my normal voice.

Eyes opened wide, and I saw red. Everything was shades of copper, just like in my dream. The transformation was complete. My head lifted and I took in Jasper’s smirk. “I guess their experiment were successful,” he voiced, but then I noticed his heart beat was gone; he’s eyes were no longer hazel.

That irony smell intensified as the car door unlocked. My head snapped toward the window to see Michael just outside the door. The heavy rain rolled off his coat in waves, but his scent was still strong. Jasper moved from his seat toward the front row. I watched as he reached for something. “Is it fresh?”

“Still beating…” was Michael’s response and then he joined us. Between the smell from the bag and the new addition, my senses went hay-wired. My arms struggled against the ropes; the fibers cut the skin. The hunger became too intense to fight; it consumed my body and began to take down my mind.

“Good. Either shut the door, or get out,” Jasper ordered behind his back and came back to the middle row. Once the door closed, Michael didn’t hesitate and the locks were engaged.

Jasper pulled the strings from the bag and spread the opening.  My eyes closed and head fell back as the fresh smell was almost too good to digest. “What’s happening?” I managed to spit out as my jaw fell open and my tongue reached out to taste the aroma.

This time it was Michael who broke the silence. He watched me; curiousity, anger, fear, and even disbelief were written behind that cerulean orbs. He kept his hood up, his handgun in his lap, and right hand on the trigger. “You sure this is going to work?” He asked Jasper, who let go a low growl. I watched the men exchange a silent conversation before Michael looked back at me.

“You said you had something to tell us, now say it,” Jasper growled, his hands strained against the opening of the bag. I heard the slight tap of Michael’s finger on his handgun in response to Jasper’s tone. That sulfur smell cut through the air, and I realized it wasn’t pain, but fear. Michael was afraid. My head tilted slightly in recognition as I felt his eyes come back to me.

“Say what you need to say, Seal,” the words slithered through, almost sultry challenge. His heartbeat spiked for a moment, and a salty sweat lined his palm. I smirked through the pain, satisfied in his response, but I knew his words held weight. “Say what you know!” The yell alerted everyone, but I couldn’t hold back from the pain anymore. I would cut off my own arms if I didn’t…

Finally, his deep voice filled the van. “Marab said, before the war, the government’s plan was to create a military weapon that would annihilate the threats of chemical warfare, and Karen offered a promising proposal, however no one expected the leak so soon…” Even though Michael spoke, it was Jasper who stole half of my attention.

He took off his gloves and revealed red stained fingers.

 “…but, the Cove never stopped, until they found a link. If nature allowed the Zs to adapt so quickly on their own, then there needed to be a way for humans to counterattack evolution. So Karen set out to create a new race, a hybrid to train and protect what was left.” Michael continued on.

Jasper reached into the bag, pulled out something small and covered in mud.

“If the match wasn’t carefully planned, than the carrier would die, become a mutant. She would need the mutation to start in the DNA.”

With his machete, Jasper laid the object on top of the bag and brought his raised arm down. He tore into the animal, until its limb ripped apart. Those mutated eyes looked at me in earnest, and before I knew it he picked up the morsel and threw.

“That’s what’s taking over both of you.” Michael was direct as he watched. “Marab said you bonded with the virus, Jasper,” and then he looked at me. “Celeste, however, you are not infected, but your child is. What if Karen was successful, what if you carried the cure?” He paused and watched with Jasper as I fought an internal battle. My hands reached for the fleshy bit, raw and bloody. My mouth opened in anticipation, but my mind held back.

“It’s the only way!” Jasper spoke; urgency and concern laced through his words. I didn’t see him look at Michael, but the smell of his fear intensified. The safety came off his Beretta. “If you don’t feed, then he will kill you. I can’t protect you if that thing takes full control. Celeste, eat, dammit! Eat and maybe you’ll save us all,” and Michael’s hand rose, the pistol aimed right for my head.

 Before I knew it, my wrists ripped free on the restraints, my fingers held the flesh in my hands. I grew dazed with desire as I smelt every drop of blood left in the tiny rodent’s still warm body. My hands shook as the adrenaline coursed through my limbs with excitement. “Ahh!” I screamed as pain burned from my inside and engulfed me; my mouth was wide and waiting. 

Flashback from the Chozen;

“What the hell is going on? Who are you looking for?” I piped in. Miriam rejected my request, while Sage just looked at Michael; he stared at the diagram. “They used you, too. You’re the father,” I spoke, too quiet for the others to hear, but loud enough to reach him. 

“I’m not the father, Celeste.” Finally, Michael spoke.

I pointed to the screen. “You are. Your face was above the words.”

“Celeste, I’m not the father…”he pressed, but I lost it.

“Don’t lie to me, stop!”…and he did. He stopped everything and looked at me, approached.

“Before we get ourselves killed, Celeste, that…was…not…me. That’s not me when I was younger. That’s not me a couple of years ago. I was never apart of Karen’s sick plan. I was never thought of. Pull up the fucking photo!” His voice thundered through the room. Fingers under my chin, he directed me back toward the monitor. “My eyes are blue, he’s are brown; my hair is light, he’s are dark. That’s not me, that’s the president’s son.”

“You are the president’s son,” I uttered, disbelief written across my face. Ironically, he smiled.

“I don’t matter, never had. He’s the only one people see. Henri’s the only one that people know.”

“So he’s the father?” my voice was unrecognizable.

“I don’t know….”

End Flashback

******

The rain poured harder as the smell of death left the windows foggy and humid. I watched Jasper through my own eyes, now devouring the rest of the hunt. He was an animal, ripped bloody tendons with his teeth and chewed on the bone. While disgusted with his appetite, I couldn’t look down at my lap.

Warm blood lingered on my lips and fingers, while bone and ligaments littered my lap. The smell which was once as intoxicating as a filet mignon, now promised the results of vomit. Whatever took over, now sat deep in the bowels of my belly, satiated and calm. Its heartbeat was back, normal and well-paced. I watched as my stomach expanded slightly, full of another’s being blood.

All the while, Michael still watched. “How long are you going to keep that gun on me?” I asked, this time my voice was familiar. I heard the click of the safety, Michael’s hand withdrew. “When did you start feeding him?”

Silence greeted me, and I raised my eyes toward him. “That’s the reason Karen allowed me to go hunting,” Michael answered.

“So you knew that they did this to him,” I accused.

“I knew that they needed fresh meat,” Michael snapped back; his shut down any room to retort.

Eyes narrowed at him, I was uncomfortable with his anger. For an escape from his scrutinizing frown, I ended up with my eyes in my lap, and for the first time I acknowledge what I did. “How often will I need to…do this,” I barked with the same disgust I felt for Jasper.

“Don’t know, but I’m assuming for the next nine months,” and the van was hit with a wall of silence. Hiding was no longer an option, nor was time travel. Pregnancy was a sure way to die in this world, you became slower, more impulsive; how the hell could I fight during the last trimester? Obviously, Karen would’ve kept me locked away from any danger, but what safety could this group provide.

The rain picked up. A small cluster of hail began to follow, but it proved no danger to the van. Its metal frame didn’t bulge under nature’s strength, as we were all in deep thought. Where were the others? If I was safe inside of here, then they must have found shelter, as well. However, Michael didn’t trust me, so it was pointless to ask, instead I said demanded something else. “I need to see the doctor.”

“We can get him to come in a few days…”

“Now,” I interrupted and Michael cursed.

“What don’t you get? No one fucking trusts you, not even him.” He glanced at Jasper. “This, feeding thing…what if it doesn’t work and that monster comes out again. What if you actually succeed in hurting someone?”

“Then what am I supposed to do?” I yelled; my emotions reached their limit. Quickly, I gathered the evidence of my meal, ropes still attached to my wrists.

“Where are you going?” Finally, Jasper was no longer consumed with his breakfast and paid attention to us; his eyes were back to brown.

“I’m going to see the doctor.” I hop over the back seat and went right up to Michael. “Unlock the door, or I will kick in every window until I get out.”  I was close enough that his scent overpowered the smell of blood in the car. Its familiarity called to something deep within my chest and for a second, there was an ache. I would lie to say I didn’t have feelings for Michael, more than I had for any other man. However, all of that changed now; I’m sure he wants nothing to do with me anymore.

I watched him closely; he masked what fear still exists, and the sulfur was gone. He didn’t move, neither did his gun, as he watched me approach. Michael stood his ground; eyes looked down from a couple of inches above me. “Please,” I whispered, with the creature at bay, there was no mistaken who had the upper-hand.

I faltered under his scrutiny, turned my face from his and hid my growing despair. “She’ll die without his help,” the words slipped before I caught them, and piqued his interest.

“Who will?” He whispered, but I stayed mum. Part of me was shocked, completely thrown by my own logic, while the other part, somewhere deep felt dread from what I revealed. “Who is she?” Michael asked again, his hot breath fogged around my face.

Instantly, his left hand reached out and gripped my chin. When I didn’t resist, he pulled until our eyes connected. Michael lowered himself, analyzed until he was convinced that I was truly the one speaking. “You think it’s a girl?” He whispered, almost sincerely, and I shivered back from his sudden change in attitude.

“I don’t know what it is,” I answered, intimidated by his closeness. “That’s why I need to see the doctor. If anything, just to make sure…” I felt protective of the baby.  “Maybe I am delusional of the thing, but it was still a part of me. Karen still used me.”

“She did, didn’t she…” Michael whispered, and right when I thought he would just leave me in the van, he dropped his handgun on the driver’s seat and reached out for me. His fingers found my zipper and went up. My heart raced under the sweater, threatened to betray my confidence. Michael kept going up, even after the doors of the van unlocked. Jasper moved, shifted the weight in the van.

“Come on; we better go before someone comes sniffing,” his said and opened the rear door with his knife. Slowly, the metal creaked against the cold; all it needed was Jasper’s hard foot against it before it slid like butter. I heard his boot clad feet hit the fresh snow and broke through some of the frozen dirt. He looked back into the van, at us, and gestured toward the front door.

Michael was the first to move between us. As soon as Jasper pulled the latch for the passenger door, he unfolded from the cramp area and made way for me. The cold wind slapped at my face, while flurries blew inside. The boys were quick to pull up their hoods and weapons, and waited for me.

“Ya coming?” Jasper started with a lazy grin, his eyes held a jovial light. For instant, I felt like we were back together, like we were before this craziness started. A light smile came to my face, and I moved forward to exit. However, I didn’t step one foot out of the van before Jasper tensed up. His grin was gone and head snapped to his right; concentrated directly in front of the van.

“What is it?” Michael asked suddenly, as I hurried outside. My feet hit the soil like a young deer, wobbly from the lack of use. Michael’s arm swung out to catch me, but I dismissed his advance.

“I’m fine,” I snapped and sniffed the air. If Jasper smelt danger, than I should, too? However, all I smelt was pure testosterone mixed with nature, dirt, and sweat of a man. “You’re too close,” I said, and pushed away from Michael. I began to walk closer to the front of the car, matched Jasper’s stance, when it hit me too.

“One,” I stated but Jasper’s nose was more developed than mine.

“Two; one is trailing behind the first…but why?”

“Let’s just find out.” With one foot forward, I made to move but Michael caught me.

“You should stay behind,” Michael demanded more than offered advice.

“There’s more than we thought; we might need her,” Jasper interjected and walked to the tree line. Michael’s grip didn’t loosen, instead it tightened.

“He may believe that feeding you helped, but I can’t forget. Don’t do anything stupid,” he whispered, made sure his eyes expressed his serious intent. I nodded, and made sure I understood how much he changed, how much my change scared him. “Good,” he said after a while and then let go. The van’s locks were engaged and then Michael pointed toward Jasper with his rifle.

Against the wind, I lowered my hood, and took off my gloves. Even though outside was below freezing, my body temperature was higher and I felt comfortably warm. Michael caught my strange response to the weather but said nothing of it; he’s eyes never left me.

Soon, we had all went into a strange formation. I was stood in the middle, while Jasper led the group. I smelt the undead, was able to trace their every move, but what I lacked was identifying how many. Jasper seemed to hone his skills while I was out. He was able to point toward one and located the other.

As we navigated the dead trees and used the snow storm for coverage, I found myself standing taller, the hairs on my neck stood and something sunk in my gut. Instantly, I stopped and felt Michael walked straight up behind me. My eyes went to Jasper, who, too, stopped and had already looked to our left. Through the brisk wind and thick snow, I made out the shapes of the two Z’s we smelt back at the van; their malnourished bodies struggled against the storm, making them an easy target, however an attack felt wrong.

Jasper’s head tilted in concentration but his eyes squinted. “It’s a trap,” he whispered and quickly, took a step back. He looked at me, before his eyes looked behind us and to the left. “Get down,” he demanded and in a flash everyone was down in the snow. I managed to crawl toward a thicker tree, whose scrawny branches hung low. The sideways spray provided perfect cover, and yet my body was still alarmed. About five feet to my left, Michael flattened himself to the ground, his back against the snow. Powder began to cover him, while the dead bushes and fallen branches gave him immediate concealment. On the other hand, Jasper was to my right, hidden as well, but this time up in a tree. I peered up at him in awe; I was the climber, the hunter, he was the fighter. I watched as his eyes zoned in on any movement, his machete held close against his body.  In that moment, I realized how different he’s become.

As I turned back to the tree, a snap echoed through the trees. The pungent smell of death overwhelmed me and bile crept up my throat. My fingers twitched for an arrow and I reached as if my bow was across my back. “Shit,” I cursed.  Silently, ungloved hand combed the base of the tree for a rock, a stick, anything that could help against an attack. When my fingers touch the coolness of a stone, I sent a silent prayer and picked up the fist-size weapon.

Jasper sent a birdcall, which had me alerted to their closeness. He did it twice to give me coordinates and when he went to do it a third time, it quickly fell short. My eyes found him, to see that he no longer watched, instead he sat with his back against the bark and his fingers tightly around his knife. Fuck, they were close. I took a deep breath and listened.

Boots…heavy boots crushed the fallen snow and anything underneath. They marched in formation, headed toward us. I listened harder, but all I could hear was growling. I sniffed in, and blanched. As the cluster got closer, the smell of the first two were gone, replace by a more potent odor. While the undeads had a uniform scent of death, almost resemblance to fish that sat out in the sun too long; this scent was more of a dying animal. I covered my nose as the stench burned my nostril and sent tears to my eyes. All the while, their footsteps vibrated through the ground, signaled their close proximity.

Another birdcall was sent, but not by Jasper. I snapped toward the man to see urgency in his face. Michael’s fingers wrapped tightly around his hand gun while his head laid on the ground, eyes to the sky. He looked like he was about to….oh, shit. “No,” I whispered. Suddenly, I sent the rock over my head and toward my right. Jasper was safe in the trees, but if they came any closer to me, they would see Michael as well.

A loud thud echoed, alerted everyone and swiftly, the march shifted. A loud roar spread through the air, loud enough to rattle the tree, before feet began to move. Hastily, I picked up another rock and sent it flying in the same direction. I prayed that the snow fall would cover my position.

Confident that all the Zs were occupied, I sent the last birdcall and stood, however my actions came a few moments too fast. As soon as my body straightened, I turned toward Michael, only to feel hands on me. “Celeste,” I heard him yell, but it was too late. I spun around to see black stained teeth and yellow eyes stare back me. With its mouth opened wide, its jaw seemed to disconnect and the skin split at the corner.

“Ahh,” I screamed, as black ooze spilled for the gashes like a waterfall, and the surprise became my downfall. The motherfuck was huge, over six foot and more than three hundred pounds. Immediately, it took advantage and slammed me up against the tree bark. Bloody fingers gripped my mouth, silenced my piercing sound. He pulled my head forward once more and slammed it back against the hard bark. I gasped from the lightning bolt of pain that spread through my cranium. The Z did it again, aimed to knock me unconscious, before an energy exploded within me. The world turned red and almost instantly, my body moved on its own.

My left fist balled, and went flying toward its temple. Whether alive or not, the blow proved affective on anything. The creature faltered.  Which gave me enough time to raise my right arm and dropped it, elbow bent, straight into his forearm. I heard the snap and its grip on my face fell. The creature howled in pain; my eyes widened. “What the fuck?” I whispered.

I stepped forward, close the Z. Hands outstretched, I gripped its brawny shoulders and brought my knee up. I continued to knee the fucker until I heard the snap of his pelvis. On the fourth round, I pulled back, sent my knee flying toward his groin and the Z fell, hard. Unable to stand with his pelvis side unattached, I aimed my booted foot for the killing blow to the head, but strong arms wrapped around my waist and lifted. “Shh…we need to run, now,” Jasper demanded in my ear. Michael joined us and placed his hunting knife through the Z’s head. When he stood, something dangerous was in his eyes as he turned toward me.  I wondered if the source of his expression was from the mutant’s fight strategy or my ass-whipping on such a big, heavy bastard. However none of us took the time to ask; instead, we ran.

We ran harder and further than I expected, and yet my legs kept moving. Michael led with power, he jumped over rocks and fallen branches, while his boots stomped through the frozen snow. I followed every step he made to leave only one set of tracks, and by Jasper’s breathing patterns, he was doing the same.

We raced on until we passed the clearing where the van sat, empty and abandoned. I watched through the trees as it came and went in the distance; the boys gave it no attention.

As the van vanished, so did the dirt floor. The ground hardened underneath our feet. The snow covered up its façade, but I could feel the difference. We landed on a harder surface, without any give and it appeared to reject the icy mix, made the journey slippery. Trees, now scattered, gave way to another bright opening in the woods, however sounds of water met my ears. I slowed down, suspicious of what we raced to, when Jasper ran into my back. “Keep moving!” He shouted and gave me a forceful shove.

Even though Michael was the first of the boys to slow down, he kept a steady pace, fought against the ice. We broke through the tree line where a dark grey sky lit the area. A small river raged no more than twenty feet away. Nothing blocked the view, and no matter which way you looked you could see the beginning and end of this beast. “A waterfall,” I whispered and looked upon the top of a two story drop. Though most of the water had iced in midair, what stayed warm forced its way out through a jagged canal.  

“Take her to the cave, I’ll continue over the river and lead the tracks away,” Michael yelled over the spray.

“Got it,” Jasper responded. We both stood by long enough to see Michael run closer to the fall, before jumping over. I watched as he disappeared, the mist was quick to swallow him whole. “Come on, Celeste. It’s not far now,” Jasper started but I stopped him.

An ungloved hand wrapped around his arm and pulled him to me. “Jasper, this is our chance. You got the keys, right? Let’s go, let’s run,” I whispered, slightly afraid of my own words. My grip tightened and I pulled him closer to me. “Right now, we can go, get away from this whole thing. By time anyone figure out, we’ll be out of the mountainside.”

However, I didn’t like the look in his eyes. There was a sadness, almost regret, but it was his hesitant body that angered me most. Even though, I pulled, he stood still. “Jasper, I don’t care about your feelings for anyone back at that camp. We got into this mess together and now, we need to get out!” I urged, and pulled harder one last time. I looked into his green eyes as he just stared at me, ashamed.

“What’s happened to you?” It was nothing more than a whisper, and yet his words punched me.

“What happened to me? What’s happened to you!” I retaliated with as much vigor. I let go of him like he scorched me and began to retrace my steps. “They will continue to destroy us and you want to stay?”

“Celeste, they will die if we leave them.”

“Well, let them!” I threw my hands up in the air and looked around at the barren land. My voice softened as my eyes found him again.  “Caring is what got me harboring something that feeds on blood, and you, looking like a fucking hunting dog. We’re not better off; we’re smarter off without them.” I took one step forward and reached out to him, offered a hand for him to grab and yet he took one step back.

“How can you be so callous? They have no one, no fucking plan without us!” He spat, and I lost my patience.

“If you want to believe this ‘saving the world’ bullshit, then do it without me. We were nothing more than guinea pigs before Michael got us out, and I will rip apart everyone if I hear those lies again. There’s no way in hell we are reaching a boat off the east coast within a week when we are stuck on a mountain full of mutant Z’s, and who’s to say that organization will be any better than the hell we just got away from?”

“…but what if Dr. Marab is right? What if there is hope for us to help develop a cure, especially with help for the United Nations. I was one of those undead, you saw me and now I’m walking around like nothing’s happened…”  Jasper approached, until his body was right up against mine. He took off his gloves, and laid both palms upon my cheeks. “I am warm, again. Red blood flows through me, and brings me life. It gives me something to fight for. There’s a reason I was given a second chance, a reason you were given a second chance…” he paused and I knew he spoke of Michael’s actions a day ago. “Don’t let another person die because you are too afraid that you hell might be our only saving grace.”

His eyes held me with such warmth and compassion, reminded me of the Jasper he was before he kept a count of the people he killed, or before he watched his love turn, or before the callousness of war crept into his heart. I realized then, that I longed for this moment of hope since the first time I heard of Haven’s Cove. While it seemed like a beckon at the beginning, it was Jasper who pulled me forward. It was his drive that kept me going, his drive that kept me alive; it was his love that still protected me.

The tear, which took a slow course down my cheek, was wiped away by his thumb. As more followed, Jasper was there to catch them. “We all have the same fears, Celeste, but what do any of us have to lose now?”

His palms tightened and seconds later a tender touch graced my lips. It was a delicate kiss, one filled with all his promises. I soaked in his sweet caress, but carved for more. I wanted to be engulfed in the emotion that kept him going, that kept his demons at bay. I applied more pressure, urged him to intensify, but he pulled away. I watched as his eyes squinted for a second and his nostrils widened. He sent one kiss along my forehead, and faced the other side of the river. I looked over his shoulder to see Michael, with his hunting rifle in hand.

“I thought we planned to take her to the cave,” he yelled over to Jasper.

“We did, and I will,” Jasper responded. Michael said nothing, but continued to stare, however the thickness in the air was not caused from the mist.

“Well, hurry we are ready to leave.”

Jasper snuck a quick glance to make sure I was still behind him, before he took off in the same direction as Michael. I looked back over the river to see that the Seal never moved. His eyes stayed on its prey. “See, we’ve all changed…” I whispered.

I followed after my friend to a rock formation in the water. I watched as he skillfully maneuvered around as many as possible, only landing on those safely implanted underneath. When it came to me, I jumped over the first and went on to cover Jasper’s pattern. By time I came to the bank, Michael had approached the other man.

They spoke in hushed tones, more of an argument, but I barely heard a word. I inched forward when a snap echoed throughout the riverside. Immediately, I reached for an arrow, but they were ghosts now. “Fuck,” I curse and snapped toward the trees behind us. Jasper raised his machete, while I moved closer to the water.

“Don’t move,” Michael snapped, but I could care less. I rolled my eyes at his defensive state and began to back away. “Doesn’t smell like Z’s, actually, I can’t smell anything pass your anger…” I started but the last word was never finished. There was another snap,  and I made out footsteps from behind. I spun around, instantly on guard when I heard giggles and then my neck hairs rose. Danger.

“No, Celeste!” Jasper screamed, as something…no, someone jumped out from behind a tree. A blur of white sprinted toward me and immediately, my fists rose, aimed for its head. “Jesus,” Jasper called, as he intercepted the person and was knocked to the ground. I watched as he wrapped arms around the person in white, before his back slammed against the rocks.

“Oh, no,” the small bundle spoke, and wiggled on top of a gasping Jasper. His hood comforted his head as it fell backwards, with his arms still wrapped tightly around the person; his machete lay on the ground by my feet.  I watched as they crawled off of him, whispered apologizes before it stood and looked at me.

“Violet,” the words slipped through my lips as I took in her pale blue ski jacket and rosy cheeks.

“Celeste!” she screamed and ran to me, her arms wide and body flew. She jumped from a few feet away, and once again brought someone down. We landed in a heap of snow that didn’t wash away from the spray of the water.  

“Ahh, kiddo,” I gasped as her weight settled on mine.

“I missed you so much!” she screamed, and I slapped my hand over her mouth.

“Shhh, or you’ll wake the dead,” I joked before the words rang true. Jasper was already up and held out a hand to Violet.

“Come squirt, on your own two feet.” Violet took his hand instantly, but continued to smile down at me. She offered her hand, but I smiled up at her.

“What makes you think you could lift me?” I laughed genuinely.

“Because I’m better, stronger, that’s what Dr. Marab said.” She stood up higher, pride brightened her face.

I continued to smile, but a taste of disgust crawled up my stomach. “You let him near her?” I whispered to Michael when I climbed to my feet.

“He stopped the bleeding,” Jasper interrupted, but I wasn’t convinced that was all he did.  

With a smile, I pulled her to me and kissed her head. “You are special, kid,” I whispered into her willowy, platinum hair.

“Yeah, I know and so are you,” she responded and placed a hand on my stomach.

“You know,” I asked, suddenly. Not many people knew, and that’s the way I would like to keep it.

“I can hear its heart,” she responded, nonchalantly and smiled. My eyes found Jasper, but he just looked at me, surprise not present. He knew she was like us…he knew more than what he was saying. “Are we leaving now?” Violet’s blue eyes found Jasper.

“Actually, we all should go now, the others are waiting,” Michael announced.

She looked up at Jasper and I with such hope, but completely ignored Michael, and he felt it. We caught each other’s eye for a second, and then he turned, determined to create as much distance as possible.

Maybe Violet identified with Jasper and I, since we all went through the same thing, but why the cold shoulder to the Seal, he was the one who got us out. I looked down at her tiny fingers and frown. Violet would be a problem.

By the time, I entered the forest, Miriam’s yelling ricocheted off the wood. “He split from them and Jasper has the keys? What if there’s no van to go back to? You shouldn’t have stopped him.”

Papers were shuffled, things were thrown, and bags were zipped. I looked around the trees for the source of all the noise, but their camp was hidden well.

“I told you we need her, just like we need to find the brother,” Dr. Marab stated, but his words stopped suddenly.

“Ever think that you might be as crazy as that nut back at the cove, Doc?” Miriam interrupted; her voice filled me with dread. “I don’t care if the pope could save her, I’m not riding anywhere until she’s out cold, so fill up the fucking syringe before Michael gets back,” she directed.

“Miriam!” Michael’s voice filled the trees, but there was no stopping the woman. I listened as a slew of threats, a rant about not trusting me, and curses toward Violet slipped past her lips, before Jasper cleared his throat loudly. I watched as he walked to the right and cleared away some branches and debris, to show an opening. Firelight lit up the space, as shadows swirled on the inside. Jasper went through the hole and disappeared.

“We didn’t leave,” he said, but relief did not come. Instead, her anger intensified. “And we don’t have much time…” he whispered.

“How many?” Michael voiced as people scattered, Sage came out first. He was dressed identically to the Seal, down to the black duffel bag on his back. He paused when he saw me, fear in his eye before he looked down at Violet.

“Glad you found her,” he whispered, before he disappeared right passed us.

“You went missing?” I asked, however Violet didn’t need to answer, Miriam did instead.

 “Goddamn it, I didn’t sign up for this shit, Michael. When I catch that little girl, my fingers will be around her neck,” Miriam spat as she walked out the door to come face to face with me. Violet shuddered and hid behind me, while Miriam paused.

The woman didn’t hide her disgust. Sage’s fear lingered in the air, however Miriam’s emotions didn’t add to it. Instead, she stood up straighter, eyes glared, and approached.

“Well, well, well. Looks like someone let the beast out of its cage. That’s more than I would do.” She continued on until our faces were leveled, like she had some school girl gossip. “I would’ve left your ass to rot like the sick fucker you are, or better yet, just put a bullet through your head.”

Violet gasped at my side, before she broke away from me and pushed at the woman. The shove wasn’t much, but it ignited a tantrum from Miriam. Quickly she reached out and gripped Violet’s face in her fist. “Touch me again, and I’ll do the same to you as well.”

My reaction was instant. I gripped the woman’s hair in my right hand, only to bring her back to full height. My left hand wrapped around her throat as I swung her up against a tree. I knocked the wind from her, and tightened my fingers as she gasped for air. “With little force…”I started as my thumb stroked the side of her neck bone. “…I could break your neck, but I’m not that kind. No,…” and my fingers squeezed, my mouth moved toward her ear “…I would just choke you until your unconscious and leave you right where you stand, so the whole lot of undead’s can feast on your flesh. If you’re lucky they’ll start head first.”

“Fuck you…” she mouthed while her face turned blue. I watched as her eyes bulged and she clawed at my arm. I watched as the darkness I once saw, took over her vision. I watched until strong arms gripped me around the waist and ripped me away. I continued to watch, as her body dropped on all four and she struggled to catch her breath.

I was so far gone in my despise for that bitch, I didn’t noticed the commotion around me, or the intense smell of Z’s in the air. My ears throbbed with intensity as my blood raged through my veins. All the while, Michael carried me away on his shoulders.

“Michael…” I screamed against his back, as his footsteps increased, and we were on the river bank. “Michael!” I called more urgently. The smell of Zs were so close, I gagged.

“Shut up!” He demanded and dropped me to the ground right before the rocks. “Move.” He pushed my back and I went sliding toward the stepping stones.

“There are Zs,” I screamed, as shapes swayed through the trees across the river.

“Move!” He yelled once more, and this time when he shoved, I wrapped my hand around his loaded holster and pulled out his handgun. I should’ve noticed his lack of surprise or lack of resistance but the growls of the Z’s were my main focus. I spun around and faced the riverside, trigger finger high. When the first one broke the tree line, I waited, ready, as my vision turned red. 

“Don’t use me like that again,” I snapped out and spun around, handgun aimed right at Michael’s forehead. He crossed the rocks and stood on the same side, while the rest of the group watched across the river. “You told me once, not to fuck with you. Well, don’t play with me, again.”

Michael nodded slightly. His eyes moved to the ground around me and I didn’t miss his shock. I followed his gaze and took in the mess I made; blood painted the snow red. With a quick glance, I counted eight fuckers, two undeads and six mutants. Shaky fingers covered in ooze, unlocked the guns chamber and revealed two bullets. My skills sharpened along with my strength in such a short time. A power still coursed through my veins, leftover from the transformation.

With the group still behind, I tried to scrape off the black from my hands, but it was like dye. I took out my gloves and placed them on for the first time. “Call everyone over, more will come once the smell reaches the wind. Also, I want the bow and arrows strapped to Miriam’s back,” I demanded and left Michael to stand in the filth.

By the time, I reached the clearing, my haze was gone and I felt exhausted. Sage poured gas in the tank with one hand, his gun in the other. Like before, he paused once he caught sight of me, but didn’t say anything. I approached the van with only one thing on my mind, rest.

Michael came out next and issued orders to get the rest of the stuff packed. I climbed through the passenger door and hopped over the middle seats into the back row. I watched as everyone had their job according to a rehearsed plan, even Violet. Jasper tied up duffels to the roof, the girl helped the doctor fill up the truck with weapons and water jugs. Michael and Miriam stood at the hood of the van, arched over maps and compasses. I made out a few words, overheard names which I assumed were cities, before they both nodded and everyone climbed in.

Violet jumped over the seats to sit next to me, while Jasper squeezed in through the passenger rear door. Dr. Marab and Sage took up the middle row, while Michael got behind the driver seat. His co-pilot was the last to enter, her body turned so everyone could see her actions. Confident fingers reached into her satchel and pulled out another handgun, similar to Sage’s and all black military style. I watched as she popped out an empty cartridge, and replaced it with loaded one. A smirk crossed her face as she looked back at me. You’re dead, were the words she would utter if she could, but Michael held all the power amongst this group; she would never cross his wishes.

I filed away that little information when our stare down ended. I watched her face forward and placed the seatbelt on. Slowly, I felt a rub against my shoulder, a comforted touch and turned to Jasper. He sent me a slow smile, more of a reassurance, but I wasn’t convinced. Mentally, I still had one foot out of the van.

Michael maneuvered the oversized vehicle with haste and determination. His turns were precise; his sense of direction perfect. We made it out of the mountainside within four hours.

Everyone had succumbed to exhaustion, except for me. Even drained, my mind wouldn’t shut off. First thoughts were about Violet and Jasper’s unspoken words. She was another experiment, just like me, but there was something different; there had to be or Karen would’ve stopped. What did they plan for her?

So pale, her skin was almost ultraviolet. Blue veins appeared as spider webs underneath her skin, and her eyes were the clearest blue I’ve ever seen. My fingers played in her hair, transfixed with the near white strands intertwined with my coffee skin. She was only eleven, nothing more than a child… a child…

Immediately, the words brought back visions from a day ago; visions that woke me from the tranquilizer. I turned to Jasper, ready to tell someone of the dream, however he was sleep against the window. I closed my eyes, and there they were; a hooded man, with a tawny girl beside him. ‘I’m sorry, mother…’ she whispered, and her words played in my mind like a requiem.

“We should reach the city within thirty minutes,”  Michael’s deep voice echoed through everyone’s slumber. Slowly, people rose, head bobbed from their askew positions.

The van crept to an interception and stopped. The geographic had changed significantly. With the mountains and its chill behind us, these outgrown, deserted roads promised warmer weather, not by much, but a climate more manageable for the undeads. I took a break from scanning the dirt road and overgrown trees to look in the rear view mirror, and like a magnet his eyes were drawn to mine.

“You have to make a right,” Miriam directed. She took his attention away only to replace it with her eyes in the side mirror.

“How can anyone trust her?” I whispered, knew that Jasper was up and alert.

“Who?” He asked as the van followed Miriam’s words and continued on forgotten country roads.

“Miriam,” I answered, and glanced at the mirror, her eyes were on the scenery now.

“She’s just a military rat, however if you don’t trust her, than you shouldn’t trust the Seal, either,” he spoke, honestly. While Jasper never liked the idea of Michael, I was curious of his distaste.

“And why is that?”

“Because they knew each other before the war, many years before. And he’s hiding something about her, something she holds against him.” I swallowed down a growl of jealousy at his words.  A fight over his affection after everything changed would never happen, however, I would be lying if I said I don’t care about him.  

“Everyone be on the lookout for Zs or others. If you spot something, tell us,” Miriam demanded, without giving anyone a second’s look.

Sage picked up his hand gun, while the doctor held up a knife. Jasper had the rifle cocked and ready, while our dictator held up another pistol. Michael kept both hands on the wheel.

The van crept along at a much slower pace than up at the mountain. A light snowfall left the ground wet with puddles scattered around. At first glance, the outskirts seemed deserted, left to nature, but as we got closer to the town, it showed differently.

Abandoned cars lined the streets, rusted and ransacked, while some were left with brown streaks across the window. Sage mentioned stopping to salvage for gas, but no one felt safe enough.

“Keep straight, the town center is there, but we should turn off before we alert anyone…”

“…or anything,” Sage interrupted.

Like everyone else, I thought it was best to be on the lookout. I dove deep within myself and called for a little bit of the creature inside. I sniffed the air, but I couldn’t get passed the smells from the group. I strained my ears for sounds; any noise that interrupted nature’s way of life. However, my efforts were deafened by the van’s dying engine.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” The doctor muttered as the van let out a loud pang.

“Michael, we don’t have much time,” Sage piped in. I moved forward to help direct, when Jasper’s nostrils flared.

“You smell something?” I asked, suspiciously.

“It seems like Zs and blood; nothing fresh,” Jasper whispered. I sniffed again, but I smelt nothing.

I strained against the window to identify any movement. I traced the streets quickly in my head, outlined key areas if things went wrong. I made mental notes of what streets to avoid, instead over grown weeds on the smaller streets seemed like the only cover.

“Violet,” I whispered closely in the girl’s ear, but she didn’t move. I called her name again, this time provided her with a little shake. However she was still sleeping. “Violet’s not waking,” I snapped out to the group, but no one showed signs of worry.

“She tends to sleep heavy. Might be out through the night?” Dr. Marab answered and turned in his seat to look at her.

“Sleeps heavy…might sleep through the night? What kind of doctor are you?” I responded and then went on a tandem. “What if we need to desert the van? Are you guys just going to leave her?” I smacked his hand away from the girl as a thought became prevalent. “Oh, since she’s not the chosen than she expendable. You guys are fucking wack jobs…”

“Celeste, I would never let that happen,” Jasper said next to me and pulled my face into his. I saw his honesty and even courage and milked it all. “Believe me,” he whispered, spoke to my soul. My head nodded of its own accord.  

Suddenly, the vehicle stopped. Michael was the first to open the door and hop out the car; Miriam came next. In this time, I realized we had reached our destination.

The winter’s evening came fast and light would leave us within an hour, so the tight alley way was a perfect place to hide the car. However, there were too many places for other things to hide as well. We were parked close to the city center behind a row of stores. Ironically, it was familiar to the place where we found Michael. For the night, it would provide more cover and escape routes than an abandoned home.

Sage and the doctor quickly joined the first two, as Michael surveyed a couple of buildings. “Jasper, I’m going to need you, man.” He called into the car as he approached the van’s back door. “Celeste, stay in the car with Violet.”

“I can help,” I offered but he stayed deadpanned, his eyes didn’t even reach mine.

“You chose how much you wanted to be involved back in the mountain.”

“I, also, chose a bow and arrow,” I remarked, and instantly, he reached into the passenger seat and grabbed the automatic bow. He threw it on the middle row, produced one arrow, and turned away without another glance.

Jasper took this time to climb over the seat. “Use it wisely,” he advise and then told me he’ll be back soon. I watched him jump from the van and walked up to Michael.

“Miriam, you stay here as well. Make sure nothing comes near the door, or the van.”

Finally, Michael picked a building, the one we sat right behind. He turned toward the back door and checked the exterior. With his gun held high, he looked toward Jasper, whose rifle was pointed and ready. He approached the door, his hand on the knob, and paused. There was caution, especially when there were no signs of what waited beyond the door. Even, I moved closer to the window; my breath made marks across the glass. Surprisingly, Michael’s eyes found me and captured it for a moment. He’ll be safe, I knew this, but in his look he promised to keep us all safe, too.

The boys counted to three, before Michael gripped the door open and tapped his gun on the door. We waited. My fingers gripped the bow when I caught the smell.

“Look out,” I whispered, at the same time an emaciated Z ran out of the building. Jasper didn’t miss a beat, and sent his right fist into the Z’s head. It fell with a thump, right at the door. Sage broke formation to move the Z out of the way of the guys, before they all entered the building. The door closed behind them.

Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. Violet was still unconscious as I laid her down on the floor of the vehicle.  I covered her with a thick blanket, before grabbing my bow and exiting the car.

“Where are you going?” Miriam asked, her arm shot out and halted me in my tracks.

“Someone needs to gain higher ground. We don’t know what’s waiting on the other side,” I stated and went to move, but she blocked me again.

“You heard what Michael said. Stay… in… the… car.”

“Fine, then you go,” I snapped before a whiff brought my attention behind her.

At the end of the alley, something moved. “Don’t move,” I whispered and slowed my breathing. Wide eyes searched beyond her head as a Z slugged on, not picking up on our scent. I watched as my fingers tightened around the bow with familiarity and slowly I loaded it. The creature slugged on, as I raised the weapon and aimed for its head. However, I didn’t take the perfect shot, no…because another one came into view.

 “Fuck,” I whispered as a cluster of twenty slugged after the first, their paces quickened by the seconds.

Miriam’s eyes widened at my reaction. “What’s up?”

“A shit ton, possibly more behind it,” I whispered and watched as the cluster crossed the path and disappeared. Only after thirty seconds, did I move and that was to the snatch the arrow bag.

By the time, I fastened the satchel to my back, Miriam put everything together and reached for Sage’s black duffel.

“We have to warn them,” she spoke as a plan formulated. I watched as she quickly undid the zipper and pulled out a silencer. Her fingers made quick work attaching the piece and then grabbed two more cartridges.

“We can’t leave Violet.”

“Then I’ll go, you stay here. If they spot you, start it and move. We’ll meet at the first intersection out of town.”

Damn, I thought. Even though I would kill her in a heartbeat, her plan was one of my own. Jasper and I had used this technique several times, and it proved effective when your own survival was the ultimate goal.

“Okay,” I agreed, no matter how I felt about leaving them. Jasper would find me, it’s the others I was uncertain about.

Quickly, Miriam moved for the building’s door. She looked back at me with annoyance. “Get in the car and be ready!” she hissed, and disappeared through the door.

“Come on,” I whispered, repeatedly. We didn’t need these people…I tried to convince myself from the driver’s seat. I looked down at the quarter tank of gas on the gauge and pulled out the map Miriam left in her back pack. As images aligned with words and roads on the map, the building’s back door busted open; Sage crashed through first.

“Move! Move! Move!” Doctor Marab followed. Jasper came next and nearly flew into the van. Miriam followed close behind, red smeared across her face and her gun was missing, while Michael had yet to exit.

“Start the car!” Jasper yelled and jumped into front.

“Where’s Michael?” I asked.

“He’s...he’s…” Miriam started.

“Start the fucking car, Celeste!” Jasper yelled, but took it upon himself. He turned the ignition as I stared at the door; the smell of Z’s overwhelmed my nostrils.

“We can’t leave him,” I whispered as Miriam yelled the same thing. I watched as she moved to jump out the car, just as the building door opened again.

“Thank god,” the doctor whispered, as Michael ran straight for the van.

“GO!” he yelled, and a series of roars signaled the impending terror. “Go!”

With that, I changed gears and stormed off. 

I woke up in the dark, and immediately reached out. My hand smacked into a table, fingers grazed a cold metal. I gripped the object tightly and jumped from a wilted mattress.

A small, dying candle lit just a tiny sliver of the room; it sat on an old fashioned mantel across from the four poster bed. Bare toes sunk into the dusty hardwood, which displayed a trail of footsteps near the fireplace; mine would be the only ones without boots. I inched closer to the light and examined the powdery tracks. I followed a few that led toward the bed, some paced the fire, and others led toward a door.

In my state of unconsciousness, my clothes were changed. The dark grey cove uniform was replaced with a granny nightgown; it smelt like a ninety year old, too. My eyes went to the fireplace, surrounded by dark wood, while peeling floral paper lined the wall. Above the mantle, hung a large painting of wildflowers, now discolored from age, while the floral pattern continued with an upholstered wingback chair in another corner; a heavy, wooded desk right beside it. Sheer drapes hid a window, but upon inspection, four x fours boarded up the opening.

Quickly, I snatched up the arrows which lay abandoned at the end of the bed. I wrapped its holder around my body and looked toward the bedside table; the crossbow sat across the top. Inspection of a tall wardrobe came next. Its hinges squeaked upon opening, so I made the movement as quickly as possible. Like I expected, I slept in an elderly woman’s bedroom, where most of her clothes were gone. I pulled out one the drawers, but they were empty, collected enough dust to write several times in the same spot.

It was when I pushed the last drawer in, that I heard a creak from outside the room. My eyes went to the closed bedroom door, opposite from where I stood. All that stopped it from opening was a brass handle, with no lock. No lock meant no barrier.

The creaks slowly morphed into footsteps as the person came closer. While they’re steps were deliberate, the pattern of the footfalls were erratic, like they trying to sneak. I took a step forward and the room filled with a crack from the floor; now I knew what they were tried to avoid. The fine hairs stood with suspicion. Since they wanted to go unnoticed, I had to come up with another plan.

On my toes, I undid the safety on the crossbow and raced to the mantle. Footsteps stopped outside the door, fingers grasped the handle. I leaned forward and blew out the candle as the knob turned. The door opened.

In pitch black, I watched its silhouette against the hallway light. They paused at the darkness within the room, before slowly looking toward the bed. The waft of fear drifted across the room.

A few seconds went by before they fully opened the door and entered the room. “Stop where you are!” I yelled and flicked on the flashlight attached to the weapon. Bright LED light shined heavenly on Dr. Marab. Frightened, the man back into the doorframe shook the items he carried on a food tray.

“Michael sent me to check on you,” he announced, as if it was enough for me to let my guard down.

“Where am I? Where are my clothes?” I demanded and he blanched.

“We found a farmhouse, on the outskirts of town. All of our clothes were placed in the fireplace downstairs. We thought it would be best to burn any smells of blood…” he started, but I interrupted.

“Is Miriam dead?” I asked; my thoughts already on my escape.

“She’s alive, patched up.”

He stood, frozen. I took noticed of the tray he carried, several plates and a mug lay upon it. “What’s that?”

“Food. It must have been days since the last time you ate?” His sincerity caught me off guard. I did whatever that was in the van, however many days ago, but actually fueling me, I couldn’t remember… or cared. He came inside and walked over the desk. I watched as he placed the tray down and began to spread everything out. “This place had good storage in the basement, a feast compared to what we were eating…” he added, but I had enough with his gibberish.

“Where is Jasper?”

The doctor’s hands stopped in midair. I watched as he deliberated on the best response. I asked again, more forcefully and tapped the crossbow against a bed post. “Last I saw, he was boarding up the kitchen window…” He stuttered.

“Turn around,” I demanded and moved closer.

“Please, turn off the light. You are blinding me,” he whined, his arm shielded his eyes. Instead of turning the light off, I switched it to red and lowered the weapon to his groin.

The red glow spread throughout the room, allowed the doctors to see inside. With hesitance, he took out matches and located the candle. Slowly, he nodded toward the mantle, and crossed the room slowly. “I think we should see if you have a concussion and then we’ll move onto your other condit…” However, I didn’t let him finish. I moved quickly; dropped the weapon on the mattress and snuck up behind him, with an arm around his neck. “Ahh…” he squeaked, however I applied more pressure.

“Shh…the less you fight, the easier this will be,” I whispered, my lips at his ear. “I’m going to put you down for a little nap, and when you wake it might be extremely dark, but don’t worry, someone will find you.”

Marab shook his head no, his mouth opened, but his cries were no more than mumbles. “Shhh…” I continued to whisper until his fight was gone and his body went limp.

I struggled against man’s heavy weight, took care when I slid him toward the wardrobe. With one arm around his belly and another outstretched, I pulled the wardrobe door open and endured the daunting task.

Marab was safe and sound; his body crawled into itself when I shut the door. I managed to locate my boots beside the desk, slipped them on, and grabbed the crossbow. Its crimson glow was enough light for me, so I blew out the candle and exited the room.

Immediately, I was hit with black light. I clicked off the red and allowed the bluish, black hue to guide me down the hallway. I raced against time and made sure to stay on the runner; the doctor would wake soon. The plush carpet, with its neon floral print, absorbed the sound of my footfalls as I scanned doorways for anyone else. I had half the mind to search the rooms for a backpack and more weapons, yet I kept on past them.

Finally, I made it the stairs; below sat a darkened foyer separating two rooms. An amber glow spilled from the room to the right, while the opposite was dark. The front door and adjacent windows were boarded up similar to the ones in the room I left. A black handgun sat on top on a small table. Perfect, I thought.

With slowly steps, I descended toes to heel, my crossbow aimed high. I made it down half of the steps, before the firelight reflected two silhouettes against the hardwood flooring. Voices carried from the room, as the people moved closer to the doorway. The smaller out of two reached out and stopped the bigger figure with a tight grip.

“Don’t walk away from me like I’m the only sinner, Michael. You are not a saint,” Miriam snapped. I went down a few more steps until their silhouettes were longer important, because I watched the real deal.

Even though, she was on one side, the rectangular table between them didn’t have much depth. So I watched as they spoke through heated whispers. “Watch it,” Michael warned, his fingers found hers and ripped through from his t-shirt.

“Why? This is ridiculous!” she spat and swung away from them. Quickly, Michael followed after her, further into the room. Out of sight now, I took another few steps down, only to stop on the last one. From here I heard every angered word Miriam uttered, while Michael stood over a piano. The woman went on and on about someone, about orders and before the war. She mentioned Washington D.C. which used to be the capitol until the main sectors of our government moved to an secluded island. She ranted about having to do wall duty, while Michael fought a war. I strained as she lowered her voice during key words, and let her volume lift for everything else. “You know if he wasn’t your brother, he would’ve been dead by now.”

“If he wasn’t my brother, he wouldn’t be involved at all,” Michael cornered her against the black instrument, but Miriam held her ground.

“A title doesn’t make a mass killer. He would’ve always been a sick fuck…” she started but Michael didn’t allow her to finish. His hand shot up, but his body blocked my view. Miriam stayed silent.

“I don’t give a flying shit what you think of my brother. I will find him and I will deliver him into the hands of people more qualified to judge this situation, and to investigate his importance of a cure.  Until then, you keep your mouth shut, especially around her.”

Miriam’s voice was low when she agreed and Michael made her repeat herself. “Yes…” she forced out and then he moved away from her. He arched over the papers on top of the service and maneuvered several mapping tools.

“You said you searched here?” Michael pointed; his stern eyes gave her no room for any other banter. She huffed and nodded. Michael looked down at the spot and plotted. “What did you find?”

“It was a bust there, however the second time we were ordered, someone took a wrong turn,” she spoke, anger laced in her words but she was still compliant. Even after seconds of silence, she moved closer to the maps and pointed a few inches from his finger. “A mining town, slow burning fire underneath the surface; that was all the information anyone knew about it.”

“And, what did you find?” He stressed.

“Ghost town; mostly buildings, houses, barns, everything was perfectly intact, even the cars were parked correctly. Yet, it was completely abandoned. We scanned the town for two days, set up camp on the outskirts but nothing.”

Michael took a deep breath, ran a hand through his hair, tiredly. “Then, what makes it so special?” A dark spot marred the inside of his forearm, a nasty bruise.  

“Well, several days later, Norris was sent out to the same spot. Remember it was an accident that we ended up there, and now Karen has the big boys going, for a week.” Miriam arched closer to Michael, her voice lower with more reassurance. “You and I know that Norris doesn’t do investigative missions. He ain’t going anywhere unless there’s something someone wants and a hundred percent chance he can bring it back. Catch my drift?”

“Then we’ll ask Sage.”

“He’s going to lie. As long as he holds in what they retrieved, he’s guaranteed safety with us.”

“Then, I’ll beat it out of him,” Michael responded, seriously, and Miriam laughed.

“And I was so worried that you changed, but, naw, you’re still there, Mikey.”

I watched with bated breath as she brought her hand up to his jaw and Michael allowed it. She rubbed his light shadow and walked around the piano, closer to him. With her hair out of a bun, the loose, long tendrils fell in waves down her back and kissed her skin. While I stood in a grannie nightie and boots, she made a tight t-shirt and tiny jeans appear sexy. I stood, deadpanned, as the girl hopped on top of the baby grand and pulled the Seal between her legs, her hand never moved from his cheek.

Her lips moved in a light whisper; my distance was too far to overhear. Michael didn’t move, nor respond, but stayed still as her other hand crawled up his shirt and around his neck. She tilted his head down, right above hers. My body responded on its own.

Instantly, my trigger finger tinged with delight as it reached for release, but I aimed the crossbow away from the couple when Miriam’s words grew louder. “I’ve really missed you. You are the reason I left Paradise.”

She continued to caress him and it lit a torch in my gut, however her words hypnotized. It wasn’t a matter of want; I needed to hear their story. “For months, I thought you left to be with Norris like the missions before. I heard stories about The Citadel, some Zombie camp he was manning for research. So I volunteered to join; I was a part of the last group to leave the wall. Do you know what it felt like to send months in that hell hole, only to hear that you vanished, alone? No one survives alone, Michael,” she whispered, and I moved forward.

As I inched closer, my heart raced against my chest. Michael let out a deep breath and for the first time, turmoil crossed his face. “I had to find Henri.”

“The whole world needs to find him, but you didn’t have to leave me behind.”

“It was too dangerous. This world is nothing like any war we’ve been in. I couldn’t travel along someone I cared about and worry about my own survival.” I blanched at his words, a statement which I heard before.

“So, you don’t care about that girl,” Miriam asked, and her heartbeat quickened. I stepped closer, reached the entrance to the room and leaned against its frame. “Tell that she means nothing. That we’ll drop them off and go back to Paradise,” she pressed.

Michael’s breath quickened, his body didn’t move, nor did his expression. My gut dropped at his silence, his answer came from his next actions.

His hand reached up, gripped her jaw within his fingers and sent his lips down upon hers.

Miriam cried with ecstasy as Michael deepened the kiss, moved into her. His arms supported his weight behind her, while Miriam had her arms at his hips.

I raised my crossbow higher, jealousy brought on an angry haze. I aimed it at the back of his head, but moved slightly, when I thought about who I really wanted gone. I counted in my head, tried to decrease my emotion, but my trigger finger didn’t move, and never would.  

A hand covered my mouth at the same time another intercepted the crossbow and clicked on its safety.

“Shoot her and he will kill you,” Jasper whispered in my ear. The couple’s kiss which started light had picked up aggressively. “You can’t be jealous.”

He removed his hand from my mouth and pulled me back, but I resisted. He whispered my name as a plea but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her hands under his shirt, or his mouth against her neck.

“Celeste, that’s their past…”

“Exactly, his past,” I emphasized. My voice, loud enough to startle the couple, caused only Michael’s sharp eyes to zone in on us, before he moved out of her arms.

“Can we have privacy?” Miriam yelled as Michael stared me. I turned away from his scorched gaze. I had a sickening feeling.

“I need a bucket,” I whispered and raced away, a toilet and cracked heart on my mind.

Jasper yelled the directions to the kitchen, but warned me about the darkness. Blindly, I raced down the hall. I switched on the light from the crossbow and followed his words. Once my feet hit the checkered floor, I saw the small gray bucket in the corner and my stomach lurched into my throat.

Immediately, I went down on my knees and bent over the plastic rim. The darkness blinded my view of the vomit, but an extreme taste of iron alarmed me. In between gags, I heard someone enter from behind, smelt their woodsy scent immediately.

Michael’s powerful approach echoed through the hallway and signaled a confrontation; his bright flashlight illuminated my corner instantly. I brought my head up as my gut wrenched and crawled away. I leaned against the cupboards and reached for my crossbow with shaky fingers. He crossed the kitchen fast, only to stop when our shoes touched. Softly, he lowered to his knees. “Are you okay?” I tried to ignore the image of him and Miriam that flashed before my eyes, however the imaged burned more than my vision.

“What does it look like?” I replied sarcastically, my fingers grazed my bow. My actions were quick when I secured my fingers around it; however Michael was one step ahead. His right arm spread out and he ripped the weapon from my hands, sent it across the room.

“Celeste,” he whispered, but the urge to gag sent me back over to the bucket. I cried as thick fluid flowed through my lips and dropped to the bottom. Michael came close; his warm hand lay on my back and rubbed.

“Don’t…” I snapped and hit his hand away. I wiped my mouth with the back of my fist and turned toward him. My eyes squinted against his light and I gasped when I felt his fingers on my chin. His thumb wiped at a wet spot along my jaw and he pulled away to observe.

“You’re throwing up blood.” The statement was heavy with emotions, but what I didn’t expect was to be scooped up into his arms. “Shit,” he cursed and tightened his hold on me.

“Marab!” he yelled and stormed from the room. “Marab!” his voice bellowed through his chest as he carried me down the hallway. Eric appeared, and cursed, before Michael could say anything.

Michael made a sharp left and ran up the steps, the doctor’s name echoed through the landing. As he cleared the last step, I heard Miriam’s voice. “Found in the wardrobe.”

“I’m fine,” the doctor’s groggy voice filled the hall next.

“Good, you need to look at her now!” Michael demanded. His movements were quicker as he commanded. He sent Jasper to get the doctor’s supplies, while Miriam was in charge of boiling water. Sage was on Violet duty, who, had yet to make an appearance.

Michael made a right and entered the room I woke up in. He headed straight for the bed, while someone lit candles. Dr. Marab spat orders to Michael, and once Miriam delivered the water, asked her to leave. He turned to Michael, but paused. “She needs a full physical,” he warned, but Michael was silent. I was too weak to offer input.  

My head fell back on the pillow, heavy and in pain. What caused me to be sick downstairs travelled through my body and was now in my head. I felt Marab’s hand move up the night gown, cold fingers grazed my bare thighs. “Hmm…” I moaned, responded to an electric current in the air. I breathed deeply and turned my head to the source of the strong smell. Eyelids opened to reveal Jasper with his arms crossed and grinding teeth. “He needs to leave,” I whispered in warning. Jasper’s aggression mounted with each second Marab touched me. “Stop,” I stated firmly, but the doctor kept going.

I repeated myself, louder this time, and the doctor only gave me a look. “One more check,” he spoke, but Jasper and I had enough.

“Stop,” I sat up and shoved Marab with such force that he flipped over the edge on the bed and landed on the floor. Then my focus was on Jasper. “You, go!” I pointed toward the closed door, tried to see straight.

“No,” he growled, his voice was lower than normal. Dr. Marab stood suddenly, his feet retracted away from me and Jasper until he hit a wall. The smell of his fear overpowered the small room.

The Middle Eastern man shook underneath his long sleeve shirt and pants. His heartbeats increased immensely, and the smell of sweat followed his distress. I zoned in on his throat, visualized his blood as it pulsed through his veins. Suddenly, my mouth watered and something clicked.

“Jasper…” Michael called to the man, and when I looked at my friend, his transformed eyes were fixed on the doctor; his head cocked slightly to the left and his top lip rose in a pant.

Disoriented, and fighting the effects of my own hunger, I jumped out the bed and marched over to Jasper. “You have to leave, doctor,” was all I needed to say, before the man raced from the room. The door slammed the door shut behind him, which was perfect for my next words. “You’re starving, aren’t you?” I spoke to the creature in front of me, who replaced Jasper.

I placed my hand on his chest and felt the power of his breaths, the pure strength in his muscles. “…Celeste,” Michael called, with much urgency.

I looked up into Jasper’s eyes and blanched. They burned bright with yellow and his cheeks hollowed. “Ahh,” I gasped as his hand gripped my wrist.

“Let her go, man.” I heard the click of Michael’s Beretta and suspected he was right behind me, aimed and ready. The sound alerted Jasper and his attention was no longer on me. Instantly, he pushed me away. His head tilted left and right, the crack of his bones resonated through the room. “Jasper, you need to feed, I’ll go hunting,” Michael tried to talk but the creature had already took over and there was no getting him back.

The memory from the van came back to me and I knew the danger that would come if Jasper wasn’t sedated. I looked over at the table where Marab forget his tools. I looked at Michael to see his eyes glance at the table as well. Perfect.

I whistled loudly and Jasper whole body went rigid. Without much time to think, I whistled again, and grabbed a pillow from the bed. It didn’t carry any weight, but the object flew fast enough to engage Jasper’s self-defense. The man reacted fast, caught it within a hand and threw it away. However, I sent another one flying right away. By this time, Michael took advantage of the distraction and grabbed a syringe from the table; it was already filled.

The one second I took to concentrate on Michael, was the second Jasper got to charge. By the time I turned back to him, he was a couple feet away from me; his fist back, ready to swing. Quickly, I ripped the sheet from the bed and swung. The wild movement of the cotton sheets flowed toward him and wrapped around his head, however he still charged, unfazed.

“Michael,” I screamed and jumped on the bed, a split seconds before Jasper ran into the wall. Dust exploded and a huge chunk of drywall fell to the ground.

“Ahh…”Jasper growled and ripped the sheet right down the middle.

“Michael,” I stressed. Without anything hard, I was defenseless. I took a quick glance at the Seal, who nodded, right before I looked back at my friend.

This time, I bit down hard on my bottom lip, and he smelt the blood before I tasted it. Jasper let out a terrifying roar and I knew we needed to act fast.

I jumped off the bed, as Jasper leaped toward me. His heavy body slid across the mattress and ended up on the floor. He hopped up on two feet and ran toward me. “Now,” I screamed, and grabbed the wooden desk chair and swung toward him. Jasper braced himself for the impact and sent splinters flying as it shattered against his ripped body. At the same time, Michael raced past me and sent the needle right into Jasper’s neck.

I watched as Jasper punched, aimed for Michael’s face but he moved just in time. Jasper’s heavy fist pierced into the Seal’s shoulder, a crack followed. Jasper went to swing again, but he began to sway.

“Fuck,” Michael cursed as he stepped away from the out-of-control man, whose arms were swinging everywhere. I approached, but he stepped away from me, too. The smell of sulfur signaled Michael’s fear.

A thump took my eyes away from the wounded man and I looked back at my friend. He had knocked over a useless lamp, and was leaned up against the bed. “Jasper,” I called, and for the first time since he went mad, his eyes were back.

“Celeste,” he whispered and looked at me with shame. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, a man defeated by his demons.

“I am, too,” I voiced and watched as his body went limp and eyes closed. As Jasper lay unconscious, half off the bed, the room stayed quiet. Michael hadn’t moved from the far side of the room, and I still stood a couple feet away from Jasper. Once, I was certain Jasper was fully sedated; I crossed the space and leaned down to lift him up.

“Leave him, you’re too weak,” Michael spat, finally broke the silence.

“You should pop that shoulder back in,” I replied and continue to struggle. Michael rammed his shoulder into one of the bed posts before he walked over to me and grabbed Jasper shirt. I watched as he lifted the sleeping man onto the bed and looked at me.

“Are you hungry, too? Is that why you’re bleeding?” I faltered under his scrutinizing eyes and looked at the floor, however I still nodded. “Fine, I’ll go hunting.”

“By yourself?” I asked, too quickly, and the man paused. The caution I had slipped into my voice, and both of us heard. However, I forced myself to remember what happened downstairs.

Michael resumed his way to the desk and picked up his gun. “I haven’t told the others about your feeding habits and that’s the way it’ll stay.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“No,” he shot me down, before I could finish. “you’ll stay here and keep an eye on him. Besides, I don’t need to worry about a bleeding pregnant woman suddenly morphing, again.” He turned to walk out but I stopped him.

“You can’t save us any more than you can trust us. You need to let us go and find your brother alone,” I voiced, and he responded.

“No.”

“No is not an option.”

“It’s the only option you’ll get. My brother is a part of whatever is inside of you, but more importantly, he’s a part of what started this hell. I find him, deliver you both and that child to the UN, and pray that there’s a fucking miracle, because without one, no one will survive. 

The scent of Z’s oozed underneath the door before Michael entered the room. Heavy footsteps halted, and waited for a couple of seconds to turn the knob. Black light from the hallway split the room down the center; Jasper was still unconscious on the bed, while I sat beside the dying fireplace. I watched from my knees when he crossed the threshold in full gear, while his hunting bag dragged behind him. Swiftly, the door was shut and locked and the room was once again in darkness.

With my face buried in my knees, I listened to his sounds; the bag dropped to the floor, his handgun upon the desk, even the noise from his hood. Michael let out a heavy breath, but stopped undressing. Instead, he approached with a slight limp.

I gagged from the overwhelming scent, which was now only two feet away from me. Michael squatted before the fireplace and within seconds it ignited with energy. I kept my face hidden as his eyes landed on me. My breaths evened and I sat still.  

Michael moved away, this time toward the door. Curiously, I turned my head in his direction, surprised to see his coat off, and his shirt went next. Muscles bulged under skin, still pumped from the run, while his heavy breathing caused his abs to contract. He examined himself for several more seconds before he pulled his feet from his combat boots. A hiss carried as he leaned on his right leg. Through the intense heat and smell of the undead, I sniffed for blood and came up empty.  

“I can show you how to skin it the way you ate it before,” suddenly, he voiced and I had no grounds to further pretend.

My eyes rose, while Michael stood back up; his injury melted to the background. His eyes found mine and held it with such fire. “You don’t have to if you’re hurt,” I whispered, suddenly shy under his gaze.

“Just a bruise; you’ve healed much more serious things,” he responded, his voice lighter than before, but there was still something hidden behind his words. There was no more trust between us, but my heart had a hard time getting on the same page. For the first time since I woke up I allowed myself to wonder.

A silence swept between us, held with raw emotions and memories of the past. My thoughts were filled with images of him and I before the Cove, or even nights within its walls. Michael meant something to me before…and now; the hurt of what I saw downstairs came back.

With the bag in hand, he returned in front of the fireplace and spread out a black plastic trash bag. He pulled out Jasper’s machete, with its sharpened edge, and sat down beside the spread. His eyes met mine as his fingers pulled the clasp to widen its seal on the bag, and immediately, my hunger hit me.

The nausea came back, tenfold, while my vision turned red. The creature within came to light before I could fathom what he caught. “Before I give this to you, we need to establish rules,” Michael spoke, his eyes watched me carefully. My body responded with a growl; my mental stability took second command. However, he understood, spoke to the creature instead of the woman. “First thing, if you ever take over like you did in the van, I will have Dr. Marab get rid of you. Two, she controls you. If her life is danger, come forth as defense; if everything is fine, stay hidden. Third, I will feed you, no one else. Bite my hand, and you will starve, not her.”

Michael didn’t move, nor did his eyes leave mine. Slowly my head moved up and down. He retrieved a small fur ball and laid it on the plastic. Instantly, I moved forward, but stopped once the machete was brought down harshly on the bare floor. The sound sent a shiver through my spine, and for the first time I felt an inkling of fear within myself. Michael was not satisfied with my reaction. “Do you understand?” He demanded words, not gestures, but he didn’t want it from me.

As the seconds went by, my body fought against my inner conscious. On one hand, I wanted to rip the rodent from his hand and devour its warm nectar, while the sane part tried to fight the animal urges down. Michael watched, scrutinized; his arms kept the treasures close to him.

The hunger pains grew as my jaw locked and vision began to blur. The creature began an obedient retreat into the bowels of my belly. I took a deep breath and took control of myself. My eyes closed as I breathed heavily through the ordeal. I concentrated on the explosion from my womb from all the nerves and hormones. Fast heartbeats, too quick to be my own, pounded against my abdominal wall and the first touch of life sent featherlike kisses.

I gasped as chills spread with the evidence of my possession. This bean grew, and it wasn’t just a hungry bitch.

My eyes opened and the red had vanished, swallowed down and silent with the baby. “It moved; definitely, not what I expected,” I voiced and put my hand on my stomach. I rubbed against the hard cotton nightgown, but there was nothing but toned muscles.

My eyes found the man, his face void of any emotions, but somehow I could see that he retreated. His back wasn’t erect and fingers were weaponless. “What did you feel?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“Wings…” I whispered. It was the only way I could describe the light touch, and if my concentration was somewhere else, I would’ve messed it all together.

“…Wings,” he repeated and looked at my hand upon my stomach.

As the room grew silent, Michael’s action went back to the food. Skillfully, he skinned the rabbit then set it up a small grill in the fireplace. I watched as he sliced the flesh off the bone, delicate this time. Half of it was tossed to cook over the flames and the other was cut in medium cubes. Out came the organs, which he pushed to the side, and scrapped up the bones. It was only when he finished with the first animal that he looked up to me. “I think she got the picture,” he whispered, and uttered words not even I knew were true.

I sat frozen, while he moved to his cooked meat and retrieved it from the fire. He came back, dropped his portion on the bag, and pretended like his words had no effect. “So you believe me?” I whispered, and for the first time I realized how crazy it may be for him.

“It’s not about me anymore,” he answered and moved the chopped pieces toward me.

While the creature may lie dormant, it’s hunger was far from asleep. Famished, no other words were spoken as we both devoured our meals in minutes. Occasionally, Michael would steal a couple of pieces and place them back on the fire. However, I craved only the bloodiest.

“What’s this?” I asked, as he slid a dark piece over to me.

“The liver. See if this is more of your taste,” he said as he observed what I chose to eat.

As instructed, I picked up the soft morsel and let it slide between my blood stain lips. “Mmmm,” I moaned, and my mouth exploded with pleasure. It’s tender, irony taste registered like filet mignon.

“Good?” Michael asked; his deep voice cut through my euphoria.

“Mmmm, hmm, “ I nodded, and a slow smile formed. I ate my fill, dipped the extra pieces to soak up the juices and sat back against the wall. He produced a water jug, and passed it along, while he brought out another rabbit and skinned it.

“Marab has a theory,” he started and looked up to see if I was awake.

“And that is,” I said through half-lidded eyes.

“Well, that you may not be like the Zs at all.”

Instantly, I laughed at the claim. All of my side effects were traits of the undead, so what else could I be. I voiced my opinions, but Michael didn’t share my humor. “You can’t believe that?” I whispered.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore. However…”

“There is no however. He wants to keep studying me like I’m a lab rat, and he’ll use any words to support his wishes. I’m done with doctors.” I shut him down and closed my eyes. I sat there while his words permeated my thoughts and wrapped around the only truth I had. Karen said this baby was the cure, but who knew exactly what it was. We had a link that surpassed a normal pregnancy. I could hear heartbeats that weren’t my own and now could feel movement even though it’s only been a couple of weeks. Maybe the doctor was on to something, but I stood by my words. “Where are we going next,” I whispered, quick to change the subject.

A long pause went between us where I was convinced he wouldn’t answer, but then I opened my eyes to see him staring at me. “There’s a town, Kassbrook, not too far away by car. Miriam has some suspicions, and it’s close to the crash site. It’ll be a good place to start…”

“Kassbrook…” I repeated, with a feeling of familiarity. I knew that place…but why?

***

“We definitely know this place.”

Once we refilled the gas during early morning, we drove the van for hours through abandoned towns and forgotten roads. Michael stopped the vehicle about two miles from our destination in the wooded outskirts, however we continued on foot until we hit overgrown cornfields.

We picked some of the good veggies, neglected from last fall’s harvest and sat down for some lunch. Sage was closest to me, on his back with a cap over his eyes; Violet was not too far, hidden in the shadows of the tall stock. I sat in between two rows, allowed the noon sun to scorch life back into my skin and energy into my soul.

Kassbrook was a small farming town with a big university within its borders. The five mile radius around the town center provided enough space for a good village to spread out, and to keep secured from Zs and people. It was rumored to be sanctuary for hippies and natives from reservations, but Jasper and I knew they took in wanderers.

“About a year ago, we were lost with the last of our group; we took a wrong turn… ” I started, but Jasper interrupted.

“…for miles. For some reason we thought we were going southeast, not southwest. Anyway, we kept going until signs popped up on trees, offered salvation to those in need, I was the most skeptical; no one gave anything away for free to strangers, but we had no leader in our group, so it was a vote.” His eyes landed on me. Jasper was the only one that voted to avoid the place.

“So what did you find?” Michael asked.

I readjusted my position under Jasper’s gaze and closed my eyes. The memory of that day came back sudden and fresh, like it happened yesterday instead of a year and half ago. “We came in from the North side of town, about ninety degrees from this spot. The university sport’s dome sits in the center of town and offered shelter during the war. In that time, local officers and military provided security. They still had stations posted up from the fight, and the buildings were all in immaculate shape, like the town left the city and no one got in.”

Miriam scoffed and stood to stretch her limbs. “But that’s impossible. Looters would’ve came across this by now. Even when I was here everything seemed frozen.”

“Yeah, the same with us,” Sage whispered. I looked over at the man of few words. He was still on his back, cap over his face, but I guess he was no longer sleeping. “Norris gave us orders to stay posted a few blocks away from the stadium, while he got closer. By the time he came back, he said there was nothing.”

“That’s a lie,” Jasper spat. “By time we got here, it was a full on commune. We’re standing in their farming area.”

“Then where are the people? If what Miriam and Sage have said is true, then they are not protected within glass windows that hasn’t been boarded up. And why not drive away; why not leave if there are ample vehicles?” Dr. Marab questioned, concern etched into his brow.

“Don’t know. We didn’t stay long enough.” Jasper pointed toward town. “They abandoned us and I didn’t care to ask.”

“I bet you regret that now,” Miriam whispered, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

Jasper shot her a look; there was no room for denial. Given what I knew now, I would’ve abandoned him too. But every place had it flaws, and I knew exactly what was in this one. “We stayed one night, camped out on the borders.” Jasper’s eyes flew to me as I spoke up to  reveal a secret that changed the fate of our group; the truth that split us apart. “When everyone was asleep, a couple of us snuck away to get a closer look at this sanctuary. Miriam you’re right, everyone abandoned their stores, their homes, the town, but they never left. They stayed in the stadium, made it home and only ventured out for security detail. We witnessed a shift change and learned what they used for their entry way. I was the first to go in.” I thought back to the massive hallway, which still held chairs and tables. It led toward a sprawling concourse, but only remnants of the survivors were left. I remembered breathing deeply, only to be consumed with the smells of plants. “Pitch black, everything was so dark, but smelled so safe. No smell of Z’s, no smell of death or dirt. It was all so very quiet, empty, and yet filled with a florally scent.”

“Were you guys caught?”

“No. We ventured around for an hour and all we found were weeds on the field and a hole in the ceiling. It was beautiful, ethereal, but something was wrong. We entered the bowl and I climbed up some steps to get a better view; the moon provided enough light to cover the floor. That’s when I noticed the movements. Shadows raced through the weeds toward us, fast and hard, but why we didn’t smell them, I thought. Instantly, it came to me.”

“Those weren’t weeds…” The doctor stated, only for Sage to intercept.

He sat up and looked straight at me. “When Norris returned he called it a greenhouse, but it was a trap. They must’ve found a way to mask the smells with flowers.”

“Maybe the same tool they used for the town,” Michael piped up and I noticed that he was on high alert, his rifle raised. “Everyone break is over.”

“What is it?” Miriam asked with her military weapon high, her back toward the group. My eyes found Jasper, who too, was alerted.

I jumped to my feet and approached. “Do you smell anything?”

“Nothing by corn,” he answered however there was discomfort amongst the group. I turned away to load up my back pack and retrieved my bow. Violet was up from her nap, but even she felt the change.

“What’s wrong,” she whispered underneath a wicker sun hat she stole from the farmhouse.

“Z’s!” Jasper whispered and pointed toward the woods behind us. Though it was a mile away, there weren’t many places to hide in the fields.

“Toward the town, move,” Michael ordered and we quickly obeyed.

Jasper took lead, running until we intercepted a row that led straight to town. I followed closely, kept my feet from crunchy down on any fallen leaves or corn. Violet was right at my side, her head down to hide as much skin for the sun; Sage brought up the rear.

“They’re gaining,” Jasper whispered, and looked at me. I nodded, knew exactly what he wanted. Ever since I picked up the bow, I was always the first strike against the Zs because I was always the quietest.

“Violet stay close to Jasper,” I demanded but she hesitated, on the verge of refusal. “Stay with him, I’ll find you later,” I ordered and shoved her toward the guy. “There’s a couple of doors south of the building, hidden behind a couple of dumpsters. I’m meet you inside…” and I thought of a random section number. “210, Row H.”

Jasper nodded, and I watched as he grabbed Violet’s tiny, translucent hand. Quickly, they jumped through the row and raced toward the town center. I turned around and faced the woods only to stop facing Sage.

“You should go,” I whispered toward him.

The man held up his firearm, equipped with a silencer and smiled. “My attack is silent, too.”

“Fine, but don’t try to save me. Worry about yourself,” I stated, and then suddenly took off towards the road.

Fast, I sped under the sun, through the heated pasture, while Sage followed my every move. We needed to find higher ground, but I also wanted some of the Zs to follow me.

Sage caught up to me, jumped to the row adjacent to mine and we both ran at top speed; however the race didn’t last long.

Dirt stain boots slid amongst the soil to stop ourselves quickly. My body fell backwards, and I braced for the impact as Sage positioned his rifle up during his fall. With a quick exhale, I heard him whisper two and then his trigger finger moved.

In front, straight down the row, a cluster of Z’s moved fast, determined. They caught scent of something, not us, not even after Sage took down two. The bullet passed through the cranium of one and entered the back of the neck of another. Quickly, I sat up to watch some of the undead trip over the fallen, but they moved with such ambition.

“Get up,” Sage appeared with a hand out to me. I took his offer and he pulled me to my feet immediately. “They’re after something, and I don’t think it’s us. Something else is calling them.”

I watched behind him as more raced past, even the disfigured slugs. “Where are they going?”

“Into town?”

And then I had a flashback of the military school. The Zs moved, programmed to come, identical to those I faced in the courtyard. They were summoned, trained, but by who? “Come on,” I yelled and now raced through the rows of corn.

Sweat beaded against my brow as I pushed harder through the field. I tracked the Z’s movement and followed them with as much vigor. I could feel Sage beside me, fighting the same battle of endurance, but we couldn’t stop now. Someone was behind this.

My controlled breathing was harsh and short as we neared the end of the rows. The undead were now taking a harsh left, opposite of where we were. By now, my nose picked up on their intense odor and I couldn’t believe I missed it before.

A hand caught my wrist before I raced straight into the road. Sage pulled me back to him and we both landed on the leaves of the last crop row. “They’ll see you,” he whispered.

“They’re distracted…”

“Or maybe the corn has messed with they’re sense like it did to you and Jasper. We can’t take chances. Where is the stadium?”

I pointed right in front of us. “About five blocks in from here.”

“Good, we’ll stay to the alleyways, got it?”

“Yes,” I nodded.

“Okay, on a count of three, guns high and keep moving, no matter what. One…”

My body exploded with heat, and my vision became shaky, red.

“…two…”

The creature I carried pulled at me, with a strength that spread chills up my spine. It enticed me with its control and heightened awareness. She would protect herself no matter what, and me.

“…three…”

“The Tailor Shop!” Sage yelled. Panic was written across his eyes while sweat and blood from the fallen Z’s covered his face and shirt.

I swung in the opposite direction and shot my last arrow into the temple of a dead teenage girl. Her limp body fell, only to have a dead man replace her within seconds.

Seeing red, I rushed forward, and unstrapped my bow’s leather band from my arm. Quickly, I flipped the weapon around and slammed the butt end straight upon his skull. Black ooze covered my face, but I had no time to care; all that mattered was killing the Z’s that followed.

“Move to the right!” Sage yelled, and I followed orders as bullet dropped the next one and then another.

“Save the rest,” I ordered.

“Then get your ass back here!” We stood in the middle of their main street, our bodies pressed against a car. Sage had managed to slid around toward the rear end, while I battled the undead at the front.

Once we cleared the fields, the street became open ground for the Zs. While most follow this invisible beacon, some strayed when then noticed us. Now we were trapped against a growing number, and the end of this mob disappeared.

As I sent another one down, something pulled hard on my right arm. I snapped around to come face to face with a dead farmer. His body was bloated with more than fat, and pieces of his flesh had been chewed off.

It tugged harder and pulled my arm to its wide spread mouth. “Fuck,” I cursed and energy surged through my limbs. My left hand, now a fist, went flying back only to plow into his mouth. What teeth he had were crushed instantly, but Gumby continued. This time when I pulled back, I turned my fist into a claw and wrapped my fingers around the first thing it caught. It just so happened to be his neck bone.

“Shit,” Sage whispered from behind, his eyes locked on the deteriorated bone in my hand. Snapping out of my rage, I dropped it immediately, as the Z’s kept coming. “Ready to try that barber shop, again?”

“Yeah,” I called and hopped over the hood, kicking as many as I could.

Sage allowed me to past him, lifted his gun once more and executed any undead that cleared this side of the vehicle. The shop was right behind him, so my trek was short. My fingers wrapped around the antique brass doorknob and tried to turn it; locked. I cursed and looked for a mat, but only saw a potted plant. “What are you doing?” he asked, panic never left.

“Everything’s locked; there must be a hidden key somewhere.” With great force, I knocked over the terracotta and watched the rust stone shatter. As predicted shiny, silver key glimmered amongst the dirt. I scooped it up instantly and placed it in the locks.

“Any day now,” he warned as another shot took down a Z which stood on the sidewalk.  

A hard turn disengaged the lock and Sage pushed us both inside, only to slammed the door on the fingers on another. He jammed something into the other side of the lock and watched as the windows quickly filled with the cluster.

“Find any stairs?” He asked and backed away from the glass pane.

I looked around the small room, still preserved without an ounce of dust. “This is unreal,” I spoke of the storybook town, with its Z summoning and invisible colony.

“We need to find the others,” he spoke my thoughts as well and I looked over to the window. A crack formed along the top; it wouldn’t hold much longer.

Immediately, I moved deeper into the room and approached a curtained doorway. “Sage, over here,” I called as I used the key again. The door gave way with a hiss, just as the glass cracked again. Sage moved closer to me as a sharp sound broke the silence between us. I looked over my shoulder to see a spider web of cracks spread along the surface and the Z’s angry grew from the barrier.

“Run,” Sage ordered his voice low, fear filled.

“You first,” I replied and gripped him by the shirt collar. I pushed him beyond the door, just as one last crack connected all the others and waves of glass burst into the small room.

“Celeste!” He pulled me to him, as I tightened my hold on the key and snatched it out of the lock. Once inside, I reached for the knob, and slammed it shut; the key went in on the opposite side and turned it. Z’s snarled against the door, pounded the hardwood, which would give soon.

Now in darkness, Sage and I clicked on our infrared lights attached to our weapons. We were in a five by five closet, with stairs that led down. Sage gestured downward and then nodded. I mirrored his movement; booted feet took the steps quietly, yet quickly. I followed with as much finesse, and used my heightened sense to signal no danger. At the bottom, I was shocked not to see a basement, or even a small cellar. No, this led to a tunnel.

Sage paused for a movement, looked both ways before he moved his gun forward. Quickly, I whistled as his light flashed over something on the wall. I pointed at the object etched into the stone wall; coordinates.

Like an address, someone stamped this place with coordinates, degrees of latitude and longitude. I was just about to curse, when Sage sent a response whistle and took a sharp left. I raced after. Confidently, the man ran down the tunnel, only to stop when we reached another set of stairs with another set of coordinates.

Now, I understood where we were going; the stadium.

Shit, I thought. That’s why we never saw anyone. That’s how the buildings stayed clean, yet seemed untouched. The people lived underground. However, I wondered what else they had in store for us.

“You said center of town is the stadium,” Sage stopped again, but this time turned off his light.

“Yes,” I answered back as his right hand touched my weapon with great precision and the light flicked off.

“We’re close. Where is Jasper meeting you?”

“Along the south side,” I answered and listened for any sign of danger.

“Okay,” and I pictured him nodding. “Stay close,” he whispered, only barely and took off to the left again.

Down here, there was nothing but silence and heartbeats. I sniffed for Z’s but the only smell that lingered was earthy, muddy. I didn’t like this. I stayed on Sage’s heels and used my increased hearing to guide his. The pounding of Z’s against the barber shop still echoed through the tunnels, but at a volume too low for Sage to picked up on alone. I listened for another sound and was met with nothing.

We ran by two more coordinates and then turned right, only to hit a dead end, there was no address. Sage lit only his light at brief intervals, but this tunnel was darker than the others. What light filtered in from fist size holes in the ceiling, were now gone and I had a sense of unease.  

“This is the only way?” I asked, and he responded with a stiff yes. “Then we’ll go one coordinate back.” I instructed and turned around to move, but Sage didn’t follow.

“Flowers,” he whispered, and that’s when I concentrated on my nose.

“We’re under the bowl…” I started and continued to back away. “We’ll be trapped by more, there’s no way out through there.”

“Okay,” he spoke and this time his foot started, but a loud clatter filled the tunnel.

“Sage!” I gasped as the clang came from his dropped weapon. Immediately, I flicked on my light and swung around, and froze.

In front of me, Sage was sprawled out on the floor, as a pale, translucent hand wrapped around his ankle.

“Run, Celeste,” he whispered, his voice shaky and scared. “Turn off the light and run.”

But I couldn’t, even as the hand tightened around his leg and another came out of nowhere, slid into view of the light. Sage produced a hunting knife and stabbed the tightened grip, only for a screech to echo off the tight walls.

“Fuck, run!” Sage screamed as he turned on his gun light and the white, bright glow illuminated the whole tunnel, and the cluster of mutant Z’s huddled at the base of the steps; bright yellow eyes opened and hungry. Rapidly, their breathing grew into a deadly symphony and slowly, their famished bodies dismantled from their group, as if they’ve woken from hibernation.

“Sage,” I called and moved forward to help him, as he moved out of the mutant’s grip. Quickly, he got his feet, and within seconds we were at a sprint.

I made a right, down a tunnel we’ve never tried, with the floral scent intensified. Another growl filled the air, and then we heard them. Like a stampede, the mutant dislodged and found their strength from pure hunger. Thinking of my own curse with famine, fear coursed through my blood. We needed to get to higher ground.

I took another right turn and ran up a set of stairs. They led to a metal grate in the ceiling. “Watch out,” Sage ordered, as he fell to his back on the steps and kicked up with all his might. The metal popped open without a fight, but didn’t leave us much room to escape.  

I was the first to climb out of the tunnel and helped Sage, as two mutants fought on the steps for the prize. Sage fired twice, stilling both creatures and giving us a head start, but I knew we couldn’t get too far without more danger.  Now we stood in the middle of the bowl, right in the floor of weeds, reaching six feet or more.

“We have to get out of here,” I warned just as my body burned and the redness came back. My mentality floated and the creature took over.

Her vision sharpened and her mouth salivated. She was hungry, seeking blood wherever she could find it; which proved a useful tool.

“Celeste, which way…fuck!” Sage started and then he saw the transformation. Quickly, his gun flew up, and aimed, but she wasn’t interested in fresh blood at the moment. Eyes focused behind him, before her teeth bared and she ran, as something jumped from the shadows.

Like a skilled killer, she grounded herself and watched the body fly toward her, but fell with its oozing head in her hands, ripped straight from his neck.

She smelled another one behind the first, and another one, and another, as she moved in a circle. They were trapped, but then a growl from the grate brought her back to reality.

In seconds, a mutant sprung from the depths, his eyes locked on her, but squinted once it sensed its surroundings. She began to back away. Another mutant joined the first, but their attention were replaced by the growing number of Z’s approaching.

She continued backwards until she bumped into a frozen Sage. With eyes wide and gun aimed, he was only a model of what to do; shock suppressed actions. “You need to run.” Celeste heard the words, even felt it leave her mouth, but she gave no thought to it, her body moved on its own. It was the creature inside who took over.

She grabbed Sage’s thick wrist and pulled hard, snapping him back to reality. He stumbled before recovery and looked at her for instructions. She pointed to higher ground when a light flickered through the dim area. She paused in her haste, tried to identify where it came from, while Sage fought off the daring Zs.

“Fight back,” he yelled to her, but she was transfixed with the shimmer.

“Look,” her words came as she found the source. The ceiling which was lined with steel beams and catwalks, now opened. From the center, a small hole transformed, widened at a steady pace. It continued as more shimmers filled the dome and soon growls of the undead retreated.

Even Sage circled in amazement as the undead slowly backed into the shadows, leaving us. “The light…” he began but there was no time to finish. A strangled moan brought our attention to the center of the grass. “The mutant,” Sage voiced and instantly swung his rifle against his back.

She pulled an arrow from my holder and aimed right at its head. As Sage prepared for hand to hand combat, the count began and the arrow flew on three. It soared the fifty feet between prey and predator before the mutant jumped out its way; the arrow sunk deep into an undead’s head.

“Fuck it.” This time, Sage didn’t wait.

We went off into a fast run, whipped through the over grown greenery as light began to pour into the bowl.

The mutant raced behind, he growls sounded agitated, even on the border of painful. “Stay with me,” Sage yelled as my feet slowed, but she needed to see.

For a split second, she looked behind her, to see that the creature was gone, but his labored growls increased. She readied another arrow, as blinding sunlight erupted through the bowl all at once. Hung mirrors, purposely positioned, spread the intense glow around the field and spared not one inch.

She faltered in her blindness while her senses went haywire from the pain. “Ahh,” she screamed and I urged her to gather herself. We couldn’t stay in one spot, the mutant was close.

My eyes opened suddenly, against the pain. It took several blinks to clear myself of the white dots and for the grass to show its color. No longer in the shadow, I spotted the mutant cowered underneath a huge plant leaf. What skin was exposed seared under the magnified light and boils formed.

My feet moved closer, even though I urged her to leave. Soon, one step meant two, two steps turned into five and before I knew it, I stood over top of the fallen monster.

Bloodshot eyes screamed from the shade, while its arm reached out. The light caught it and the creature cried in agony. Though his features were distorted, they were still those of a human. His broken nose was nothing but skin, soon to fall off. Cheeks were so sunken that you could see the muscles and teeth on the other side. His jawline was too broad for his face, allowed the mouth to extend more, while sharper teeth promised that no parts would remain from a feeding. 

He thrashed around; his fingers spread and clawed for me, but they always flew back in a matter of seconds.

“Celeste!”

Sage was behind me now, his voice filled with urgency. He moved forward to take a glimpse and cursed before bile filled his throat. He gagged for a couple of seconds as the smell of burning flesh became unbearable.

“We need to meet the others,” he managed to spit out, with his shirt covering his nose. She nodded, even though she didn’t turn away from the mutant. She was beyond intrigued with his reaction to the light, something that never affected the normal undead.

‘I want my body back,’ I thought and there was a sense of reluctance within me, but slowly the redness in my vision lightened and my body felt unbelievably light. Beyond fatigue, my legs gave out but Sage was there to catch me.

I took a deep breath, and the smell scorched my lungs, my nostrils caught in the crossfire. Eyes watery, I gagged too and brought my own shirt up when nothing came.

“Come on, before someone catches us,” He order and turned away.

Weapons raised, we exited the field by climbing over a 3 ft wall and walked down an ADA ramp. The light was blocked from reaching this far, so everything was once again in darkness. I told Sage where the others were supposed to meet us, and he quickly retraced the directions we already took. Without words, he used his rifle to signal out instructions.

We were back in the concourse I discovered before, and while he kept to the walls and out of sight, I had a feeling something was wrong. I urged him to go quicker, sometimes moving in front of him and setting the pace.  The entry doors were up ahead, but as we got closer the more danger I felt. “Sage, keep your eyes up,” I spoke, but to no response.

Instantly, I stopped and turned to see no evidence of another person. The light from his flashlight was gone, and darkness surrounded me. “Sage?” I whispered harshly. I called again, circled until my arrow hit something sharp. “Ahh,” I let out as the pang echoed through the space. “metal,” I thought, but when I went to move again, nothing stopped me.

“Oh shit,” I thought and instantly called for the creature within, but it was too late. My bow slipped out of my hands and crashed to the floor, as a poison soaked rag was placed over my nose and mouth.  

It wasn’t the swinging that jarred me from unconsciousness, but more of the ticking which came every so often, followed by a constant flow of water. With a strong gasp, my eyes opened suddenly to notice the world was upside down. Russet walls contoured at odd angles, while muddy drips rained from the ceiling. Cutout holes littered the floor, where a downward river flowed with such force that the spray left me drenched. My feet hung from a shackle and double rope knot combination which seemed too difficult for the average civilian to master on their spare time.

I was stripped of my clothes, left with nothing but a pair of briefs and a tank top. Muscles rippled underneath my skin; thighs and stomach which had much to pinch was now taut and chiseled. Maybe I could pull myself up, I thought. I curved backwards and then swung forward at the waist. First swing provided enough momentum for me to bend forward and touch my shins on the way up. I unfolded faster to build more speed. My arms reached higher and latched on to the rope. Quickly, I followed the rope to its attachment point. A metal, corroded hook was embedded in the stone ceiling, but its sharp tip left enough space for the rope to come off. At this point, I began to swing wildly.

Each time I came up, the rope inched closer and closer to the end of the curve. Just a little more force, and it would slip off. Fully, I extended my body and swung as arms reached out for anything to push off. Fingertips grazed the ceiling and at my highest point, I shoved myself forward.

With the finesse of cutting butter with a hot knife, the rope slide along the surface of the hook through to the very end. That’s when I prepared for landing. Knees bend with legs still together, I fell several feet through the misty air and landed on the rough ground. Immediately, bare toes slid underneath me and I went tumbling downward, in direct line of a hole. “Fuck,” I screamed, as arms curled up, cradled my head for a nasty impact, and my heels dug into the slick surface.

“Got ya,” the words came fast as a huge shadow blocked out skylights in the muddy ceiling, and sculpted arms gripped the rope that trailed behind me. A scream escaped me as my whole body spun 180 degrees; now my head aimed at the opening. The stranger pulled against gravity, his feet gripped the only dry spot in the cave, but he managed to stop the deathly inertia.

Harsh breathes and chills added discomfort to my position, as fresh water sprays threatened to drown me. That’s when I felt the first tug. “Ahh,” I moaned as flesh scraped along rock, threatened to expose blood.

“I got you,” the deep voice announced. Its familiarity warmed me instantly, and I dared a look, but he was nothing but a heavy silhouette amongst the stone. I lay bundled as he brought me closer to safety, but I was clueless to what would happen after that.

With a rock secured in my hand, I wrapped my fist tightly and waited for his arms to pick me up. However, that never came. Instead the man stopped, dropped the thick rope and backed away. “Where are you going?” I called as eyes opened to his retreatment.

“I am not a guard, lady,” he yelled over the roar of the water.

“…but you can’t leave me here tied up. I’ll slide again.”

“Then I suggest you stay still.” He stopped underneath a skylight, which illuminated his body from head to toe. Broad shoulders led to arms rippled with muscles and fists big enough to crush a man’s skill with little effort. Through a wet, dirty tank, perfectly sculpted pecs and abs emerged and led to a pair of cargo shorts that stopped at the knees. I followed impressive calves to his sandal clad feet, and marveled at the man. Under my inspection, he cleared his throat and my eyes climbed his body to his face and froze.

Stormy gray eyes radiated amongst ebony features and tanned skin, with a nose so straight even sculptors couldn’t emulate. My breath hitched as the similarities aligned within my head. “Henri?” I called out, this time he was the one out of breath.

***

“Whisper that name around here and you will get yourself killed.” The man uttered, nor agreed or declined my words. He turned to walk away, but I couldn’t let him slip into nonexistence.

“I know who you are, I know of your importance,” I whispered and watched as he froze, spun around and raced back to me. By the look of danger in his eyes, I tried to upright myself, but nature wouldn’t allow it. He crossed the distance fast and squatted right in front of me; his head cocked to the side.

“You don’t know anything.” Eyes squinted toward me as my blood froze, but I wouldn’t let him walk away.

Suddenly, I grabbed onto him and kicked forward, brought him to his knees. Shock paralyzed him, and in turn I took advantage. I punched out with the rock in hand and managed to connect with his jaw. I repeated the offense twice, before he recovered fast enough, to grip my arm and slid me underneath him. He snatched both wrists in one fist and threw them above my head; his body sat on top of my chest, secured me in place, or so he thought. I writhed under him, as words flew through my mouth. “…your brother…the cove…she changed me…your DNA… I’m pregnant and we need you…,” I blabbered through fresh hot tears and all the hysteria soon took over and I just cried.

Henri looked down at me in confusion for seconds, and I didn’t care. He was the missing piece, but also the confirmation that all of this was real. That Karen’s plan was real, and Michael’s words were solidified and the hard part was just beginning.

After several seconds, a click echoed through the cave and Henri’s face sharpened. He looked behind his shoulder as a man of equal build approached. “What the hell are you doing here,” he snarled at Henri, who took a deep breath and looked down at me.

With eyes connected, indecision shone on his face. “Please,” I whispered not sure what I asked for, but all the more begged for his help.

Instead, I got this, “She managed to get out of the hook and almost went through the drain holes.”

“Why were you here in the first place? You’re a boiler man,” the man spat condescendingly. Henri’s jaw clenched at the description of his position and now I understood why he was covered in dirt.

“They ordered me to check the rain fall, not be the caregiver of wanderers,” he snapped back but lightened his hold on me. I watched as he got to his feet, a bruise appeared from my punches, and he spat out blood. “She’s all yours, but be careful…” he stopped to look at me and what transpired behind his eyes left me confused. I opened my mouth to call to him, but he turned away and uttered words I didn’t want anyone to know. “…she’s pregnant.”

“All the more reason to let her drown; we have enough mouths to feed.”

I watched in silence as Henri walked away, disappeared around a corner and left me. I studied the new comer as his eyes scanned my body with lust and he took a step to move forward. “I will kill you if you touch me.”

“Oh, really? And what makes you think you can take me on?” he slurred out with a malicious smile across his face. “Sweetheart, you ain’t one pound over 150 and I’m reaching three hundred, pure muscle.”

I smiled through my disgust as he roughly picked me up and I noticed we were the same height. Perfect. “Ever heard of the saying, the bigger you are, the harder you’ll fall, well hang on,” I warned and threw my head right into his forehead. The crack was resounding and he backed away dazed and in pain. “Fucking bitch,” he yelled and looked up at me while fresh blood oozed down his face and my hunger spiked.

I didn’t have a moment to recover before she took over, pushed me from the forefront, and licked her lips. No, I urged from within as my body moved forward, every bit the predator she was created to be. No, I ordered and an image of Michael flashed before our eyes. An image that reminded us both what dangers would happen if we weren’t smart. My head turned toward the drain hole, as if saying we could dump the body, but I was repulsed by it. Animal blood, I recently accepted but humans…no fucking way.

“No,” the words slipped past my lips as I took control over my body and pushed her down where she belonged. Hunger pains spread, but I  stomached them before it got us both killed.

“No, what?” the man stuttered, almost fearful. I listened closely, concentrated past the crashing water and to the thumping from the stranger. His heartbeat raced and I became all too aware that he probably witnessed my transition; I knew it was subtle but still there.

“Point the way out of here?” I ordered and watched as the meathead pointed behind him. I walkeD, caught him within my fingers and kept him from moving. “If you tell a soul what you just saw, I’ll hunt you down and cut you open, starting with this.” My left hand gripped around the small lump between his thighs and squeezed. “Understood?”

He nodded through the pain, and I didn’t wait for words. Instead I sent a knee high and connected with his pelvis. “Just a little warning.”

Fingers let him sent to the ground, as I pulled a sharp knife from his belt and sliced through the corded rope. Keys came next and the shackle dropped with a heavy clump. Legs free, I followed his direction and continued straight until the lights were further apart and the cave turned into a tunnel. Several openings on each side, painted a picture of a maze and wondered how far under the ground we were. Panic began to set in as memories from the cove came forth. Muddy walls turned into grey sheetrock and I pictured a hall full of doctors at the end. Footstep became harder, my legs turned into logs as I ordered myself to continue. However I didn’t go far before I was met with her.

Like a glowing angel, this gray haired woman in all white, stood with a raised arm and a pistol at the end of her fist. “Impressive,” was the only words that left her lips before she pulled the trigger.