The Infected: Blog Story (16)

sixteen: lightning strikes twice

We're in the heart of Maybell forest, Felix sleeping soundlessly beside me. I shake him just a bit only to confirm that he truly is asleep. I be careful not to trip over the rope that we tie around our camp. It has several bells on it to wake us up in case a zombie came to close. Never happened yet.

I step over the rope and find the closest tree I can find. I hide behind it and within seconds, I am throwing up the canned carrots and stale bread we had for supper. Why can't I keep anything down? As I crouch beneath the massive pine tree, I can't help but to notice how weak my legs are. I look up at my arms. They are so tiny.

I hurl up a couple more times before I return to my uncomfortable blanket. It barely muffles the rocks that litter the forest floor. I snuggle in against Felix's warm body. In the fall it can get terribly cold at night in northern Texas. Tonight is no exception.

*****

Felix wakes me with a start. I shoot my arm back and grab my makeshift spear. The baseball bat is in my other hand within seconds.

"Whoa, we're not being attacked. Sorry, shouldn't have been so dramatic" Felix says with a smile. I blush and drop my weapons.

"Don't ever do that again!" I slap him on the shoulder and laugh under my breath. It's crazy how my world has changed in the last month. But i'm alive. Felix is alive. He's all I have now.

"Getting lost in my eyes?"

I snap back to now and contemplate Felix's handsome features. His messy hair and impressive body is only enhanced by the deep green of his eyes. "Don't you know, I can find my way out of anything. Never get lost." I smile and start folding my blanket and put it in my pack. Felix is already prepared.

We've been watching Del Rio from afar for the past three days. We know where the dead gather and they seem to have formed groups and within those groups some have particular patterns. As I had noticed earlier, they are slowly rotting away, their bodies slowing down and their skin is striped black. But they are strong, and nothing slows them down except blunt trauma to the brain.

We've yet to see any survivors and thank fucking God we haven't seen the likes of Aleks since our scuffle at Romero Foods. But now. Now we're going in for David. I need to know what happened to him.

"We should be at David's house in five minutes if we don't encounter any of those bastards. You ready?" Felix tells me as he rests the axe on his shoulder.

"Yeah. Don't forget, we don't die here Felix. We are going to find David. And then we're going far far away from here."

He takes in a deep breath and I go in for a kiss. Felix pulls away and i'm left wanting more.

"Come on, we can't waste anymore time." He says and walks towards the edge of the forest where Onco street begins. I roll my eyes and follow him begrudgingly.

At the corner of Onco and Palm sits the Price family townhouse. There are several zombies crawling about but nothing terrifyingly serious. Most of the bastards are all up near the mall. Some dumbasses have decided to try and survive there. Worst thing to do is lock yourself in somewhere.

"Ready?" Felix asks me

"For David Price" I whisper and grip my weapons proudly. My heart is fucking beating hard. Jesus Christ.

Felix starts running and I soon catch up to him. He runs to the first zombie we encounter and he swings the axe vertically slicing off the top of the bastard's head. I keep on going and stop in front of the dead girl that is crawling in front of me.

Victoria Crow.

Her eyes are so hollow. She's decaying rapidly, faster then the other ones we've seen. I feel good putting her out of her misery. Even she doesn't deserve this. I raise my spear above my head and bring it down through her softened skull.

Felix joins me and gasps. I forgot that they were friends. The old world seems so far away now.

"Come on, we need to move!" I say pulling him away, pulling him towards David's house.

Just then I hear a low rumble in the distance, almost like a motor running. I grab onto Felix just as a red Jeep comes screeching around the corner and pulls to a stop right before us. David is sitting in the driver's seat. David. I can't believe it.

"DAVID!" I cry out, and begin to cry; of excitement, of joy, of relief. David is safe. He's alive. I start running towards the Jeep when I hear it. A gunshot. We don't have guns. I turn around to see if Felix was shot but he seems okay.

In the distance, I notice Aleksandra walking out of the forest, her arms raised and in her hand she carries a gun. David.

I spin around and see David clutching at a wound in his chest. His white shirt is soaked with blood. No, no, not now, not David. He's alive. NO.

"NO!! No!" I run to the jeep and open the door. David slumps into my arms and we both fall to the pavement. Felix comes running up behind me and helps me lie David down.

He's shaking violently and there is blood everywhere. I hear another gunshot and then Felix screams at me to get in the Jeep.

"WE CAN'T LEAVE DAVID!" I yell, as Felix jumps into the driver's seat. David isn't moving anymore. He's limp and heavy in my arms. This isn't happening.

"CHARLIE!! GET IN THE FUCKING CAR!"

I kiss David on the cheek. "I miss you"

Gunshots ring around me and I see Aleksandra running closer towards us. I run around the Jeep and jump inside just as Felix puts it in drive and floors it, leaving Aleks and David behind, leaving Del Rio once more with pain and tragedy.

I'm numb and while Felix drives onto the highway, I watch the sun set behind the hills and soon I fall asleep. Tonight I dream of David.