Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A Chapter by S. M. Ferris

Trigger, Rick's golden retriever, began a low growl. Everyone stiffened. The whites of our eyes gleamed as we inspected surrounding trees. It was pitch black outside of the kerosene lamps and my ears strained for any movement, any foliage or sticks rustling. But there was nothing.

Except there was something. Silence.

Gilderoy's stare bore into my back and I slowly took a step back towards him. The hand clenching my hunting knife became clammy but I didn't dare readjust it. Anxiety whispered at my side telling me the knife would slip as soon as my end was met. I ignored it with what little control and strength I had left. My eyes found Liam standing outside the tent completely frozen, having urged Harper to bed already and apparently just in time. 

Trigger stood and with the lamps, I watched his haunches rise. His growl turned into a vicious snarl. Cold sweat began it's race down my back and I resisted the urge to itch. 

"In the center. Now." Rick muttered. Liam hesitated - looking back at the tent but his feet betrayed him and moved for the center. Slowly we stood in a circle, knives, and rifles out, with our backs to each other. I faced eerie dark woods with nothing but my imagination playing games with me. Was that a shadow flickering against the light or was that Death's cloak coming at last? 

The smell hit me then. I knew the others smelled it too by the way their faces grimaced and shoulders turned in. Decaying flesh meant our fears had come to find us in the woods. We abandoned the idea of staying in buildings (whether they were residential or commercial) because they seemed to be a target for the zombies. Though survival instincts were assumed to be their only intelligence, they seemed to understand where most humans would hole themselves up in.

Slowly but surely there was a crunch, and then another and another. I could hear the heavy ragged breathing of the rotting humans. Some wheezing and fingers brushing against the bark of trees. I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until the first zombie appeared. I let out an audible gasp, it was a man with black stubby fingers and thin discolored cheeks. His eyes sagged and his shoulders were slumped as though bearing a great terrible burden. I suppose slowly decaying would be a great burden.  He stumbled towards Liam but the very alive man was paralyzed by fear and not breathing.

Trigger began barking at the zombie, initiating Rick to come forth and a loud bang rang through my ears. The decayed man fell back as though a phantom wind shoved into him. The old man exchanged his rifle for an ax and sliced off his head with a sickening crunch.

I felt something grab my arm, its hold tight and the nails biting into my skin. I assumed it was my brother but then I was yanked into the dark wood. My feet tripped and I let out a scream as my face slammed into the dry soil. Pain sang through my nose and my breath was knocked out of me.

Whoever or whatever grabbed me, then grabbed my hair leaching me off the ground quickly. My eyes met one eyeball and a blackened and green empty eye socket. I almost released my dinner at the smell choking me. The large rotten man moved to bite me when a shadowed figure ran him into the ground. The zombies grip ripped from my hair leaving a nasty sting. I stood aghast and watched as Liam, on top of the man, let out a war cry and began stabbing the zombie as it roared back in anger. 

Now,  was paralyzed but with shock. Liam half severed the large man's neck and stood to meet my gaping face. Black blood splattered all over his body; he looked nothing like the man slowly chipping away as he watched his wife the past weeks. 

I longed to wash Liam's dirty blonde hair now wet with rotten blood. But I was shaken from my stupor with the sound of my brother's cry as a female zombie slashed at him with a thick branch. I grabbed my knife off the ground and prayed to the Virgin Mary as it flew. If it weren't for three more zombies coming - I would have squealed with joy. The knife landed square in the center of her forehead. Practicing knife throws just saved my brother's a*s. Take that, Rick.

But all pettiness left me as I turned to see the old man and his dog attack simultaneously. As though they were trained warriors. Trigger bit into a zombie's leg and it fell forward, before it could land Rick came down with his ax. Another severed head. I began running and picked up his rifle off the ground, I kneeled into the dirt and fired two shots for the last remaining decayed humans. Rick looked back at me with a hard nod and resumed back to severing the heads. Liam joined him and I ran to Gilderoy.

I found my black-haired brother struggling to sit up and holding his arm. Tears ran down his face and he almost collapsed back to the ground when we made eye-contact. 

"Gild!" 

"Are - Are they gone, Echinacea?" His voice raspy from screaming. 

"Yes. Yes they are my little Gild." I kneeled down and held him tightly against me. "I am so sorry. I am so so sorry."

He attempted a half-smile, "It... It hurts so much."

I looked down to his arms and he revealed the inflicted damage. I hissed at his mauled arm. The branch had been strong enough to tear away his skin - blood poured from his forearm to his hand. I grabbed his uninjured arm and hauled him up.

"Easy now. I got you." I reassured him. I searched my brother's face for any of that ancient wisdom that might hold me down, but all I found was a young boy with wide wet eyes and trembling lips: scared half to death. I silently cursed at my own cowardice and looked around the camp.

Six foreign unmoving bodies laid around us, Rick and Liam pulled them away from the camp and into the surrounding trees. Trigger sniffed around as though searching for food. The dog no longer growling and meant we were (hopefully) not in danger. This was the third time he saved our lives. I looked up, and gave my thanks to God for blessing our lives with the golden retriever. 

I sighed, looking at Gilderoy again I said, "Sit here. I need to talk to Rick. Take my scarf and hold it against your wound." I held out my scarf and he took it with shaking hands. Turning, I found Rick watching me and waiting.

When I reached him I spoke softly, "I suppose we leave now?"

He eyed me for a few seconds and then said gruffly, "Yes, we go north and head for the Little Blue River."

"That will..."

"Take days, yes. Two days if we haul a*s but with all your crap we're looking at four days."

I glared at him and would have retorted had my brother not been seriously injured. So I closed my mouth and turned to walk back.

"You did good, kid." 



© 2021 S. M. Ferris


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Added on February 21, 2021
Last Updated on February 21, 2021


Author

S. M. Ferris
S. M. Ferris

About
Just like many of you, I am a writer. I have varied passions such as reading, gardening, crocheting, spending time with family, ranting about my high maintenance dog, and, of course, writing. On a.. more..

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