I can't stop. Not for a second. My legs are burning, aching with soreness. The dryness in my throat makes it hard to breathe properly. My lips are chapped, and I lick them as desperate pants slip through them. Something is chasing us. I don't know what it is, but it won't stop howling. It's a zombie, but it's a unique one. One that can run. But zombies aren't supposed to run! At least, not in the movies I've seen. They're always slow and shambling. However, that's fiction and this is real. Why does any of this have to happen? I wish I could go back home.
Neil is in front of me, carrying Dawn in his arms. He's faster and stronger than I am, and he's more fit to run with her. It's dark and I can barely make out his silhouette. My legs and entire body beg me to stop, but I know that I can't. If I stop, I'll be devoured. My ankle snags on something and I come to a winding, screeching halt, falling face first in the snow.
"No!" I gasp out, panic in my voice. I attempt to regain my footing, but keep slipping up in the snowy slush. The fast, running zombie howls behind me, and I hear its heavy, pounding footsteps getting closer with every second. I can't see anything so I have no idea how close it may be. Throwing a darting glance over my shoulder, I see a shadow charging through the darkness towards me.
"Neil! Neil, where are you?" I scream. "Neil!"
I try to get up, reaching my hand up to grab something, anything. My hand finds what feels like a tree branch, and I pull on it like it's my life line. Grunting, I'm finally managing to pull myself up to my feet when I feel something yank me back down.
There's a cold, dead hand gripping my ankle. Terror rears its ugly head and I hold back a scream.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHOOOOOOWWWWWWW!" the zombie howls behind me, attempting to drag me away.
"NEIL! HELP ME!" I shout as loud as I can. Scrabbling around for my knife, I grab it, reach around, and stab whatever is grabbing me. Blood spurts everywhere, coating my hand in a thick, warm goo. I feel it slide down my arm in glops, and I grimace. There's a heavy thud behind me. I stab my knife into the Earth, using it as an anchor to help me get off the ground. But my ankle snags on something, tangled up. Trying to get it untangled, I pull, but only end up making it worse for myself. There's a popping sound, and a brief spasm of sharp pain runs up my leg.
"Aaah!" a scream rips out of my throat, tears welling in my eyes. I think I just did something to my ankle. It hurts a lot. Black spots flicker in my vision. I feel myself beginning to fade. All I feel is pain, and weak, crying whimpers shudder uncontrollably out of me. The last thing I see is a figure of a man leaning over me. He picks me up, and then my mind descends into darkness.
When I wake up, presumably hours later, I feel groggy and sluggish. My vision is blurry and I can't make out my surroundings. I blink a few times, but that doesn't help. A pounding headache greets me and I groan. Something really, really hurts. My entire body hurts. But there's a throbbing pain in my left ankle. Gritting my teeth, I try to sit up. I wince in pain, trying not to shout out. God that hurts. Trying to clear away the grogginess, I furiously rub my eyes.
Vision returning, I see that I'm in some strange room. The walls are painted blue, and I'm sitting in a bed. A bed? Wait, where exactly am I? The last thing I remember is the woods, the pain of my ankle and then...nothing. Where is Neil? Where's Dawn? I have to make sure they're safe. Flinging the blankets off me, I dangle my legs off the side of the bed, grimacing as pain laces through my ankle with each small movement. I let both of my feet touch the cold, wooden floor. I put a bit of weight on my left ankle, and once I do, I instantly regret it.
With a cry, I collapse to the floor in a heap, crumpling up like a dead spider. Whimpering, I grab hold of the bed to pull myself up. But my body feels so weak, I can't move. I barely have the strength to get back on the bed, much less put pressure on my ankle again. Uselessly, I slide back down to the floor, the blankets falling and landing in a pile next to me. I scream out in frustration, letting out a whine. Just then, someone busts through the door on the left. Neil comes barreling in, looking concerned. Coming around the side of the bed, he scoops me up and sets me back down on the bed.
"Get off!" I yell, tears in my eyes.
He stares at me, taken aback. "Are you alright?"
"Where were you?" I snap at him, sniffing.
"What are you talking about? I was there with you the whole time!"
"Took a while! I called for you...did you seriously consider leaving me behind?" I feel devastated. Why hadn't he come back right away? I called for him multiple times. Where did he go?
Neil sighs heavily. "But I came back for you, didn't I?"
I shake my head, covering my face with my hands. "Leave me alone. I can't believe you."
"I-I'm sorry, Carol," he apologizes sheepishly. "I panicked. It won't happen again."
Sniffling, I glance back up, wiping the tears from my eyes. "Is Dawn okay?"
He nods, smiling. "She's fine."
"Where are we anyway?" I cross my arms, gazing around the unfamiliar room.
"I found some people that were willing to take us in. We're only going to stay until your ankle heals some. Then we have to regroup with Fabian and the others," he explains to me.
"Oh." I almost forgot about Fabian and everyone else. I hope they're okay.
Neil stands there awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I'll...leave you alone now. Let you rest up."
"Um..." I don't really know what else to say, so I stay silent. Neil walks out of the room, and I sit alone with my thoughts, picking my nails.
Did he really leave me out there, though? Maybe he didn't hear me right away. I mean, he was carrying Dawn while we were running. I don't know...but I kind of feel bad for accusing him of leaving me. But it did take him a while to come back. Would he really do that? Neil just doesn't seem like the type. I mean, why would he drag me seven years into the future and just leave me to die? It doesn't make sense. The sound of someone entering the room knocks me out of my thoughts. Is it Neil again? No. This person's footsteps are too light. I look up. A young woman with long red hair and bright green eyes comes into the room. She wears glasses, and carries a silver tray with food on it. I hope that's meant for me. My stomach growls.
"How are you feeling?" she asks politely. I don't know how to respond.
"Umm...fine, but not great," I reply. "My ankle hurts."
"I see." She sets the tray down on a nightstand that sits to the right of the bed. On the tray is a glass of water and pills. There's also a warm bread roll, and a steaming bowl of chili. My stomach growls. I can't remember the last time I ate. I lick my lips, resisting the urge to snatch the bowl off the tray. I stare longingly at it.
"I brought you some painkillers. Those should help."
"Thanks." I pop the pills and swallow them down with water.
"I heard some yelling in here. Were you and your boyfriend having a fight?" the woman asks. My face grows warm.
"He's not...my boyfriend," I mutter, scratching my head. She smiles.
"Oh, okay then. But he is a nice catch." She winks at me. I raise my eyebrows at her. "I'm Emily, by the way."
"Thanks for helping us. I'm Carol."
"No need. In a world like this, everyone should try to help each other as much as they can." She sighs. "Anyway, you should eat. There are some crutches next to your bed, on the left. If you need anything else, just holler."
Emily leaves, closing the door softly behind her. As soon as she's gone, I seize the bowl of chili and devour it in minutes, along with the bread roll. Then I chug down the water, and wipe my mouth off. Deciding that I don't want to be in this room anymore, I grab the crutches that are next to the bed where Emily indicated. Putting them under my arms, I stand up slowly. I pick up my left foot, putting some weight on my right foot but keeping the majority of it on the crutches. I'm a bit wobbly, but I can walk. I notice that my left ankle is bandaged. It feels pretty stiff, and it hurts when I try to move. I'm grateful for the pain meds, I can already feel them starting to kick in.
I manage to make it over to the door and open it. Beyond the door is a hallway that ends in a steep set of stairs. Crap, how am I going to get down the stairs without falling? Taking a deep breath, I take it one careful step at a time. Even though it takes me about a million years to get down the entire set, I make it without injuring myself further. I'm so glad I didn't fall. Really don't need that right now. Taking in my surroundings, I see that I'm in a living room. There are voices coming from the next room, which is the kitchen. I crutch inside to see what they're talking about.
"I really appreciate you taking us in. Really," I hear Neil say.
"There's really no need to thank us," replies a man with a bushy beard. Everyone stops talking when I enter.
"Hello, miss," the man with the bushy beard greets me.
"Are you feeling any better?" Emily asks me. She's standing next to a young boy, who looks about ten, and he's playing with Dawn on the kitchen floor.
I nod. "A bit, yes."
"Good to hear." She smiles.
"I'm Will, and this is our son, Shane," says the man with the beard, gesturing to the boy. Shane's got black hair just like his dad, and his mom's eyes.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Carol." I plop down in a nearby chair. "How long have we been here?"
"About three days, give or take," Will replies. "After a while, you just stop keeping track of time."
"And the three of you are safe here?" How are these people still managing to live in a house with those things out there?
"Fairly. This is the countryside, so there's not many zombies out here roaming around like the city up yonder," Will says. "I've got a strong fence up. Normally any zombie that comes here can't get through it. It's not the normal zombies you have to worry about. It's the Jumpers and the Howlers, and the-"
I interrupt him. "Wait, what? What are you talking about?"
He blinks, confused. "You don't know?"
"About what?"
Will sighs. "There's more than one kind of zombie. You've most likely already seen the regular ones, they just lumber around all slow and what not..."
I glare at Neil. "Why didn't you tell me any of this?"
He shrugs. "It slipped my mind."
I turn back to Will. "What are Jumpers and Howlers?"
"Jumpers are zombies that are able to climb and jump over things. They're smarter than your average zombie, but not that smart. Still dangerous," he explains to me.
"Howlers are worse," says Neil. "They can actually run and people have dubbed them Howlers from the sort of howling sound they make when they're coming after you."
"Is that what was chasing me right before I hurt my ankle?"
"I think so. Howlers aren't really that special. They're just wicked fast and loud," Neil explains.
"How many more types of zombies are there?"
"We don't know," says Will. "I've only encountered Jumpers and Howlers. I've heard of Stalkers, but I don't know if those rumors are true."
I gulp, my eyes growing wide. "Stalkers?"
Will leans across the table, staring at me with bright eyes. "Rumor has it that Stalkers are the smart zombies. They don't look a particular way, but they are able to hunt down their prey by tracking it. They are able to recognize people. If one has caught your scent...it won't rest until it's caught you, or unless you kill it."
With every word he speaks, I grow increasingly uneasy. "So...are they the most dangerous?"
"If the rumors are true, yes. I'm not sure how many different types of zombies are out there. I only know of those three," says Will.
"My brother could probably tell you more," Neil interjects. "Speaking of, has anyone else been through here?"
Will shakes his head. "Nope."
"Are you sure? You haven't seen anyone?"
"Who exactly are you looking for?"
"My brother. He's about six feet tall, with dark blonde hair. He may have been with an older gentleman and maybe another younger guy with black hair." I'm guessing Neil's describing Fabian, Larry, and that guy Clark.
"I'm sorry, I haven't seen anyone like that." Will frowns.
I feel a hand on my shoulder, startling me away from Will and Neil's conversation. Flinching, I turn around to see Emily. She smiles down at me.
"Would you like to get cleaned up?" she suggests.
"Oh...sure." That actually sounds pleasant. "But how? Isn't there no power?"
"We have a functioning generator outside. You can shower," Emily says. "Come on. I'll help you."
And with that, I leave the kitchen and go with Emily back upstairs to the bathroom. Inside is a bathtub with an opaque sliding door. A toilet sits in the far right corner, with a bowl style sink next to it. At the end of the room is a small window with the curtains pulled back, revealing the dreary, snowy landscape outside.
Emily helps me undress, and removes my bandages. Then she fills the tub up for me, and helps lower me into it.
"Let me know when you're finished. I'll wash these for you and return with some fresh clothes," she says, taking my dirty clothes. Then she leaves, closing the door behind her. When she's gone, I fill the tub up with soap and take a bubble bath.
After my bath, Emily returns to help me out of the tub, and put my new clothes on. She replaces the bandages on my left ankle and helps me stand up again with my crutches.
"Are you able to stand okay?" Emily asks, hands up just in case she needs to steady me.
"Yeah..." I nod, adjusting myself on the crutches. "I'll be okay. Thanks for helping me."
"I'll be waiting outside to help you down the stairs." Emily leaves the bathroom, and I prepare to follow after her. But something I see outside of the window stops me. There's a familiar shape outside by the gate, standing ankle deep in snow. Stepping closer to the window, I peer out of it to get a better look. Just then, the blood in my veins turns to ice. Standing by the gate, I see the woman from the woods. Her long black hair hangs in front of her face, the black holes where her eyes should be staring in my direction. One of her long arms hangs by her side, and with her other hand she grips the chain link fence, her claws slipping through the holes.
Terrified, I yank the curtains closed and sink down to the floor, my back against the wall. Heart pounding, I try to rationalize what I should do next. There's no use panicking in a situation like this. Did it follow me here? After three whole days? What if it's...a Stalker? Pulling myself back up, I peek out the window a second time. She's still there, black holes fixed on my window. Then, with a wicked fast movement, she climbs up the fence and scrabbles over it in a very creepy, contorted fashion. Choking back a cry of fear, I crutch out of the bathroom as fast as I can.
In my hurry, I nearly topple down the stairs. Luckily, Emily snatches me back, noticing the freaked out expression on my face. "Carol, what's wrong?"
"There's a...a monster outside! I need to talk to Neil right now!" I hurry down the steps as fast as I can with Emily helping me down.
"Careful!" she exclaims as I nearly go catapulting down the stairs multiple times. Finally reaching the bottom, I crutch into the kitchen, trying not to fly into a panic.
"Neil! Neil, the monster's outside!" I shout at him, nearly tripping. Will and Neil both stand up from their chairs, alert.
"What?" Eyes dangerously dark, Neil approaches me.
I grab his shoulders. "The one from before, it's outside! It just climbed over the fence, I saw it!"
"Wait a minute." Will, voice sharp, steps forward. "Did you just say, "monster from before?"'
"Yeah. I saw it in the woods..." I mumble.
"Is it the same one?" Will's eyes are wild.
"Yes, I'm sure of it."
He slowly shakes his head. "No...oh no. Not here. Not my family."
"Do you think...it could be a Stalker?" I ask Neil, feeling my legs tremble as I hold onto him. He grabs my arms to steady me, and I fall against him slightly. His green eyes are serious and dark.
"At this point, we have to consider any possibility," he tells me. Over Neil's shoulder, Will grabs something. Then, there's the cock of a shotgun. Neil whirls around, releasing me and I nearly lose my balance. I stumble into his back, but his hand reaches back to steady me. With huge, bulging eyes, Will points the shotgun at the two of us.
"Will...what are you doing?" Neil asks, anger rumbling in his throat.
"Get out. Get out of my house," he hisses.
"What?" I whine. "But we can't leave! Not when that thing is out there!"
"Shut up!" he shouts at me, and I flinch. "You brought that thing to my house, endangering my family. Now you leave, or I will blast both of you."
"Let's just think about this, okay?" Neil says in a gentle voice, his hand out.
Will's hands are steady. "Don't make me repeat myself."
"What about the little girl?" I glare at him over Neil's shoulder.
"She goes too," Will says sharply.
"William, please. Don't do this, these people-" Emily begins, but is cut short by Will's shout.
"Shut up, Emily! Get over here!" He jerks the gun in his direction. With a choked sob, Emily runs over to stand by his side.
"Dawn, come here," Neil calls out to her. Immediately, she runs over on her two little feet and wrenches herself between me and Neil.
"Now. Get out. That thing is after you. So you leave," he orders.
"Will-" Neil tries to say something.
Will cocks the lever again. "I said get out. I will not hesitate to use this."
"Okay...we're going." Picking up Dawn, Neil and I slowly back up to the door.
"Will, please!" I plead. "I can't run on this ankle!"
He points the shotgun up into the air and shoots. The gunshot rings in my ears and I cringe. "Get out! Now!"
Behind him, Emily is crying. "I'm sorry..."
"Quiet, Emily!"
"We're leaving, don't shoot," Neil says calmly. Dawn clings onto him as he opens the door. The cold air blasts in my face, and the three of us slowly walk out the door. As soon as we're clear of the door, it slams shut behind us and there's the sharp click of a lock.
"What now?" I whisper to Neil, shivering in the cold air. I'm thankful that I kept Fabian's jacket and didn't let Emily take it. The other clothes I was wearing before are in the house.
"Just stay close behind me," he says quietly. "Walk to the motorcycle, don't make any sudden movements."
My head spins in every direction atop my shoulders, searching for the thing. I don't see it anywhere. Where is it? I saw it. I swear I did. Was I just seeing things? No. There's no way. My question is answered when I hear a loud, banshee-like scream from behind me. Whirling around, I spot it just as it claws at me. I scream, ducking my head, but Neil thrusts me to the ground, and Dawn jumps out of his arms and runs crying to the motorcycle. The cold snow greets me as I land on the ground, Neil standing above me as the creature slashes him instead.
"Aargh!" Neil hollers in pain, clutching his arm. He fights back with a fierce kick to the thing's stomach, making it stumble back.
"Neil!" I scream in alarm.
"I'm fine," he grunts, his teeth gritted. He pulls out his crossbow. "Go make sure Dawn is okay."
The woman-like monster screams in Neil's face, trying to get past him in order to get to me. Neil whacks it upside the head with the crossbow. "Oh hell no! Your fight is with me, ugly bitch!"
Grabbing my crutches, I shakily push myself to my feet, my left ankle screaming in pain. I hold back a yell, but it really hurts. I take the weight off of it, leaning on the crutches, and crutch as fast as I can over to the motorcycle, where Dawn is hiding. Before I can make it however, I hear Neil yell loudly, and then something very heavy falls on me. My head hits the ground hard, and with the metallic taste of blood in my mouth, everything goes black again.