"We need to find somewhere safe, right now," Cyrus says the very next morning. The five us sport bandages on our upper arms as we continue our trek, but more urgently now.
"Why? I thought you said he can't find us anymore," Kennedy points out.
"Correct. But he has another version of me. A much more...aggressive version. Keith will know something is wrong, and most likely send him looking. He is still able to figure out our last location before we pulled out the chips," Cyrus explains.
"Fucking hell," Fabian curses. "And if he has, how long until he catches up?"
"I don't know. A day, maybe? He's very fast."
"What are you and this other you made of?" Fabian exclaims, aghast. "It's been weeks since we left Brax. There's no way he can catch up in a day."
"Is there no way? I caught up in three days," says Cyrus blankly. "And I can assure you, this model is much faster than me."
"Where can we go? Nowhere is safe," Neil says.
"I don't know. But I think it would be wise to find a faster form of transportation."
Shortly, Fabian is able to find us an abandoned car, sitting on the side of an unmarked asphalt highway. It appears to be an older vehicle from the 80s, possibly a Ford Escort. We're on a backroad, in the middle of nowhere. He hotwires the car and the five of us pile in. In the back, I'm squished in between Kennedy and Cyrus like a sandwich. I grunt with discomfort, shifting in an attempt to get more wiggle room.
"That girl said Eden was an underground bunker, correct?" Fabian asks, glancing at Kennedy in the rearview mirror.
"Yes."
"It's most likely they are using one of the bunkers made during the cold war. Since we're in Virginia, it might be the one in Bluemont. But there's really no way of knowing for sure unless we go there," Fabian explains.
"Do you know how to get there?" Cyrus wonders.
"Not unless I have a map, and in this case, I do not," Fabian sighs. "So no."
Cyrus and Fabian continue to talk, but their voices drift away. Instead, I think about my mom. I wish I could have done something. I wish I could have been there. If only I had found her first. I feel more tears coming, but I hold them back. I don't want to cry again. I don't want to feel the pain anymore, the tearing emptiness in my gut. No matter how far I try to push it down, it always bubbles back up. I'm all alone.
I stare past Kennedy out the window, staring at the zombies we pass. Maybe I am one of them because I feel just as lifeless as they are. I don't care about anything anymore. I just wanna die. At least that way, I'll get to be with my mom.
"Stop the car," I say weakly, leaning forward in my seat.
Fabian doesn't slow down at all. "I'm not stopping."
"Just stop."
"Why do you want me to stop?" Fabian glares at me over his shoulder.
"Carol we can't stop, you heard what Cyrus said," Neil chimes in. "We're in danger."
I shake my head. "I don't care! Just stop! It's me he's after, right? So let him find me. I don't wanna be here anymore..."
"Carol. Keith is going to do much worse than just kill you," Cyrus says, voice dark. "You don't want him to find you."
The dam breaks, and more tears pour from my eyes. "I just wanna be with my mom..."
Kennedy silently pulls me into a hug. "Your mom wouldn't want you to die. She died risking her life to find you. Don't let that be in vain."
Instead of holding back the tears, I just let myself cry again. I hug Kennedy and bury my face in his dirty jacket, wishing that I was hugging my mother instead of a stranger.
I wake up to shouting some odd hours later. Everyone in the car is shouting and my head shoots up to see what all the commotion is about.
"WHO IS THAT?" Fabian shouts.
"IT'S ZYRUS. DON'T STOP THE CAR, FABIAN," Cyrus screams back, the veins in his neck popping. I glance through the windshield and see a man who looks almost identical to Cyrus standing in the middle of the road.
"YOU WANT ME TO RUN HIM OVER?"
"DON'T DO THAT, IT MIGHT WRECK THE ONLY CAR WE HAVE!" Kennedy hollers, right in my ear. I wince in pain and clamp a hand over my ear.
"ALRIGHT, EVERYONE HOLD ON!"
Fabian suddenly slams on brakes and everyone in the car lurches forward. Kennedy slams into the back of Fabian's seat and I would have flown straight through the windshield if Cyrus hadn't been holding me in place. The front of the car stops mere inches from the man called Zyrus, screeching to a jarring halt. My neck hurts from the whiplash, and everyone groans uncomfortably.
"How did he find us so fast? It's barely been a day!" Neil exclaims.
"He's genetically modified like me, but more so. Therefore, none of you stand a chance against him. But I can stop him," Cyrus says, his robotic voice very dire.
"Cyrus, step out of the vehicle," Zyrus says. His voice has the same cadence of Cyrus's, but deeper and much more robotic. His hair is dark and long, with eyes a dark shade of violet. He's dressed in a v-neck black shirt and black jeans. Cyrus opens the back door to get out.
"Cyrus, don't," I urge, grabbing his arm.
"I have to. If I don't, he will keep coming. The rest of you need to get as far away as possible," he says, one foot on the hard asphalt.
Kennedy then opens his door. "I'll come with you."
"Kennedy, no!" I protest.
Zyrus slams his hands down on the hood, making us jump. "Cyrus, get out of the car. If you do not, I will remove you from the vehicle by force."
"Carol, just let them go," Fabian says tightly.
"But-"
"Shut up!" Fabian snaps at me. "Cyrus, go. Kennedy, if you want to go with him, I won't stop you."
Cyrus steps out of the car and slams the door. Kennedy nods and does the same. The two of them approach Zyrus. I don't get to see what happens next because Fabian swerves sharply to the left and drives past them. I twist in my seat to watch them out the back window, but they don't move. I stare at them until they get too far, first becoming small, dark dots and then finally disappearing completely from view.
POV: Detective Lee Kennedy
The three of us just stand there in a circle, staring at each other for several moments after Fabian drove away. Finally, Zyrus speaks first, his violet eyes glimmering with a sick, violent need.
"Your signal disappeared. Dr. Jacobs sent me to find out why. What is going on, Cyrus?" He cocks his head to the side like a vulture scoping out prey.
Cyrus lifts his chin, his pink eyes dark. "I removed the chips."
"Why?"
"I won't be his spy."
Zyrus frowns. "You are disobeying a direct order. I will have to dispose of you due to your insolence."
"You can try," Cyrus remarks, smirking with a confidence that seems insincere. Zyrus takes a step closer, leaving only inches between them.
"I am stronger than you. You do not stand a chance," he whispers dangerously.
"We'll see." Cyrus grits his teeth, and in a sudden burst of movement, he grabs a fistful of Zyrus's hair, and slings him to the ground. He swiftly delivers two fierce kicks into his gut while he's down, sending him skidding across the asphalt several feet away.
Zyrus recovers quickly, wiping a streak of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. In a blur of speed, he rushes forward and grabs Cyrus by the throat, lifting him off his feet. He slams him back down into the road, chunks of asphalt flying into the air. Cyrus groans in pain, gripping Zyrus's arm in an attempt to pry his hand away. Without hesitating, I take my gun out and fire three rounds at him.
Zyrus rolls to the ground just as the first one grazes him, dodging the last two. Now with attention on me, he rushes me and slams his palm flat into my chest, sending the air billowing from my lungs. I fall backwards, my back slamming into a tree as pain boils through my chest and down into my limbs. He throws a right hook, but I duck at the last second, and his fist smashes into the tree behind me. Chunks of wood fall into my hair and eyes. I gulp at his mere strength, seeing the fist shaped mark he left.
Cyrus grabs his shirt from behind, pulling him down and delivering a devastating punch to his face. Blood spurts out like a volcano. Zyrus grabs Cyrus's fist, stopping his next punch from landing. With a strangled yell, he shoves Cyrus off him.
Breathing hard, I clutch my chest. This fight is way out of my league. I don't stand a chance at all. These two are way stronger than average humans. What should I do? I can't possibly beat Zyrus. If Cyrus goes down, I don't have any chance at winning. Zyrus will kill me and there will be nothing I can do to stop him. A knot forms in the pit of my gut. I'm just as useless as before. I wasn't able to save Meg. I couldn't stop Keith from killing her because I wasn't strong enough.
New resolve takes root inside of me. Narrowing my eyes, I glare at the abnormal pair of men fighting. No more. I won't let it happen this time. I'm not going to let someone else die just because I'm weaker. It's not that I'm weak. These guys are just genetically modified. They have an unfair advantage. Taking a deep breath in, I unsteadily rise to my feet. I wince, feeling a pain in my left side. I think he broke a rib or two.
Zyrus currently has Cyrus in a chokehold, and right now it looks like Cyrus is going to lose. I can't have that. Feeling the adrenaline pumping through my body, I charge at them with a battle cry, my feet pounding hard into the ground with each running step I take. In seconds, I barrel right into Zyrus, ripping him off of Cyrus and the two of us tumble to the ground in a sprawl of limbs. The ground rushes up fast, the impact nearly knocking me senseless. But I won't stop. I wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze as hard as I can, staring into his deep violet eyes as I yell in his face, spit flying.
Zyrus grabs me by the arms and flips me over onto my back, prying my fingers from his neck. I scream in pain as I feel a pop, and then Zyrus's hands are around my neck, squeezing. I choke, struggling for air but I can't get anything. My airway is completely cut off. I grab his wrist in an attempt to yank his hands away, but his grip is like iron. My vision starts going black at the sides. crap. I'm going to die. Flailing uselessly, an image of Meg pops into my head through the dark. She is smiling, but it is a sad smile. She hugs me and I hold her in my arms. Then, after a short moment, she vanishes.
"AAAAAGGGHHHH!" an agonized cry cuts through the dark, and I realize the pressure of his hands around my neck is gone. I suck in a wheezing breath, coughing as the air rushes back into my lungs. Something warm, wet and sticky spills onto my torso, soaking through my shirt. I blink, my vision slowly returning.
Zyrus is still on top of me, but his mouth is open in shock. Dark red blood leaks out, dripping down his bottom lip and landing on my neck and face. I glance down and see a long, thick tree branch sticking out of his torso, thick, goopy blood sliding down the length of it. Cyrus stands above him, holding the branch. His normally polite expression is now twisted into a terrible grimace. With a fierce yank, he tears the branch out and Zyrus sinks to the ground, dead. Blood pools around him on the asphalt, his mouth and eyes still wide open.
Cyrus tosses the bloodied branch aside and offers me a hand. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," I breathe out, taking his hand. He pulls me to my feet, and I stagger unsteadily.
"I'm glad you stayed behind to help," Cyrus says, breathing heavily. "If you hadn't been here to distract him, I would've been done for."
I smile weakly, clutching my side. "Don't mention it..."
POV: Doctor Keith Jacobs
Outside, the sunshine leaks through the trees in small, bright yellow beams. The sky is bright blue and clear. I forgot how much I used to enjoy nature. Now there will be fewer humans to sully it. A few zombies lurk and lumber about, but they don't really take away from the scenery. Dimitri stands with me, watching as I take blood samples from them.
The tracking device beeps urgently in my pocket, disturbing my rare moment of peace. That peace is yanked away from me entirely as I view the screen. Next to Zyrus's name, the big, red letters blare SIGNAL LOST. Red hot, boiling anger surges through my veins, sending me into a frenzy. Breathing heavily, I smash the samples in my left hand to pieces, the small glass shards digging into my palm.
"That's it," I growl out, feeling my skin ripple.
"Sir, is everything alright?" Dimitri asks, noticing my blood red irises.
"No..." My voice is unusually deep and raspy. I just dispatched him yesterday. What in the world is going on? I swear to God, I will find them and kill them.
Claws lengthening, I slam the tracker into Dimitri's chest. Balling my hands into fists, I open my mouth and let out a disturbing, monstrous howl. The birds in the trees scatter immediately, and everything around me falls completely and utterly silent. My horrific yell echoes through the air, going up into the sky. When it's over, I crouch down to the ground and slam my fists into the Earth, once, twice. Three times. I stand back up again, glaring down at the small crater my fists created.
"Do you need me to do anything for you?" Dimitri asks calmly, completely unshaken by my outburst.
"NO," I bark, my voice like the devil. "You want something done right...you do it yourself."
I take off in a violent sprint, letting the pure rage inside of me surge me forward to my destination. They won't get away this time. I won't let them get away.
Miles away and several hours later, I arrive at Zyrus's last known location. My legs burn from running for so long, and as soon as I stop the smell of blood assaults my senses. I'm standing in the middle of the road in the middle of nowhere. There are clear signs a struggle took place. There's a corpse lying on the side of the road, a thick puddle of congealing blood surrounding it.
I walk over, stopping right at the edge of the blood pool. Zyrus lies there, a rather large hole in his gut. My creation. Dead on his first day of life. For a brief moment, sadness overrides my anger. I bend down and stroke his hair.
"I'm sorry, Zyrus. I'll fix you," I promise him.
I send Dimitri my location, instructing him to retrieve Zyrus's remains. They're either holding Cyrus hostage, or he's betrayed me. But they shouldn't have been able to kill Zyrus. No matter. I can tell I'm close. I can smell them. They were here.
Gritting my teeth, my skin ripples and a shredding pain rips through my back. I hear the fabric of my shirt tearing as the membranous wings slice through my back, emerging completely. I flap them once, twice, creating large gusts of wind before bursting into the sky.
We've been driving for several hours, and Fabian and Neil haven't said a word. Deep down inside, I've got a terrible feeling.
"Do you think they're okay?" I ask, breaking the long, lingering silence that's been hanging in the air ever since Kennedy and Cyrus stepped out of the car. Neither of them answers me.
"We should go back," I say. "They might need help."
Still no response. I squirm uncomfortably in my seat, wishing someone would ease my fears even if it wasn't true. Finally, after several more minutes, Fabian speaks.
"I think I know where we are," he says.
"You do?" Neil stares at him.
"If I'm right, then the place I'm thinking of should be near here." He swerves sharply to the left, turning off the asphalt onto a beaten path in the woods. It's very bumpy and jostling.
"What are you doing?" I grunt, one hand on the roof to steady myself.
"I know a place to hide. And if anything goes wrong, we can simply run back to the car and leave. But this should help us lie low."
Fabian stops the car in the middle of the trail. The trees become more densely packed, blocking the vehicle from traveling any further.
"We walk from here." The three of us get out of the car and start walking, deep into the woods. The brisk air snakes through my clothes, making me shiver as I walk along behind the brothers. We walk for several, long minutes, not speaking. Fabian kills each zombie we encounter. My legs start to grow weary when we finally come to a halt.
"Here." Fabian gestures to what appears to be the side of a hill covered in dead, brown vines. He gently shifts them aside, revealing a secret grotto. I peer in, seeing nothing but pitch black.
"Go in." He gestures to the small, hidden cave. "I'll gather some firewood."
Neil aims his flashlight inside, cutting through the darkness. I follow closely behind him. It's only about a half of a mile deep. Soon, Fabian returns with wood and minutes later there's a fire crackling softly in the middle. The vines block out the entrance completely, hiding it in plain sight. You'd only find it if you knew it was there.
"We should be safe here, for the time being," Fabian says. "Just in case, we'll take watch"
I curl up next to the fire on the cave floor, using my jacket as a pillow. I stare at the dancing flames, trying to conjure an image of my mother from them. But nothing happens. Neil bends down next to me, draping his jacket over my small frame. He strokes my hair gently, his green eyes sad.
"Get some rest, Carol," he whispers. And then I close my eyes.
I awaken several hours later to lots of rustling and shuffling. I sit up, my body feeling stiff from lying on the hard rock all night. The fire has long since burned out, and Fabian and Neil sleep soundly across from me. Pulling my jacket back on, I slowly walk towards the vine covered entrance. I try to take soft, quiet steps so the sound won't echo. Reaching the exit, I carefully pull back a few vines and peek outside. There's a swarm of zombies lurking in the trees. They lumber past, unaware of the girl hiding inside, watching them. Anxiety grips me in a chokehold. Stay calm. I just have to wait in here until they pass through.
But then, I see something much, much worse. A man stands out there in the middle of them all, an all too familiar man. His normally neat, white shirt is now torn on the back, and his light blonde hair is messy and tousled. A cigarette smolders between his thin lips. On the outside, he looks calm and composed. But behind those blue eyes, I can see the silent rage stirring. Keith. My heart lurches, beating hard and fast. He found us. How is he already here? How did he find us so fast? Cyrus was right.
Keith just stands there, surrounded by zombies. He looks around, only moving his eyes. The zombies pay him no mind. They don't try to attack, or come near him. They simply ignore him like he's not even there. That only unsettles me more. There is something very wrong with this man. I think about what Cyrus said before. Is he really not human?
Taking a few steps back, I let the vines fall gently back into place. As quickly and quietly as I can, I head back inside to wake up Neil and Fabian. We have to get out of here. I don't know how, but we have to get out of here. Trying to contain my panic, I shake them awake.
"Wake up," I whisper, barely holding it together. "We have to go."
Fabian jostles awake first, shortly followed by Neil. "What's going on?"
"It's Keith," I hiss, voice shaking. "He's here. He found us."
"What?" Fabian's eyes darken.
"Are you sure it's him?" Neil asks quietly.
"Yes. But we need to be careful, there's a bunch of zombies out there too."
"Shouldn't we just wait here? It might be safer."
Fabian shakes his head. "No. He's going to find us no matter where we are. Our best bet is to get back to the car and escape."
The three of us stand and walk to the exit of the grotto. Fabian makes sure his gun is fully loaded and Neil holds his crossbow at the ready. I stand behind them, feeling useless without a weapon. As if reading my mind, Fabian reaches back and shoves a knife into my hands. I grip the hilt, a cold sweat forming on my brow.
"If he catches you, make sure you don't go down without a fight." He squeezes my hand, his dark eyes meeting mine. I nod, trying to seem unafraid. But I'm utterly terrified.
Fabian glances out first, scanning the perimeter. He nods after a few brief moments. "It's clear. Only zombies. But stay alert."
The brothers slip out of the vines and I follow carefully behind them. Fabian cuts down any zombie that attacks. We only get a few feet before a strange, clicking and trilling sound makes us stop. Suddenly, all of the zombies go crazy. They converge on us, growling as they reach for us with their dead and rotting hands.
"What is happening?" Fabian shouts, stabbing each of the undead monsters in the head.
Heavy footsteps crunch behind me.
"Ah, there you are," Keith's eerie voice peals from behind me. I whirl around, raising my knife in front of me. He makes a strange rumbling sound from deep within his throat, and suddenly all of the zombies stop attacking and disperse, lumbering away. He doesn't make any motion to attack me. Instead, Keith just stands there, hands in his pockets with a cigarette in his mouth. Slowly, he takes his hands out. The pallor of his skin is unnerving.
He appears to not be carrying any sort of weapon on his person. I don't see a gun, or a knife. There's nothing. He's completely unarmed. Then why am I so afraid of him? There's three of us, and only one of him. And we're all armed. But why do I feel like we're going to lose?
Keith takes a single step. "What. Have you done. With Cyrus?"
Each word comes out slowly, carefully, with a dangerous edge. I jump back, my breathing unsteady.
Fabian cocks the hammer back on his gun. "Get the fuck back."
Keith smushes out his cigarette, a smile curling his lips. He raises his hands in the air. "I'll give you a head start..."
"How about I just shoot you right now!" Gritting his teeth, Fabian squeezes the trigger and fires.
Keith dodges the bullet, moving impossibly fast. No one could have dodged that from this distance. It's barely five feet. His feet have not moved. They're still standing in the same spot. Now standing crookedly, an evil grimace replaces the smile. His icy blue eyes are now tinged with red around the pupils, the whites of his eyes slowly turning black.
"One..." he growls, his voice warbly and gnarled.
"Run! Go!" Fabian grabs my arm and yanks me away from him, the three of us now in a full sprint.
"Two..."
I'm running as hard as I can, but I'm already way behind Fabian and Neil. I push my legs to go faster, to no avail. How much of a head start is he going to give us? It doesn't matter. He's just playing with us. Keith knows that he can catch us no matter how far or fast we run.
"THREE!" Keith shouts, his voice deep and distorted. Rapid, thudding footsteps encroach upon me with every passing second.
He's so fast. Fabian and Neil manage to slow him down some with their bullets and arrows, but Keith continues to gain on us. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep this up. I've never been much of a runner, and now all those skipped laps in PE class are about to bite me in the ass.
There's a huge tree branch in front of me, and I don't jump in time to avoid it. My calves crash into it and I tumble violently to the ground, flat on my face. I cry out in panic as I see Keith only mere inches from my prostrate form. With a snarl, he grabs my ankle and starts to drag me across the ground.
I scream in horror, digging my nails into the ground in an attempt to escape. But my fingers drag across the dirt, creating deep claw marks.
"Fabiaaaaannnn!!!" I cry out in desperation, feeling the terror inside of me take hold. I can't defeat him. He's too strong. I don't know why I thought I could beat him. He's not human.
"Hold on, Carol!" Fabian sprints after me as fast as he can and dives, his arms outstretched. He lands face first in the dirt, somehow managing to grab my wrists.
"I've got you," he pants, holding onto me.
"Don't let me go," I sob, my fingers tightening around his wrists. But no matter how tight or strong his grip is, Keith is stronger. I feel Fabian's fingers slipping, and he grits his teeth as he digs his fingernails in. Soon, I'm ripped from his grip and yanked away, screaming.
"LET HER GO!" Neil hollers, and looses an arrow. It zings above me, heading straight for Keith's eye. But Keith snatches it right out of the air, catching it in his fist. With an angry snarl, he throws it back. Neil ducks just in time as it whizzes past his left cheek, leaving a small, red line swelling from his flesh.
Fabian leaps to his feet in a blur. In one swift motion, he points his gun at Keith's forehead and shoots. His head snaps back from the impact, his neck making a sickening crack. He staggers back a few steps, releasing my leg as a result. I immediately scramble to my feet, throwing myself into Fabian's arms. He holds me protectively, slowly pulling me away from Keith.
Keith groans in pain, his body rearing forward. His knees are buckled, feet uneven. But he doesn't fall. Instead, his head snaps back into place, neck cracking. Dark red blood oozes from the middle of his forehead, trickling past his horrifying eyes. Teeth bared, he reaches up and plucks the bullet out with his fingers, the flesh squelching. In seconds, the bullet wound heals and vanishes.
Without a word, Fabian shoves me forward and we start running as fast as we can. I throw a quick glance over my shoulder and see that Neil has not moved. Instead, he charges towards Keith, barreling right into him.
"Neil no!" Fabian shouts, skidding to a stop.
Neil knocks Keith to the ground, sending both of them into a jumble. Neil lands a punch to Keith's jaw, but Keith seems rather unaffected by the attack.
"RUN! GO NOW!" Neil shouts, trying his best to hold his own.
I move to help him, but Fabian grabs me and holds me back. "We can't just leave him!"
"We have to!" He starts to drag me away, but I fight back with all of my might.
"But that's your brother!" I protest. I manage to rip myself away from Fabian just for a moment, and I charge over to aid Neil. I jump onto Keith's back like a monkey, wrapping my small hands around his neck. Keith grumbles with annoyance, flailing around in an attempt to get me off, but I hold on for dear life.
"CAROL NO!" Fabian hollers, and runs over to join the fray. Keith reaches around and roughly snatches me off his back, tearing my hands off. I grab a fistful of his shirt, but it rips off in my hand and something gold snaps off from around his neck. I fall to the ground, landing on my back with a thud. Fabian is there in an instant, helping me up and pulling me out of the fight.
"No, let me go!" I shout, fighting to get back into it. But Fabian's hold on me is stronger than last time, and I can tell he's not letting me loose again.
I can see that I didn't help Neil much because Keith easily gets the upper hand, and rather quickly. Neil is already pinned beneath him, struggling to fight him off. But Keith swats his hands away like they're bugs, and snatches his head up. Monstrous teeth protrude from his mouth, and with one ferocious motion, Keith tears into Neil's throat. His sharp fangs shred through his flesh like a hot knife through butter. Blood sprays everywhere as Neil gurgles, struggling to breathe through all the blood. Blood bubbles from his mouth and then his body goes limp.
The entire world slows before my eyes. Red hot rage burns through my entire body, scorching my skin. A scream rips from my throat, but I don't hear it. It sounds disembodied, like it's coming from somewhere far away. This can't be happening. This has to be some sort of nightmare. I don't want this to be real but it is, it's right in front of me, clear as day.
I'm sobbing, screaming and fighting against Fabian's strong arms that struggle to hold me back. "Nonononononoooooo! Neeeeiiilllllll!!!"
With the crimson liquid trickling down his chin, Keith eats the flesh with one large gulp, swallowing it down.
"YOU WON'T GET AWAY," Keith growls, gritting his bloody teeth in a snarl.
"CAROL, WE NEED TO LEAVE!" Fabian's voice bellows in my ear. "WE NEED TO GO RIGHT NOW!"
"I'm not leaving him! He's gonna pay, he's gonna payyyy!" My throat burns from all the screaming, but I want to avenge Neil. I don't care if Keith's some flesh eating monster disguised as a human. I want him to pay.
"Dammit, that's it!" Fabian curses, and suddenly lifts me off the ground in one smooth motion. He throws me over his shoulder, kicking and screaming and takes off running as fast as he can. I holler and fight the whole way, pounding my fists against his back, but he doesn't stop. Neil's corpse gets farther and farther away, slowly disappearing into the distance. Soon, my sight becomes blurred by tears.
Fabian throws me into the back seat of the car, and hops in the front. He starts it up in seconds and hits the gas. The two of us tear away just as I see Keith's monstrous face appear out of the woods. He lets out a ghoulish howl as the car speeds further and further away, and the sound echoes in my ears for several long minutes. I watch out of the back windshield as he attempts to chase us down, but we soon lose sight of him.