Genesis

Day 28

Jenny crouched behind the counter of the gas station. Feet away, the cries of a group of Virals could be heard. They'd followed her close to a block now; tracking her from when she left her apartment, her base, and to where she'd run, here. They'd broken through the glass door of the gas station and were now milling about, noses lifted in hopes of catching her scent.

From mere inches away - next to the counter she was behind - she heard a Viral step on a bag of chips. The sound alerted the others, and she heard the sound of footsteps as they all grouped around the source of the noise. Jenny clutched the sharpened broom handle that she used as a weapon and pressed herself beneath the counter, attempting to conceal her body in the shadows. She knew that if any of them moved a step farther back, they'd see her and she'd be a goner. One Viral she could take. Two, probably. But four? She could never fight four on her own.

The bell to the gas station rang, signalling that someone had entered. Jenny froze, afraid of how many Virals she'd have to face now. Instead, she heard a human's voice.

"Aye! Come and get it!" Jenny listened closely, hearing the calls of the Virals as a new prey entered the room. She heard their footsteps move away from her, away from the counter and toward the door. She didn't know how many people were in the gas station, or if they knew she was there, or if she could even trust them. She just knew this was her one opprtunity to survive this situation, and she surely was going to take it.

Springing up, holding her weapon at the ready, Jenny jumped onto the counter. One of the four Virals turned and looked at her, but soon busied itself on making its way toward the others in the door. Currently, three individuals stood in the doorway. There was a man with shaggy blonde hair and deep blue eyes wearing nothing but a pair of cargo shorts and tennis shoes. He held the stereotypical surfer-look and brandished a trident, of all things. Next to him was a tiny girl who couldn't be older than the age of twelve. She held long stick-like object and swayed back and forth on her feet. Her hair was deep brown and extraordinarily long. Her eyes were nearly completely black and, to Jenny's horror, a bite mark was prominent on her neck. Next to the little girl was a rather tall man. He stood at around 6'5, from what she could tell by the ruler on the door, and had messy dark hair and green eyes. He wore a v-neck white tee and a pair of jeans. He brandished what appeared to be a home-made sword.

"Come on, that slow?" the surfer taunted the Virals. He stabbed at the air with his trident, looking like he didn't have a care in the world as the Virals stumbled toward him, closing in quickly. Jenny, still half-squatting on top of the counter, thought of what she should do next. She should jump off the counter and help the three defeat the Virals. But if she did that, she risked being killed or bitten; completely wasting this second chance she'd been given. She could turn and run out the back exit. This could either save her life or endanger it further. It'd also be pretty rude to her saviors.

With an inaudible sigh, she leapt down from the counter and bounded over to the group. The Virals had already descended upon them, but they didn't seem to be able to do much damage. Every time one got close to any of the humans in the doorway, one of them would push it back with their weapon, further angering the Virals. None of them really seemed to care much. The surfer dude held the same almost bored expression. The little girl continued to look a mixture of angry and annoyed. The tallest dude continued to hold a lazy smile.

In simplest terms, they confused Jenny. Were they enjoying this? This cat-and-mouse game with the Virals? Or what were they doing?

Jenny rounded the Virals, her broom raised to stab the first in the head. But before she could do anything, the blonde man had stabbed it through the head with his trident, blood spattering Jenny and the trident nearly touching her face as she was so close. She stumbled back, watching as the other two people kept the other Virals away from him as he yanked out his trident.