Days are Gone (Under Massive Editing - Republishing Chapters)

Chapter 22 - The Traitors

"Ugh, that stinks..."

The smell of dead infected scattered around the tall grasses almost made me puke. The blood looked fresh. I guess Dean killed some strays to make sure the area was safe.

Now where in hell is that?

Dean radioed me earlier through the walkie-talkie, and I explained what happened. He told me to meet him in a hut somewhere around here.

I looked back and saw how far I was from Trosta. It breaks my heart to think about the people I abandoned.

I hope we all meet again.

I pushed those thoughts aside and made my way through the thick bushes. After a few minutes, I found a hut hidden by plants and tall grass.

Is this the one Dean was talking about?

I gripped my knife and slowly approached the shack. Suddenly, a man holding a hunting rifle stepped out. I was about to hide behind the trees, but I recognized his face instantly.

"There you are," I smiled.

"Miss me?" he grinned back.

Yeah, a bit...

I sheathed my knife and walked toward him. "Is Belle with you?"

"I left her back at the camp. She's with the pregnant woman I mentioned before. Sorry, I should've brought her."

"No, it's okay. As long as she's safe."

We went inside and sat on a dusty wooden bench. It was getting a little hot, so I took off my hoodie and hung it somewhere.

"So... kicked out, huh?" he laughed.

I shook my head, smirking. "I could've died if I stayed there. I had no choice."

"I see. I'm just glad you're safe," he said, making my heart skip a beat for some reason.

I placed my hand on my chest, feeling my heart race.

Must be heartburn or something...

"Anyway, how's the bite?"

"What bite?" I asked, confused.

"The one I patched up before," he said, pointing at my arm.

"Oh, this?" I showed him my arm and smiled. "All better now. It took a few days to heal. The torn skin's gone, but now it looks like a weird patch of... I don't know, blood clot?" I chuckled.

"Rejected subjects are really... something. I still can't believe those people experimented on random civilians."

"I can only think of one reason: there was no vaccine for the virus, and now they're using the pathogen itself as a weapon against the infected."

"A weapon?"

Oh, right, he doesn't know much about people like me.

"Our bodies work differently. When I get bitten, the pathogen circulates, and the infection starts. But instead of turning, I get stronger and faster. It sounds crazy, but that's what happens," I said, noticing his eyebrow raise.

"Interesting. Though it sounds like steroids or something."

"Yeah, you could say that."

"That's cool. Besides being immune, you get stronger. That's a handy skill to have in this world," he smirked.

No, Dean, it isn't.

I waved off the conversation. "Anyway, we're not here to talk about me. We have other things to discuss."