What We Become | Book Two

46. Back To Carnelian

The engine revved loudly, a harsh growling purr inside the brightly coloured vehicle.

The Sprinters had not long turned up amongst the Infected, scavenging whatever had been left behind. After having lived alongside them, I understood them better now. They were the most destructive, the most relentless in their ability to lock onto their prey and never leave its trail.

Even as an Infected, they terrified me.

I spotted another truck and noticed it was similar to the one I had been rescued in by Chris and Pilot. It lurched across the field and sped towards Julia. Even from a distance, I could see Pilot yelling at her, shouting for her to get inside the truck.

She pulled herself inside with ease, visibly exhausted as she sank into the passenger seat, her head darting in every direction, her eyes wide with fear.

"Was that Pilot?" Chris asked as he struggled to control the car on the dirt track.

"Yeah," I nodded, breathless.

"Is he okay? Did he look like he was hurt?" he urged.

"I think he's alright. Julia was with him."

The car wasn't the best choice for a quick getaway. There were only two seats and I couldn't keep myself steady as I sat on Ben's lap in the passenger seat.

"You could've picked a better getaway car. You know that, right?" Ben pressed, turning his head to Chris as my head slammed against the roof. His grief of leaving Apollo seemed to have been left with her on the field, his demeanour now as if it had never happened.

"I could have," Chris replied as he continued to pick up speed, leaving the Infected stumbling behind us. "But you were the one who didn't let me drive this in the first place. I needed to know what I was missing out on."

I glanced in the wing mirror as the ground rumbled beneath the car. A fiery explosion erupted throughout EDIN, sending smoke and fire into the night. Dark figures illuminated with flames and staggered across the field, ripping the burning clothes from their bodies.

"Shit!" the boys shouted.

"Just keep driving!"

For the most part, Chris managed to swerve and avoid the Infected but it was the Sprinters who kept up for a distance, surprising even me with their relentless stamina. Some of them screeched, releasing ungodly sounds from their throats and mouths. Every essence of their being was so inhuman, so primitive and yet somehow, I still saw myself as one of them.

Chris seemed to grin as we finally reached the open road and smooth tarmac.

"I'm glad one of us is enjoying themselves," I said, pressing one hand to the ceiling to stop my head from colliding with the hard fabric.

He smirked, stifling a laugh as his fingers gripped the steering wheel, swerving a broken-down car. "Make it two," he said. "I don't think Ben's complaining right now."

"Shut up," the muffled voice came from beneath me as an arm reached out and punched Chris in the arm.

The attention quickly shifted back to the road. Behind us, Pilot and Julia had been following for a distance in the other truck.

"I can't believe they fucking did it again," Ben spat. "I knew we should've killed Zach too. Why did we even let him go in the first place?"

"We had an agreement," Chris replied, his voice calmer than Ben's. "Nobody could've known he would've done something like this."

"Mike warned us, Chris," he argued. "He warned us when we first got here, remember?"

"You knew this is what they were planning?" I questioned.