Days are Gone (Under Massive Editing)

Chapter 24 - Encounter

"Cyra!"

"Go! I'm right behind you!"

Running away was the only thing we could think of at the moment. The numbers of infected swarming these woods are drastically increasing, resulting in us taking unfamiliar paths and getting lost.

Are we still going in the right direction? Should we turn left? Should we turn right? Are there any infected waiting behind the trees?

The mental stress is taking effect and is messing with my decision-making.

"Cyra, which way?" Belle asks as she pulls her knife out of an infected's forehead.

She's been protecting both Dean and I ever since Shane left us, and I can tell that she's exhausted just by looking at her face.

"We go right, and then—"

"Look out!" she shouts and fires the rifle in my direction.

I heard something fall on the ground beside me, but I kept on running and didn't even bother looking at what it was.

As soon as we turned right, an infected jumped on Belle and was now pinning her to the ground. Fortunately, she slid her arm to the side and stabbed the infected's skull, hence killing it.

"Come on, get up," I said, offering my hand, which she accepted.

We sprinted away, but Isabelle is starting to slow down. Suddenly, she wobbled and collapsed toward the hard soil.

"Belle!"

She didn't say a word and just laid down on a nearby tree root while catching her breath.

It looks like the fatigue is taking its toll on her body.

I looked behind me and saw the group of infected slowly making their way towards us.

"Alright, Belle, listen..." I took a deep breath and placed Dean beside her. "I'll hold them off. You take your time to rest, okay?"

"W-what? No..."

"I got this. Trust me." I smiled.

She nodded slowly and gave back my bowie knife. "Be careful, Cyra,"

I glanced at Dean, and he was breathing slowly with his eyes closed. The cloth I wrapped around his shoulder earlier is now covered with his blood.

"Hey, how are you doing?" I asked.

"I feel sick," he grumbled.

"Don't worry, the wound isn't that deep. You'll live."

"No shit—good thing I stopped it before the whole knife stabbed my shoulder," he laughed.

Still, he's losing blood. We need to get him somewhere safe before we can treat his wound.

I switched my attention back to Belle and combed her hair with my hand.

"Just call my name if something happens."

"Yes ma'am," she said, holding onto Dean's rifle with a smile. I gave her a head pat and then walked straight to the horde.

If I let these freaks walk up close, then I won't have enough space to evade.

Worse, we'll get trapped in a circle. I don't have any other choice but to reduce the numbers as much as I can while they're still far from us.

The first infected that approached me had the left side of its torso torn apart. The foul smell immediately reached my nose, and I almost ended up vomiting.