Days are Gone (Under Massive Editing - Republishing Chapters)

Chapter 24 - Encounter

"Cyra!"

"Go! I'm right behind you!"

Running away was the only thing we could think of at that moment. The number of infected swarming the woods was drastically increasing, forcing us to take unfamiliar paths and eventually getting us lost.

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

The mental stress was starting to take its toll, messing with my decision-making.

"Cyra, which way?" Belle asked as she drove her knife into the forehead of an infected.

She had been protecting both Dean and me since Shane left, and I could see the exhaustion on her face.

"We go right, and then—"

"Look out!" she shouted, firing the rifle in my direction.

I heard something hit the ground beside me, but I kept running, not daring to look back.

As soon as we turned right, an infected lunged at Belle, pinning her to the ground. Thankfully, she slid her arm to the side and stabbed its skull, killing it.

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

We sprinted forward, but Isabelle was starting to slow down. Suddenly, she wobbled and collapsed onto the hard soil.

"Belle!"

She didn't respond and simply lay beside a tree root, catching her breath. The fatigue was clearly taking its toll on her body.

I glanced behind us and saw the infected slowly closing in.

"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, handing me back my bowie knife. "Be careful, Cyra."

I glanced at Dean again. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing slowly. The cloth I had wrapped around his shoulder earlier was now soaked in his blood.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" I asked.

"I feel sick," he grumbled.

"Don't worry, we're almost there. Just keep your eyes open, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled.

He's losing blood fast. We need to get to Trosta as soon as possible.

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

"Just call my name if something happens."

"I will," she said, holding onto Dean's rifle with a smile. I gave her a gentle head pat before walking toward the horde.

If I let them get too close, I won't have enough space to evade. Worse, we could get trapped in a circle. I had no choice but to reduce their numbers while they were still far off.

The first infected to approach me had the left side of its torso torn apart. The foul stench hit my nose, and I nearly vomited.

"Gross..." I backed away and positioned my knife toward its head.

I guess this one had been dead for too long. It was already decomposing, and worms clung to its stomach.

With a single stab to its forehead, it fell. I moved on to the next and repeated the process. But soon, they started coming from the sides, increasing in numbers.