Manifestation

14: Love & Lies

A sharp pain went up my shoulder and I grunted in pain. A few creepers stumbled over to me and I shot them. More saw the fresh meat and came over.

I sat up and heard Ryan yell something.

I turned around and saw him hunched over to edge of the wall, fear crossed his face.

"Don't go over. It's too risky. We have to leave her." Zoey said. I saw the corners of her mouth twitch into a subtle smile.

He started to walk over to her menacingly.

"I'm fine. Just keep shooting. I'll make it up there eventually." I wanted to deal with Zoey myself.

Ryan stopped and looked at me. I smiled and shot a creeper I saw approach me.

"I'm good."

When Zoey wasn't looking, I shot her in the shoulder and turned back around quickly to continue shooting. I heard her yelp in pain and keep shooting. I could feel her gaze burning into the back of my head.

I sat down and slid my back against the fence, shooting the creepers that came towards me. I had killed at least forty when I ran out of ammo.

I looked up at Ryan and showed him my empty gun. He tossed me another magazine and I loaded it into the machinery. I kept shooting the blood thirsty creepers. My finger started to hurt from holding the trigger down. My shoulder still throbbed from the fall. The crowds of creepers thinned out and the drawbridge had been raised all the way.

I shot some of the last ones closest to me and climbed up the chain link fence. My muscles still ached, I was still recovering from the Virus.

I climbed back up to the guard tower and Ryan pulled me close to him. Zoey had gone to the infirmary.

"I thought I lost you." He whispered as he kissed my cheek.

"I'm still here." I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned my head on his chest. I wasn't done with Zoey yet.

We walked back down into the airport and helped shoot off the straggling creepers here and there. The runway was still crawling with zombies. I ran through the rows and found my plane. The door was open a crack and no sound came from inside. I ripped the door open and saw that nobody was inside the plane. I was both relieved and worried. My family could be in danger elsewhere which worried me, but they weren't in danger here.

I went inside and walked to the end of the plane and opened the bathroom door.

A creeper launched itself at me, biting the air and knocking me to the ground.

It's mouth was inches away from my face. I held my hand up to its neck to keep it away from my face. My gun had been knocked out of my hand and was out of reach. I reached my other hand up my shirt and felt the hilt of the knife I kept under my bra. I whipped it out, the blade grazing the soft skin on my stomach, and I forced it into the creeper's eye. I closed my eyes and mouth to avoid getting infected again as blood splattered my face. It slumped on top of me and I pulled my knife from its socket. I shoved it off of me and ran out the door of the plane.

The moment I stepped outside, Ryan ran up to me.

"Where were you?! You just ran off like that!" He scolded. "You have blood on your face!"

"I'm fine. I had to find my family. They aren't in there. Let's keep looking."

I ran past him and down the rows again, shooting a few creepers here and there.

I ran back inside then up the stairs and into the security check area. I saw two small feet sticking out of the conveyor belt.

I walked over cautiously and pushed back the flaps. Rachel's scared face shown in the dim light of the belt and she immediately crawled out and jumped into my arms.