The Last Plague

Chapter Twelve: Leap

We landed against the ground harshly, not bothering trying to stay quiet. The creatures heard our jump and woke up. They started moaning as they saw us. I stood back up and readied myself for running. My legs felt a little sore from the impact, but I was fine. I glanced behind me and checked on Mellisa. She stood up slowly, then turned her head forward. I started running forward, and she followed soon after. We both sprinted down the ground, looking at the creatures around us. Most of them were behind us, but a few hidden clusters of them were in front of us. I sprinted faster across the ground. The creatures on either side of us woke up from the moaning of the ones behind us. I sprinted faster at the sounds of them in front of us. I checked behind me to make sure Mellisa was still there, and she was. I slowed my pace just enough for her to stay with me.

We continued sprinting. The creatures seemed to close in on us slowly, but I had hope. If you run fast enough, you'll get there in time, I told myself while running. I repeated it in my mind constantly. Nothing would make me lose hope. We continued running down the street. Mellisa was right beside me. I kept checking behind me, expecting or waiting for something to happen. It seemed to be an eerie sensation that wouldn't let go. We continued running though. The sandbags along the edge were getting closer; we were close. I heard a shriek behind me, and ignored it. We got to the sandbags. I jumped on the top and then looked. Mellisa pulled up behind me and I grabbed her from going too far. Every person that was killed during the initial creatures' attack was laying there dead. Why are they on the outside of the fence? Shouldn't they be on the inside? I didn't know what to think, but I stared for a moment. I heard a moan close behind me, so I jumped over the bodies. I landed on one of the outer one's chest and felt some guilt as it squished in, but I pushed forward. I checked behind me and saw Mellisa doing the same. The creature's rampage didn't stop though; they continued slugging over the wall. We started running away.

A few minutes went by before we calmed down. I bent down and grabbed my knees. I felt exhausted from the dash. I looked back over at the base, and it was still in sight, but small. I felt some guilt while staring at it. William, I thought to myself. I only thought that one word, which I found strange. Did he die because of you? The thought popped into my head before I knew what I was thinking. No, he didn't, I told myself. But there was still the lingering thought.

I sat down, exhausted and sore from the running. I felt tired and weak, but I knew we couldn't stop here. Somewhere out there, there had to be other survivors. There had to be something out there; there couldn't be nothing. We started walking down the road.

I felt sore, of course, from the running, but walking felt better than I had expected. I felt fresh and calm. We continued walking down the road. Around us, I saw a large prairie, nothing but a tall grass field. I felt defending against it would be a nightmare. Creatures lurking in the tall grass, a soldier waiting stressfully at the wall, never knowing when something would appear. I felt a shudder at placing myself in those shoes. And then protecting at night, that just sounds like a nightmare. I would never know what to do. I remember when we showed up at the walls, it was dark outside. How they knew we weren't creatures, or they didn't shoot us without questioning, I didn't know. I know I would've shot without a second thought, human or creature, right on the spot. I felt lucky, knowing I hadn't been shot or killed yet. I stared out farther, trying to see if there was anything else. I saw several trees dotting the horizon. I looked on the other side and saw the same thing. They seemed to surround us, building an invisible wall that trapped the grass.

The road seemed to stretch out endlessly. I just saw the concrete in front of me, with nothing else in front. I continued walking silently next to Mellisa.

Several hours later, night finally started coming. The sun started building a grave around the trees. I began to reach in my bag to grab food. I pulled out a gun instead. I felt the cool metal of my pistol in my hands and felt some power, but it wasn't what I was looking for. I put the gun back and reached in for food. I pulled out an apple. I bit into it gratefully and looked beside me. Mellisa was eating a package of nuts. I walked towards her and sat down. My legs suddenly felt broken from walking. I felt exhausted. I placed my bag behind my head and took out the gun. I clutched the gun with my hands and laid my head on the bag.