Hexed

Chapter Nineteen

Luca gives all of us guns, that apparently, she had hidden in a hatch in the car. Though these ones aren't like the one Mike had, these are automatic rifles. Actually, she didn't give them to all of us. Only to Benji, Willow and I. The others stay inside. The back isn't big enough for all of us anyway, and I guess it's safer for them to stay there.

"Don't shoot unless you have to." Luca says right before she turns and gets in the car again.

I really hope I don't have to shoot, because I doubt I'll actually be able to if I do have to. After all, I'm one of them too. Maybe less extreme. But still. I can't help but think that these people had lives that were torn away from them.

We start driving again, into the city. Holding our rifles and just randomly pointing them around, looking out for the hexeds. Willow and I each took a side and Benji took the back. This city is even more run down that all the other ones, there's no visible effort of people trying to rebuild it. The air is dry and it stinks, I don't want to admit it but it smells like rotting bodies.

"You see anything?" Willow asks.

"No." I reply

"Me either. But that doesn't mean they're not here. Keep a look out, hopefully they'll just be laying half dead on the floor or something." Benji says.

I hope he's being sarcastic. I focus on the buildings in front of me, but nothing moves. We turn a corner, and another, and two more before we see the first one.

"There!" Willow says.

We all turn to look. But there is no half dead zombie, or someone running to attack us. No, this person is just sitting by the side of the road, staring straight at us. We keep driving.

Soon more show up, most like the last one. A few are walking, others laying on the floor, most of them don't look great. At all. Wounds on their faces, some can hardly walk. The grossest thing so far is a guy who is eating something from the floor, I can't tell what it is, I just hope it isn't a person.

The further we get into the city, the more start to show up, all staring at us. Most look angry, I think I hear one of them laugh. Not sure at what. What seems to be out of nowhere, a woman starts running after us.

"Wait!" she yells. "Wait for me! You can't leave!"

Her voice is damaged, but when I turn to her I feel sick. Half of her hair is pulled out, her clothes are filled with blood stains and out of her mouth flows what I'm assuming is blood and puke. But the most awful thing of all must be the grin that is planted on her face as she yells the words. Laughing in between her breathes.

"You'll never escape!" she yells.

Now more are joining her, running behind us as if we're the dinner they haven't had in days.

"You guys mind speeding up?" Benji yells at Luca.

"Working on it!" she replies. "Just make sure they don't get a hold of the truck."

I grip my gun tighter. Chills running down my back. We speed up a tiny bit. The group behind us is getting larger and larger. Most of them yelling things like "You'll never run far enough!" or "They'll come for you." Oddly enough I know what they're trying to say. I know the feeling, that it'll never leave you. That you can never run far enough. From that thing they put in me.

We take another turn, but as soon as we do Luca pushes the breaks, throwing all of us forwards. I stand up. The new street is filled with even more people. And as soon as we stop, they all turn to look. And within seconds all start running towards us. I barely get any time to think because Luca yells at us.

"Hold on!"

We drive, fast, right through the crowd. Most of them jump to the side, others run, but most of them lurch themselves towards us. They hit the sides, the windows, trying to get in. Benji is the one who fires first. And as soon as he does, Willow follows. Shooting the ones that climb on, getting terribly close. For one moment I'm not paying attention, that moment changes everything. Two hands grab my shoulders and pull me, I resist, trying to get them lose, but I lose my balance and the arms throw me on the floor.

"Fynn!" I hear Willow yell.

I'm lying with by back on the floor, and the woman that pulled me out of the truck is still holding on to me. I quickly get my rifle in front of me. The aery smile looking down on me. I shoot. Without thinking. Right in her chest. The now lifeless body falls beside me, I get myself up, but the way between me and the others is blocked by three hexeds trying to get in the truck and two walking towards me.

"Guys!" I yell.

I don't get a clear answer. Benji and Willow are trying to keep them away, shooting some that are between me and them. There's too many of them. I look around me, there's literally nowhere to go. There are hexeds coming from all sides. Except from the abandoned building behind me. I take another look at the others, they're panicking, just like I am. They force me backwards, I get my gun again, my hands are shaking. I miss. Of course I miss. I shoot again, this time I hit someone in the shoulder. He yells, there's so many now. I just shoot at random, they don't seem scared. Even that doesn't last long. I keep moving back and they seem to circle around me, so I move back faster. Still shooting. Left, right, left, right. Keeping the closest ones away. Or something. A guy from the other side grabs onto my gun. My hand slips off the trigger. He's pulling the gun with all his power, through all the chaos I barely manage to hold on. He kicks me in the stomach pushing me backwards, I let go of the gun and stumble on the floor. The guy just looks at it. Doesn't even shoot me. I quickly get up, the truck is slowly driving forwards, still trying to get the hexeds off. They're coming towards me faster now.

"Go around!" I hear Jerome yell at the top of his lungs. "We'll come and get you!"

I take one glance at the others, they start driving faster, so I turn around and run. As fast as I can.