The Passing

Chapter Twenty-five

I wish someone would have told me sooner. That they believed in me, that they were proud of me. But even more so, I wish I didn't want to hear it as badly as I do. Why has James become so bitter? As if getting infected was simply a choice we get to make every time a roamer comes around. But, the truth is, we don't get a say in what bad shit happens. We can do everything in our human power to prevent it, we can fight like hell, but we can't stop it. Maybe that's the lesson Jane was trying to get through my stubborn head. That if I had just stopped fighting it, and accepted it, then I could feel peace again. If only she could see me now.

I stopped fighting, Jane.

Every pounding footstep reverberates up my legs, sending electric currents throughout my body. However, now, this pain is different. This sensation is intense, yet energizing, each current like an electric push forward. The air is thick, yet cold, signs of autumn rounding the corner. Soon the days will be filled with dull skies and rain, the air will be masked by a fog that will last till spring. It's impossible to see where I'm going through the lush forest as the trees and shrubbery that sprout from the cold ground leave little room for travelers. Branches and thorns snag at my clothes as I breeze by, pushing myself in no clear direction until the voices behind me stop.

I can't go too far; something about Ruby doesn't sit right with me, and my family is in there, Jane is in there. If there's anything I have to do, it's get them out. The way Alondra and James acted back at the wall, how as soon as she saw they weren't attacking me, then she wanted to help. Then she wanted to treat me like a human. If she wants me back, I'm sure she'll send her troops, more than likely the same assholes that tried to kill me, or perhaps the ones who stood by to watch. But for now, they won't come after me. They can't. Not with the horde building up at the perimeter.

Slowing down to a stop, I stumble forward into a tree, leaning into it as I struggle to catch my breath. Twigs snap nearby, and a roamer staggers from behind a tree. For a second, I tense up, hands fumbling for a weapon I don't have. But, the roamer merely walks by, its shoulder brushing against me as it trudges away from the wall. Just as I am about to push away from the tree, a sharp scream cuts through the forest, stopping me in my tracks.

"HELP!" Somebody cries, wailing until their voice goes out. They scream like a broken record, their pleas echoing through the woods. The roamer I was attempting to track turns, picking up its pace in pursuit of their screams. Every roamer in earshot is going to head right towards them, unless I do something. Glancing down at what lies around my feet, I find the largest stick that fits in my grasp and take off after the sound. Carefully dodging trees and overgrown roots, I whip my head around, searching. The closer I get, the more clearly I can hear, and the more voices I notice in the mix. A clearing emerges into view, just barely within my sights. Squinting through the dark, I make out five figures, all standing back to back as they fight off dozens of roamers.

Something rams into me from the side, forcing and pinning me to the ground with immense pressure. My breath is stolen as the wind is knocked out of my lungs, leaving me thrashing around until whatever holds me down gives in. The weight on my chest vanishes, and I scramble back, smacking my head into a tree. A dark figure grows from the ground, seemingly standing over me and my body goes rigid. However, a hand extends out from a long black sleeve. Dark veins protrude from their light skin, and their nails are caked with dirt.

"Wha-" I'm about to go off, let my rage boil over into the forest to burn whoever this ass hat thinks they are, when they cut me off.

"Keep your voice down." his hoarse whisper startles me, although I'm not sure what else I was expecting. A hand wraps around my wrist and he pulls me to a crouch at the ground.