Annihilation

River

It only took another day for us to remember the way things could change, the flip from calmly keeping the path alongside the river to wading through the water to escape the sudden herd of undead that shuffled through the trees sudden and quick. They sank into the river after us and I imagined that we collectively smelled as enticing as the inside of a butcher's shop, fresh meat hanging in wait to be devoured.

Taking a plunge in the water the night before helped minimize the shock from the cold temperature, Jungkook and I the first to reach the slope to the other side as we fought against the current to keep a straight line. We turned back as soon as he helped hoist me over the small ledge, reaching out to grab onto the other's hands and watching the undead drift further downstream with the flow of water.

They were everywhere, drawing in even on the other side of the river from the commotion. A smaller herd of around forty started to surround us as we emerged from the water with heavy clothes and nearly drained of energy from fighting the stream.

I heaved Shelby out of the water, Taehyung pushing her forward by her hips so that she had an easier climb. I noticed Taehyung wince when we offered him our hands, his shoulder still aching from the movement and strain against his injury.

The others busied themselves taking care of the group of undead that were closest. It was hard to ignore the sounds of groaning and hacking behind us and when Taehyung spotted one approaching from the side. I barely noticed the pull of a knife from the band of his pants and swift flick of his wrist as he targeted the man larger than both of us combined.

He missed by a hair, aim and balance off since he was throwing from the arm where he'd been shot. The knife only grazed the side of the man's head and in another second he was on us, gnarly arms reaching out so that he grasped my backpack and jolted me forward into Taehyung.

Water splashed up around us as we slid down the embankment and into the water. Shelby cried out to us but was muffled by the sound of me sinking the few feet until Taehyung's back hit the river's floor with a thud.

I shifted my weight so that I wasn't on top of him and we quickly learned that without solid footing the flow of water was stronger, pulling us down the stream one after the other. The undead man still held on to my backpack, our weight creating distance from Taehyung as he kept his head above water, trying to reach out for any branches or rocks near the edge to hold onto.

More water was sucked into my nose as I struggled with the current and aggression the man attached to me showed, unfazed by the rush of water around us and only focused on tearing into me.

I gave up the weapons and canteen that were kept in my bag for my life, tugging the straps over my shoulders so that it floated away with the man. He released the sack upon realizing I was no longer kept by it, succumbing to the surge of water that continued to pummel him toward me.

My throat burned from swallowing water and my legs felt like noodles from trying to get leverage on the soft ground below. I switched between hearing the whoosh of water splashing into my ears and the faint call of my name.

Everything was a blur of water and failed attempts to reach out for anything attached to land. My knees scraped against rocks and dirt, chest getting tighter as I fought for steady breath.

I was only able to catch one when I suddenly halted, the water flushing from my eyes as I blinked to find Taehyung pulling me in with one arm, his handless one dangling loosely around the thick point of a fallen tree that protruded halfway across the river.

"Hold on to me." He rasped between his own heavy breaths, grunting as he helped me keep one arm around him with the other slung over the trunk.

My feet barely reached the ground at this part of the river and I stood on the tips of my toes, unable to maintain any traction and relying on my upper body to keep me in place. I let him go for a moment to get a better grip on the tree, damp bark scratching against my arms as I pulled myself up to straddle a branch.