Tara :Wolf Chronicles

Chapter 12:Zombie

When you talk to Nate, it seemed as if he just woke up, he walked hunched with bags under his eyes and he yawned whenever. He didn't talk animatedly, joke or have eye contact but he seemed the opposite. His eyes seemed to dart, his teeth chattered, and he always snapped his head as if eager to find something. His nails were bitten till the skin bled and his curls were messy and stuck in many different directions.

Was he getting any sleep? He muttered words sluggishly like 'please don't kill me' or 'I'll do what you said'. He seemed to plead for mercy or double-check his surroundings. His body froze, his eyes widened, and his pupils dilated as if he was being overstimulated. Whenever he sees me, he'll place his hands on his ears tightly with closed eyes or closed his eyes. If I'm too close, he'll flinch as if he waited for impact, scowl at me with bloodshot eyes or run away.

His foot hovered then he froze, whirled then ran away and it seemed to happen repeatedly whenever I seemed to be nearby. Sometimes he gawked at me in class, hallway or at lunch with those dead, pale and dilated eyes, froze when he saw me, darted his eyes, or jumped when tensed like a scared bunny. He played with his fingers, ducked his head or shuffled his feet. He wasn't energetic, smiley or excited; he was dull, distant and exhausted.

His eyes landed on me then he vanished from me and sometimes he shoved me with a crazy glint in his eyes, but it got worse.

"Thalia, please stay away from me. He keeps on haunting me. In my dreams, when I close my eyes. Everywhere. I can't sleep!" He begged me as he walked backwards with widened eyes then his knees fell on the floor and his body jerked upright. A scream tore from his lips as his body bent unusually and his bones tensed and froze. Then he trashed left and right on the floor in agonising pain as his body bent in weird ways. I stood glued to the ground as I watched Nate panic and scream in agony and I was unable to do anything. Nothing.

Then on Wednesday, things got weird and violent. Nate sat on his desk, idle. His hair was tousled; his eyes were widened and bloodshot with bags under his eyes. He placed his hands on the desk. He didn't mutter, joke or fidget around. He didn't make paper planes or origami or spat tiny paper balls at his neighbours. He didn't do his morning rounds of harassing Hayley's boyfriend. He was just there as he stared into the unknown with pursed lips and a creepy lifeless stare. It was strange, and all he did was gawk at the whiteboard. Everyone noticed and it was unnerving. Some of the boys waved at him, shouted or danced in front of him but he didn't budge or he was still unresponsive. He bilked then snapped his eyes to me then looked around his desk. I shuddered and everyone whispered.

"What the hell?"

"It's that a demon or something?" A thin boy asked.

"Nate! You in there! Nate!" Hayley screamed, waved her hands frantically.

"Skinwalker!" One chubby girl cried and acted like a zombie.

Sasha gaped at him and then glared at me. A lump formed in my throat. He pressed his palm on his forehead, closed his eyes and inhaled sharply.

"Nate, are you ok?" Sasha asked, got up from her seat and ran to him as Nate jumped from his seat and nodded but I got the stares, the perked ears and the confused faces. Light filtered out of the windows as the blinds pulled up, and the posters all in different colours and shapes fluttered in the wind. Everyone was busy, the metal dragged on the floor, and some girls used their phones with multi-coloured nails and boomed One Direction and Justin Bieber music from their iPods. Nate nodded in reply but his head cocked, eyes drooped then he fell sideways.

"Y-yeah," he stammered, "I-I'm fine." Then his eyes closed as he swayed like a flag.

"Nathaniel!"Sasha gasped, she ran to him and so did I. Sasha placed his hands on her shoulders but glared at me when I approached further as Nate's shoulders tensed. His legs dragged uselessly behind him. His eyes widened as Sasha scowled then blurted," Thalia," She said calmly as poison leaked through her words. "I think you should go!" However, I was stubborn as a boulder in a storm.