When I wake, I am alone in the back seat. I get up, alarmed; where was Aiden? Silently, as if to not attract biters, I get into the front seat and grab some supplies from the glove box: a knife into my belt loop, my Glock 22, as well.
When I go outside the sun is halfway to noon. To the right of the car is an open field, filled with withering crops. To the left, is a forest filled with pine trees. If we were to drive on, we'd reach the mountains in less than an hour. Birds are chirping from the forest.
Suddenly, there's a gunshot coming from the field. I spin around, raising my gun, fully loaded. Through the dying crops I can see the tops moving side to side as something moves through the growth. I sidestep to below the front of the car, staying low.
Just as the unknown being is about to come into sight, it freezes, taunting me. "Show your self!" I call out, my voice strong but quivering.
Nothing moves. I go closer. Finally, with a moan the figure steps out and I shoot.
"Woah!" Aiden swiftly moves away from the line of fire. "Thank god you're an awful shot."
"I'm not usually like this," he gives me a friendly gesture. "I mean, sorry." Through all of this, the world changing so drastically, I'm not really focused on my manners.
"Emma, get down, now," suddenly his voice is urgent. I flatten down to my stomach and scoot towards him, hidden by the fields of farmland. When I look up at the forest behind the road, there's a swarm of biters wandering out, into the sunlight towards the source of the gunshot.
"Holy-" I put my hand over Aiden's mouth, shushing him, trying to prevent a full-blown attack. "What do we do?" he whispers, near silent.
"We either take our chances and try to go back to the car, or we leave and head into the fields." I weigh the pros and cons in my head.
"Let's take make a run for it; is the car unlocked?" he keeps his voice only in earshot of me.
"Yup, let's go!" We get up and burn to the car. Aiden gets there first, sliding into the passenger seat.
When I get closer, the biters are on both sides, already covering the passenger side door. I swing around and slide onto the hood, then jump up on top of the car. Just as I pull my body up, a slimy hand wraps around my ankle. I scream in terror, struggling to pull my weight up and onto the roof. "Aiden! Aiden!" I scream in hopes that somehow he'll be able to save me but nothing happens. I grip the railing with one hand and then reach for my gun with the other. Swinging around, I see the biter going in for my flesh. I act quickly, aiming and firing. The blood squirts out and covers my ankle; an unsettling, warm, metallic red mixture. I pull my ankle free and stand up on the truck, surveying my surroundings. There are probably twenty biters surrounding the car and more coming. I only have sixteen shots left. Then I'll be left with my knife.
Three of the biters are squirming onto the hood and crawling towards the front window to climb up to my perch. I imagine what it would be like to be Aiden, trapped in the car, seeing the biters clambering up the hood, over the window.
I assess the situation. There's too many for me to handle. I must continue on, to try and save my life. What can I do? I start shooting at the intruding biters. One by one, they collapse but each one replaced by two more. Surrounded, I force my mind to concentrate. I slam down onto my knees and yell through the sunroof, "Drive, Aiden, just drive." I grip the handles on the top of the car, ready for the sudden force.
The car shoots forewords but there are still biters in the front of the vehicle. As the car goes on, we run over them, leaving a gory trail. There's too many in front of us. "Keep going," I urge, but the swarm is too dense and more are making their way up and onto the hood, shielding Aiden's vision.
"Open the sunroof," I say; one final attempt to be saved. The window slides open, and I pull my weight up towards the opening. I lower my legs in when suddenly the car stops. My upper half collides with the side of the truck. The pain is excruciating, I curse in terror, letting the rest of my body fall into the truck. Aiden closes the window and turns off the ignition.
"We won't make it," he says, looking down at me. He gasps. There's a long gaping wound right down across my stomach, just above my belly button. Blood starts to rise up and spill over, soaking the seats.
Aiden picks me up and lays me down in the back seat. He grabs pillows and blankets; anything to slow the bleeding. The pain is dull, but ongoing; my body in shock. I can feel my heart beating in confusion as my body reacts to the threat. My lungs burn; the effort to raise and lower my chest is too much.
Trying to raise my head, Aiden tries to prevent me from seeing the wound but it's too late. You can see my ribs on either side, covered in ripped flesh. Tissue is scattered everywhere, but before I can take anything else in, Aiden firmly pushes the blankets on and holds it there, hoping that a miracle will happen.
I can feel myself fading, the pain ebbing at my body, slowly drifting away. My vision begins to darken. For a moment I am afraid, terrified of leaving this world, even more of staying. I don't know what to do. It's like my systems are shutting down, leaving me with my adrenaline infused thoughts running wild in my brain and then, there's a gunshot.
YOU ARE READING
Vial #127
Science FictionFourteen year old, Emma, used to live a typical life but after a world dominating infection spreads, her life is far from normal. Now, she is alone in the vast word, trying to survive in the apocalyptic world. her family is gone, she has no home, an...
