Run Away Mad Dog

CHAPTER VIII: The Wolf and the Vulture

Post-apocalyptic Earth 2037 Pretty Oak

As I wait for the group to arrive I tend to notice myself growing stronger with these unfamiliar emotions, I promised them I'd get the girl back but I don't even know who they are. I understand the idea of kindness but something inside me shouts it will one day get me killed.

Jane is also not telling me something I think I should know, the paradox she believes she's in is driving her insane. if she had a choice in killing a few to save the many she would without a second thought or remorse.

But now? I think she would just turn her back and let both sides die.

I just saw Scarlett as The Eclipse was being attacked and I'm now off to find Ashanna's friends, when the group gets to Pretty Oak I will take them to the girl, I just hope they can forgive me for what Jane is trying to do to her...

Black Vulture signing off.

Sam could feel his nerves playing up again, the familiar pain of blood pulsing through his veins so fast he felt numb. Ashanna was all he could think about. Sure they had a lead, but all he could think were the worst ideas that came to mind.

He had promised Mr. and Mrs. Taylor that he would protect their daughter, and by his own standards, he had failed. The weight of that failure pressed heavily on his shoulders as they continued their journey.

Meanwhile, Astrid sat in the backseat, her hands pulsing with an unsettling intensity as well. She clenched her fists slowly, feeling the tension build within her, and then released them again. It was a repetitive motion she couldn't seem to stop. Adam, observing her from the rereview mirror, tried to understand without asking. However, her actions remained a mystery to him.

As they ventured deeper into the Australian countryside, their destination being "Pretty Oak," Astrid's fingers continued their relentless cycle of clenching and releasing. Finn, the driver, watched her from the corner of his eye, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

"Should you still be doing that?" he finally asked, concern lacing his voice.

Astrid turned her head slightly towards Finn, her hand now gripping her left wrist tightly. Her knuckles cracked as her veins struggled to flow, and her eyes conveyed a deep, dark intensity.

"It helps" she whispered; her voice hissed with an underlying lust for violence.

"Helps with what?" Finn asked,

"The hell do you think?" she snapped back.

Finn tensed, his hands gripping the wheel even tighter. He straightened his back, trying to maintain focus on the road ahead, but he couldn't dismiss her so easily.

"Easy now," he cautioned, attempting to defuse the tension. "I'm just trying to understand what's going on, your infected yet you haven't gone mad or mutated."

Astrid kept both fists clenched tightly, her frustration and foolishness bubbling within her. She turned her gaze towards the window, her eyes watched leafless trees amidst the vastness of the frozen landscape.

"How long until we arrive at this Pretty Oak place?" she asked; her voice tinged with impatience.

Finn's foot eased towards the brake, slowing down the car. His eyes fell upon a large gate that resembled the entrance to a castle. Barbed wire covered the fences, and decommissioned cars were stacked like bricks, creating a formidable wall. Watchtowers stood tall, manned by soldiers who eyed the approaching vehicle.