Apocalyptic Love - The island

Chapter One - Freefall

The fear was almost unbearable, the pain rocketing up my arm even worse, but I couldn't let go, if I did he would be gone.

"My grip is slipping" I cried as I watched his body dangle, his only anchor to life was my strength but I was failing. Even using all my strength, his weight was too much for me and I knew we only had a few moments "What do I do".

The dead were pilling closer down the small corridor, but I didn't care, I wouldn't let go.

Carter looked to me, his hazel eyes soft as he showed no fear "I love you".

This couldn't be it. After everything.

We were in an abandoned motel, looting the last of the hidden supplies when the dead surrounded us. We made it to the top floor as a corpse broke free from a room, its hands gripping my shirt as its moulding teeth chomped towards my neck.

Carter pushed my body out of its grasp, but the moment its attention turned to him both their bodies were forced against the frail wooden barrier which couldn't hold their weight. The monster impaled the concrete below with a harsh crunch, its body matter spilling against the stone. I managed to reach over and clasp my hand around his as he lost his grip on the fence, his body dangling over an unimaginable death.

"Don't say I love you, that's a goodbye I don't want that" The herd was inches away, their bony hands reaching forwards as they neared me as I sobbed.

"You need to go baby. I'm sorry, but I love you" The last words he spoke before he released his grip around my wrist, his fingers sliding down my palm as he plummeted towards the floor.

I turned my head screaming in horror, I wouldn't watch. I couldn't watch. I never wanted to be in a world we he isn't, I couldn't survive that.

The growls were at my feet, but I didn't move, my mind was in a dark place, and I had only one way out. If he was gone a part of me was too and no part of me wanted to live through that.

The faint sounds of a child's cry echoed through the air, the fear in its voice causing the hair on my neck to stand. I didn't want to be here, but I couldn't let a child die.

I ran, kicking my boots into the mouths that were about to make me dinner, pushing the tears back until I kicked open each motel door trying to locate the cries. The sound got louder but I couldn't find it, until I launched my shoe through the last door, the wood around the hinges splitting as my anger was released on the wood.

A little girl was hiding behind the bed, a freshly turned monster who was once a woman inching closer to the crying child. I snuck forward pulling her shirt back as I forced my blade through its skull, thick black blood oozing down my knife when I retracted it.

The young girl was trembling, she couldn't have been no older than eight, her dark hair pulled into a tight pony. Huge baby blue eyes staring at me as I rushed to her, we didn't have time to wait around. The herd would be at the door any minute and would block of our exit.

"I'm going to get you somewhere safe, okay?" The girl nodded as she pushed her tears back.

I grabbed her tiny hand in mine and pulled us through the door just as the herd reached us, but she didn't scream. She just followed my grip as we reached the fire exit nearing safety.

"Can you climb the ladder for me" I looked to her trembling face, her shaky head nodding as she pushed herself over the bar "I'm coming down after you".

"They are coming" The girls squeaky voice screamed as a corpse flew over our heads, its skull crashing against the concrete below with a harsh crack.

"GO" I ordered as the dead piled over our heads like a tidal wave, their bodies missing us by a breath. By the time we reached the concrete their bodies were surrounding us, dismembered arms and legs reaching for us as their forms stuck to the floor in a pile of goo.

We made it to the entrance of the motel and in front of our car as the last dead joined the pile, but a figure was hunched over the vehicle as we neared closer.

"No" I cried, gripping the small girl's hand tighter. She looked up to me with big blue eyes, but she didn't say anything as she wrapped her arms around my waist.

I knew it was him. The dark black t-shirt against his body ripped, the dark cargos covered in blood and the black short waves pooling against his crown. I couldn't leave him like this, I knew that. But knowing what I had to do next was killing me.

I unsheathed my knife holding it between a trembling grip, inching closer until I was stood behind him, the girl still wrapped around me.

"I'm so sorry" I cried as my knife was held above his head, ready to put down my husband.

Carter's body twitched, his spine straightening as his weight wobbled against his stand. "Why are you sorry?" The boy turned around and I gasped, then he saw what I was about to do "Katie. Put the knife down baby".

I dropped the metal to the floor, but instead of hugging him which is what I wanted to do. My palm flattened against his chest and shoved him "You fucking idiot. Why the fuck did you let go" I shoved him again as my words came out blurred "You would have left me like that. You idiot".

Carter grabbed my wrist and pulled me into him, groaning in pain as my knee poked his leg. But never once did his grip lessen "I'm sorry. It was the only way to save you".

"But how?".

Carter cupped my face between his hands, kissing me gently before pulling away "I landed on the corpse, fucked my leg up and I'm pretty sure I hit my head. But I'm okay" his gaze settled behind me, to the small girl still standing close to me "Who's this?".

"I found her in the motel room, were going to bring her home" He nodded as he smiled at the small girl, I turned around and knelt in front of her. "What's your name?".

"Hayley" The girl smiled lightly.

"I'm Katie" I pointed behind me "That idiot there is my husband Carter" Hayley looked to him and I could already tell he was rolling his eyes at my comment. "We are going to take you somewhere safe, do you like theme parks?".

The girl nodded, her smile brightening for the first time today.