Apocalyptic Love - The island

Chapter Seven - Inferno

Carter-

Our whole life was crumbling to dust, the monsters taking over another place we called home.

I watched Katie's dark hair fade into the distance, Hayley dragged at her side as they grew further from me. Watching them leave was heartbreaking, they both held my whole heart and I just had to hope I would find them again, but first I had to make it out of this hell.

Ben was surrounded, his dark curls bobbing as he swung his knife through the skulls growing closer to him. He was screaming as the blood splattered across his shirt, I came up behind the circle taking out as many as I could, I hadn't noticed Brent slowly falling at my side doing the same as we tried to reach our friend until his knife slashed the monster creeping behind me.

The moment we cleared a path and Ben joined us the dead were piling up again at every direction, our exit slowly closing as we fought. "We need to get to the back gates before they trap us in" I screamed, kicking my boot in a hollow chest causing him to fall back against his buddies.

Screams were surrounding us, our friends, people we promised a safe home, each one as painful to listen to. "Start a fire, it will give us a distraction to get out" Brent hollered throwing me a bottle of fuel.

They covered my back as I poured the liquid around the building we made a home, it felt almost ironic. Burning the place Katie loved so much not knowing if I was going to see her again, I had a feeling she got out, but there was no way of knowing for sure until i found her.

"Lighter" I shouted over the growls and Brent threw the small device to me, I didn't hesitate letting the building go up in inferno, the thick flames encasing our home and promising no return. This place was lost.

But the distraction worked, the corpses piled towards the flames, their bodies turning to charcoal as we made our way between the rides and taking out the stragglers. The moment we were through the gates I finally took a harsh breath, my eyes trailing the area looking for any sign of them and I saw nothing.

"What the fuck happened" Ben leaned down with his hands on his knees, wiping the build up of sweat and gore from his face with his t-shirt.

"Someone set of a flare just as the herd was about to pass" I huffed, grabbing the walkie from the side of my bag. "Katie. We made it out, where are you?" My voice was desperate and strained.

The buzzing was continuous, each moment waiting for her to answer was ripping me apart.

"We gotta get out of here" Brent gripped my shoulder reassuringly "She got out, we won't go far, but we need to get away before the herd reaches us".

I nodded knowing he was right, but it didn't feel right leaving without them. We barely made it through the trees when I noticed a trail of thick fresh blood next to a body, but the thing that caught my eyes was who it was. The memory of his face had been trapped in my mind since that night, the cunning smile he wore as he pointed a gun to the woman I love.

"That fucker did this" My anger was peaking as I reached down and pulled the knife from his lifeless body "This is Katie's knife" I spun the wooden weapon between my palms, running my finger along the indentation in the wood "K.C" and my chest tightened. My wife's name and my second name Clarke, I hadn't even known she had done this.

"Who is he" Ben ducked down, pulling the hood further from his pale face.

"Jason. He was part of Katie's fathers' group; he was the one who told them where we were. I guess he wanted revenge for killing his leader" I tucked the knife into my belt "I would have killed him myself if she hadn't beaten me to it".

Brent and Ben ushered me further from the park, only turning around for a split second as the thick flames surrounded the entirety of the park. "Your wife is one tough son of a bitch" Ben smiled trying to soothe me, but nothing would work.

Not until I was back with her, and I had a gut feeling that wouldn't easily be done.

"Yeah she is".

A scream echoed through the forest lines, the sound piercing as we took off in the direction. A woman was trapped against the damp soil, a corpse wrapped around her waist as she used her arms to push the monster from her, her cries were more like spurts of anger. Her curses direct as she kicked against the hollow body.

"Get off me you fucker" She kicked again "Ugly ass piece of shit".

Ben was the first to pull the dead from her grip throwing it backwards as Brent pushed his boot through the Jello skull, blood covering each inch of his shoe. "That is fucking gross" The girl laughed as she stood up.

Id seen her around the camp but never interacted with her. She had jet black shoulder length hair, brown eyes, pale skin that was glistening with sweat and a potty mouth from what I've gathered the past five minutes being around her.

"Maddie, you good?" Brent spoke up first, Ben ogling her like a teenager, his eyes mainly staring at her chest.

"Stop staring at my boobs dickface" The girl pushed a middle finger to my friend, and I couldn't help but laugh "And yes, I'm good. What the hell do we do now?".

"Don't know about you guys, but I'm going to get my ass out of here and find my wife" I was already walking away towards the outline of a small town past the treeline.

"We're with him" Ben mimicked following lead behind me as Brent did the same.

The girl huffed, her stomps growing closer to us "I've got nothing better to do with my day".