Apocalyptic Love - The island

Chapter Ten - Help

Carter-

The past two days had been agonizing, each place we searched was a dead end and i knew the others had already lost hope. We'd searched each place around the remaints of our camp, every town and nothing. Each day i tried the walkie and each time i got no response, the faint blurring sound was just a reminder of the fact id lost them both.

The three were huddled around a small fire we'd made in the woods, they thought their whispers were hushed but i could hear each harsh word they were saying. "We cant look forever, we will all end up lunch for them fuckers if we carry on the way we are" Maddie gestured to the boys.

Brent was the first to argue back "That's his wife, we cant just ask him to stop looking. i wouldn't".

"How long until we get stuck? One wrong turn and we are done for".

"I get what you are saying Mad, but its just a risk we have to take" I could practically hear the girl roll her eyes "Carter saved me, if it wasn't for me he would still be with Katie, so if it kills me helping him find her so be it".

Truthfully i felt bad dragging them around with no destination, i'd thought about leaving them and searching on my own but i knew if i tried this world on my own again i'd go back to the person i was before i met her. The cold, closed of man who didnt value life and Katie would never forgive me if i did that.

I marched over to the group feeling deflated "You guys don't have to tag along. I get that this is hard and tiring, but i'm not forcing any of you to be here".

Brent stood up pressing a reassuring hold against my shoulder, while Ben just looked to me sadly "I'm with you man. I promised Mel i'd look after her, i just think we are just all feeling the strain".

"I'm sorry Carter, i didn't mean to be harsh" Maddie said with hollow eyes, the girl was right though. we might never find her.

"You need to sleep man" Ben gestured to the makeshift bed next to him "You haven't slept since the place went to shit".

For once i didn't argue with them. My eyes were heavier than ever before, my body raking with exhaustion. It didn't take me long to fall asleep, the moment my eyes closed the darkness took over. It felt like mere moments until i was being woken again, my body being shaken as shouts echoed in my ears.

"Carter" A hand pressed into my arm "CARTER".

My eyes shot open to the harsh sound of growling, the panted huffs of the others as they fought of a dozen monsters barging through the forest.

I shot to my feet unsheathing my knife from my waist, we were surrounded. The morning light was flickering between the bobbing heads of dead, i jumped into action sinking my knife through a rotten corpse creeping onto us. We stayed in sync in a circle, battling the oncoming mob.

"Can anyone make a gap for us to get out" Maddie screamed before slashing her machete through rotten skin, while Brent took another corpse out from her side.

"I can" I hollered back, my side was less crowded with only four corpses taking up the dirt path. I launched my knife into the first skull, keeping it firmly in the bone as i pushed the body into the other three slowly approaching "Now" My voice grew as the others ran past making their way through the now clear pathway.

I pulled the metal from the remains of brain matter before following them, we ran through the forest which was almost overrun with monsters dodging them at every turn until we finally made it back of to the vast stretch of road.

My whole body was aching from the lack of sleep and pure force of death, but we kept on until we found a small run down fruit shack to hide in as the remains of the herd passed. "Where now?" Ben huffed, as he leaned down to his knees to catch a breath.

All three of them looked to me for guidance, but i had none. "I don't know" The cracks that settled were finally showing and i couldn't hold back the breaking of my emotions "I don't know" I dropped to my knees holding my head in my hands as tears grew along my waterline.

Ben dropped to my front putting both hands on my shoulders as he tried to soothe me "It's going to be okay Carter".

"How?" I looked to his hazel eyes "We have no way of contacting them. No way of knowing where the hell they went. We don't even know if they are alive. Katie. Hayley. Matt. Sarah" Brent and Maddie sat to my sides with longing looks "Everyone could be dead and we will never fucking know".

None of them knew what to say, what could they say? it would be okay. None of us knew that. We were following a blank path to nowhere, we had no home, we were running low on supplies in a world that was constantly trying to kill us.

"I know you are hurting" Brent added "But if you lose your shit now we have no hope of finding them, until we find anything that tells us otherwise they are alive and probably looking for you too".

I nodded softly controlling my breathing again "Okay, but we need to do this smart. We mark down any places she could would go on the map, along with places we can raid for supplies, each place we mark as we go so we don't circle on ourselves" The three nodded smiling to themselves.

A buzzing nose erupted from my back pack, the faint whirring of the walkie interrupting the silence.

"Help".