Life After Death

Chapter 34

There was nothing but silence in the fleeting moments that passed, the three of us staring eye wide in horror. And it stayed silent as me and Javon both instantaneously ran forward. My jacket was off before I barely even registered what I was doing, the reflexes kicking in, as I tied it around his waist. Javon too began helping, grabbing his arm and slinging it around his own shoulder, hoisting his weight against his own.

"Leave me," He begged plainly, but we shook our heads no.

"As if."

"I'm a dead man walking."

Neither one of us responded to that, not knowing how more than anything. But we proceeded forward nonetheless, and as we did so, I grabbed as many of the items we had dropped as I could carry - refusing to leave without anything we had come for after everything. All I could do was wince at the sight as I trailed behind the two of them, blood marking its way down his clothes already, and droplets landing on the floor as they fell from the hem of his shirt.

Refusing to look behind me as we went, unsure as to whether more Lurkers had fallen through or not, I closed the entrance door as tight as it had been when we first arrived - with such force that more of the wood splintered and cracked as I did so. Making sure that if any had been pursuing us, they were now trapped. Or, at least for the moment. Long enough for us to get the hell out of this place and back home.

"Here," I cried, dropping the bags on the floor and opening the back door of the cars for Javon, who hiked Axel up and onto the backseats.

The whole time his eyes were clenched shut, or his hands were rubbing them, and for the brief moments they were open it was impossible to miss how bloodshot they had already become.

"Should this be happening this quick?" I asked, my brows furrowed with worry, "My family didn't for a few days when they got this illness thing."

"Mine too. Maybe it's evolving like the Lurkers."

"My veins," He groaned in pain, "Like each one is on fire. Please, you have to go without me, it's too dangerous."

"You'll be fine... at least 'till we get back to Serenity," Javon insisted, his tone laced with desperation, shutting his car door and climbing into the driver's seat, "Just... try and rest."

I tried to sit next to him, thinking I could help him, or anything, on our route back. But he refused. Stating he was too much of a risk. So, I got into the passenger side beside Javon, after placing the bags in the back. Breathing out a sigh of both relief, frustration, and worry, as I leant my head against the cool glass of the window. The cut on my head thumping more now the rush of us running away was over.

All I could think about in that moment was everyone in Serenity. How we had become so accustomed, already, to safety, that we had not even said goodbye as we left. How easily me and Javon could have also been bit, and we wouldn't be able to get back at all - let alone with a dying man. I could feel my eyes welling with tears I willed to not let go off as I thought of their faces. Jade, Jace, Whitney... Nathaniel.

How I had so much left in me I wanted to say.

"Are you okay?" Javon's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, as he gazed over at me momentarily.

Had the time and atmosphere been better, I'd have laughed at the question. There I was, sat with a headache and morbid thoughts, while the guy behind us was sprawled over in agony trying as hard as he could to wait so he could see his friends again.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"What were Lurkers even doing up there!?" He cried frustratedly, the steering wheel feeling the brunt of his fist as he smacked down on it, "Of all the places they could be. Of all the places they could come at us from-"