Capsule Outbreak

13 Amidst the Forest

Maggie's POV

We are not actually dead yet. We escape the tea shop, running to the backyard and heading into the forest. I'm worried about my younger brother Charlie and our other friends in the tunnel.

"What are we going to do now? There's nowhere to go!" Duke asked while we're walking amidst the forest.

"I'm worried about them, honestly!" Louis said, concerned.

"Don't worry, the shopkeeper will guide them in escaping the tunnel!" Duke responded.

"Well, the shopkeeper can't be trusted!" Louis said.

"Really? After he helped us so much?" Duke argued.

"When we slept overnight in the tea shop, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty. I walked toward the tea shop kitchen and unexpectedly saw the shopkeeper cleaning his sharp, blood-splattered knife. Then, I vomited when I saw the trash can filled with bloody ears, a pointed nose, and lots of fingers. I can't tell if they were human or zombie," Louis explained, causing me to worry even more.

"I can't believe it. The shopkeeper betrayed us!" Duke realized.

"What are we supposed to do? We're in the middle of this forest, waiting to die!" I said, worried. We stop walking, and Louis approaches me to comfort me.

"We have to go back!" I said softly, looking at him in tears.

"I'm sorry, Maggie, but we're far away now, and zombies might still be everywhere in the tea shop," Louis said.

"Let's just keep walking and leave this forest," Duke said.

As we continue walking, we hear a noise nearby. We find where the noise is coming from and see tribesmen performing rituals. We can't understand what they're saying, but we're shocked when the tribesmen start to offer their gift to their god. They're carrying a wooden table with someone tied to it, shouting for help. We recognize that their offerings are Charlie and Celestia.

"Oh my God, how did Charlie and Celestia end up there!" I softly said, worried.

"We need to save them immediately before the tribesmen do something bad to them!" Louis softly said.

"You're right, but there are too many of them, and we're not familiar with their weapons. We can't just fight them," Duke softly said.

Suddenly, a tribesman speaks behind us, pointing a crossbow at us and threatening, "Who are you? You don't belong here."

"Did the tribesman just speak English?" Duke softly asked, confused.

"Don't move, or I'll kill you," the tribesman threatened.

"We're not going to hurt you. Lower your weapon!" I said to the tribesman.

"Then why are city people like you here? Did the zombie outbreak drive you into the forest?" the tribesman asked, still pointing his weapon.

"No, we just escaped the tea shop and ended up here, but we saw our kids, Charlie and Celestia, being offered as a gift to your god," I explained.

"So, you're with the kids tied up there," the tribesman said, lowering his weapon.

"Can we get our kids now?" I asked, looking at the tribesman.

"Our tribe has its own culture, traditions, and rituals. Whoever is offered as a gift cannot be taken away or exchanged for anything else, or our tribe leader will kill you for betraying the god and nature. Our tribesmen will feed you to the wild animals, and we will return for your skull and bones to store in the tunnel," the tribesman informed us.

"But your tribe won't kill them, right?" Duke asked.

"Sorry, but our tribe will kill them soon when the moon appears tonight, meaning our god has blessed us. If the moon doesn't show, we'll lock them up in a wooden cage and try again tomorrow. We do this offering because it gives us a sign from our god. This is how we live, and we need to drink the blood of the offered gift to taste the blessings of our god while performing rituals and praising," the tribesman explained.

"You're all crazy!" Duke said.

"You're right, our tribe is crazy. I was like you people, lost in the forest three years ago. I was caught by them and offered to their god, but the moon didn't show up that night, so they locked me up. I escaped but couldn't leave and didn't know where to go," the tribesman explained.

"So, you're not really part of the tribe. That's why you speak English," Louis said.

"You still have time. You can save them if the moon doesn't show up tonight," the tribesman said, giving us hope.

"I also saw a woman earlier in the forest. She doesn't belong here either. She was drinking water from the river and looked lost. She was beside her skateboard, which was splattered with blood," the tribesman said.

"What? A woman with a skateboard?" Duke said, confused.

"Well, I knew just one person who used a skateboard besides me," Louis said.

"You know the woman I was talking about?" the tribesman asked.

"Maybe it's Allie because we lost our kids and other friends in the tunnel," I said, worried.

We decide to walk near the river where the woman is, and we recognize her from afar. It is indeed Allie. She's standing there, looking at us with tears in her eyes, feeling terrible pain. We see her foot has been shot and is bleeding. Duke immediately runs toward her and hugs her. Allie can't speak; she's just crying and suffering.

After some time...

"What happened in the tunnel, Allie? Where's Trevor?" I softly asked her, and she suddenly starts crying again.

"You're not real! Stop fooling me!" Allie shouted while in tears and starts punching her head simultaneously.

"Allie, stop! You're hurting yourself!" Duke said, holding her hand.

"Allie, we're real. It's all real. We're not dead," I said to her, looking into her eyes.

"But you didn't get down into the tunnel and were bitten by zombies!" Allie said through tears.

"Allie, we didn't go down because zombies surrounded us. We decided to close the door and escaped the tea shop, running to the backyard and heading into this forest," I explained to her.

"Allie, we're alive. I'm here, and so are Maggie, your boyfriend Duke, and this tribesman we just met," Louis said.

Allie sobs. I know she really suffered. Duke hugs her from behind, comforting her.

After some time, Allie calms down. I treat her wound, and she explains everything that happened.

"We got down in the tunnel. Trevor and I thought you were dead because we saw the circular door was closed. I lost my mind and couldn't accept it. I came back to where the kids and the shopkeeper were, but they were gone. I found Trevor struck hard in the head, unconscious. He woke up later, in pain, and told me everything. We realized the shopkeeper had betrayed us. He appeared suddenly and tried to kill us. After a bloody fight, Trevor and I decided to leave, but the shopkeeper shot Trevor in the chest. He was dying. Then the shopkeeper was eaten by zombies, and Trevor too. I ran, not knowing what to do. I lost my mind and tried to kill myself, but I heard voices. I heard the kids shouting for help, echoing in the forest, and I followed the sound, which led me here," Allie explained through tears, trembling and in pain. Duke hugs her tightly.

"People, we need to get out of here now. Night is coming, and I know somewhere safe!" the tribesman said. We walk towards a hidden cave, discuss our plan, and then return to where the tribesmen are.