Ephemeral

chapter 31-41

Chapter Thirty-one

Nathan wouldn't give up. He was determined to get out of this alive. He sprinted forward, tripping over his own feet and leaving a trail of blood that would surely stain the floor red. Nate ran towards the store's main door, ready to escape into the night, yet a heavy and unignorable feeling crept over him. He stopped in the doorway, turning his head back and peering around the room as the hoard of ashmen ran towards him, his eyes caught onto what he was looking for.

"Well, it's not like my ideas could get any worse." He spoke allowed as if it were the only way he could communicate his thoughts from his brain to his body.

Nate ran back, ducking between the monsters, his inability to walk straight acting as somewhat of an aid to him. He reached his hand out, trying to grab his shopping cart but completely missing the handle. Nate held his hand out again, this time looping his good arm around the cart, quickly changing the direction he was running and sprinting back towards the doorway dragging the trolley behind him.

The creatures ran at Nathan from every direction, their attacks were no longer taunting but decisive and dangerous, as if they no longer wanted to risk playing with their prey before killing it. Nate squeezed his eyes shut, shaking away the overwhelming feeling of dizziness. He flung the shopping cart Infront of himself, picking up as much speed as he could. The trolley wobbled as he ran, hitting every little bump and without his second arm to stabilise it jolted around Infront of him. As Nate approached the exit he jumped onto the back of the trolley, almost toppling both himself and the cart as he did. Nathan leaned forward, reaching his one arm towards the side of the cart, wrapping his fingers around the metal frame. The cart slammed into the side of an ashman, knocking the creature over and both slowing and redirecting the cart. Nate Jumped off, taking a few quick steps to build the speed back up and turn before jumping back onto the trolley.

The cart slid out the entrance, rolling down the small hill Infront of the store, turning to the side as it rolled down the hill. As the trolley ran out onto the road, Nate stepped back off, clumsily running down the road praying that the direction he had chosen was the right one.

Chapter Thirty-two

Claire and Veeno had tried to be civil, they had. But every time one had started a conversation the other had retorted back with a string of insults that left the other bitter. Claire was holding her baby to her chest, gently bouncing the infant to try and silence the few whimpers that warned of its soon to be wails. The clouds in the sky began to darken again, the miserable weather showing no sign of giving way for the summer.

"This is a longer walk than I thought... Maybe Nate is okay." Claire whispered to Veeno.

"I thought you already thought he was okay." Veeno rolled his eyes before mumbling "And anyway, if you weren't walking so slow, we would probably already be there."

"Yeah... well... I did! I do... I just... needed the reassurance." She pursued her lips completely sick of Veeno verbally attacking her.

Claire was fed up with the end of the world. She hated that everything had changed, she hated the smells and sights, she hated the people she'd met and more than anything she hated how it had ruined her life. Claire had her entire life planned out... and it was perfect; she was going to open her own car shop, marry a nice man, have two kids and when she retired, she'd move to the beach... It was going to be perfect.

But now everything was wrong, and it would never get better.

The long stretch of road ahead them was mocking and the emptiness of the highway seemed like an acrimonious attempt to scare them. Veeno couldn't fight away the assumption that he'd find Nate dead on the side of the road, slowly decaying away into insanity, cursing that Nate's optimism wasn't contagious.