Hollow Veins

Chapter Thirty Eight; Fight or Flight

It was torture standing there, waiting to be seen. Waiting for Aaron to fire and alert all the Infected where they were. Alice guessed the Infected had poor eyesight. It stood several yards away, cocking it's head. It seemed to be trying to tell if she was really there. Alice felt sure that any second she would move and give herself away. Every second felt like an hour. The creatures eyes pierced her. They were brown and horribly human. It's nose was half gone and bloody. It's clothes were tattered to pieces. There was a remainder of a shoe on one bony foot. It gave a small screech. Alice felt like a statue. Everything itched, begging her to move. Then her foot slipped. The Infected started for her. SMASH! It stopped. The sound came from somewhere at the other side of the alley. The Infected turned and took off. Long screach sounding as she went. Alice fell to her knees shaking. The others ran to her. Jasper tentatively put a hand on her shoulder. "You ok?" She nodded then looked at Aaron. He gave her a nod. Alice suddenly frowned, "Where's Jaden?" Someone emerged quickly from the end of the alley where it opened up into a street. It was Jaden. He ran over towards them and motioned wildly for them to run. Alice stood, shakily. There was another screach. Jaden signed as the went, "Found a way to the wide street. Broke a window." Alice nodded. "Thanks." "Don't mention it." He smiled. Ren caught up to them. "You ok, Alice?" Alice nodded. She noted Ren looked sturdy. She seemed to be getting used to the horrors of everyday life. No one should ever have to get used to that, but she was. They all were.

Her legs ached as they continued on. They'd been sore for days and all the running didn't seem to help, whatsoever. Alice's head ached and her heart beat loudly in her ears. The buildings were spread far and wide, making a maze of alleys and streets. They wove through them at top speed. Randomly they'd have to jump or go around the jagged crevices in the ground. About every thirty minutes they'd slow and Jasper would check their position. Every once and a while they'd catch sight of an Infected and stop and wait for it run off. They were hoping not to have to use their guns if necessary. They were running out of ammo. And besides they didn't want to draw unwanted attention to themselves. The Infected usually didn't see them and continued it's hunt for food. It was only a little terrifying. They were all gasping by their next break. Jasper caught his breath, "Ok, so. I think we should continue into the night. Not too long but just a little. See what the conditions are. And then we'll probably get a little extra sleep in the morning. You guys agree?" Prince yawned, "Sure, mon ami. Well as long as we stay alive, that is." "Fat chance," Ari said with a groan. Prince narrowed his eyes. "Did you just call me fat?" She shrugged. "It's an expression, but you can take it that way." Prince merely smirked and stretched a little. Jasper cleared his throat, "So are we agreed?" He looked around at them. There were several nods of ascent. Jasper looked at a Aaron. "And you?" Alice bit her lip. But to her suprise, Aaron nodded. "Sounds good." Jasper looked suprised as well but nodded. "Alright, then. Let's eat and keep going."

They didn't talk much, trying to avoid being too loud. As Ari pointed out, they were nearing the middle of the city which was crawling with Infects. Ren and Jaden signed back in forth, but mainly they all focused on eating. Jasper locked eyes with Alice as he passed the food out. It was running low. They both knew it. She studied him. He'd taken such a big load on himself. Managing a bunch of teenagers bent on arguing with each other wasn't exactly fun. And when you had to keep them all alive in this place, well you were bound to be stressed. The strain was certainly heavy on him. His smile turned sad, and he looked away. Something was wrong, but he didn't share. Alice glanced around at the others. Aaron sat next to Ren who was next to Jaden who sat beside Alice. Ari was on Alice's right side, next to her was Prince and then Jasper. Prince and Ren were motioning at each other. Jaden had zoned out and wasn't paying attention. Ari was fiddling madly with her hair, her gaze falling downwards. Jasper finally stood and whispered, "Alright, let's go." They stood and started off again. The sky darkened rapidly. They shifted to a wider street after a while. Alice's legs demanded a break but she endured. They had to get as far as they could. Their food situation was going to get desperate fast. Alice felt Jasper take her hand. She tensed and glanced up at him. He wasn't looking at her but she could see his smile in the light from the setting sun. She turned her attention back to the run ahead of them.

There were abandoned cars, piles of trash, mountains of rubble and vines everywhere. Tipped buildings crumbled and fell into the cracks left by earthquakes. It felt like such a waste. It always made Ren a little sad. The faint screeches scared her. Once or twice she'd wondered if getting to the city was better than this. Not the terrible wasted city but the people, her friends. Not that she wouldn't see them in New Haven but if anyone died on the way. She shivered a little. She couldn't do it. But there was safety and food there. It was the safest option for them all. Ren hadn't had friends before this. They all had their issues, of course, but so did she. Ren wasn't tough or prepared or strong enough for this. She always felt too naive. Others probably looked down on her. She'd felt like everyone just had condescending pity for her. Ren hated to be condescended to or overlooked. It was overwhelming. They didn't make her feel like that, though. None of her friends treated her like that. Especially not Jaden. Ren always felt like he actually listened to her. But of course, she was probably not much in their eyes. A younger, foolish sibling. Ren suddenly noticed the screeching getting louder. The others picked up speed. They were being chased. They ran as fast as they could but their pursuers grew in number. Jasper felt his legs burn. His lungs squeezed painfully. "We need to get to the smaller streets! Then we can-" His voice faltered. The Infected behind them slowed as if they knew they had them. Jasper stopped. In front of them were about, ten to fifteen Infected. They were surrounded. Jasper inhaled, "Alright, alright." He thought hard. "Ok, we're gonna have to fight them. Try not to waste ammo. If you see an opening for you to get away, go for it. Don't wait around for the rest of us." "But," Ren said. "I'm sorry, no buts. If you have a chance, take it."