Refuse

Chapter one

I took a deep breath and held the handgun up to my head. That was the only way to kill someone: destroy the brain and you end their life. Hit anywhere else and they come back. My mother was dead, my brother was dead, and I wasn't sure about my father but I was sure he was dead. Life was hard being in an apocalypse where dead people roamed the streets and I hated it. I looked up at the sky, the sun blinding me and it made me smile. I remembered life before the apocalypse, friends and family talking, kids at school. I would do anything to see a math test again, even though they were my worst nightmare...until everyone started turn. Out of no where, someone or something grabbed me by the arm, pulling me back. 

"No!" I screamed and spun around, shooting, thinking it was a biter. 

It wasn't a biter that had grabbed me. it was a boy around my age. His brown hair was greasy and his sheriff hat was dirty. 

 "No, no, no" I shook my head in disbelief, grabbing his arm before he fell. He wasn't dead, his chest was slowly raising up and down. 

     "Oh, shit!" I whispered to myself and stared at the boy with the bullet wound in his side. The boys eyes were closed, his face squirming with pain. "i'm so sorry, i'm so sorry!" I told the boy. I began to unbutton his plaid shirt which was now painted with blood. My mother had done this once before to a man at my camp who got bit in the side. Once I had unbuttoned his shirt with fumbling fingers, I looked at his wound more carefully. It wasn't deep enough to puncture a lung, but it was enough to make a scar. I pressed my hand to his side, trying to stop the bleeding, I didn't know what else to do.  That's when I began to hear the shouts of men. "Crap." I whispered to myself. These men were probably looking for this boy. Holding his side with my left hand, I pulled out my handgun with my right and pointed it into the direction of the voices. 

"CARL! Carl!!" A rough voice, cold as stone, was shouting at the top of his lungs. My hands were quivering and a lump was forming in my throat. a man stumbled into view. He was covered in blood (Biter blood or human, i couldn't tell) and had a knife in his hand and a gun in his belt. Once he saw me holding the boys side covered in blood, a scared look on my face, and a gun pointed at his chest, the man's face dropped in sudden fear and shock. He bent down on his knees and stared me in the eye. "Little girl? Little girl, everything is going to be alright, just please. Step away from my son. Please."

I didn't move from my position, staring at the man with wide eyes. "Little girl, please. Just let me get to my son." The man stepped closer, his hands out as if he was trying to stable himself. He dropped his knife and crept closer. I hesitated, thinking quickly. 'What if he's telling the truth? Do I trust him?' I finally made up my mind and clicked the saftey on, putting my gun down on the ground. I didn't speak, fearing what he would do to me. I stood up, stepping quickly away. The man ran to the boy, saying in a shaky voice, 

"Carl, it's going to be alright. You're going to be fine. We just have to bring you back." Back? To a camp? A safe place? My camp had been taken over by biters, the only survivor being me. I opened my mouth to ask about the camp but more people came into view. There was an asian boy, a black woman with dreadlocks and a katana, and a man with a crossbow. The crossbow guy pointed his weapon at my face, moving in a wide circle around me. I watched him with both fear and anger in my pale blue eyes. 

"Is he dead?" the woman asked, ignoring me and running to the boy i guess whos name was Carl.

 "No, hes still breathing. What did you do to him?!" The gentle, reassuring man was gone. In his place was a killer. I flinched, but i knew i had to tell him.

 "I shot him." I barely whispered. Suddenly i felt the cold metal front of a crossbow on my temple.

I caught my breath, closing my eyes and focusing on my breathing.