her hollow heart

chapter 19: mutations

Dylan's POV:

A dark stormy night again... it's been pretty bad weather recently and supplies are running low. We're going through a lot of problems with medical and health issues, it's becoming massive struggle for Lucy and I hate it. I'd get up and pat Max who I had sat next to as she rested. "Dad...?" I heard her, thinking she was asleep. "Bunny? What's up?" I ask, holding her hand. "I know what you're gonna try... you are a madman." I laugh and kiss her forehead, "I love you. I'll be home probably later on the morning, near midnight. See you later babe, dad loves you," I say as I start to walk away. "Be careful papa, I love you too..." she went back to sleep.

I go in all black, looking for almost anything. Batteries, fuel, metal scraps, other survivors, just anything... preferably food. From the prisons court yard I'd climb the thick stone barriers, at least 30 feet tall, maybe more. The piles of infected on top of one another scares me with the thought they'd climb it.

I take a massive leap off the ledge, hoping not to hit the barbed wire and spiked traps, luckily, I got over the spike traps, not the barbed wire though. My leg now stuck and bleeding as zombies walk slowly towards me. I tear away the wire, cutting my hand up and getting some wire stuck in my leg.

The zombie had reached me once I had gotten out of the trap. It tries to bite into my left middle trapezius, I weave right and kick it away, now fist fighting a zombie and risking infection to the undead. I trip it up just before it can jump in again, making it lay flat and giving me the chance to stomp its head in, effectively killing it by pulverisation, a new method.

I make my way to the city, sicking to high ground and roof-topping. I found a shopping centre, seemingly untouched. I immediately scout out the area and place down spike traps, whatever kept people out won't get out or call for help. I walk in, it was dark and cold, something felt off. I heard heavy breathing. I look around with my flashlight and saw almost nothing but a zombie.

It looked ordinary so I didn't care much, but the sounds it made. I take out my gauntlets and hold the flashlight in my mouth. As soon as I knew it, it charged at me. I was left speechless at its insane speed; I narrowly dodged but it smacked the flashlight away, leaving me no way to see. I fought blind.

Though I can't see, I can hear. The footsteps get faster and I throw a punch, to my surprise I felt an impact. I immediately run back to home base as soon as I could, but something scratched my back as I ran to the doors of the mall, yet I didn't stop to look back. I lost my breath halfway through and stopped, walking into an old clothing store before barricading the door. I now lay down behind the register, clothes piled on top of me before I passed out.

Lucy's POV:

When dawn came, he still wasn't back. The rain hammered against the infirmary roof, a relentless fury that mirrored the chaos inside me. My chest felt tight, like something was clawing at me from the inside, trying to break free. I could feel it in my bones—something was wrong.

 Something's wrong, and I can't feel it in my gut anymore. I can feel it in my soul.

By midday, the beast inside me could no longer be contained. I was tearing through the prison, yelling his name, each breath coming out in ragged, tortured gasps. "Dylan! Dylan! Where the HELL are you?!" My voice was a scream—raw, savage, ripping through the empty halls. The silence pressed back, suffocating me, making everything worse. 

He couldn't just vanish. He can't... not like this.

 I could feel the fury rising, burning hotter than the panic inside me. I needed him— I needed him here. Now.