Echoes of Red [BINI AU]

Chapter 39

Third Person's Point Of View

The air inside the car was thick with uncertainty as it sat abandoned on the side of the road, the engine completely dead.

There was no other choice but to leave the car behind and continue on foot. Yet, despite the obvious need for action, no one seemed eager to make the first move.

Colet sat silently in the driver's seat, her hands gripping the wheel tightly. Her gaze flickered between the empty road ahead and Sheena, who was still slumped against the passenger side door, clearly struggling to stay conscious. The weight of the moment was heavy on her, and she could feel the tension rising.

"We need to move," Colet said, breaking the silence. "We can't stay here. If the car's out of gas, we need to find shelter, and we won't find it sitting in this heap of junk."

Jhoanna immediately shook her head, her voice sharp. "You want us to walk? Sheena's injured, Colet. We can't just drag her around."

Colet shot Jhoanna a pointed look, her eyes hard. "I'm Sheena's sister. I know how to take care of her. And if it means we have to walk to stay alive, we walk."

Jhoanna's frustration boiled over. "The last time we walked, we got ambushed, and Sheena got taken away. You really want to risk that again?"

Colet's hand instinctively moved toward her gun, but before she could pull it out, Mikha was already moving. Her hand landed firmly on Colet's, stopping her in her tracks.

Mikha's eyes locked with Colet's, a silent message passing between them—let it go. Colet's eyes narrowed, but after a moment, she exhaled sharply and pulled her hand back.

Mikha turned to Jhoanna. "Colet has a point. We can't stay in the car. If it's not zombies shaking us up, it'll be Sheena's father bombing the car from the skies."

Jhoanna scowled, clearly not satisfied, but Mikha pressed on. "So you choose. Stay here and risk being killed, or get out and move to find shelter."

Jhoanna huffed, the weight of the decision settling on her shoulders. After a long moment of silence, she sighed in resignation. "Fine. Let's move."

Before they stepped out of the car, the group took a collective glance at Aiah's lifeless body in the backseat. The reality settled heavily over them, and they looked at each other in silence, no words necessary.

Colet stood first, her expression hardened. Without saying a word, she lifted Aiah's body from the backseat, holding her as if she were still alive. Jhoanna watched, her face a mixture of disbelief and irritation.

As Colet moved to step away, Jhoanna muttered under her breath, "Wow, tapos si Stacey iniwan."

The words hung in the air, and it was clear that the animosity between Jhoanna and Colet was still unresolved. Sheena, who had been watching the exchange quietly, reached over and tapped Jhoanna's shoulder. Her voice was low, but firm. "Can you just—" Sheena didn't finish the sentence, but it was obvious that Jhoanna's mouth wasn't helping the tension.

Mikha, however, stayed focused. She kept her eyes scanning the area behind them, ensuring no one was following. She had a gut feeling that things weren't going to be as easy as walking away without attracting attention.

Jhoanna's irritation only deepened as she moved to follow, her footsteps heavy as she walked behind Colet, but when Colet suddenly stopped, Jhoanna bumped into her back. Colet didn't even flinch.

Jhoanna's lips curled into a scowl, but the expression shifted when she saw what had caused Colet to stop. A gate loomed ahead, standing tall and imposing, a barrier to whatever might lie beyond. Colet's eyes locked onto it, then turned to Jhoanna with a silent command.

"Can you hold Aiah?" Colet asked, her voice low but firm.

Before Jhoanna could respond, Colet handed Aiah's body to her, the weight of the dead woman's form catching Jhoanna off guard. She stumbled slightly under the burden, then muttered, "Baliw."

Her mind quickly reminded her that dead bodies tended to weigh more, but the shock of the situation still hit her hard.

Colet didn't pause. She turned to Mikha, her voice soft but still commanding. "Keep an eye on them. Make sure they're safe."

Mikha nodded, though a strange unease stirred within her. Colet still acted as though Aiah were alive—counting her steps, adjusting her grip, as if this wasn't the first time she had to carry someone through situations like this.

It was unsettling, but Mikha didn't comment. Instead, she let it go, deciding that some things were best left unspoken.

Without waiting for a response, Colet turned, her movements swift and practiced. She reached the gate in a few long strides, her hands gripping the cold metal, and began to climb, her body moving with ease as if she had done this countless times before.

Mikha stayed back, positioning herself between Jhoanna and Sheena, making sure they weren't exposed. "Keep it together," she muttered under her breath, watching as Colet disappeared over the top of the gate.

Jhoanna, still holding Aiah's body, took a deep breath. "This is messed up," she whispered, but she didn't protest further.

As Mikha watched Colet's movements, she couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get much worse, but she kept her attention focused on the present. The group had to move forward, no matter how uneasy they all felt.

As the silence stretched on, Sheena turned to Jhoanna. "You really think this is going to work?"

Jhoanna looked at her, her expression unreadable, then glanced up at the gate. "I don't know," she said quietly. "But I guess we don't have much of a choice."

The atmosphere suddenly shifted to tension as Sheena suddenly froze. Her eyes narrowed, her head turning slightly to the left, focusing intently on a distant sound that cut through the quiet. It was faint but unmistakable—the shuffle of feet, the groans.

Her breath caught in her throat as she adjusted her vision, eyes widening with horror. A hoard of zombies, masses of grotesque forms moving with unnatural speed, were fast approaching from a mile out.

"Shit," Sheena muttered, her voice low but urgent.

Both Mikha and Jhoanna turned to her, their expressions confused. Mikha followed Sheena's gaze, squinting into the distance. The realization dawned on her, and her eyes widened as the hoard came into full view.

"Fuck, where is Colet?" Mikha's voice was sharp with panic. The zombies were getting closer, moving faster than they had ever encountered before. There was no time to waste.

Jhoanna's grip tightened around Aiah's body as she took a few steps back, her breath quickening. She looked at the advancing hoard, a mix of fear and determination in her eyes. Despite everything, despite Aiah's betrayal, she couldn't leave her behind. Aiah had been their kind intern.

The zombies, with their putrid scent, began to zero in on the group, especially on Sheena, who was still bleeding from earlier injuries. Her vulnerability made her an easy target.

Jhoanna clenched her jaw, whispering bitterly under her breath.

"I told you, Colet's idea will be the death of us."

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