What Walks Among Us (book one)

Escaping The Nightmare

My mind wasn't much more than a haze after that, I remember telling Michael that his sister was in the house next door. It took a moment for him to nod, but the realization that someone still cared about him, and depended on him made him come to his senses. Worry gripped my heart and I wondered what would become of them as I was left alone with Beck for the first time.

I pushed everything out of my mind, everything but making it out of the compound alive. The hope that it was safe enough to stay in had left with Chester, because even if we did manage to kill the zombies and get the compound back, it wouldn't be the same without him.

"Kodi, we have to go," Beck said, effectively getting my attention off of Chester and onto him.

The pain was clear as day on his face, and he stretched out a hand to me, when I didn't take it at first he walked towards me and grabbed my shoulders, giving me no choice but to either look in his eyes or appear extremely childish.

"No one here is judging you for how you dealt with that, sweetie, and if you want it to stay a secret, I'll make sure that no one else knows," he said, it felt like there was more to be said, but I nodded, cutting off whatever words he wanted to say.

"You're right," I said, and nodded, picking myself up and straightening my spine. The act didn't feel foreign as it had the first time I had done it, it felt natural, like finally I was able to stand up, and be strong for once.

After taking a moment to bring Chester's body inside, I grabbed my bag and pulled out my father's gun. As I made sure we had everything, I tried not to listen to Beck, or the shot that erupted from the end of his barrel, or the sound of the bullet hitting flesh, ensuring that Chester would never rise again as the creature that had ended him.

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Beck and I made it all the way to the front gate before realizing our mistake. Many other people had chosen this as their exit, but we should have known better. After all Mabel had told us she had left the gate open. Some people were fighting the horde of zombies, and it was clear by their stance that they would fight until they died.

Some of these people had never been anywhere else but the compound, and it looked as if they didn't plan on leaving it anytime soon. Beck and I had stopped just outside of eyesight, looking on at what could only be described as a massacre, as for what side was winning, it was unclear.

Beck took a deep breath, and pressed a hand to my side, trying to nudge me back, away from the fight, "I think we should take a different exit," he murmured.

I stayed put, spotting Adam and Benjamin, they both had packs on and were fighting, but not to defend a place they wished to stay, to escape a lost cause, "we can't just leave them," I said, not wanting to let anyone else I knew die today.

Next to me I could tell Beck had just locked his jaw, "Promise you'll stay here, and if I go down, you run until you find Cody or Sam. If you can't find one of them, find Michael, he's supposed to be behind the church, which is where the emergency exit is at... only a few people know about it," I looked up at Beck, ready to tell him off for insisting I stay behind, but the determined look in his eye, and the barely kept emotion promptly cut me off.

I nodded quietly, and watched as he made his way forward. Absently my hand fluttered up to grab onto the green stone that hung on the black cord. Holding it in my palm somehow made the situation better, like I was out by his side, keeping his back safe.

Beck came up behind Benjamin, and tapped his shoulder. My breath nearly took a temporary vacation from my lungs as Ben turned around and aimed his gun at Beck's temple. Recognition lit up Ben's features, and he grabbed Adam, who had just put a knife in the skull of a zombie. As a group, they all turned around to look at me.