Rise of the Dead

Chapter 12: The Cascades

"A screaming comes across the sky. It has happened before, but there is nothing to compare it to now." Thomas Pynchon

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My screams echo around me as the darkness envelops the cave, matched only by the frantic thrashing of the zombies. I press my hands to the wall behind me and edge to my left, moving and then freezing in a tantalisingly painful pattern of cat and mouse. I feel a change in the water by my left leg, the similar to the swirl of water created when you drain water from a sink. I reach my hands down shakily, deciding that the hole in the rock is big enough to squeeze through and the movement of water must lead somewhere. 

I take a deep breath, ready to submerge myself in the mixture of stagnant water and zombie blood, when a zombie slams into me, my head crashing into the rock behind me. I struggle in its grip whilst it snarls down at me, its head thrashing from side to side as it tries to sink its teeth into my neck. I drive my leg upwards into the zombie's stomach, but the mixture of water resistance and their deadened pain receptors give the attack little effect. 

The infected sinks its claw-like nails into the exposed skin on my arms and I let out a shriek of pain, my eyes watering and my nose running. I swing my arm forward and my fist connects with the infected's face, the bone crunching beneath my knuckles and it staggers backwards slightly- a guttural howl escaping its lips. Pain shoots through my hand, the sort of white-hot pain that would blind you in the daylight. A whimper escapes my lips and the zombie's hands clamp around me, circling my thigh and neck- squeezing tightly. My lips part in a desperate attempt to fill my lungs with air but I sway dizzily.

With one last deep exhale I rise my torch above my head, slamming the heavy metal down into the infected's skull. Its hand drops from around my neck and I push it backwards, its lifeless body intent of floating into mine. I gasp uncontrollably whilst shoving its body away in disgust, my hands trembling in the icy water. As I draw my thoughts together and slow my breathing I run my hands through my hair and tighten my rucksack straps on my shoulders, the heavy contents sparking pain in my injured arm. 

With a deep breath, I turn around and sink under the rancid water, my hands fumbling along the wall to find the gap I can squeeze through. I enter the small tunnel and propel myself forward with my legs, my lungs burning before I finally rise to the surface coughing and gasping for air. I pull myself out of the water and onto a rock in front of me, my hands flailing wildly in the darkness. I push myself against a wall where I sink to my knees, sobbing into my bruised and bloodied hands.

"Madeline?" a voice rings out and I stagger to my feet as light illuminates the cave around me. 

"Guys? I'm over here," I call out shakily, my voice cracking.

"Madeline? Oh my God, are you ok?" Toby says, running towards me and sending light dancing around the cave. I nod gently, cradling my hand in my arms.

"Yeah, I think so, my hand really hurts but I'm fine," I say gently as the others file in behind him, josh crouching to my side. 

"What happened?" Soph asks worriedly, Ashia cooing gently in her arms, "we tried to look for you but you never came through the tunnel."

"I'm not sure, I couldn't find my way out and then these zombies were all around me," I say gently, "they were different though, they'd evolved, they could see me even when my torch had gone out and the look in their eyes, it was almost human."

I watch Soph shiver, glancing over her shoulder uncomfortably and shifting her weight to her other leg as she takes in my words. 

"Let's get out of here," she sighs, shaking her head tiredly. I smile sympathetically and make my way over to her, scooping Ashia into my arms and caressing Soph's face gratefully. I pull my coat out of my bag and wrap it around Ashia gently, the rocking motion of my walk as we move through the cave sending her off to sleep. 

We finally make it out of the cave chamber and into a new passageway, this one slightly wider than the first. We continue walking and climbing for another hour before I find a shift in the atmosphere, the air warming slightly. I squint my eyes and stare hard into the distant tunnel, is that light? I close my eyes tightly shut and stay completely still, noticing the air move against my skin in a subtle breeze. 

I press forward, harder than ever now and the group follows my fast pace. The light gets closer and I can tell it leads to the surface, the gentle whisper of bird song flooding through the cave. Soon I can make out the rock formations around me and I can turn my torch off with a relieved sigh, a small smile tugging at my lips. Finally, I reach an opening and stop at the exit, relief flooding through me. 

"This is it!" I say excitedly and pass Ashia to Josh's ready and waiting arms, "this is it!" I repeat slowly as I climb out of the cave- raising my hand to block out the glaring sun that burns my eyes. As my body adjusts I take a deep breath and look around me, the clumsily constructed rock collection unstable beneath my feet. 

A wooden walkway winds downwards, weaving in and out of waterfalls, ponds and rock pools. A small wooden sign to my left reads Cascades and points down the slippery decking, a huge emerald forest looms above me and the pale baby blue morning sky barely peeks through the thick cover. I hear gasps as the others stare wide-eyed at the scenic views around us, I have no idea where we are but it seems to be man-made, a factor which is somewhat promising in the finding of shelter.

I just hope it's not zombie deconstructed.