Broken World

Chapter 13

       "Wake up! Delilah, goddammit, wake up!" I hear Max screaming, and I can feel him shaking me violently. My eyes shoot open, and I jump up into a defense position. That's when I see the fear and panic on his face. That's when the screaming hits my ears. That's when I see things moving around in between the trees. That's when I feel a drop of something wet land on my arm. I look up slowly and see something in the tree. That thing is drooling and staring at me.

       "We are going to move slowly towards camp," I say edging towards camp ever so carefully. The things watch us as we move. Then one jumps out of the foliage and starts following us.

"What are these things?" he asks.

       "I don't have a clue, but get ready to run like your life depends on it. Run like if you stop the devil and fires of hell are going to eat you," I say, and he looks at me; I can tell I've weirded him out. "I know, I'm a morbid person."

       "No kidding. When to run?" he asks looking at me.

       "When I run," I say feeling my muscles tense as I prepare to run. I wait a few seconds, and then I turn and run, sprinting as fast and hard as possible.

       "Don't stop. Must live. Don't surrender. Don't give up," my mind repeats these things over and over again driving me onward. I feel my throat constricting as I have trouble breathing from running so hard and for so long. I break through the foliage with Max hot on my heels. I run for the screams, and I slip my knife out as I run, getting ready to save anyone I can. My knife has a silver blade with a vine carved on the blade, and a cross on the handle. I sprint for the building where the screams are coming from, and I soon learn it's coming from the cafeteria. The things are following us, but I don't care. When I get in I basically see a massacre. The things have surrounded Zoe, Brandon, Kasey, Jim, and Brody, and I run straight for them. I swing my knife at the things causing gashes and stab wounds, and then the things turn to me. All of them. They must have sensed I'm the only one who poses a threat.

       "Oh, hell. Well time to run. Follow me you bastards!" I scream at the things as I turn to run. "Get to safety, those of you who are alive." I turn on my heel after saying that and run like the wind. I don't think I could run any faster if I wanted to. My legs are burning as I run, hearing the pounding of the footsteps of the things behind me. I run until I'm sure that everyone should be in a cabin, and then I do a quick spin, dash past the things, and sprint for the cafeteria. When I start to run through the doors, planning on locking the things in the building, they stay outside and run to the door I was going to use as an exit. Now I'm surrounded by these things. Well time to fight for my life, literally. The things start coming in on all sides. I raise my knife into defense and/or attack position, and I launch at the first one. My knife sinks into the thing's throat, and I jerk it to the side. The head falls to the floor as does the body, and I launch at the next one. After several, long minutes the last thing falls to the ground. I study the things, and I soon discover what they are. They are adults that have turned into zombie-like things. Only they are smarter, and they can sense things and communicate with each other without making sound. I should be terrified. I should want to die, but instead of fear and death I want to live, fight, and strangely learn more about these things. I look around at all the dead adults and a few dead campers, and I sigh because I wasn't able to save them. I head towards my cabin, and when I arrive I discover that everyone jammed into my cabin.

       "Delilah!" Max exclaims rushing forward and hugging me.

       "Hey," I sigh into his shoulder while hugging him.

       "Are you hurt?" Max asks.

       "What were those things?" Kasey asks.

       "Those things were the adults, but only turned into zombie-like things that are smarter and they can sense thing as well as communicate without making a sound. They are fast as hell might I add," I say beginning to shake a bit. My head isn't really injured anymore, but it's now pounding away after unexpected exertion.

       "Delilah, are you okay?" Max asks again.

       "I'm fine. I need to start heading to the capitol. We have a choice though. We can all go, or I can go and come back for you all," I say looking around at all the upset faces.

       "I think we should all go. Safety in numbers you know," a boy calls out.

       "Okay, but I need to know how many kids are still with us," I say.

       "Um, I'd say about twenty," Kasey says.

       "Twenty out of three hundred kids lived?" I say in disbelief.

       "Yeah. It sucks, I know," she says.

       "This is all my fault! I shouldn't have left you guys," I exclaim with horror that all this was my fault.

       "It wasn't your fault, Delilah. You couldn't have known those things were coming," Brandon tries to comfort me, but it fails. I honestly need only one person right now, but they're probably dead or on the move where I'd never find them.

       "It is my fault, but can we just go please? I don't like it here anymore," I ask turning to the door.

       "Yeah, let's go," someone calls out. I walk out the door to a car, and I find the keys for it easily. We all pile in; some sit in the very back being squished together, but at least we are leaving this place alive. We decided to leave everything here because we'd probably come back after this. I mean I am at least to get my stuff. I don't know about anybody else.