BITTEN

Chapter 11

Because of Christmas, I'll try not to make this gruesome. Just kidding.

The mean villagers dragged me into the hatch, where I was locked in a dark and stuffy room. It had no windows.

I was chained to a bar at the top, close to the roof. My legs didn't even touch the floor. Two sheriffs guarding me, watched me struggle to let loose but to no avail. One of the sheriffs had a short blonde hair, blue eyes and was holding a baton. The other was bald, one-eyed, with a scar on his left cheek. He took the baton from his colleague, focused  his attention on me. He charged at me with the baton but was stopped by his colleague.

"Bernard, you can't kill him now," the one with the blonde hair said.

"Rick, why?" Bernard responded.
"It must be done the right way. He's gonna be hung at sundown."

"There is no right way to kill someone who is cursed," Bernard argued.

"The people of Komalia want him to be executed. We gotta respect that."

"All I want is to see him dead. We don't need any special ceremonies to do that." Bernard replied, letting down his weapon.
"Em, I'll go get something to eat," Rick said faintly.

Oh God, let him not leave me alone with Bernard, I prayed silently.

Rick left and Bernard instantly gave me a fierce look, softly hitting his baton on his left palm.

"Hi there," I managed to say, a little bit nervous.

He gave me a stern look and said,
"My grandma was all I had. The poor woman turned into one of those things."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" He chuckled. "Sorry won't bring her back. She deserved to rest in peace, not turn into a Zombie!"

He continued, "You'll pay for everything your family has caused."

He gave his baton a full swing, jumped up and smacked it on my back.

" Aah!" I yelled in pain, still struggling to unchain my hands.

I swayed back and forth, panting heavily. I yelled again when a blow landed on my bare stomach. I was already vomiting blood. If that baton landed on my stomach, I knew I would pass out.

Swinging his baton, he said,

"Die, you son of a b-"

He was interrupted when the door cranked. Rick came in, pinning Bernard to the floor.

"I said not now," Rick muttered in Bernard's ears.

Bernard got up, unfolded his sleeves, spat on me and left the room, muttering,

"To hell with the people."

The hatch was soon going to be burnt. I knew it. Suddenly, I slept off, not sure if I would wake up.

The noisy argument I heard outside the room woke me up.

"We have to give him something to eat," a faint voice said.

"That won't be necessary," Bernard spoke.

"If he's not given something to eat, he may die of hunger. Remember, the people want him hung so they could see, not die of hunger." The voice reasoned.

There was silence for some time before Rick said,

"He's right. Unchain him so he could eat."

"But -"

"Bernard," Rick voiced out with a hand on Bernard's collar, "I'm in charge. Unchain the boy."

"Alright," Bernard said, struggling out of Rick's grip,"I'll do it."

Reluctantly, Bernard unchained me and I had a rough landing.

"Get ready to eat your last meal on earth," he spoke harshly.

When he left, someone wearing a black hood, carrying a tray which had all sorts of snacks on it. I felt my stomach lurch. The person carrying the food had been bowing his head to the floor, not wanting me to see his face. He placed the tray close to me without saying a word. He was ready to leave without saying a word. I wanted to at least thank him. With my rising curiosity, I got up, reached for his hood and pulled it down from behind. I gasped when I saw who it was.

"Nathan!" I screamed.

"Shh!Bring it down," he said.

"Where are the others?" I raised my voice.

"What's going on?" Rick asked, opening the door.

Simultaneously, Nathan punched me hard on my face. I fell down, bleeding.

"He, he attacked me." Nathan lied, stammering.

"I knew he was dangerous." Rick nodded.

They left me and shut the door behind me. I reached for the doughnuts in front of me but my hands were shaking. I took a bite, and another, until I noticed a piece of paper inserted in a hollow doughnut. I picked it up and was about to throw it away until I saw some words scribbled on it. It read,

Dear John,

I wanted you to know that the zombies have taking over anything we knew as home. Alex and I, alongside friends and family, have decided to head towards the mountains. The hatch is not safe anymore. Once I figure out a way to get past the sheriffs hovering around the hatch, I'll come back for you. Eat and hang in there.

Your friend,
Nathan.

"Maybe it's not over yet," I whispered to myself.

Evening came and Nathan hadn't showed up. It was now or never.

"It's time to die boy," Rick said.

He brought out the key to the door and was ready to take me out to be hung. The key fell on the floor when he heard a loud snarl behind him. Slowly, he turned and saw a Zombie which was sticking its tongue out.

"What the hell," he muttered, bringing out a pistol.

He shot the zombie but it kept on getting up.

"Why won't this freaking thing die?!" Rick lamented.

"Aim for the head!" I told him.

He did just that and the zombie never got up.

"That's why I'm one the best sheriff on this island." Rick boasted.

He continued, pointing at the zombie,

"You hear that? You hear tha-"

Another Zombie had showed up from nowhere and was biting Rick's neck. Rick struggled but the zombie held him tight. I watched it pull Rick's heart out. It chewed it, every bit of it. Rick was outside and I could do nothing.

"Yuck," I grunted, closing my eyes.

The Zombie paused and turned to me. It shook the door with its hands.

"Somebody help me!" I shouted on top of my voice.

"I don't wanna die," I cried out.

I saw Rick's fingers shake. Soon, his hands were moving. Slowly, he got up again. This time not as Rick, but a Zombie. He joined his fellow Zombie in pulling down the door. Unfortunately for me, they succeeded.

"Is this the end?" I asked myself.

A/N
Thanks for reading. Don't forget to vote and comment. Merry Christmas in advance. Have a wonderful holiday. I love you all.