Then There Were Three

CH 8

My cheeks are red, as I stomp the small incline through the trees. I can't believe he said he hated me... It hurt my feelings. A lot. I even tried being kind, and helping him out, but nothing seemed to work. He just shuts everyone out. 

My feet make a rhythmic sound on the soft grass below me.

It's pretty quiet... too quiet.

I stop walking, a shiver running down my spine as a gentle breeze seeps in between the seams of my shirt.

"Kendall?" I squeak. I probably sound like a chipmunk. I wipe a tear from my eye, and continue walking.  

I have no weapon if a zombie would walk up at this very moment. I would die. I wouldn't make it back to the house in time. 

I can't think straight. All I can think about is a zombie tearing me to shreds. I wish Kendall was here, I know he has his weapon on him. I shouldn't have stormed off. 

I become unaware of my surroundings. I don't know where I am anymore. I start to panic, which isn't a good thing to do. I scoot back against the nearest tree, and try to remember which way I came. 

I'll just grab a piece of tree bark, that will do some damage to the zombie trying to kill me.

With that thought, I rip off a long piece of tree bark from the tree, placing it in my dominant hand. leaving the tree with a bare strip running down its side.

I whistle while I walk, trying to calm my nerves.

A twig snaps behind me. I turn to the noise, paranoid. I wait a couple seconds, staying quiet, before I decide to turn around. Sighing, I grip onto the bark tighter, the sharper end facing down. 

"Kendall? Is that you?" I whisper. 

No answer.

I start hyperventilating. I feel like I'm 5, and lost in the mall, looking for my mother. It's the worst feeling, even when you're 13. I don't know where I am, I don't know what to do. 

A low grumbling sound comes from the bushes behind me. It could be three things; A zombie, a wolf, or my imagination. I decide on the last one, but you can never be too sure. There are ZOMBIES walking the earth, who knows what else is!

I turn to the group of bushes. My legs feel like jello. 

There are no more sounds coming from the bushes. 

I sigh, and continue walking. 

The sun's directly overhead now, and it's extremely hot. "Haven't I passed this tree already?" I ask myself, looking at the light stripe running down the side of the tree.

I've been going in circles?!

This is no fun. I want to go home, I want to leave. I'm hungry, and thirsty, and I want to find Kendall.

"Kendall!" I yell. I yell louder and louder, changing the sound of my voice to weird tones.

 Like that will help

"KENDALL!" I yell again. "Look, I'm sorry for leaving, but I need somebody with me now. I'm... I'm scared." I confess, to probably no one. "Please... Please Kendall."

At that moment, someone... more like something, comes out of the cluster of trees. Two 'somethings' charging at me.

Zombies.

I scream, and start backing up, trying to decide whether or not to turn around and run. That would risk my sight of them, and they could launch at me, behind my back.  The bark isn't going to save me now.

"KENDALL!!!" I scream again, a blood curdling scream I hope he heard.

The closest one is short, maybe about my height, but it looks like an elder.... or it was an elder. I raise the piece of bark in an attempt to kill it. 

It crumples to the ground, now completely lifeless. I stomp on its head for good measure.

The second one, is bigger. Huge actually. It's about 6 feet tall, with a big hand, but he only has one. His other arm is missing, which that doesn't seem to phase him. 

Of course, I lose my footing like the clumsy person I am, and trip, falling to the ground. 

He keeps coming closer and closer, not stopping. 

I try scooting back, to get back on my feet.

I fail miserably, and the thing launches at me, falling on top of me.

I scream again, as the weight nearly crushes me.

"KENDALL!" Hot tears are streaming from my eyes now, as I try to push the thing off of me.

 "HELP!!!" I yell again. 

I hear a gunshot, and squeeze my eyes shot, ready for impact. 

The zombie loosen's his grip, and crumples to a heap on top of me. I push him off, and look around me, for the source of the shot.

Kendall's holding his gun out, standing still.

"Kendall." Is all I manage say. I clamber to my feet, and run over to him, crushing him in a hug.

"I'm sorry. I'm  so sorry." I whisper.

"Are you hurt?" Is all Kendall says. I scoot back, and check, seeing as Kendall's extremely concerned. "No, no I don't think so. I'm fine." Kendall smiles, and pulls me in for another hug. 

"I'm sorry." He says. "I shouldn't have said what I did. You know I didn't mean it, right?"  "Not at the moment, no." I shake my head. He steps back, to put his gun back in his gun holster. 

"I'm sorry. I'm so so so so sorry. I nearly got you killed!" "But I wasn't killed so..." I shrug. 

"I'll never put you in danger again, I'm sorry." Kendall shakes his head. "Kendall. I'm fine! See?" I pull at my skin. "ow." I whisper. Kendall shakes his head, laughing.

"Anyways, I'm alright. I'm not a zombie, I'm fine." 

Kendall laughs, "Whatever. Let's just go back up to the house."

"Where is the house from here anyways?" I ask, as Kendall slings his arm around my shoulder, "Just past that tree." He points to the tree I circled around probably a billion times.

"Of course." Kendall and I laugh, and make our way through the trees.