The Changed

Chapter 3

Niall kicks down the door to an empty room. He dashes over to the open window as I examine the premises.  I could have sworn there was something here, something worse. Having I been doing this too long? Have I lost my touch? Am I losing my mind?

"Ren!" Niall yells from the fire-escape. I stick my head out just in time to see the dark figure fleeing over the top of the building next door. I turn my gaze to Niall, conviction and confusion fighting for control of his expression. He slowly turns to me, confusion winning out. "What the hell just happened?"
"It....ran....away." I speak slow and deliberate, my mind not truly believing what my eyes have just seen.
"But Changed don't run away," Niall voices my thoughts. I nod hesitantly, my mouth clamped shut.

I step back as Niall clambers back in and we both just stand there, neither saying what the other is thinking. We just silently let our eyes wander, examining the room. I breathe in the gag-worthy musk as my eyes fall over the pile of filthy rags in the corner, the thick blood trails from bodies that were dragged across, some showing struggle, others defeat. The colour and dryness shows the creature has inhabited the area for some time. My eyes began to scour the floor, my mind screaming danger where my eyes see none. But then I do.

"Niall...." I search his eyes for any sign he's seeing what I'm seeing. His brow furrows as I struggle to come up with the words. "Can't you see?"

"See what, Ren?" He grips my arm and I use it to pull him aside. I point to the floor and watch as his eyes fill with horror. He sees it, the crudely drawn shapes and child-like pictures.

"We're standing on a bloody colouring book." I whisper. I feel Niall's grip tightening.

"Ren, what the hell is going on?"

Hundreds of thoughts fly threw my mind and I can't understand a single one. My bewildered shrug is cut off by sounds of yelling down

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Niall peers around the corner and I can see the tension in his chest melt away. "All good?" I mutter. Niall grins and heads in, throwing me a wink before walking out of sight. I wait a few seconds as the sight of Niall quiets down the crowd. I take the unsubtle cough as my cue.

As I walk in, I take stock of what we got. Ten dead Changed sprawled all around, two dead humans and one getting there. Her weak, shallow breathes make me wince as we draw closer. Her three friends seem worked up, the girl practically in tears. I say nothing as I watch one of the boys, place a hand on her arm. I notice the hurt in his eyes as she brushes it off. I see her hands shaking with fear as she drags them through her blond hair.

"So, hi." Niall starts, plastering his dazzling fake smile on his face. "I'm Niall, this is R-"

"What's wrong?" I step forward, locking gazes with the girl.

"Well, you keep interrupting me for one." Niall mutters under his breath. I don't acknowledge him. I just keep up my stare. I see there are actual tears in her eyes, tears and terror.

"It's my brother-"

"Quinn." The older boy, speaks quietly in a warning tone.

"Shut up, Kai. They might be able to help." She glares at him fiercely. As he begins to say something else, she cuts him off and ends the discussion with "I need my brother back."

"We can help but we will need to know what happened." Niall states matter-of-factly. The little boy's face flashes in my mind. The blond hair, blue eyes facial features verify his relation to the girl.

"He didn't come back." I mutter to myself. I feel all eyes on me.

"Y-You saw him?" The desperation obvious in her voice.

"Told him to move, watched him run out."

"You told him to move?!" The rising anger is undeniable. "How the hell could you do that?"

"Easy." I say, ignoring the warning looks Niall is throwing at me. "I saved him dying from what is possible one of the worst ways to go and told him to get out the active battle scene. So forgive me for not telling him to stay exactly where he was, terrified and vulnerable, in a volatile situation which at any point could have changed and resulted with all of us dead."

Quinn looks taken back, and tears began to fall. I twist to see Niall glaring at me at me. "What?" I demand. Niall turns fully to me, turning his back on our audience.

"He could be anywhere." Niall hushes his voice and I do the same.

"I saw his eyes, my money's on that he ran until he literally couldn't, he might still be running now."

"We have to go after him!" Quinn pleads.

"Do all women have hearing as good as yours?" Niall whispers into my ears before turning back to her. I smile at the question. But the smile is quickly wiped away at the sight of Quinn, pulling her obviously overweight pack on her pack.

"Stop." I say instinctively. "First, we have to clear this up then we can address the boy."

"My brother's out there scared and alone and you want to clean?!"

"Ren, we have time." Niall leans down to speak in my ear.

"No. We had time. We don't anymore and we can't wait around for nightfall." I find Niall's eyes hard. "Harsh but necessary. Sorry but you know it's true." Niall's eyes soften and he sighs as he hands me a sharpened machete.

We make our ways to two different bodies and without much effort or thought, we separate their heads from their bodies within a couple blows. Then we move on to another.

"What the hell!" The younger boy yells. He races over to stop me taking a little off the top of one of his fallen comrades.

"Move."

"No!" He yells, his friends stand behind him. Niall seeing everything, rushes over.
"Look, guys, we know it's harsh but it's necessary. If we don't do this she'll wake up."
"You mean...." Quinn's face contorts in disgust. The silence speaks for itself and they all allow Niall to gently tug them away. And with that, silence spill over the room, deafening the sound of the machete slicing through the air. I hear Quinn yelp, burrowing her head into Niall, the brother looks like he's about to see whatever rations he scraped together again and the other guy, Kai, does nothing. His hard gaze doesn't leave the body for a second. I quickly move on to their other friend before they realize. No need to cause them any extra pain.
I turn back to the huddle. Niall eyes asking me if I am okay. I discreetly nod. My eyes then find the unchanged eyes of Kai. He looks at the bodies indifferently before covering all body parts with cloth and announcing its okay now.
I swipe my blade with the rags of one of the fallen Changed and strap back between my shoulder blades. I meet Niall's eyes and my stomach tightens. I want to smile but I force my lips to remain in their same grim line.
"Go next door, get our stuff and take them to Easy Breeze. I'll get the kid and meet you there."
Niall grabs my shoulder as I pass by, stopping me in my tracks. "You are going to have of take care of her," my eyes find the girl battling for breath, "before you leave. You're better with them."
"I know." Niall sighs. "But, Ren, out there with the kid. Don't be you," he whispers. I sigh and look up at him, seeing the compassion in his eyes, the compulsion to help.
"Ditto," I whisper back, and squeeze him hand before moving out.
Now where is this damn kid?