Escape the Walking Dead // h.s.

3

Jane's POV

A loud explosion shook me to the ground and I looked around to see where it had come from. Ben's eyes grew to the size of my fist and I looked behind me to see what he was looking at. A small gathering of the dead were walking towards us and I took Ben's hand in mine and started running in the opposite direction...toward the explosion.

We were on our way to meet the others in our group but I wanted to make a pit stop down near the school in this specific town we had stopped in yesterday. I grew up only thirty minutes from where we were and I recognized most of the bigger streets and intersections. And, I specifically aimed Khan in this direction so I could come here and check on things, but none of them needed to know that.

"Run," I shouted as I ran past Ciara and Daniel.

Daniel hesitated and then started running with us. Ciara on the other hand didn't doubt my serious intentions for screaming "run." She was the closest thing I had to an ally in this world and I held it dear to my heart, but I wouldn't ever let her know that. All I could take care of was myself. If it came down to choosing between me and her, I would have to choose me. It would be me every time. And, I knew she would choose herself every time, too.

Ben let go of my hand and started running ahead.

"Ben!" I screamed for him so he would be careful. I didn't want him to be surprised by any dead that might pop up at any second. I couldn't bear seeing him get bit. How would I kill him? I knew that I would never be able to kill him if he got bit, but seeing him turn would be much worse.

"Over here!" Ben waved his hand toward us and I could feel the heat from the explosion warm my skin.

He was pointing to a small town square I remembered going to a Christmas tree lighting with a friend one year in middle school. It was also where I had my first date with my first boyfriend. I thought those days were horrible, now being back made it seem like a piece of cake.

"Guys!" he was waving his hand and I finally caught up to him just as a dead one appeared. I lunged toward it before Ben could and it fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ben, follow me. Hey!" I said down to the kid and then waved the other two to follow after me. "Get your knife out."

"I know," Ben said like he was annoyed. I looked down at him and rolled my eyes. Pre-teens...

There was a store off the main street not far from where we stood now in the middle of the square. We just had to get to it through roaming dead ones drawn in toward the building on fire on the opposite end of the square.

"Ben, stay behind me," I said as he quickly nodded. Ciara and Daniel flanked me and Ben as I walked through the street.

Lunge after lunge, dead ones fell to the ground and I could hear the small pack quickly gaining on us from the street we were running from. I could see the store from where we stood and I eyed my companions letting them know that we would be going there.

"Got it," Ciara agreed and lunged at a dead one that was coming closer to us from behind.

We turned the corner of the street and a dead one popped out from beside us and in front of us. Daniel shouted and I reached for the one in front and slid my knife upwards through the neck of it. Ben's hand tightened to the back of my shirt and I felt Ciara pull him away. I turned as my kill fell and Ciara took the dead one eating Daniel's face by the head of hair and plunged her knife through its skull. Then as Daniel screamed and Ben cried, she took her knife and slid it through his head. I turned and looked the other way before I saw it and was surprised to see Ben still watching.