The Price of Humanity

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Gale calmly stares, nodding behind me. I turn to see one of the dead walking towards me, a couple of meters away.

I swing my katana straight down the middle of the woman's head. She stops reaching for me instantly and collapses to the floor with a thud.

One.

I look down at the now lifeless corpse, her leg is bent at an awkward angle which makes me cringe, but that's not the thing I'm staring at.

"Didn't you used to have those shoes?" Gale says coming and standing beside me.

"Yeah." I keep my eyes on the boots, I used to have the same ones. The fact she has a similar style of clothes that I used to have doesn't help. I look down at my hiking boots I currently have on, stolen from a camping store.

I couldn't exactly run around in Primark boots and shorts during the end of the world.

My camo trousers and tank top make me look like someone in the military rather than a teenager. If I flounced around in the skater dress that she's wearing I think I'd be dead already too.

The outfit doesn't exactly flatter me too well, the camo trousers are slightly baggy, hiding my toned legs. It's hard to not be in shape when you're running for your life on a daily basis.

But the tank top does do me justice, hugs my flat stomach and accentuates my breasts, thank God I still have my bra's otherwise I would be a complete walking disaster.

Not that it matters, of course, I don't think any of the corpses care about how I look, only that I'm food. And the only other human life I interact with is my brothers, so they only care about whether the dead can grab me or not.

"Come on kiddo. Let's search the store and move on." He starts heading away, I stare at the corpse on the ground for a few more seconds before following him.

Gale leads on, taking out most of the dead in the car park with his kitchen-knife spear. There's only a few wandering outside.

Most of them are in the store itself.

"Alex, come on." Gale shouts at me, from the front door at the store. I realise I've been standing there watching him take out the dead. I run after him, hopping over corpses as I go.

"Sorry, zoned out." I say smiling sheepishly at him. He glares back at me. Yeah, I messed up. The middle of an exposed car park isn't the best place to zone out in.

"You should know better." He chastises, looking around the area for any more dangers. Deciding there's nothing else that could harm us he turns around and starts walking into the store, still on full alert.

Two corpses emerge from behind shelves as we walk into the store. One is, was, an old man and the other was a woman about thirty years old. 

One, the old man, appears from the left and immediately starts heading for me. The other one comes after Gale from the right.

"You take the old man." Gale commands, standing back to back with me and facing the corpse on the right, the woman.

Stepping forward slightly, I raise my katana so it's in line with his chest.

I don't even need to move the blade anywhere; the old man walks straight onto it. I stare at there the blade disappears inside him, he doesn't stop, doesn't feel any pain.

I pull the katana up slightly, although I'm not strong enough to move it any significant distance.

He stumbles slightly and cocks his head at me, still growling and snarling. I freeze, he moves himself on the blade, moving closer to me. His head is still cocked and his yellow tinted eyes bore into mine.

I jump when a knife lands itself in his skull, I follow along the knife and the wooden stick up to Gale's arm. He looks angry.

"What the hell?" He whisper-yells. "Haven't I taught you anything? You can't freeze like that!" I pull my katana out of the slumped corpse, he falls to the floor at my feet. I wince at the thud.

Two.

"I'm sorry Gale." I say meekly under his stare. He sighs and brings me in for a hug, calming down slightly.

"You scare me sometimes, kiddo." He sighs into my hair and my forehead. We stay like that for a few moments, him hugging me tightly. "Don't do that again okay? We couldn't bear to lose you." ...too.

I nod up at him and hug him back tightly.

"I'm sorry, I just froze." I say, muffled in his top. He hugs me tighter.

"Come on kiddo." He pulls away from me and readies his knife again, moving on to clear out the supermarket.

"You clear out over there." He commands, pointing to the left side of the supermarket. "I'll be over here, shout if you need me."

I head down the aisles Gale pointed to, deciding to start at the far end and work towards the middle. I keep my katana at the ready, making sure nothing jumps out at me.

I head down the first aisle and look for supplies, after checking that it's clear. I pick up a few cans and other supplies that are still on the shelves.

I open up my backpack and pull out the drawstring bag inside. It's a spare bag to pack up things we scavenge while out. Another thing they've taught me.

Most people picked up all the fresh food when they could, only thinking they'd need to stock up short term.

We've been through most of the supermarkets and picked up the rest of the cans that people didn't think they needed. Mainly carrots, peas, sweetcorn.

Basically, any canned food we can get our hands on. Can't be fussy with our food choices these days.

I come to the end and raise my katana again, rounding the corner to the second aisle. I see Gale at the end of an aisle on his end of the supermarket.

"Gale." I whisper out to him, nodding my head in the direction of the aisle. I see my brother out of the corner or my eye. He raises his spear, seeing the fear on my face, and slowly comes towards me.