The Fight to Survive

Chapter 8: Sacrifice

Chapter 8

The night was quiet as Nick and Kelsey walked down the empty road. They had been going on like this for hours, following the tracks left behind by the van which Nick had seen take Noah. Luckily for them, the tires of the van were coated in a layer of biter blood, probably obtained from the herd back at the gas station. Though this was good for a little while, the blood eventually faded, leaving nothing but a vague direction for Nick and Kelsey to follow. Nick's leg was aching something awful. With nearly every step, pain shot through him. He had managed to get the shrapnel out and wrap the wound in the sleeves of Kelsey's shirt, but that didn't help the pain much, and the constant walking was taking its toll. Nick's stride was starting to turn into a limp, and Kelsey, who was tired as well, noticed this.

"We should stop, Nick" she said, guilt clear in her voice. She didn't want to accept that the group was gone, but Nick killing himself over it wouldn't do anyone any good. And if they were alive, they needed him.

"No. I won't just leave them out there. It isn't happening" Nick replied, not even slowing his pace to consider it. Nick knew that this was his responsibility. He was the leader. He was supposed to keep everyone safe. He had already failed enough in the past, but he wouldn't have it happen again.

"Nick" Kelsey objected, grabbing him by the arm and stopping him in his tracks. Nick snapped his head to look at her, a mix of determination and anger on his face. His look softened a bit when he looked Kelsey in the eyes, but not enough to stop him from his mission.

"We can look in the morning. We're both exhausted. We have no idea where we're going and-" Kelsey was interrupted by the familiar sound of a car driving down the road, approaching them at a fast pace. Nick's first thought was to hide, but he realized that he needed this car. If he could get ahold of it, he could search the area for his friends properly and maybe catch up with the sons of bitches who kidnapped them.

"Get to the side of the road and keep your guns ready." Nick said. Kelsey knew by now not to question his plans, and she did exactly as he said. She rushed to the side, getting on one knee to stay hidden, but also to be ready to attack. She raised her pistols and waited as she saw a Jeep come around the corner. Nick didn't move from the middle of the road. He kept his weapon raised and aimed it at the windshield of the approaching Jeep.

"STOP THE CAR!" He yelled as headlights blinded him. He was prepared to pull the trigger if the driver didn't slow down, but luckily that's not what happened. The Jeep came to a halt, stopping only a couple of feet in front of Nick. The headlights turned off, and Nick's vision slowly readjusted to the darkness of the night.

"I don't want to hurt anyone, I just need the car!" Nick said as he came around to the driver's side of the Jeep. Inside were two men, around Nick's age.

"Holy fuck" One of them said. Nick had to blink a few times to make sure he was seeing correctly. In the Jeep were two of Nick's old friends from high school: Jarret and Jack. Jack, who was driving the car, was a year younger than Nick. He was a slightly heavy guy, but he was well built. His square jaw was covered in a beard, which he kept pretty short, and his dirty blonde hair was tinted red from the blood of what Nick hoped was biters. Jack had always been something of an apprentice to Nick. Whether it was throwing shot put for the track team or handling school work, Jack had followed Nick's lead. They had been close, but when shit hit the fan he hadn't thought to give Jack, or Jarret a call personally. He had put together a group text, and both were included, but that idea was cut short when the signal went dead across the country. Jarret, who had been in the passenger's seat, was much smaller than Jack. He was built like a runner, with barely any fat on him. He was shorter than Nick and Jack, and his blonde hair was cut very short. He had always been a nice kid, sometimes too nice for his own good, but he was always fun to be around. Back in the day, he had been close with almost all of Nick's friends. Both Jack and Jarret were wearing blue hoodies which said "South High Track and Field" in white lettering, and both hoodies were stained with blood.