The Madness Inside Us

Monster

I give in to the rabid beast taking over my body, allowing it to fill all my limbs and take complete control. 

Using the last bit of myself I could at the moment, I turn to the group and choke out a "Run."  I watch as Warren ushers them away quickly, and they leave my line of sight.

Losing the last bit of my control, I shoot up and grip the neck of the woman that busted my face open and take her down to the ground, burying my teeth into her throat.  My teeth enclose around the front of her neck and I tear her trachea and esophagus out as her thick, hot blood fills my mouth.  I allow it to drip down my chin and I spit the crushes cartilage out to the side.

I leave her body to turn so Murphy can control her as a Z.  Panting, I whirl and launch myself at two more men.  We all land, sprawled, on the dirt road and tumble briefly.  I regain my footing and stomp again and again on the head of one man until it is nothing but a frothy, slimy mess. 

My hand collides with the stomach of the other man and I use my teeth to tear into his skin, ripping back layers of skin and fat and connective tissue and spitting them out.  I push my hand into his abdomen and grip a large handful of slippery intestines and pull them through the opening I made.  Every one of my breaths is a snarl now and bloody saliva drips down my chin and stains the front of my shirt.  Blood spatters dot my face.

Protect Murphy.  Kill them all.

The other woman of the group wraps her arms around my waist and throws me from the man, screaming in terror and rage.  She points her pistol at me and fires. A bullet grazed my left thigh.  I let out a roar of my own, ignoring the searing pain that tears through me, and sprint at her, digging my slippery, blood-coated nails and fingers all the way into the front of her neck when I reach her, piercing skin and wrapping around cartilage. 

I yank out her throat and toss it to the side, then burrow my thumbs into her eyes, busting through her sockets with inhuman strength and impaling her brain.  I drop her and watch the dead weight hit the ground.  A Z that used to be the first woman gurgles as she runs for the last man, being taken down easily by his shotgun at point-blank range.  The man points the gun at me next and I hear 10k's voice, too close to the fight.

"No! Tally!" He runs for us. 

The man shifts his gun to the new threat 20 feet away.  My heart stops beating and my body turns to ice as 10k takes in the gun pointed at him and his eyes widen.  Before his eyes even finish taking in his impending death, my feet are pounding toward him. 

I reach him as the shot rings out and I throw my bloody form in front of him, facing the man and his gun.  Buckshot rips through my chest, abdomen, and even grazes just above my left eyebrow.  The blast makes me stumble back into 10k, knocking him down behind me.  I plant my feet, wiping the blood that streams down into my eye, and ignore the blinding agony that pulses through my body. 

Kill them all.  Save 10k.

I reach the man and rip the gun from his hands, then smash the barrel into his face and pull the trigger.  His head explodes into chunks of red and pink tissue and white bone, and a fine mist of blood hits my face.  As soon as the rest of his body hits the ground, I drop the weapon and my knees give out.  I fall onto my knees, then my back, legs curled up in agony.

My hands reach for where I felt the buckshot hit me.  A small amount of holes of various sizes for my abdomen, I notice, as my fingers run over the bloody wounds.

Damn.

My body forces a cough out and with it comes a stream of blood.  It foams out of my mouth and mixes with everyone else's blood on my face.  I turn my head to the side and cough again, ejecting more blood from my throat.  Vibrations pound through the dirt and I hear muffled shouts as my group reaches me.  I watch as the blood coats the small rocks and light dusting of dirt, turning nearly black as it all swirls together.  My eyes find the sky somehow, through my dimming vision, and it is so blue and wide and vast, I am nearly sucked in to it. 

Not a cloud in the sky.  As good a day to die as any.

I hear 10k calling my name and my head turns automatically, searching for the beautiful face attached to the agonized voice.  My heart is slower and slower now, and I finally find his face.  His eyes are glazed over, as if he is about to cry.  My head is lifted into his lap and my eyes flutter shut.  His hand pats my cheek and I open my eyes back up to look at him.

My body is cold, almost numb.  I would be stupid to not realize I'm dying.  I think the whole group knows it too, but Warren is still barking orders at Doc and everything is chaotic and hard to follow, so I let my tired eyes shift back to 10k.

My hand drifts up to his face and my thumb smooths over his cheek.  My blood coats the spot and I grimace apologetically.  "Looks like we've come full-circle, huh?", I choke out, smiling weakly.

"You're going to be okay.  I'll carry you all the way to the next doctor there is if I have to."  He shakes his head, grasping my cold hand.

"Tommy," I whisper, and another weak cough brings up more blood.  "It's okay.  It's okay...I love you.   Just remember that, okay?"

His hand shakes as he swipes his thumb across my lips, wiping most of the blood away, then presses his lips to mine in a light kiss.  It's a good last kiss...sweet and soft. 

"I love you too...Clara," I hear as my breathing shallows. 

His callused fingers stroke my matted curls. Suddenly, I think I can feel my body being lifted from the ground and carried, but any concern I have about that floats up to the wide sky above.

I watch 10k's face until everything fades into darkness.