The Rise

Chapter 7

Alice's POV

I jumped back in surprise as an empty rack to my left came tumbling down. I heard the loud crunch of bone cracking under the weight. It managed to catch 4 of the infects, but the fifth had been far enough away to jump away. I stared in shock at the pool of blood seeping from under the rack. When I looked up at the last infect, I was surprised to see a look on his face that was almost as shocked as mine; his one remaining eyebrow pulled up high and his lips drawn back. I sensed movement in the shadows to my left where the rack had been. I saw the outline of a person. 

Another infect maybe?

It was fidgeting with an object in it's hand. 

No... 

A gun. The infect had a gun. The other Risen let out a bloodcurdling scream and took a cautious step forward onto the fallen rack, testing if it would hold his weight. He was trying to get across the shelf, his attention now turned towards the source of the fallen rack. I had never seen an infect try to attack another infect, but when I squinted through the shadows I saw that it wasn't an infect at all: It was a boy. 

He was panicking, switching his gaze from his gun to the infect attempting to scramble towards him. He was fiddling desperately with the gun, trying to unlock the safety. I pulled one of my knives from my pocket, and with a precision taught to me by my father, I threw the knife. I hit him square on, the knife embedding itself through his left eye and deep into his head. The infect tumbled onto the ground in a heap.  The whites of the boys eyes were visible through the darkness and I stared at him. He looked back at me. We didn't move. We were frozen there, in awe of each other. 

He took a small step forward into the light and I scanned him carefully. He was tall. His dark brown hair was tousled, and his face and arms were caked with dirt. His t-shirt clung to his body in a way that outlined his ribs, making it obvious he hadn't eaten well in a very long time. He stood still and I could tell he was trying to remain calm, but even through the darkness I could see a hint of panic flash through his soft, dark eyes. A wave of relief washed over me as I watched the rise and fall of his chest. Breathing was such a simple thing, yet in that moment it was the one thing that could reassure me this boy was truly alive. 

My eyes were drawn down to his hands. They were shaking. "Thank you." The deep sound of his voice made me snap my head up to meet his gaze. I nodded. He saved my life, and I had probably saved his. I glanced down at the gun shaking in his trembling hand. "Probably a good thing you didn't shoot it, too much noise. " He tucked the revolver into his waistband and cocked his head. A couple strands of hair fell over his eye. "You alone?" 

Should I tell him I'm not?  

If he was planning to rob me, he may be less inclined if he the thought I was with a group. 

He's obviously not good with a gun. 

I was pretty confident I could defend myself, considering how much he had fumbled with his gun, but I couldn't tell if he had other weapons on him. I also had no idea if he was alone. He took a small step towards me, and I instinctively took one step back. Behind me was the closet with no exit. In front of me was a pile of broken shelf and infect corpses. And the boy with the gun. I was trapped. He was waiting patiently for my answer, seeming genuinely curious. 

Don't give away anything just yet. 

"Are you?"  He opened his mouth slightly before slamming it shut again. That reaction alone told me he wasn't. Shit. I had nowhere to run. He took another step over the shelf, never breaking our gaze. I shuffled until my back was pressed up against the wall behind me. 

If he's trying to attack me he's sure taking his god damn time. 

I rested my hand on top of the knife strapped to my thigh. He saw this and immediately put his hands up. There was no hint of aggression, and he continued to slowly move towards me. Stopping directly in front of me, he lowered his hands and tilted his head down inches away from my face. I looked away from his eyes and down to his hand, following it as he raised it up again and gently placed his thumb on my chin. 

The fuck..? 

"You're real." I nodded. He lowered his hand and motioned to the mess of bodies behind him. "And that happened?"  

Oh great, he's insane.

I nodded again. He just stared at me in disbelief. It couldn't of been that long since he'd seen another human. 

Why is he so surprised?

Cocking his head again, he repeated his first question. "Are you alone?" "Yes." I hesitated. "Thank you too. For the shelf." I saw the corner of his mouth turn upwards. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted. A loud noise suddenly filled the room and he spun around in the direction of the door, his arms flexed in alarm. "What the.." I left my words hanging in the air as I peered towards the door in confusion. When the boy turned back to me the blood had drained from his face. He looked horrified. His voice shook as he spoke. "The car horn."