Don't Be Afraid

Chapter 21

Linda's POV

Megan places herself behind the door, glass in hand. I can tell she's nervous because her breaths are fast and ragged, her hand is shaking, and she has beads of sweat glistening on her forehead. I want to walk over and hug her, tell her it's going to be okay, but I can't. Instead I give her a nod, indicating she's capable of doing this. She nods back and grips the glass harder. I can see blood trickling down her hand and onto the ground, mixing with the dirt and causing a bad rustic smell.

Cleo sighs and stands up. "They're not coming. If they were they would've been here by now!" She whisper yells.

"They'll come." I assure her. "Now be quiet!"

"What's the point of being quiet? They know we're in here and we have to act normal. Talking and being pissed off in this kind of situation would be considered normal!" I jump to my feet and walk toward her.

"No. This shouldn't be considered normal. Now you need to be quiet."

"No-" Her words are cut off by the sound of screaming. Cleo grabs my arm and drags me back against the wall and away from the door. "Okay. I'll be quiet." She whispers. If this were any other situation, I'd probably smile and tell her 'I told you so', but this is different. I look at Megan. She's cowering against the wall, eyes wide, and hands clamped over her mouth. I make a move towards her, but something hits the door and I stop, frozen in place. Another bang comes, followed by more and more.

"Linda..." Megan cries.

"Sh. It's fine. We're fine. Just stay put." She nods her head and slides down the wall into a sitting position. I get on my hands and knees and crawl towards Megan. I wrap my arms around her and rock back and fourth. My shirt muffles her cries.

The pounding on the door stops. I hear Cleo sigh. I smile and let my head rest against the wall. "Linda. Linda it's over. They're gone-" The door bursts open and three men rush into the room. One grabs me and the others grab Megan and Cleo. I hold onto Megan as tight as I can, screaming and kicking. She digs her nails into my back, holding on to me.

I feel Megan's hold on me loosening. I grip her tighter. "No! Don't let go Megan! Don't let go!" One of the men hits me across the face, knocking me into the wall with such force that my breath leaves my body. After a few seconds I realize that I let go of Megan. There's a ringing in my ears and I try to make it stop, but after a minute I realize it's Megan screaming. I hear her, but it's almost as if she's not actually reaching me.

"Linda! Linda help me!" I try to lean forward, to reach for her, but a boot holds me down.

"Megan...Cleo..." Cleo. I haven't heard any noise from her. I open my eyes and look around, searching for any sign of her. Finally, I catch sight of her boots. Following those, I look up, seeing her smile and standing above me.

She makes an over exaggerated pouty face. "You really shouldn't move around so fast. You might have a concussion." She rears back and kicks me in the stomach. I scream and cough.

"Cleo...why...why would you..."

She laughs. "Don't be afraid Linda. Oh and I'll tell you why later. Right now I have to deal with that little brat over there. She's so annoying."

"No...No!" I push the boot off of me and crawl towards her. I grab her ankle and bite down on it, earning a scream from her, making me bite harder. Blood pours down her ankle and into my mouth, covering me in the red liquid. I just laugh. She grabs my hair and pulls me off of her. I roll over onto my back and continue laughing.

"You bitch!" She kicks me in the side, making me roll over again. I cough up some blood, but I don't give up. She goes to kick me again, but I dodge it this time. Getting to my feet, I wrap an arm around her throat and kick her legs out from under her. She falls to her knees, my arm still securely wrapped around her throat.

"Let me go!" She tugs at my arm and scratches me with her fingernails.

"Don't be afraid Cleo." I mock. I grab her head, ready to twist it, but two large hands clamp down on my shoulders and drag me off of her. I hear her suck in a breath and start coughing.

"Hold her back this time!" She dusts her pants off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a fifteen year old to deal with and you can thank yourself for this Linda. You see, I was gonna make her death fast, but now it will be agonizing and slow. Just. Like. Yours. Take her away."

The man picks me up, my arms pinned behind my back, and shuffles me through the door. "Kill me! Not her! Please! No!" I start kicking, making it hard for him to hold me. He spins me around and punches me right in the stomach. The air is knocked from my lunges.

The man drags me through the camp. I see women working as slaves, being whipped, and little girls in a cage, while one of them fends off zombies with a stick. The sight makes me sick. I stop to puke, but the man pushes me forward. 

"Move along."

After a few minutes of walking, I'm thrown into a cage. An animal cage. It's the size of a great dame, but I still have to sit on my knees so I don't hit the top.

"Linda... Oh my God you're safe!" I turn around. Oh my God. It can't be!

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A/N

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