AM13 Outbreak Shorts

Crackdown - Nine

I'm frozen to the spot, my ears buzz with the knowledge that absolutely everything has gone horribly wrong in the absolute worst way possible. My spine is icy and I'm frozen to this spot. Blood splurts out absolutely everywhere, making it acutely obvious to me that this is the worst horror movie that I've ever witnessed...only it's real, and it's happening right in front of me, in real life.

That there, is my actual best friend being torn to shreds, and I can't do a damn thing about it.

My brain unhelpfully replays the moment that the zombie first latched onto Enrico over and over again, letting me know all the things that I could, and should, have done differently, but it's too late now. His body is in tatters. He's lost to me.

Of all the mistakes that I have made in my life, and we all know that there have been far too many, this is one thousand percent the worst. I hate myself for it. I dragged my friend out here on a fruitless mission, all because I've made the dumb ass mistake of allowing my heart to open up to someone during the worst thing to ever happen in human history.

It's the dam apocalypse, the end of humanity as we know it, and I'm idiotically falling in love...

"Enrico," I finally rasp out desperately. "No!"

He parts his lips and tries to reply to me, but more blood flies from his mouth and dribbles down his chin. His throat has been torn out, his vocal chords have probably long gone. This must be the most agonizing death that anyone has ever had to suffer...and I'm here witnessing it without taking action.

All of a sudden, just as I'm about to collapse into a pathetic heap on the ground, Enrico finds one last burst of strength from God knows where. Like a freaking superhero, he shoves the zombie off him and he races into the crowd, allowing them all to take him down and dig out small pieces of him. I can't even see him anymore because they are all over him.

It takes me a moment to work out why he would so something so courageous, yet so dumb. He's helping me out, one last time. Distracting the crowd so I can find a way through to get into the hospital. I don't even want to do it anymore, it seems like a massive waste of time, but I have to. Enrico didn't give his life for nothing and I need to make the most of it. Even if I can grab something useful, it'll be worth it a little bit.

Nothing is worth losing a life over, especially not when it's someone as incredible as Enrico, but I don't want his death to be for nothing either. He definitely wouldn't want that.

With intense grief crushing down my spine, I turn my back on the scene that is wholly my fault and I head towards the hospital. Angry, hot tears prick the corners of my eyes, but I refuse to let them out. Not now, no way! I can fall apart once I'm back at the station, once I've told everyone the terrible news. I'm sure I won't be the only one who's gutted, Enrico touched a lot of lives.

The white building of the hospital looms in front of me, promising nothing but a circus of horrors. My entire body screams at me to run in the opposite direction, but Enrico's death drives me to take that one step closer.

"Hey, idiot!" an unfamiliar voice yells out to me, bursting through my shock barrier and grabbing my attention. "Where the hell do you think you're going? Do you want to die?"

Do I want to die? Now that really is a question!