The Last Dance that We Share

Prologue

WARNING:GRAPHIC CONTENT

How should someone feel when the world that they know is turning to ash around them?

When everything and everyone they love most is being taken from them?

Confusion.

Fear.

Pain.

Anger.

All of these feelings had pierced me one by one as I kicked and clawed at the bodies now forming a stoic, unmovable, lifeless barricade in front of me.
No matter how much I screamed at them, they wouldn't even acknowledge my existence.
No matter how much I hit, scratched, or bit. Not even a single response. 
The revving of a diesel engine from the other side only began to increase my urgency and further encourage the abandonment of my morals. 

Before I knew it, my thumbs where forced inside of the eye sockets of the man in front of me and I thanked the setting sun for not letting me see the color of the warm liquid that now covered my hands and ran down the mans face. Gunfire rang out from the other side and my resolve quickly strengthened, I sharply pushed my thumbs in deeper, feeling the soft barrier give into the harsh pressure. The mans stance weakened and I jerked my hands away as he slumped to the ground with a thud. 

Clinching my teeth, I slipped through the newly formed gap, my eyes still struggling to adjust to the growing darkness, I began sprinting toward the commotion ahead, then suddenly the direction of motion changed. I was falling, a woman's hand wrapped around my ankle, her teary eyes reflecting in the tiny amount of light left of dusk. Instinctively, I began violently shaking my leg, trying to loosen her grip on it. Her lips moved, but none of her words were registering. I shake my head, trying to clear whatever was blocking my senses, slowly distorted noises became clearer.

"Go back! Run away from here! If they catch you, you'll become like them!" The woman cried, pointing at the wall of bodies behind us. 

No. I couldn't run away. Not yet.

I quickly stood up and scanned the area, still not seeing what I was looking for, all the while the woman continued yelling at me.

"Have you seen a man, dirty blonde, about 25 years old, wearing a bright blue shirt and dark blue jeans come through here?" 

"ARE YOU CRAZY?? You HAVE to get out of he-"
Her words are cut off as grab her under her arm and yank her off the ground, bending over slightly so that she was close to my face. 

"Have you, or have you not seen him?" I ask again, the woman blinks several times, seeming to snap out of her hysterics. She points to a large freight box on a trailer.

"They put him in there along with a lot of other people."

My feet begin moving without permission, heading to the trailer, dragging the woman with me.

"What are you doing!? We're going to get caught!" 

I yank her to the other side of me and push her toward a large black truck. "Get in and lock the doors. When you see me coming, unlock them, got it?" 

She nods quickly, obviously liking the Idea of being away from the fight. I continue on to the freighter, staying low and hiding behind the vehicles littering the sides of the street, people running past me in a panic. As I near the box, two woman with lifeless faces round a corner and head for the box. I follow them quietly, crouching behind a car near the freighter. 

The women didn't look especially strong, but it would take a miracle for me to handle both of them to get to the box. I had to get to it no matter what, though. I had to try and this would probably be my best chance. I get into position, trying to psych myself up and go through the plan one more time in my head, but the next thing I know I'm being pulled backwards, a hand clamps my mouth shut.

"Don't scream unless you want them to find us, Dumbass." My heart nearly leaps out of my chest at the words and I quickly turn around to see my brother, Clay. Tears begin streaming down my face and I throw my arms around him and he chuckles quietly, embracing me.

"I'm glad you're okay too, Cass." He smiles for a second, then his face turns serious again.

"Come on. Let's get out of here."