The Ruins Part 2 (Sequel to The Ruins)

Chapter 37

The line of them, hand to hand, went already thirty paces away, walking straight into the sea of shambling corpses. Max was much closer, his steps slower and uncertain. Max kept looking back for John. Mal never looked back at all- she kept going.

What made her turn was the constant call of Kirsh, calling Jessie's name countless of times. She looked at Tom if there is a way out. She wanted to move faster and faster, and soon they stop.

Move or die, growled her inner voice. Jessie bends down to shush Kirsh. "Sweetie," she said in a very quiet whisper. "We have to move."

He shook his head. "I can't... I can't." Kirsh sobs profoundly.

Please fucking move.

They didn't... until he ran right into an Infected. The creature snarled and white fingers grab his face, and a wide mouth bites his left cheek off. He screams as more Infected rip his flesh, feel the edge of broke fingernails scratch him. Jessie cried, not letting go his hand as he's being eaten in front of her.

"Jessie, he's gone," Mal warned her. She tried to pull her, but the Infected are turning their way. Jessie felt the dry pads of dead fingers slide over her nose and mouth, and they went down to her shoulder, throat, and jaw. Both of them are piled by the flesh eating creatures. Max tries to pull the hard grip of Jessie hand holding on his wrist.

In an instant, Mal drew out her machete and slash her hand. Then again and again and the bone breaks, earning Max to tumble down. The Infected didn't notice the action of Max's fall or Mal chopping Jessie's hand when a gun is pointed at her, the hammer cocked. John's face is cold, tears continually shed. "It's your fault."

Out of nowhere, Sam used his knife and stab John through the throat, and before his death his finger squeezed the trigger.

She pushes Max and Sam towards with Tom as they duck under white hands, junked and dodged around Infected, Infected who tried to wrap their arms around her. The whole crowd of them was becoming agitated, their awareness drawn to the running meat. She tries to move as slow as she can, but also wants to get out fast. They weren't holding hands anymore, and Tom finds a way to get out of the crowd.

Suddenly Tom, Sam, Max with AJ under his sheet was nowhere in sight. Had they run out before Mal could catch up? Had the Infected gotten them? No... there would have been screams if they'd attacked them. Mal walked and moved disjointed lot, trying to imitate the artless shamble of the Infected so as not to attract more attention.

Don't stop. Just find where they went.

She didn't... until she reached the edge if the concrete pad street by a couple of stores. From that angle she could see almost all the land around the walls. What she saw punched the air out of her lungs and nearly dropped her to her knees. There, in the thick of a seething mass of Infected- an army that numbered uncountable thousands- stood a tall figure with hair so faded by it's dark brown hair, bits of white in the tips, tall with broad shoulders. It was too far away to see his eyes, But Mal was sure- dead certain- that one would be brown and the other as red as flame.

The figure stared right at her. It was smiling.

The Infected shifted and shuffled around the figure. They did not attack him. They surged past him, heading in no direction. Then the sea of Infected closed around the figure, obscuring him from Mal's sight.

It didn't matter. Mal had seen it.

Seen him.

"No..." she whispered to herself. "No." She shakes her head, not believing what's seeing. "No, no no no no."