The Wilderness Within: A Fanfiction (Draft)

Chapter 22

That evening Marc and I walked together in the dying light of day. Clouds had gathered and it began to lightly rain.

"I'm sorry about today," he said. "That must've been really terrible."

I said nothing, letting drops of water fall on my face.

He continued, "I snuck this for you while I was outside the fence." He pulled something out of his pocket. It was a metal pendant on a dark cord, a dove with its outstretched wings glinting from the light in a nearby window.

"For me?" I sputtered. "It's beautiful."

"May I?" he asked, a little uncertain.

"Oh! Yeah, sure," I spun around and held up my hair with one hand. My skin tingled where his fingers brushed my neck. He fastened the necklace and I let down my hair.

I studied the silvery pendant for a moment before throwing my arms around Marc's neck. My heart jumped as he returned the hug.

"Thank you," I said into his shoulder. "I love it."

We pulled away slightly and I saw his goofy grin.

Someone screamed.

We spun towards the sound and saw people fleeing from the gate. A fire was spreading around the ground.

Marc grabbed my hand.

"George! Marc!" I turned and saw Kami and Alex rushing towards us with packs and weapons. "We gotta go now!" Kami gasped. She pushed a bag and a bat at me. I slipped the pack over my shoulders.

Something moved in the shadows behind her. "Kami, move!" I yelled. I shoved her aside as the monster snarled, winding up the bat before cracking it on the side of the zombie's head.

It collapsed to the ground, but looking up I saw more coming our way from the burning gate. I thought of Trinity's escape earlier. "The fence!" I shot off to the tall fence behind us, hoping the others had the sense to follow me.

I jumped up and started climbing. I was nowhere near as fast as Trinity, but I made quick progress. At the top I glanced down and saw Alex and Kami right behind me, but Marc was nearer to the bottom, unaware of the zombie running up behind him.

"Marc, no!" I screamed.

He yelped as a zombie clamped down hard on his leg, pulling him down towards the ground. He grabbed his knife and swiped at its throat before kicking it away and scrambling back up the fence.

"George come on!" Alex tried to nudge me to keep moving. We jumped down to the other side where Kami was waiting, anxiously keeping watch on the trees and bushes. A few moments later Marc had hit the ground.

I wanted nothing more than to ignore the torrent of tears that were threatening to spill over my face.

Alex grabbed my arm. "Get away from the fence." We moved through the underbrush for a bit until Kami stopped to try to patch up Marc's wound.

I worked up the courage to turn around. Marc was sitting stiffly as Kami wrapped his ankle in a bandage. He was covered in blood, some of it his. His silence was all it took to break my heart.

"We need to get out of here now," said Alex.

"No," said Kami. "Running will increase his heart rate even more, giving him less time."

"No, Alex is right. You need to leave."

I stifled a sob. Kami gaped at him. "What about you?"

Marc smiled weakly. "I'm a dead man walking, aren't I? Might as well try to make my last deed count. You all go, I'll draw off as many zombies out here away from you as I can."

I couldn't take it anymore. I started towards him, but Alex caught my arm, stopping me. "He's infected," he hissed.

I let my tears fall. "I don't care!"

Marc struggled to his feet as I fell to my knees in the mud.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. I could hear the tears in his voice. "You're going to get out of this, Georgia. I'm sorry I couldn't come with you, but I'm glad I met you and I'm glad I could at least say goodbye."

All too soon he vanished into the undergrowth.

I only wanted to cry, for everything to be nothing more than a bad dream.

I felt arms pull me to my feet. "We need to go," I could barely make out Alex in the dark with my eyes squinted. I took the bat he held out to me and joined him and Kami as we made our way into the dark unknown, all while my limbs drooped as if being weighed down by sandbags.

It wasn't long before we were soaked through, and I couldn't tell the difference between the rain and the tears on my cheeks.

I didn't pay attention to what direction we went in, but it seemed like hours before the rain stopped and we made it to the river at the bottom of the hill.

I heard Alex and Kami talking, but I wasn't really paying attention.

"If we cross this river and keep going for a little while, I think it'll be far enough away from the Stronghold to make a safe camp for the night," Alex said.

"I think you're right. Do you see anywhere to cross?"

"I think I can make out some rocks over there where it thins out a bit. We can step across if we're careful."

I mindlessly followed them further down the bank.