Until I Die(18+)

In Which There's A Sacrifice

          "We shouldn't of left them there." My guilt ate away at me.

          It was too late now though; we were a good half hours walk away from there sort. I'd been in too much shock to really think about what we were doing but now I had time to breath and gather my thoughts, I knew running away wasn't the right decision.

         Mum scoffs. "We can't fight a crazy, grieving woman with a shotgun, Jo."

         I knew that, but it still didn't sit right. "We might have been able to reason with her."

         She rolls her eyes. "She clearly shot one of them. You think you can reason with that?"

         "I don't know! But we could have at least tried!"

          Mum grabs my arm, pulling me to a stop. Her eyes are furious. "You think I'm going to waltz in there, with my only child, knowing one of us could get our heads shot off at any moment?" She exhales angrily. "I feel sorry that one of them got hurt but my first and only concern is my family. Not theres."

          I press my lips together, unable to respond. What was there to say to that? For the first time in my life my mother willing admitted she cared for me.

          I didn't know how to react.

          "Good,"she says with a nod when I don't reply. "Glad we've cleared that up. Now get your fat ass moving. We need to find your father."

          I sigh. Should have known she'd follow it up with an insult.

          - -

          We make it half hour down the road before a hoard of those things block our route.

          "Oh my god." I'd never seen so many before. Could the sound have attracted them? Mum grabs my arm and pulls me into the forest but the Infected had already seen us.

            Now it was a matter of out running them.

            "I can't run like this forever," she hisses and from the way she was hanging off the crook of my arm, I knew she was telling the truth."We need to find somewhere."

             I was so tired but somehow my legs kept going, the muscles in my thighs numb and moving on automatic. We end up leaving our backpacks. They were weighing us down too much to run with them. "Just keep going, Mum." It felt weird to be encouraging her. "We can do this."

           If we don't, we'll die.

           I can hear them behind us, groaning excitedly. They weren't that fast but neither were we now exhaustion was winning. I guess that's how the virus spread so easy. We grew tired and they didn't.

           "Jo!" Mum shouts, dragging us to the right. I can't see where she's taking us to because of the tre- oh! A wooden shed.

            "Is that a good idea?" I pant, legs like jelly. I was starting to feel the strain. "If they find us they'll surround us." The planks looked old and rotten. I couldn't see it holding up against them.

           "We can't go on like this." We reach it and she lets go of me, trying the door. It had a rusted padlock on it. Mum growls, kicking it."Just our luck! Oh wait." A hammer laid, forgotten, in some foliage next to the hut. She picks it up and swings for the lock. It rattles. "I can get this off but you're gonna have to protect us, Jo."

           My heart stalls. That was a big responsibility. "O-okay." I take adeep breath and grip Eric's knife tightly.

           I can do this. I can prove myself.