The Undead

Chapter 36: Mutation

--Kalebs Point of View--

I heard it, mid-chop I stopped myself to check it out, I look to the general direction "Whos there?" No response. I turn to the tree and chop at it again. Then the rustling happens again. This time I lift the ax and raise it incase. "Not funny..."

Melanie steps out from a bush. "Mel?" "Hey....thanks for looking for me asshole" "Well....we all knew what you were gonna do....infact I have half a mind to scream for help!" I tell her seriously "No please.....I wanted to talk...just us"

I wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but I followed through with it, my knife concealed with my left hand wrapped around it inside my pocket. "Sure...."

"I just wanted to say, that I am sorry. Honestly I have no idea whats gotten into me lately. I never wanted to kill anyone. Its  just you really hurt me...and that must've switched something inside" "Mel, I never wanted to hurt you, atleast not this bad. But I'm sorry, I dont know if I can ever trust you to be around me alone though...infact I dont even know why I am right now" "I guess thats your first mistake" She reaches into her back pocket, but I react first, my knife glides into her stomach and I spin her aroundand hold the , now bloody, knife to her throat. "Melanie...when will you learn? You are, by far, the most predictable woman when it comes to situations like these" "You....you stab...stabbed me....why?" She murmurs softly. "It was you or me....I prefer it when I live" I let her know.

"I guess this is how it ends" I say quietly, reaching into her pocket and sliding her knife out and tossing it onto the ground. "I....never thought I would be.....dying like this" She says. "Thats not what I meant...I'm not going to kill you. Infact, you get to live and be brought before the original council...or whats left. They'll decide" I say applying pressure to her stab wound.

I drag her back to camp where the others cook some non perishables over the fire. "Well.....Stevie, stitches ASAP...I got her....but I want her alive for now" I pass Melanie onto Stevie who rummages for his first aid kit that we got at the store earlier.

I can't believe she'd try that on me a third time. "All members of the council....step up" "Council?" "From Cedar Point....you three shall decide what is done with Melanie" "Is there really only three of us left?" Andrew comments. "Not including me....yes" I reply.

I leave them to join the others around the fire. I am passed some beans and I take a spoonful, before passing it onto the next person. We circled the can around three more times before it emptied. This is a rather dirty way of eating, but we are low on food until tomorrow when we begin hunting.

Life without guns is harsh. Luckily we picked up three bows and a set of fifty arrows. Hopefully things start to turn around for the better. 

--Phillip's Point of View--

"So....the council gathers here today to discuss what is to become of Melanie, who would speak first?"

"I" Britni starts, "Melanie has not only attempted murder on Andrew our third in command, but on Kaleb, our first in command....three times now! She also hasn't been apart of the survival efforts since Tobias' death. Four accounts of attempted murder and one account of....-" "Lack of Participation....childish as it seems, it means a lot" I finish for her. "Andrew?" "Well, I agree with Britni. The five charges together should equate to.....exile" 

"Well, I agree on the five charges aswell, but I think it shouldn't be exilement. She would most likely come back to attack some of us, I say we give her the death sentence" "No, she doesnt deserve to die...I think we should get some chains and chain her to a thick tree" "What about protection for herself?" "Give her a sharpened stick....it'll work..." "Yeah, I agree with Britni....the tree idea sounds best..give her time to get into reality again" Andrew explains, I sit there...."Fine...she lives this time...council dismissed"

--Kaleb's Point of View--

I lay on the dirt and fall asleep to the warmth of the flames, and the quiet chatter of my friends.

When I awake, the sun is just rising. The flames are mere embers, Melanie is tied up and stitched up, asleep. Everyone is asleep. I walk over to the truck and pull a fishing pole out. I walk over to some grass and rip it up in search of worms. I find a few and take them to the lake a short walk away. Its a beautiful morning, birds are chirping. Wait? "Birds?" I ask myself aloud. I haven't heard birds in a few years atleast.. I look around and birds fly around different species too. It's amazing to see wildlife....I hope they're fish to eat! I bait my hook and cast out. 

Its a few hours before I accumulate enough fish for a meal. But it gets done and I am joined by Andrew, who I share a conversation with over the next few hours as we catch another meals worth.

I haven't felt relaxed like this in over a year. Everything is go-go-go. Its nice to have this, Kyle and Josh get up and get to work on the irrigation system, luckily our camp is a football fields distance away from the river. The others all wake up by about one or two. We have more than enough fish, so I started to help on the trench, its about eight inches deep and five inches across and is almost to our farming area. Stevie and Phillip have started on a wooden perimeter around our camp. I have to say, by the end of the day. We have completed atleast thirty percent of what needs to be done.

As for Melanie, we found the chains and shes wrapped up pretty tight. Shes been sleeping and crying off and on. I kind of feel bad for her....but then again, she tried to kill Andrew and I.

--2 months down the road--

We never planted the seeds, we have a half-fence around us, four finished cabins with two fire pits for cooking and a small pit in each cabin for warmth as winter approaches. The temperatures have grown colder, even for Florida. Its around forty degrees outside during the middle of the day, we've actually made some coats for warmth. Out of what? Well, remember the birds? Deer and bear are back aswell, well I dont know if they ever disappeared but I do know there is a pluthra of'em.

"Hey Kaleb....little help over here? I need to skin this bear" Stevie says to me. I walk over to him and a decent sized bear that is already missing its head. "Thanks man" "No problem" I reply stabbing into the thick fur and ripping down the center of its stomach.

"Holy shit!" I hear someone shout, I am almost positive there is fear in the tone. I look Stevie in the eye. "Go"

I jump up and run over to the direction of the scream. I spot some blood. I look closely and notice the freshness, I follow a trail of this blood. I am lead into thick forestry and I hear another scream in the near distance. I run and run. Then I feel a sharp pain in my leg, I go limp and smack the ground. I twist to see a walker, the first one I have seen in a month. 

"Help!" Stevie shouts from where he was earlier, then another plea for help arises from the camps direction.

"What the hell is going on...is everyone ok?" Andrew shouts from the direction of the lake. "Ohhh shittt!" Kyle screams.

"What in the fuck is that!" I hear Andrew shout out.

I raise my knife and take the walker out, or so I thought. I stabbed it in the skull yet it 'died' but stood right back up.

I stand up and kick its hip, then stab its eye and twist. I rip its eye out.

I stare and watch as its eye socket drips blood, which then forms another eyeball.

It swings its arms at me. I stop its arm and bring my machete out, I take the arm off completely.

It sprays blood for a few moments, then the most terrifying thing happens. The arm grows back..rapidly.