The Dark Side

Chapter 26 - Coming Together

We run across the clearing as fast as possible. Our footsteps echoing on the smooth, hard rock as we run. The occasional gunshot rings out across the place as we run towards the narrow exit.

A gunshot rings out in the area and straight after follows a cry of pain. Ahead of me Jamie falls to the ground and holds his right leg in pain. He was shot in the calf. I quickly run to his side and wrap my arm beneath his arm, whilst Vincent follows on the other side doing the same. Me and Vincent pick up the other two explosives that Jamie dropped. Jamie cries out as we lift him up and make our way over to the exit. So close. "You're gonna be okay, Jamie." I say over the gunshots and groaning of the Horde. Me and Vincent reassure him as we go through the exit while the Stranglers continue you shoot at us.

At least we made it out alive.

Well, most of us.

~-*-~

We arrive back at the camp. Me and Vincent both help Jamie walk with our arms wrapped around his sides. My injury still burns from all of the running, but I don't say anything about it. Even though it hurts more than it should. What if they find out and they don't let me help them with our plan? It's my idea anyway, and I want to help as much as possible.

Jamie's leg bleeds unstoppably. We lay him down against a tree as he cries out again. "Holy shit! What the hell happened?" Conner asks as soon as we get there. Zachary rushes over.

"He was shot in the calf." I explain simply.

"Where's Sara?" Drew asks.

"Stranglers killed her." Vincent explains quietly.

Zachary and Vincent both start helping Jamie. Turns out Jamie somehow got a ton of medical supplies, but no food and water. I place all of the explosives in a pile. I then finally slowly sit down beside Drew, being careful as to not make my wound any worse than it already is again. I let out a long sigh and lean against Drew.

"I kind of feel bad for Conner." Drew mutters to me.

"He told you what happened?" I ask him quietly, still holding my gaze on the fire.

"Yeah. Didn't sound too good." He replies quietly.

"Does anything ever sound good anymore? There's never good news." I sigh and move to lay my head on Drew's lap, whilst subtly wrapping my arm around my waist to hold my burning wound. I ignore it as best as possible though.

"C'mon, Jess, you need to at least be a little positive." Drew says, looking down at me while playing with my hair.

"How can anyone when the world's already gone to shit? There's no getting rid of the zombies." I sigh.

"Well, I think it's best not to be so depressing." He gives me a reassuring smile and I laugh quietly. We hear Jamie cry out as he's being helped and we pause for a second until he goes a little quiet again.

"I'm not being depressing. I'm stating a fact." I smile up at him, before resting my arm over my eyes so my head is in the crook of my elbow.

"You tired?" Drew asks.

"A little." I yawn as if on cue.

"Sun's already setting." He states looking up at the sky, while continuing to play with my hair, before looking back down at me.

"Well, we have time to rest. We just have to wait now, cause we can't go chasing the IX around the country." I say, "We have to wait for the IX to come to us."

"Or, we could call it over to us." I hear Conner suggest.

"Stop eavesdropping, Conner. I guess that's something that hasn't changed about you." I chuckle quietly.

"I'm just saying." He puts his hands up defensively.

"Actually!" I suddenly jolt upright, almost scaring Drew, "That could work!" I exclaim, before wincing from the pain of my side, clutching my side.

"Yeah. But, how could we do it? A gunshot won't be enough." Conner asks, realising the flaws.

"And what if the Stranglers hear it and get to us first?" Drew then asks.

"Ah, never mind it was a crappy plan anyway. We can just wait for the IX." Conner says, realising how many faults there could be in his idea.

"Stop sulking. There's a possibility here." I wave him off to shut him up, as I stand up.

By now Jamie's leg is completely wrapped up with a bandage and he closes his eyes, resting and trying to relax from the pain from the bullet. Vincent and Zachary listen in to our conversation.

I clutch my wound as I stand, but quickly let go of it to not get the others suspicious about it. I pace back and forth a few times, before stopping as I come up with an idea, "We could hit two birds with one stone." I say, "Kill the Stranglers, kill the IX. We lure them over to us with a loud sound that they will be attracted to."

"An explosion." Drew suggests, gesturing to the pile of explosives, "We could just use one. It'll be loud enough. The IX shouldn't be too far off anyway." He finishes.

"But, we need as many as we can get." Zachary says.

"Five will be enough anyway." I say, "It won't effect us too much."

"We could lure them all over towards us with the explosion and the Stranglers will most likely get to us first since they're so much closer." Vincent says.

"Then we can burn them all to death with the gasoline." Jamie says darkly from where he sits against the tree. We all turn to look at him, most of us unnerved by the murderous glint in his eyes as he speaks.

"A ring of fire around them." Conner agrees with him.

"If anything their Horde will walk right into the flames and we'll only have to take out the few stragglers in the middle." Vincent says.

"But, what about the horses the Stranglers will have? We could use them as our own source of transport." Drew asks.

"They'll freak out and run before we can get to them." Zachary says.

"By then the IX would be there anyway." I say.

"How would we kill it though?" Zachary asks.

"That's where the explosives come in." I begin, "We have to somehow attach the explosives onto him and then we can explode the son of a bitch." I say.

"I know how to make a bow and arrow. We could shoot an arrow that's tied to an explosive at the IX and it's an easy win." Jamie suggests.

"But, then we would need to set the explosives off, but we have no detonators." Conner says.

"We could shoot them." I suggest.

We all agree and plan out who does what for our plan. We're so close to killing this thing. Once we do that me and Drew can head up North together. Where it's safer. Maybe some of the others will come with us. We'll finally find somewhere safe to stay. If there is anywhere safe anymore.

~-*-~