~John~
James was writhing in pain.
My hands were numbing from my recent throw-up favor to a thin zombie, but I rushed to my friend. He was covering his wound like it will heal instantly.
Jules felt relieved to see me, and dissipated instantly to the marching dead. I killed about seven now with my bare hands, but they weren’t decreasing as what I was hoping.
Adrian and Geno gone off the stairs, and I get to see they run out of arrows. The instant Geno stepped on the gravel, one of the helicopters had a booming message.
“Students, take off, the SWAT is here to eliminate…undesirable humans,” one deep voice said, and from the way Geno smiled high it reached the corners of his eyes, I knew who owns the voice.
“Your father’s cool, dude,” I acknowledged.
I’m not sure if James got it, but he took it mockingly. “Yeah, helped us after the time he saw you’re alive.”
I got to one leg, and I called Miguel over. And the others. Following Geno’s father, we are slowly retreating.
I slung James’ right arm around my back, and as I lift him, I hear him grunt.
“No, don’t stop. I can do this,” he urged.
We continue to walk slowly, but he was shaking, and I swear I felt his wound pulsing, making blood rush out faster than usual.
“I’m really sorry,” Jules said.
Then I carried James to the woods, and the others running behind us.
“James, no. Hold on. James, don’t you go dying. No, buddy, no. James! Open your eyes. Come on, open your eyes. No—no, wake up! JAMES! NO!”
Jules was trying hard to spin bandages around my best friend’s wound, but his eyes were near to close. One helicopter landed on the ground, and zombies in its perimeter got whirled and smacked around by the blades. Three armed men got off of it, and the fourth of them was heading straight to…us.
Thirty-five of us backed away towards the woods, fright coming to our senses. But the man removed his safety helmet, and Geno said, “Father.”
Geno’s father set down his M12 grenade launcher (I saw how one looked like in Principal Guns’ office,) and he smiled at us. Suddenly, one zombie darted to him, and all he did was he swing the butt of his weapon that knocked the zombie down.
Cool, I thought. But James looked dying.
Geno embraced his father, and his father’s shaved face comes noticeable.
“Go get your friends away from here,” he said in the same deep voice he used on the megaphones.
“Can’t you ride us in your helicopters, sir?” Jules asked.
His face darkened. “I’m so sorry, but assistance is only what I can give you,” he gloomily said. He fired at the zombie approaching him, and we were dumbstruck in awe. “I can’t even take my son away from this plague.”
He glanced at his son, who held his bow tight.
“I shall provide you kids weapons to protect yourselves,” he added, giving us hope—utmost to James who had his branch broken. “Bows and arrows, Molotov cocktails, machine guns, pistols, grenades. Just use them carefully. And only when necessary.”
I nod, and shake James a bit. He looked like he was just sleeping.
“Haven’t you got some relocation sites, sir?” I asked.
Geno’s father paused for a while. Then I hear their helicopter chop the air as it flew, and after seconds, it was firing deafening bullets.
“We have some, but if you kids want, you can stay at your school,” he offered. “Your individual houses aren’t a good idea, since your families might have relocated as well.”
“The school?” Perry mused. “There’s a lot of zombies there!”
“They were taken care of,” he replied. “We incinerated some parts of your precious school and
Made sure no more infected humans are wandering there.”
The thought of our peaceful school being cleared of zombies…got a little fire in myself hotter.
“You kids will want to fight these…creatures?” he asked us.
Rolcene said, “Of course!”
“If we got weapons, just fine,” Gray adds.
Geno shook his father. “Can’t you take us away, escort us on army cars or something?”
“I’ve thought of that, but—“
“Mister! A zombie!” Ella shouts.
Without having to look alerted, he fired a bullet straight to the zombie approaching him in its head.
“We’re running out of time,” he said. “Biological terrorists are mutating zombies by some kind of airborne particles.”
“You mean terrorists are causing this?” Jules asked.
“Everything will be explained to all of you once you reached your school,” he says, “we got two SWAT to guide you there. Food and supplies are given to you, and follow instructions. Carry on.”
He was about to turn his back at us, when I remembered something.
“Hey, how about James? He’s got wounded!” I blurt out.
Geno’s father looked sullen. “You need to hurry,” he warned. “He’s losing a lot of blood.”
As the plan goes, we go through the woods at night. We got at least seven different guns and three grenades I don’t want to touch, accompanied by six flashlights. The tenth of a mile we reach, we got three zombies searching in the dark.
They suddenly stumble down, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Gray had the laser sniper with night vision ready. The archers Jimmy, Adrian, and Geno hold on to their new bows—silver and precise—and their metal shafted arrows.
We turn left after a few meters, and there’s still a quarter of a mile left to run, when I feel like James wasn’t stirring anymore.
“Shit,” I said, setting James down. His bandage was wet and soaked in blood, and I threw it away. “Bandages please!”
Anee handed me a roll, and she checked on James frantically.
“What happened to him?” she asked curiously.
“Got whipped by Jules’ katana by incident,” I answer, and wrapped his shoulder tight he feebly shook. In pain, probably.
She sets off, and I set James on my hold again. If fate was cruel that I was the one who got wounded, I was sure he will do the same.
And the hope of going back to the school was stronger than my fear of losing my friend.
YOU ARE READING
Last Dawn of a Horde
Teen FictionThere are two things we were absolutely afraid of: Getting killed by the dead, and getting killed by the living. All we have to do is to choose. I am John. Friends are my greatest strength. As long as they live, my life's eternally happy. I am James...
