Chasing The Dead

Chapter Five

I wake up with a splitting headache. I have never gone so fast that time apears to stop, and it worries me. When I was first bitten, i only gained minor strength and agility; i still couldn't do very much physically. After I left home, for the first week, my physical abilties slowly grew. At the end of the week I could jump higher than most people I knew, I could move faster than people on bikes. It wasn't much, but then, I had never tasted blood.

The week after I left home, the week after I was bitten, I was dehydrated, but I had been drinking more water than I ever had before. Nothing could quench my ever growing thirst, and it was torture. That week was such a mix of sorrow and regret that I lost control of myself.

I had no idea what I was doing, and because of the thirst, I could not sleep. so I left my sleeping bag and went to a nearby drugstore. It had been two days since I snuck away from home and my screaming mother. I had never left town, I figured I could eventually explain to my parents that I was ok, that I would not hurt them. I walked to the nearest conveniance store and asked to borrow the phone. The nice man behind the counter was happy to oblige, mentioning the 'crazy events that had been happening'. He had no idea just how crazy.

I called home, and my Dad picked up. I apologized for leaving, for not trying to talk things out with them and seeing what could be done. He also apologized for, almost the same reason, for not being there, and trying to listen and talk things through, instead of yelling and screaming. When we were done, he came and picked me up from the store and took me home. I was excited to be home, I wanted to be with my family and enjoy their company. I wanted to apologize to my mother. Fate has a cruel sense of humor.

When I got home, I was so excited to see mom, and we both apologised for our actions. I got to say hello to my sister, we had a nice conversation about talking through things and trying to be reasonable before freaking out. That night, in my own bedroom and despite my growing thirst, I slept peacefully and without dreams.

The next morning was when one of those creatures started knocking at our door. Mom freaked, and took Elsa and I to our basement, and dad went to get a shotgun. None of us realised how bad things had gotten in the few days I was away. Dad easily killed the first creature, but the noise of his gun attracted the whole neighborhood. All the creatures came out of their hiding places, and our front door could not hold down the sheer press of all those zombies.

Dad was the first to die. He not only got bitten, but those creatures were hungry. They are always hungry. Before any of us could grab his gun to help, he was pulled back into the ever-growing group of things in our house, where he was devoured. Mom just stood there, terrified. I grabbed the gun, but I was never taught how to use it. And so I tried to use it like a club. I know now that even if I could use it, it would not have worked. Dad has used all of the shells inside of it to kill the first zombie. He didn't know to shoot their heads.

The press of the creatures had us backed into my room. Mom, in a moment of terror pushed me out of my bedroom window to the outside. I almost broke my leg because of that. then she tried to toss Elsa out of the window, in hopes that I would catch her. I was ready, but Elsa had always been terrified of heights and she fought against mom. Seeing the zombies arms starting to grope my mother, I ran back inside the house to see if I could somehow save them.

I could not help them.

That night, back at the camp I had left behind, I lost control of myself. I became one of the things I despised so much, and I went to get revenge. I went back to my house, where my family had been so brutally murdered. I found of one of the creatures that had been there that morning, and because I had lost myself, because I hated it so much, I reacted to its presence. I not only drank its blood, I ruined it. I tore its flesh with my bare hands and ravaged the creature until it was nothing but pieces of flesh piled in a heap in my old living room. I can still hear the awefull ripping noise an arm makes when torn from the torso.

I went back to my camp, not fully aware of myself, not knowing that I was covered in gore, and slept in my sleeping bag. After that, after realising what I was, I denied it. I left the only world I knew behind, and just started walking. At first I did my best to avoid drinking the blood of the creatures, but I always ended up doing it anyways. My thirst controlled me.

I was not completely lost, however. I learned that instead of trying to hold out as long as I could to drink their blood, it was better to do it willingly. That way, I would be in control, and I would not lose myself to thirst.

I also learned that after my first taste of blood, my abilities jumped in strength. When I was first bit, I slowly grew stronger and faster. When I drank the blood of a zombie, not only did my strength and speed grow, but I gained an inhuman sense of smell, and I learned to see as if I was looking through a telescope, when I wanted to.

Perhaps, by cleaning the blood of Jerome, I had not only gotten stronger, but gained even more abilities. That was what scared me. I do not know if I will be able to control my new-found abilities, and I do not know if I will be able to control my thirst around other people. Once I knew that I could survive off of the blood of those creatures, my desire to do so increased tenfold. Now that I have tasted the blood of a person, my desire for human blood has also increased.

I can still remember completely destroying that creature, I can still remember the sound of its flesh tearing as I dismembered it. I am afraid that now, I am afraid I may do the same thing to somebody, and after that, I would not be able to live with myself.

These thoughts all cross my mind before I actually get out of bed. It is still dark, and I do not want to disturb the others. I take all of my stuff, and start walking back to Jerome. I will arrive this evening, and I have made my descision. I take one last look at Mike before I leave the underpass, and start heading back. Maybe I have found a cure. Maybe I am strong enough now to help Jerome finally get this over with, and cured.