Last Dawn of a Horde

Chapter Ten: The Showdown ~1 Jimmy

~Jimmy~

There were eleven of us when we got out of the terrorists’ camp, and now we’re lost, and down to nine. And now my conscience was bugging me harder than ever.

Jamie and Ronald died because we have no choice but to leave them.

Ronald’s foot got crunched under a car tire when he was hiding, and God knows how much I had tried to remove and take him away, treat him and his wound not as disturbance when I promised we’ll find camp. I realized one moment that giving more seconds trying to rescue him—something impossible at the moment, because I can’t move the car alone—will result to the death of our other classmates.

Then I heard Ronald’s cry as the undead ran towards him.

Jamie had a different case.

I told the others to keep a low profile on the sides of the road which were covered in trees and grass. The coming dawn provided less concealment, and thank God there weren’t any SWAT of policemen nearby when we were running, just a couple of zombies walking around the road senselessly.

Jamie was afraid of snakes, and the snake that we encountered didn’t look normal—it had bloodshed skin, reddish eyes, and a huskier hiss. It moved with great speed, and with Jamie panicking, the zombies around the road nearby went curiously to our direction—to where the perturbing sound came from.

Ella, Patricia and Lovely didn’t want to leave Jamie, but we barely had a minute to decide—the zombies were sensing humans are nearby, and unbelievably Jamie was showing signs of the virus infection that quick. Her eyes were turning bloodshot, her skin getting clammier, and she was excreting too much drool.

And even though the girls didn’t want to, we left Jamie under a tree, in the hopes the zombie wouldn’t kill her. I even promised the girls I wouldn’t even kill her if we ever saw her again. Now I’m crazy by just saying that.

Now only Camille was talking to me. She kept on telling me that it’s not my fault. Entire fault, you mean, I thought. And now I’m blaming myself for setting us here.

We’re lost to nowhere, and I don’t know this part of Faber City. The gravel road stretched endlessly, and the sun was out of the horizon. Few more minutes and I knew we’ll be dying of heat stroke, hunger and thirst.

Not until a van was driving towards us. I don’t know why my eyesight was that clear—maybe the car was quarter of a kilometer away—and I guessed it was my desperation.

The walking dead chased us along the road, and the nine of us ran towards the road—not a good thing to do. The van’s windows rolled down, and an old woman beckoned us.

“Come here, my dears! Hurry!” she must’ve yelled. She had such a sweet voice for an old lady, and a surge of relief flooded through me. Even a Mutated zombie can’t pretend that believable.

We ran as quickly as we can, and before running out of breath we reached the van. Geno and I worked to open the doors, and my classmates stormed inside. The zombies chasing our tails missed me, the last person to catch the van for an inch. And unexpectedly, the old woman stepped on the gas hard, and the van revved to life.

She’s too rude for an old lady, I think.

She opened the wipers, and after a second I knew what it was for—a mob of zombies were coming for us, and the old lady crushed and bumped on them. Blood splashed on the wipers, but there was water whizzing next to them. It’s like they knew their purpose.

The old lady smiled.

I know what the others were thinking about: “Who is she?” She may be tough for an aged lady, but then, I was confident she wasn’t thinking of taking on nine teenagers to a fight.

When the road was finally cleared, she looked like she hadn’t breathed for years.

“Are you okay, my darlings?” she asked and looked at the back.

We nodded silently.

She turned her eyes back to the road. “It’s alright, I’m a good old woman,” she murmured. Probably she felt our silence. “Are any of you bitten, scratched, or something?”

Her eyes were roving around the back mirror, and the creases on her eyes became prominent. She had hazel brown eyes, and I remembered someone.

“Feeling sick perhaps?” she asked more. “That infectious virus takes you into a great fever before the…madness takes your body forever.”

She gazed away, and I bet my hat she was keeping her tears back.

For more minutes we’ve traveled. I began to wonder about John and the others—where they are now and in what state they have been.

The girls were asleep moments later, but the other boys didn’t let sleep take them. It’s like they’re still wondering about the old woman’s concern.

“You know her, Jim?” asked Gray. His gray eyes looked greatly tired.

Leo butted in. “I think I know her, Gray.”

“Who?”

Leo smiled. “The old woman that will be the priestess to wed us.”

Gray rolled his eyes, and shrugged Leo off.

I reply, “I dunno, but I hope she’s a good grandma.”