Chasing The Dead

Chapter Seven

I walk up to highway, heading out of the treeline back to where the small group of people can see me. Funny enough, they are all standing on top of what looked to be a very expensive RV. It is the kind that is big enough for its own seperate bathrooms and bedrooms. I am not surprised when the elderly man many of their group recognizes as a leader calls for me to stop. He seems to be merely cautious, but Helen, who is beside him is clearly furious. I think she hates me for for what happened last night. I can live with that though.

"Stop!" Both Helen and the man scream. They look at each other, and I miss what their facial expresions are. Before I can try to explain what happened, or even think of something to say, Helen glares at me and yells down to me from the highway overpass

"Get away from us you freak! We don't need the trouble you bring!"

Huh. Coming from anyone else in their group, I might have been upset, but because Helen never really liked me and I think she is trying to protect herself more than anyone else, I do not worry. However, I can see the older man has agreed with her, so I only ask one question of them.

"Are all of you alright? Nobody got bitten or anything disastrous happened?"

"We-" the older man tries to reply, but is cut off by Helen,

"We're fine. Just get away from us."

I see no point in staying, so I head back down the highway. Once again I do not bother with slowly walking, I have a destination, and a time to arrive. I run at an inhuman speed down the highway and back to Jerome. I want to see how well he is doing, and maybe finally get rid of the disease in him.

As I am running down the highway, I observe the surroundings. Most humans at this speed would not be able to see more than a blur, and if I went much faster things would start to blur for me as well. However, I still notice the small details as I pass all the semi-abandoned vehicles on my way. I see one of the zombies crouching down to grab what I suppose to be its doll. Farther on I see a teenage zombie couple, literally eating each others faces.

I stop looking so deeply into the trapped vehicles.

I arrive back at the overpass were Jerome was supposed to stay. It is late in the afternooon, but not quite evening. I guess you could say that I am early. I do not see Jerome. I check at the overpass to see if he is sleeping or something. I do not find him, but I do see hehas left most of his stuff behind. I look around the top of the overpass to see if he is up there. I do not find him.

I decide, that rather than to panic and help nothing, I will wait here until tommorrow morning. If he does not arrive back by then, I will go looking for him. I can only imagine what horrible things could befall him while I was gone.

 I set up my sleeping bag, which I had left here when I went to talk with Jerome's group. Since I do not need a fire, I merely sit down and wait. It is a long wait. I consider the past two days events. I know Helen was only protecting herself when she caused me to be bitten, but it deeply disturbs me how she merely brushed it off as an accident. I know there was not much that she could have done if she had stayed, but still, abandoning me, I think, was the worst thing she could have done in that moment.

Don't get me wrong. I know it was an accident, and I know there was nothing she believed she could do, but the way in which she showed no care and no regret bothers me. She may have showed it when we talked that first evening, but that was in front of a group of people she needed the trust of. I can't believe that she would have offered regret or apologies if we had been alone together. I wouldn't have just left someone behind if bitten, Jerome being the very proof of it.

Of course, I have my own regrets that I must deal with as well. I start to fall asleep, because it is now late in the evening, and waiting is made easier when sleep is involved.