The Gathering

Chapter Fifteen

The truth or dare game was a nice change of pace, I do have to say. For once we were able to sit back and just enjoy those around us. It was good to see the barriers drop and we were able to get a real glimpse at some of our real selves. Lindsay cheered up a lot, but that steely gaze never left her and her stare pierced the soul of whoever she happened to look at when they looked at her.

In the morning we all got up from our gossip circle almost simultaneously. Each of us looked across the circle and laughed heartily. It was good to know I still could. Lindsay's laugh was light and delicate, like she afraid of making a show of herself with an obnoxious laugh, which far differed Adrian's who's consisted of loud snorts and banging hands on the ground. She was easily the most enthusiastic.

After our goodbyes we stepped back out into the mall together and made our way to the lobby. We made our way past all of the stores. This place was so empty, I wonder what it was like before the war.
We walked down the escalator and made our way past the atrocious site that was the dead zombies. We walked through the front doors and out into the city.

We made our way throughout the city and didn't come into any problems.

"Vande, can we talk for a minute?" Chris asked as we came out of the city.

"Shoot" I said.

"I think we need to split up" He said flatly. There was probably some truth to that, but it still kinda hurt the way Chris wasn't giving it any second thoughts.

"Gods, I want you to be wrong. But you're right. Were never going to traverse the whole country in time and even if we did we would be a huge target and lose plenty more than should be lost" I said.

At this Ava dropped back to listen in. "Should I be worried about your guys little man talk here?" She asked sarcastically.

"No we've just come to the decisions that were splitting up" Chris said bluntly. Ava looked a little hurt like me, but I knew she understood.

We made everyone stop at this point and discussed what to do from here. When we were done, we had decided Chris, Adrian, and Lindsay would recruit the demigods in the west coast and Ava, James, and I would continue on the east coast. We situated everything for our new plan, giving Adrian the pack with the peace offerings and a map to find them, and them set off again.

We were walking in a field of grass surrounded by trees when, all of a sudden, dozens upon dozens of zombies poured in from the woods.
This was it. They were going to kill us right here and now, and the whole thing would've been for nothing. Danny's death, Brocks death, would've been for nothing.

But the zombies stayed where they were, rigid in a circle around us. We all stood with our weapons drawn, waiting for the zombies to charge.

All of a sudden, a mass of them came barreling on us and separated Adrian and Chris from the rest of us. Once the line of zombies stretched across the circle, the zombies began to close in on us.

We all began attacking the line of zombies in the middle, but for every zombie we killed another two took its place. "Guys, stop. They obviously aren't going to let us through and most of us will be dead by the time we do get back together" I said.

We all stepped back and examined the circle around us, which had gotten noticeably closer except for Adrian who relentlessly attacked them.

"Adrian you need to stop! Just go, we'll meet you in Iowa at Demeters hideout. Use the map!" I yelled to Adrian, but she continued attacking them.

"I'm not giving up on you!" Adrian yelled. Chris looked up at me and nodded, knowing that he would have to drag Adrian away for this to end without anyone dying. Chris knocked Adrian on the side of the head and picked her up and put her over his shoulder as he walked away from the barrier to the horses who were allowed into the circle. Chris secured Adrian on Aithon secured and got on Phlogios.

As Phlogios cantered to the edge of the circle, the circle parted to let him through and we all watched Chris gallop away, knowing it would be a bad idea.

As soon as Chris and Adrian were out of sight, the zombies ran back into the woods. It looked like there was a cloaked figure that stood in the middle of the fleeing horde, possibly directing them... I wonder who it could be.