When August Ends

Head Start

"Now won't you stay with me?"

- Sam Smith

Maya's P.O.V.

     The pain I feel in my pounding chest overpowers the pain of the Infected's teeth tearing into my shoulder. I am consumed by so many emotions I don't know what to feel. I'm horrified that I've finally been bitten. After all of the fighting to survive this is how it ends for me. I am angry because this is not how I want to go. I'm broken to realize that I am leaving my friends and family. I'm terrified to die and I'm exhausted at the same time. I feel a stabbing pain travelling through my entire body. I must be changing. Andrew is infront of me with a look of utter horror. I wish he wasn't here to see this but then again I hope he will have the courage to take the shot he needs too. I wouldn't be able too if our roles were reversed. It isn't a weakness, it's a bond of friendship that prohibits the capability of inflicting harm on someone one cares about.

"Take the shot," I say choppily as I can feel the change surging into my legs now. It's taking over my body from my feet up. I think I will lose mental control last. Andrew aims his pistol at me shakily. "It's okay," I tell him. It really is. "Tell the others I love them." I add.

      He is shaking visibly and so am I. I feel my arms begin to twitch uncontrollably. Andrews finger closes around the trigger and I see him begin to press it in slow motion. I close my eyes and fight my tears. Panic is overriding all of my other emotions. I wonder what dying is like. I hear a gunshot go off and am surprised that after a moment I feel no pain other than the spiking of transformation. Something yanks at my shoulder and I fall with it. When I open my eyes I realize that Andrew didn't shoot me, he shot the Infected. It's teeth are still clamped in my shoulder and Andrew rushes over to get me free of it. I suddenly find myself making a hissing noise and lashing out at him. He leaps back in shock looking at me. I'm changing. "Run Andrew," I sob as I feel myself beginning to convulse slowly.

"No no no, Maya come on we're going to get you better we'll figure something out!" he says disjointedly and my head begins to pound.

    I tear away from the Infecteds jaws losing a small bit of my shoulder and shake my head. I look at Andrew and realize that things are beginning to take on a reddish tint. "You can't... save... me..." I say with difficulty. Forming words is suddenly becoming a challenge. Just then Grace and Troy run around the corner.

"Everything okay on this side we heard gunfire..." Troy begins and then trails off looking at the scene he is seeing. I open my mouth with the intent to make ammends with him but I cannot seem to make myself form words. Tears spill down my face unchecked as my vision reddens further.

"No." Grace says suddenly with a look of horror and it breaks my heart. I don't want them to be sad for me. It isn't a pleasant thing but life will go on. I don't want them to feel any more sorrow. "She's fine. She's okay!" Grace says frantically.

"Grace..." Troy begins but his voice falters.

"Please..." I manage to force myself to say. "Take... shot..." I snap. I feel my teeth begin to clatter and the panic I've been trying to keep down is fully released. A loud sob escapes my lips and my body begins to shake violently.

"Maya no! Maya! Troy we have to help her!" Grace screams grabbing Troy's shirt but all he can do is put his hand over his mouth as his eyes redden. "Troy please!" Grace shouts. Everything is so painful to see and hear all of a sudden. My body is beginning to function out of my command and I feel myself slowly rising to my feet. I'm doing everything in my power to remain in control but I feel the sickness seeping into my mind. The idea that my friends are a threat is flickering on and off in my mind and I feel myself shaking my head.

"If you won't shoot," I force myself to say through clenched teeth. "Run."

"We have to help her!" Grace shouts as tears lapse over her cheeks. "We have to do something!" she cries. Troy shakily pulls out his pistol and slowly aims it at me. He is shaking and his eyes are watery. "Troy. Please don't. Let her go. Please. We can find a way to save her!" Grace shouts pulling the gun away from him.

"It's not fair." Andrew says suddenly. "First Stephen, then Adam, Chey, Cat, Brandon, and now Maya? Who next? This isn't fair. It isn't fair." he says through tears. "Who else do we have to lose? We've already lost so much..."  he says sadly. I feel my legs moving without permission and I'm heading towards Andrew. All I can seem to do that is concious is cry out noises and that is what I do. My warning is understood and Andrew backs away, approaching Troy and Grace. 

"We've got to get out of here." Troy says firmly. 

"We can't just leave her!" Grace shouts as I find myself limping towards them in a creepy manner. Tears are spilling unchecked down my face and I wish fervently that someone would pull a trigger. I don't want to spend the rest of my days as a monster that turns others into the same thing. That isn't even living. I don't know if I'd even be concious anymore but what if I was? I'd watch from a front row seat as I tore people apart. I just want it to end now. 

"We have too." Troy says grabbing Grace and dragging her away.

"I love you Maya," she whispers through a sob but I hear her. I fight the sickness urging me to chase after them and make them like me. I fight this posion in my veins with one intention: to give the one's I love a head start. They slowly walk off, Grace dragged crying by Troy. A head start. Troy looks back at me. Head start. He shouts something to me but I don't catch the words through the blood pounding in my ears. Head start... They go around the corner and suddenly I am seeing everything in red. Head start. I see the Infected Andrew shot lying on the ground. Head start. It lies unmoving, dead, like my mind is about to be. Im losing control.

Chase. Kill. Eat. Head start.