To Be A Runner

Chapter 37: When I'm Gone

I don't know how long we've been running, but Archie and I have switched places pushing Monica's wheelchair four times. The zombies aren't close-they're nearly out of sight-but we still haven't managed to shake them, and it's pissing me off because I have no bullets left in my gun and Archie only has one.

"Stop," Monica chokes out, her voice dry and wavering. "Stop. There's no point. I didn't want to... I know it was cowardly of me. I didn't want to die there."

I keep pushing her wheelchair, my arms and legs beginning to grow tired. Still I ignore her request for me to stop and leave her. I won't do that, not even in a dream.

Archie places her hand on Monica's shoulder while still managing to keep up a good pace. "You're not going to die. We're going to take you back to New Canton. We have good hospitals with lots of doctors. We'll keep you safe and make you better."

Monica's eyes widen and her face pales slightly. "New Canton? No, no, it's not-" Her words are cut off as she starts coughing raggedly. She nearly doubles over in her wheelchair.

I snap my head to the left to look at Archie, and her eyes are filled with just as much shock as mine are. She takes a deep but shaky breath before asking the question.

"Are you bitten?"

I bite my lip and let out a breath when she nods. "When I was lying on the hospital floor," She says with a hollow laugh. "After years of working with zombie blood slide samples, bitten. I just wanted you to-I didn't want to die in there. Not like that."

Archie and I both nod solemnly. "We understand. Do you want us to-"

"New Canton," Monica mutters with furrowed brows before coughing furiously. "New Canton. New Canton. There's something important I have to tell you-"

Before she can finish Nadia cuts in, and I kind of want to smack her in the forehead like in those V8 commercials for interrupting the dying woman.

"Okay, guys. I've sent out a couple of soldiers to take care of the zombies on your tail," She explains. "Keep moving but know you're not in any immediate danger."

Monica breathes in quick pants as coughs rack through her entire body. "Pro. Van Ark... I heard him tell one of his soldiers, 'Now we've dealt with Reeves,' he said. 'Now we've dealt with Reeves. Time for New Canton.' They're coming for you."

I swallow thickly at that knowledge, my eyes widening and chest tightening.

Why am I so worried? This is just a dream. It doesn't mean anything.

But still there's a nagging-a feeling that there's something more to this. It's the fact that I know it's a dream; The fact that I'm hearing things that I myself wouldn't just think up. Of course I didn't think that Pro. Van Ark would be Mr. Sunshine-and-Rainbows, but I never thought that he'd blow up the Keeley Center, or kill a bunch of people.

Hell, I didn't even think much of what he looked like. So why am I dreaming about this? Why am I dreaming about the people of New Canton being good, or me being someone I'm not?

Something about this is very wrong and I don't know what it is or why I feel so uneasy about it...

We've made it to a meadow, but pause at going near the too tall grass. Crawlers like to hide in the tall grass where they can't be seen, and it's easy to get bit if you can't see anything coming.

Birds are chirping happily while bees buzz as if it's any other day. I guess it is for them. To them nothing has changed. The flowers still bloom for the bees to collect pollen. There are still worms and other insects for the birds to eat. Humanity has fallen but everything else is happily living on as if nothing is wrong.