To Be A Runner

Chapter 53: Aftermath

I can hear it. Everything. I can hear it all-gunshots, explosions...

Those tones.

I hear it, but everything is so distorted, and slurred, as if I'm underwater. Black is all I see, but there is no silence. Explosions, gunshots, tones.

And her voice.

"Holy Mary, mother of God."

"Five, wake up!"

There's a loud groan of a zombie.

"I guess we know who left that out in the wilderness."

"Come on! Damn it, Five."

There's more gunshots.

"They've got rocket launchers."

"I've got to go," Sarah says urgently. The underwater feeling stops, and the gunshots are loud, piercing and painful to my ears. "Open your damn eyes, Five! You can't stay here and I can't stay with you."

It takes everything to do as she says. It feels as if something is weighing my eyelids down, but still I force myself to open my eyes. Her face comes into view, leaning over me with hard green eyes with just a hint of worry. My body aches as loud, various mixes of gunshots and zombie groans ring into my ears, followed by static in my headset.

"I can't see anything," Nadia says. "Cameras aren't working. Runner Twenty, stay where you are."

I grasp Sarah's forearm as I try to sit up. My body screams for me to stop, but I don't. The ache in my muscles make me wince, but I know I can't stay still. Sarah grabs my arms and helps me to my feet, and I lean against her for support.

"That's it. That's it," She says encouragingly, pushing me away gently. I almost fall over before gaining my balance. "You have to stand up on your own; You have to be ready to run when they come. I'm going to lead the pack north."

She takes her pistol from its holster and raises it up in the air, firing two shots. "That's right! Over here!"

I turn to focus on the zombies heading for us, but my focus falters when I hear it. I hear it loud and clear.

The tones. Those bells and organ music mixed with autotune. I know it. I hear it.

Maybe I hit my head too hard when I was blown back.

"Don't worry," Sarah laughs, her eyes glancing over to her gun. "I'll save one bullet for myself if the time comes."

My brows knit together and I give a slight frown. Time comes? Bullet for herself? What does she... oh, no.

"There is a possibility that I've been bitten. When the blast hit us I obviously was blown away from you. There was a crawler in the tall grass. I have a scrape in my ankle. I can't know for sure but I have to be safe and get clear of you and the Township."

I stiffen just as the tones sound off again. They're faint, but I can hear them through the gunshots and growls. I want to ask about them, but I can't because my heart is pounding in my chest. Because Sarah might be bitten and she's the only person who I know is still alive and she can't leave me. I can't believe left alone. She can't leave me here alone.

I try to keep a calm face, but it's so hard when I know she's going to leave me here, all alone with no coms and no Sam or Janine and I just don't know what to do.

"I've checked you, by the way, and you're clean." She glances down at the zombies only a few minutes away from reaching us. "Here they come. Listen, Five, Abel might be gone. The coms are silent, there were zombies with rocket launchers and everything's gone crazy, but if she's still alive, tell Janine something for me. It's important."