Cellar Sheep

Chapter 24

"Karma?"

My head whipped around at the familiar voice, an ounce of hope lifting that weight.

Yale stepped out from underneath the stairs. He looked pale and weak, terrified and worn, yet it was Yale.

"Yale." His name was barely a whisper from my voice.

Wordlessly, he ran up and threw his arms around my neck, burying his head in my shoulder and sobbing in relief.

"I thought you were dead!" He cried. "I thought you were all dead!"

My eyes widened as three more people stepped out from behind the stairs: Amari and the twins.

They spent the next several minutes explaining everything that had happened since we left for the mission. 

When we didn't arrive the second day things went to hell. They didn't know how but infectee had infiltrated the place, destroying and killing everything and everyone in sight. Some ran, others were killed before they could move, but these four hid.

Out of the fourteen sheep in the cellar, four survived.

They thought they were done for, that they'd die down here. They'd given up hope that we'd made it to the lodge and would return.

"But you made it," Yale said. "You came back."

"Mary and Jesse never came?" I asked. They looked at me confused. Well, that answered it.

"Yeah, about them," Amari said, her voice quiet. The twins were huddled in her arms and the three never seemed to let go of one another. "Where's the rest of the group? Have they come back to save us?"

My lack of response answered for them.

"Look," I told them. "We don't have much time. The rescue helicopter is gonna show up any time now and you have to be on the roof so you can be taken to the safety camp, ok? We don't have any time to waste."

"But, how?" Yale asked. "It's too dangerous up there, much less travel to the roof."

"I know," I said. "That's what I'm here for."

Slowly and cautiously, the five of us made our way up to ground level. I lead the way, keeping the sheep close to me and an eye out for any potential threats. And so far so good. We were almost to the stairs when Carter let out a gasp of terror. My eyes snapped where her's were locked, my arms already pushing them behind me.

Only a room away stood an infectee I'd never seen before but I knew who it was. He looked himself if not for the gaping hole in his stomach that was filled with rows upon rows of teeth. A mouth where a wound used to be.

It was Hunter.

Behind him scuttled out an infectee I'd grown to like, Arachna's beady eyes poised on me.

I stared them both down, keeping the four protected behind me, and stood up straight. I dropped my defensive stance and stared at them.

"Go," I told them. "Leave."

They flickered between me and the sheep, debating if it was worth it. Yet in the end, just like the muscular infectee, they obeyed and left.

Before Yale could ask how or one of the twins cry from fear, I turned around and began to march into the stairwell.

"Let's go."

We climbed up the stairs, spiraling up each case one by one. Every infectee we came across on the floors scattered away once they saw my glare. Any infectee that dared take a step near us thought twice and fled when I growled at them.

It was like they knew not to interfere with my one last goal, my last promise.

And before we knew it we'd made it to the top.

The helicopter wasn't here yet and there was no telling when it'd show up but we'd wait until it did. In the meantime we cleared off our S.O.S signal of snow and the four huddled together to keep warm while I kept lookout.

I sat on the edge of the roof as I did, not once did any of them try to talk to me. Not even Yale and I was thankful for that. He seemed to know that I wasn't the Karma he once knew, that I wasn't his friend anymore.

It was near dark when the helicopter showed up, the blizzard gone and only a light fall of snow fell. The four behind me wept with joy as it landed, sobbing relief and hurriedly getting on. They were ready to feel safe and secure and they deserved it.

While the four were being wrapped in blankets, one of the rescuers leaned out and called to me.

"Hey, kid! You comin' or what?" He yelled. I turned to him.

"No," I said to him. "I'm infected."

"Wait, you the special infectee they warned about?" He asked. I shook my head.

"No, they're gone," I said. "They lost long ago."

"Oh, that's a shame." He said, throwing me a sympathetic look. "Well, best of luck, kid."

I watched from the edge as they flew off, the light snowfall melting on my shoulders. I watched them till they were a speck in the sky and until there was nothing.

I sat down on the ledge. From up here, you could see everything in this town. The blizzard had made it a winter wonderland, the light snowfall making it feel as if I were inside a snow globe. The town was quiet, peaceful even. Too cold for infectee to roam, too empty for life.

The sun was starting to set, a bright orange that reflected off the snow-covered building and trees. It was pretty.

"This is it," I said. To myself, to the voice, to the empty town below me, or to any gods who would listen. "I'm done. I saved the cellar sheep, I kept my promise. There is nothing left for me."

"Are you ready?" The voice asked me. "You'll finally be free."

I smiled, just a bit. 

"You asked me before what my biggest desire was and I didn't know," I said. "I don't believe in a god or an afterlife and I have nothing to hope for, but I think I know now what it is I desire most."

"And what is that?"

"To live." I said simply. I stared at the sunset, the vacant town that sat below me. "But I can't have that so I desire the next best thing."

"Which is?"

I looked down at my forearms that were lined with scars I now have no memory of getting. My life before is gone and all I have is now. But now is not my life.

"To die," I said. From the pocket of my shorts, I pulled out the box of matches from Thomas's coat. I felt the voice inside me falter and that made me smile. I was still in control now, I could still fight it until the very end as Thomas had done.

I was still a survivor.

I struck the match, the flame sending the infectee inside curling but I embraced it. Every ounce of pain I would endure to prevent it from taking over, to stop it from killing, I would embrace. I wouldn't let it win, I was going to put up a final fight. I'll be free in my own way, in my own mind and body. I will die as myself. I will die as Karma. I will die a survivor.

"I wish to die."

This is the end of Cellar Sheep

Thanks for reading!!!