Better off Dead

2

"Y/n, your alive." Brad breaths desperately as he kneels down to scoop two hands under your arms and drag you out. Your hisses are silenced by the chaotic cacophony of sound around you. Brad lifts you to you feet and holds your hand across his shoulders. You find little comfort in his help as you can only think of one person. One person you hope not to grieve or miss but to escape with.

You were so close.

You hands ball in your fists as you look over Brad's shoulder.

"Where is- Where is she?" You stutter anxiously as Jill remains unseen. Brad hauls you closer to him- allowing him to slowly walk with you. You feel like dead weight on him.

"She's safe. Rescued." He reassures you as he almost drags you past the creature. It's positioned in a crouch with one huge hand covering a gap in its chest. It's face ducked low, exposing a number of inhuman veins sticking out from its neck. What is that thing? Light flares form it as if it were some sort of torch lighting up the darkened city around you. It's other hand spread out on the cracked floor for stability.

It better be dead, but a cold pit in your stomach tells you otherwise. You wince as Brad turns to guide you down the stair case; Jill finally coming in sight. She's unconscious and basically being hauled along by a figure currently cloaked in a shadow. Her feet drag along the stairs and her cut up tired arm looses around the man's neck.

They have almost reached the bottom stairs whilst you and Brad are half way through. Brad unhooked your arm from over is shoulder and links arms instead. Your fingers curl into him, well into something. What pokes out from his skin his inhumanly cold and wet under you finger tips. As you subtly investigate further, you realise. Three teeth indents. A bite.

Brads infected.

Was that what they we're talking about earlier? No, Jill would have done something, Brad would have done something. He's selfless so he'd do the right thing. So why hasn't he? Unless he doesn't know. Shit.

A deep groan travels down the roots of the earth. Followed by another rumble. Chipped pieces of stair broke off from under your shoes making you clench Brad tighter, avoiding the bite mark.

"What is that?" You drearily ask, barely keeping your eyes open. You can heard Brad slowly start to panic but all sounds around you start to merge together and swirl around your aching head. Your vision blurs and twitches. I might be infected at this rate, you remark in your head. Your eyelids shut and open. But a shake from Brad jolts you awake.

"Y/n! That things back we gotta run, do you think you can do that?" He asks whilst speeding down to the bottom of the staircase. In all honesty, no you can't but you nod and wearily pull yourself from him. C'mon pull it together.

The monster is still quite far behind you as you jog on. Your whole body a continuous ringing pain. You won't last long. Brads selfless didn't last long as you watch him run faster until he caught up with Jill and the soldier-looking man. You feel useless as you fall behind them.

Hot air rushes in and out of your lungs rapidly. You arms almost reaching for the group ahead. Your running down a wide alley now between two buildings both painted off-white. Rubbish litters the streets around you, you make sure to dodge any objects on the floor waiting to trip you. Waiting to make you prey.

Your ears have lost individual sound and now you can make out two: your breathing and ringing. Jill's looking likes she's in better condition then you are, she's supported by both Brad and the man, her arms lazily slung over their shoulders. She's running but doesn't even look awake. Does she even know your behind her?