Newt imagines 2

Biter

The bus rolled over the hill, the sea sparkled like a diamond in the sun, white horses breaking against the shore line. For a moment the world was intact, you weren't a murderer and people were just people. Then it was gone and the bus drove past the town entrance sign. The whole town looked intact, untouched by the disease that makes you feast on each other. However the streets were bare, completely empty, cars gone empty garage doors wide open. The castle was on the opposite side of the town, so you had to drive all the way through.

You're sat in the front with Thomas, Newt's driving. You stick your head out the window like a dog, quickly returning in coughing. "It stinks of fish and cow shit." The others laugh.
"I can't believe we've made it." Thomas says kicking his feet up on the side top.
Newt pushes his feet off and wipes off the muddy boot print. "Keep your feet down slinthead."
You laugh. "Aww, Newtie got a girlfriend?" Yeah, you started giving him nicknames.
"Newt loves the bus." Thomas sings over and over.
"Slim it, you shanks." He chuckles.
The bus leaves the house packed area, heading towards the hill. At the bottom is a large sign, 'The Castle Hotel'. "We're here." You smile, your knee twitching. "I hope this works."
"Love, it will." Newt says.
"How do you know that, she could be sending us to our deaths." Thomas jokes.
"Because it was y/n's idea you klunkhead." He playfully punches Thomas.
"Stop the bus here, Newtie." You say. "A bunch of us will go check the place out and if it's safe then we bring the kids up."

He parks in the middle of the road and you all clamber over into the back, you sit next to Troy. "Me, Thomas, Minho and Newt are going to check the place out. You stay with the kids?"
"No, I'll go, you stay." He says taking the gun out his pocket and loading in the ammo. He took the ammo as soon as he found it and the gun, said he was the best one to have it. He can't even shoot it!
You put on a fake smile hiding the disappointment, this was your idea you wanted to be the one to open the gates and take the first step in. "Sure."

They go, no one asking you to go along. You get your bow and sit in the doorway, plucking the string like a guitar, you shut your eyes and listen to the silence. It was like the world was finally giving all those dead people their minutes of grieving silence.

Your eyes snap open at the sound of footsteps moving fast, three figures run towards you, down the hill. You get up slowly, four guys had left, only three were returning. They get closer into focus, your heart races and your mind clicks into protection mode. You nock up an arrow pointing it a the three oncoming strangers.
They halt at an arm span length, raising heavy armed machine guns. "Put the bow down miss." A formal voice from the middle man, it was like he was a cop. "Put the weapon down and there won't be any trouble."

You feel dead inside, where were the others? Where was Newt? Sweat precipitates on your hands, for a moment you feared the arrow was going to slip right through your fingers. The cop suddenly looked like the man at the food store, an arrow stuck out of his chest, blood pouring out the wound, his eyes, his mouth.

You back away, trembling. "No, no, no, not you." You mutter. Hands grab you, ripping your arrow out of your hands and you look at the cop again. He's fine, yelling orders at the other two, you must have hallucinated. He's got hand cuffs. They pin you on the floor, hands behind your back. Your face forced against the cold Tarmac, it felt like a harsh sandpaper being wiped across your face. The cold metal clamps around your wrist digging in as he tightens them.

"Check the bus." He barks.
"No." You scream. "Em! Em!" He places a knee on your back, your back clicks and you wiggle at the sound. "If you dare hurt them!"
Footsteps and screaming kids fill your ears. The cop on top of you, speaks into something. "Got them all here like they said." There's a small fuzz, and then there's another voice, it's rubbly as if it's through a walkie talkie. "Ok, bring them up."
"On our way." He replies.

He pulls on the chain between your hands. "Get up." You stumble up, hair falling in your face, your cheek has gone numb. He shoves you forward, and you trip over your own feet. He pulls you back up, the two other men are escorting the kids up the pathway. Em is with her friends looking at you, she screams your name but is quickly silenced. These men were having it all their way.

You walk up the hill in silence, the cop's gun trained on your back. You try to blow the hair out of your face and start shaking your head to see. The large black gates are shut, a large wooden lookout tower pokes above the stone walls, like a flower sprouting out of the ground. The cop whistles and a man from inside runs to the gate with a large set of keys, he pulls open the gate with a struggle and closes them behind. Locks them shut and takes the keys. The castle's large thick bricks are clothed in a green moss, surrounded by more fresh flowing green grass. The cop pushes you towards the wall where the four boys sit, he pushes you down next to Newt.
"Cuffs?" You practically demand.
He stares at you angrily and leans against the wall his gun trained on you. The other two come back from where ever they have taken the kids, they are playing with your bow, throwing it between them.
"Hey! That's mine." You shout, Newt shoving his hand over your mouth.
"Are you stupid?" He hisses. "They've got machine guns, and the kids. Love, they've got Em. Just don't anger them."

You shake his hand off of you and pull your knees up sulking. A middle aged woman, she was clean, comfortably skinny with long blond hair, that looks like it's been curled, she walks past carrying a basket loaded heavily. The cop goes over to her.
"Hey darling." They give each other a greetings kiss that could only have been in a newly formed relationship.
"What do you want?" She giggles. He picks up a red thing between his fingers, you instantly recognise it as a strawberry. She was carrying a basket that went up to here knees full of freshly picked strawberries. "Now not too many, I heard we've got kids joining. I'm going to take these over to them."
You struggle to your feet. "Strawberries?" You take a step forward, and the cop points his gun at you.
"Put that down Matt." She lowers his aim. "These are strawberries for the kids you brought in." Her voice was sweet and gentle.
The cop marches over and pushes you back down. "Wait for your interview." He orders.
You rest your head on Newt's shoulder.

It took five minutes before an old couple, thin white hair on both their heads hobble out the large wooden doors to the castle using sticks. They pause before the five of you grubby unimpressed lot. He was wearing a red waistcoat, glasses with a golden chain and a pair of newly cleaned shoes. She was in a vintage dress, a sliver diamond necklace around her neck and on her wrinkly finger was a wedding ring.

He claps his hands. "Now the interviews for a place in our lovely castle will begin." He scans you over with his eyes, you knew when you could see the horror the world had turned to in people's eyes, but in his you saw roast dinners and story time round the fire in an armchair. "So who's the leader?"
You lick your lips, constant thirst had sapped the softness out of them.
"I am." Down the line someone spoke up.
"Good, we like to see a strong young man leading." The woman smiles, her voice like the sickliest cupcakes at the bakers.
Newt scowls as Troy follows them into the castle, escorted by a guard. "That bloody good for nothing bastard is stealing all of your hard earned rewards."
You kiss his cheek thankful someone knew what you had done. "It's no use getting angry."

Maybe an hour later, your unsure time went slowly watching people walk past with big bowls of food. They would look at you, and you hated it, their eyes were full of life unlike the biters that stare at you everyday. Of course they were going to watch, humans always have been nosey bastards. The guard comes back and points at you and Newt. "Come on, it's your turn." You both get up, the guard unlocks your hand cuffs, you rub the red marks on your wrist getting some blood circulation into your fingers. You both follow him through the doors. He leads you down a stone corridor, paintings hanging off the wall, pictures of families. He opens a door with roses carved on, you cautiously follow Newt in.