The Infected

[2] The Infected

Chapter Two

Quite surprisingly, I was not attacked when I stepped outside. In fact, there were not many bodies outside, waiting to frighten me. There definitely were a few, but they didn't look like they would be reanimating any time soon. Where had all the moving ones gone? Maybe they got distracted by other prey. Whatever the reason, I decided not to question it. I was just grateful they weren't here. As I stepped outside, I realized how foolish the move was. What if there had been an undead creature waiting for me? What would have become of me? I froze in my tracks as I realized how ignorant I really was. I could not do this alone. I sank to the ground and tried to surpress a cry. I took a deep breath. And another. And another. It cleared my head, somewhat. I will call somebody, I decided. I shouldn't call my parents, because their phones were on the counter when I was packing. I'll admit that I'm still in denial about where they could be. I decided to call my best friend, Sasha.

After about ten seconds of waiting, I realized there was no connection.

"Oh, no..." I muttered, though not loudly enough to be heard by anybody (or anything) else.

"Maybe the neighbor's kids are still alive," I thought, and with that I was off. I went straight to the house next to mine, the one where this girl from my English class lived. Though she was annoying, I needed to know that I was not the last one left.

The door was open. That was not a good sign. I walked in quietly, and exited quickly.

"Did it notice me?" I thought frantically, then sprinted to a nearby makeshift alley. I then heard the click of the safety on a gun being deactivated behind me, in a corner. Reflexively, I aimed the gun I had at the figure sitting in the corner. The mysterious person did the same.

"Are you infected?" whispered the person, who I soon realized was a boy, roughly my age.

"No," I responded, sure I had not been infected. As long as the zombie disease was not airborne, I was fine. He lowered his gun. I did the same.

"Well, then. I guess I won't have to kill you," he said.

"I guess not," I said, not sure how else to respond.

"It isn't good to travel alone, you know. Downright stupid, actually," he commented. Was he calling me stupid?

"I just woke up to this nightmare, okay, and my family is probably dead. I was just about to go looking for my friend Sasha, because my neighbor's house is zombie infested. How did you get here, anyway? You're travelling alone, too."

"Where did you get the gun?" he asked, ignoring my question.

"Like I'm going to tell you? I don't even know your name."

"I'm Mark," he said, then he emerged from the shadows.

He had medium-length black hair, like mine, and grey eyes. His skin was light, but not neon white. He wore a plain black shirt and a pair of grey skinny jeans. A smirk emerged on his face, and I realized that he probably noticed I was checking him out. I looked away, then met his eyes again.

"I'm Celia," I said, "and I got the gun from my father."

"I thought you said your family is dead."

"He didn't exactly give it to me."

"Alright, Celia, it's been a pleasure. But I can't waste any time," he said, and then he started walking away.

"Wait, Mark!" I said, a bit loudly.

In a few seconds he was back in the makeshift alley, his hand around my mouth. I struggled to get his hand off, but he was strong.

"If you want to live, you'd better stop talking so loudly," he growl- whispered into my ear.

"Sorry," I said, though it came out muffled with his hand still covering my mouth.

After a few moments of listening, he let go. He gave me another look, then his expression softened.

"Which direction are you going?" he asked softly.

"That way," I whispered, pointing in the direction of Sasha's house.

"Alright, I'm going that way, too. You won't last a minute out there by yourself. Come with me," he said. He wasn't asking, I realized.

"Okay, then..." I said, then quietly jogged up next to him. We walked in silence, though we constantly had to jump into alleys to avoid being seen by the undead demons. I was just happy to not be alone, as I'm sure Mark was as well.

While we were walking, I wondered why he had suddenly changed from cold to caring. "Just because I was a little loud," I thought to myself. It was something I would simply think about later. With all of the delays due to avoiding zombies, nightfall hit all too soon.

"We should find somewhere to rest," mumbled Mark, so that I could only just hear him.

"Where should we go?" I asked, convinced that nowhere was safe.

"Our best bet is in the trees, I think. I doubt they would be able to climb them," he responded thoughtfully.

"Let's go then," I said, then went for the nearest tree. Again, I felt him grab me from behind.

"What is it??" I asked, startled, before I looked around.

"You can't go doing that, Celia. Acting on impulse. You will get yourself killed. Like my sister..." he mumbled the last three words. Ahh, so that was why he was being all nice. He had lost somebody.

"Well, I don't see any zombies nearby," I said quietly. He was silent. Without warning, he sprinted to a tree a few feet behind us, dragging me by the arm. I got to my feet and began climbing as quickly as my hands would let me. Mark found a branch large enough to fit him. I found one just large enough so that I fit. "Sweet dreams," I mumbled before I fell asleep.

It was good that I found Mark, I decided. Though a little strange, he knew what he was doing.

I would be dead right now if not for him, I realized, frightening myself with the truth of those words. I decided to stick with Mark, for it was my main chance for survival.