Humanity's Hope: Book 1 in the Saving Humanity Series

CHAPTER 14

Caleb slammed through the front door and closed it with authority. He spotted another door to his left and pulled it open. A coat closet. Perfect. He stepped in and closed the door behind him. He sunk to the floor as his breath came in rasps. Bile rose to the back of his throat, and he attempted to swallow it back down. The world spun around him, but in the confines of the closet, it didn't seem too out of control.

What happened in the ghetto replayed through his mind. He realized the zombie that had been on his legs wasn't trying to attack him, it was attempting to get back on its feet. He shuddered. The thought wasn't exactly comforting. They thought he was one of them. They thought he was a rotting killing thing. His stomach cramped. The bile burned into his mouth. They thought he was the one thing he despised the most. Caleb swallowed thickly, and the bile slid back down his throat, but the acrid taste remained in his mouth.

No, he told himself. You are not like them. You are nothing like them.

But they made you what you are, the voice in the darkness whispered.

Instinctively, his fingers lightly touched the bandage on his arm. He squeezed his eyes shut and took in a shaky breath.

It doesn't matter. I'm still better than they are. They may have made me, but I will destroy them.

He took another deep breath and exhaled slowly. He was still human. He still had thoughts, feelings, and emotions. He could make his own decisions. The desire to consume other humans' flesh hadn't overtaken him. He was nothing like the zombies. Nothing. His stomach uncramped, and his breathing came a bit easier. Opening his eyes, he assessed his situation. Even though he wasn't exactly a zombie, that didn't make what had happened less unnerving. He had been in the middle of a horde. He'd come face to face with the undead. It was like his dream had come true. His entire body shuddered. Even though his dream wasn't a reflection of anything that had happened in real life, it still pulled from real events and enhanced his deepest fears. Caleb hadn't even been in a zombie pile before today, but he had watched his father die in horrific fashion, killed by the undead. That had been bad enough, but the dreams made it so much worse. Instead of watching from a distance, which was what happened in reality, he was forced to face the death up close in his dreams.

He shook the thoughts from his head. His body tensed as the full realization of where he was hit him. The house! And not any house, the headquarters of the humans when they came to the ghetto! Crap! What if there was a camera?

His heart rate increased, but he took several breaths to calm himself down. He reminded himself there were cameras everywhere around the ghetto, and he hadn't been overly cautious about avoiding those. He had convinced himself they didn't monitor the area regularly. They checked in every once in a while, but not religiously. Why had he assumed that was what happened? Because then it made his plan make sense. He wouldn't have done what he did if he thought he would get caught immediately. Even if they did see him climb into the ghetto, they would be fools to follow him. He knew he had an advantage they didn't.

He calmed himself down further, but he couldn't stop the involuntary shaking of his muscles. Hopefully, when he was more focused on what he had to do, it would ease the shock. Caleb nervously chuckled to himself. He didn't think he'd make it this far. He had hoped he would, but there was always doubt in the back of his brain. He couldn't stop now. He had to keep pushing forward.

Taking a deep breath and wiping his sweaty palms on his pants, he leaned forward toward the door. With his hand on the knob and using painfully slow movements, he cracked it open. He peered out, straining his ears for sounds in the house. If he had tripped an alarm or was on camera, he expected the living to be on their way. Muffled moans and small creaks reached his ears. He listened for a few moments longer. No other sounds were heard. Before opening the door farther, he surveyed the surroundings.