- Ashley Gray -
"We've been here a week - at most, and we have already eaten all our food? What happened to rationing?" Juliet gripes, her annoyed howl making my ears ring. My two slim hands instinctively rub at my temples, scrubbing at the headache I feel coming on.
The group of ten, thinning survivors (including myself) stand around a round table in the canteen of our current abode, everyone on edge as our eyes scan each other's faces. As if we're sizing each other up, we stand tall like werewolves, our teeth like daggers and hands like claws. I keep reminding myself that we're not savages.
"Well, who's the one who suggested to have a feast the night after we moved in here? Huh, Juliet?" Megan questions, her innocent and soft voice not fitting with her snide remark. She uses her fingers to quote Juliet's words, amusing some of the group and myself.
Megan was never one to speak out against people, she chooses to go with the flow of what Alex says because let's admit, he's usually right. Megan is a quiet one, she goes unnoticed a lot of the time but her contribution isn't scarce - she can take down a corpse any day without a sweat but her voice isn't quite as courageous. So, when she does voice her thoughts aloud, it's interesting, to say the least.
"Megan's right." Charlie defends the young girl as he wraps an arm around her. Megan's hazel eyes mingle with his as she thanks him with a bob of her poised head. Charlie then shrugs at the rest of us, avoiding any conflict.
He is also a placid member of our collective group; they're both very intelligent though. I learnt that he went to Stanford University and just finished his final year, travelling back to his home in South Carolina when the world went to shit - I guess his career did too. But with a degree in some sort of technology and a part-time job at a delivery place - he knows his way around, even now.
Megan was, or perhaps still is into music. As far as I am aware, she studied just that. She learnt the piano, the trombone and a few other instruments I had never heard of before. Megan knows her way around technology too, it was a hobby of hers. I should've seen the relationship between Charlie and Megan blossoming sooner, they are fitting for one another - quiet, caring, clever and gutsy when they want to be. They'd be unstoppable if they chose to be, but they like the simple life.
"Ugh," Juliet complains: that's her way of giving up, she can't do it without some drama. But then when does she ever give up without a long-winded fight?
"Can we all stop, please?" I raise my voice to a stern snarl just as Juliet's head rises to argue once more, her small mind transfiguring something to say. I raise my right eyebrow, daring her to say something to me, to say anything at all. She slumps over, her features agitated.
"Why are we fighting over this?" I ask with genuine bewilderment over the reason why everyone's arguing over food. Is food really the basis of attachments?
Alex places the palms of his muscular hands on the table in front of us, a small whack echoing throughout the hollow room. He looks around at the group, his eyes examining us all - but not like the way everyone was before, he wasn't challenging us, he was trying to pick out a couple of us.
"I'll take some people on a run tomorrow, we'll get food. Charlie, you said there was a mall nearby?" Alex asks, running a hand through his greasy hair in a moment of stress.
I admire Alex's will to keep strong despite the ever-growing pressures placing themselves on his shoulders. Anyone in his position would have given up by this point, especially by the moment one person in the group died. But he hasn't given up, and that's the bravest thing anyone could commit to in this fated world.
"Yeah, a couple of miles down the road, I'll guide you there," Charlie answers, his voice soothing as Alex relaxes, enjoying the quiet after everyone shut up. Alex approaches the lower windows with a stride of only four steps, he pulls back the quilt of thick material we pinned up to block any view for skin-eaters. He glances out for a moment, his mind running a marathon of thoughts.
"Sun's high in the sky, we've got a couple hours of light left I would say."
"You wanna go now?" Cody asks, his voice sceptical. I can see in his body language: he's concerned, in turmoil. His eyes reach mine for a glimpse. The light seeping through the windows at the top of the room illuminate his sea-blue irises. I can tell he wants everyone to get back safe, so I know he wants to go too.
"I don't see why not," Alex shrugs. "We've got the green light, let's go."
"Wait. Can I speak to you for a second?" I blurt as everyone else begins to chatter amongst each other, discussing the worries of our situation. I need to ask Alex for a favour, one he may not understand but it's something for me to figure out in my own time. Alex nods, concern riddled all over his soft, handsome features. His warm eyes already comforting. "What's up?"
We walk away from the group into a small operating room with the crusty bed pushed up against the wall along with all the other equipment. I look to Alex with wary eyes, wondering if I should tell him in case he jumps to a conclusion which might be correct.
"You can trust me, Ash."
"I think Cody should stay behind on this run," I admit, my voice hushed and rushed as I look at the doorway, making sure Cody isn't anywhere nearby. I'm prepared to lie my way out of this with false excuses because I don't know the real reason I want him to stay, I just know I need some sort of space between the two of us - some distance.
"Why?" Alex's lips purse as he tilts his head; one of the curls of his brunette hair falling in his face. I contemplate, I must choose my words with a caring nature.
"I just think maybe it would be best if he stayed and looked out for the others while we went." I shrug, my tone awkward and quiet as I begin to shuffle on my feet, making small paced steps. I wait for a round of questions from Alex, I expect nothing less.
"I understand that, but can't Craig stay?" Alex counters, pushing for more answers. He should have been a police officer with his talent of making people unknowingly spill the truth; yet, it wouldn't work for me. I've had too much practice at dodging questions.
"Yes, Craig could but I'm asking if Cody can this time," I reply, straightening my back, reinforcing my point with determination. I force my feet to stop shuffling and I resist the urge to fidget - that always gave me away.
"Okay, Ash. Can you just tell me what is going on between you and Cody?" Alex breaks, his strong demeanour shattering as he just wants to know - not for gossip or drama - but to help. You can always see through Alex's eyes, you can see what he wants, needs and feels. I guess that's why he wasn't a police officer...
"Look, I can't help if you don't tell me." He continues, attempting to get me to open up but it only frustrates me.
"Don't patronise me, Alex. I'm not one of your students." I backfire in a moment of rage and turmoil, not with him but within myself.
It's true, he did make me feel like a child sometimes but maybe that's how I'm acting. I'm lying about my feelings like some kid who doesn't want to tell their parent they got in trouble at school. "Sorry." I apologise, dropping my head and shaking it in disgust at myself. "I'm confused."
"It's fine. What are you confused about?" Alex proceeds, his forgiveness sincere in his soft eyes. His large hand reaches out and places itself on my arm, though this gesture doesn't make me feel childish - I'm, instead, comforted.
"Everything," I admit, unable pinpoint the cause or the actual problem.
All I know is that since I joined the group, I began to care and that was something I previously feared. Now it's like second nature for these people. I need to protect them and that makes it so much harder for me to comprehend. I can't understand the odd fluttering within the pit of my stomach every time I look at them and what it may mean - and why it doesn't happen for everyone. I'm full of confusion.
"I'm sorry - you don't need this extra weight on your shoulders." I exhale, turning to walk out.
"This is more important than anything else right now," Alex cuts me off, my feet stopping mid-step to turn back to face the wise man in front of me. "You have come so far, Ashley. I can't let you crawl back into your shell. You've opened up, allowed yourself to be one of us. Don't go back to the aggressive Ash me and Cody first met - you're better than that. So much better. Cody would wholeheartedly agree too." Alex rants, his frantic hands emphasising every perceptive word gushing from his mouth.
"I don't know what you're confused about, but even if I did, you are the only one who can figure it out. But we will help you, Ash. We owe you."
"Thank you, Alex." I croak, a burning in my throat sizzles as I swallow the lump. I clear my throat with a chesty cough before smiling a genuine smile. "Let's get back out there," I head towards the door with Alex following close behind.
"Right." Alex claps, capturing everyone's attention. Once everyone has once again gathered around, he continues, "So, Ash, Craig, Charlie and myself are taking this supply run to the nearby mall, Cody I'm putting you in charge here. Okay?" Alex orders, earning an appreciative smile from myself.
In reply, he gets a round of agreements and bustling bodies manoeuvring themselves between each other in an attempt to get chores done.
In a world of a collapsed, non-existent government; corrupt rules and cannibalism, you'd think chores were the last thing on our minds, but in reality, it's the only thing keeping our sanity intact.
"Ash," Cody's soft voice calls out to me, catching me off guard as my busy eyes observe the group passing by. I lift my eyes, averting my pupils from everyone else as they get captured in the ocean waves of Cody's irises. I nod, affirming my attention to him.
"I just wanted to tell you to stay safe," Cody speaks, a small smile peaking at the corner of his lips.
"I can handle myself," I reply, a sly smirk playing at my lips as I nudge his arm with my fist. I push the small chat me and Alex had moments ago to the back of my mind.
"I know." He states, followed with a crafty wink. I can't help but chuckle at his behaviour, he's happy, I'm glad.
"Let's go, Ash," Alex yells over to me from the doorway of the canteen.
I clear my throat in an attempt to shrug my odd nerves from my shoulders before saying a quick goodbye to Cody. He takes my hand in his as I turn, pulling me back to him. I look to him in confusion but when he pulls me to his chest and our arms instinctively wrap around one another, the confusion fades into a warmth that fills my entire body.
We release each other from the grip, tearing each other away as if we had melted together. I convince myself it's nothing so I can walk away and head towards the door where Alex waits. I miss his touch from the second it leaves my skin.
We wave to the group, my eyes lingering. I grab my longbow, quiver and jacket on the way out; I can tell by the sharp wind that autumn has arrived and I'd rather be warm than sorry. I shrug on the black denim jacket with sweater-like material sleeves, feeling the protection instantly. The sleeves feel comfortable and warm while the denim is harder for corpses to chew through. I got lucky when I scooped this up on our last run to a small corner shop with a thrift store (as Cody called it) next door.
I jumped in the passenger seat of the car (which we had scavenged along with a jug of petrol), fortuitous as most of the time I'm cosied up in the back with Cody or Charlie. I assume Alex wanted to keep a closer eye on me after our discussion. He didn't make me convince him that I'm okay; you just have to be.
How does it feel to be up-front? Alex asks as he presses his foot down on the accelerator, driving us in the direction of the mall, supervised by Charlie. Alex glances over at me with a modest smile.
Good, I lean my head back on the faux leather seats, the coolness of the material refreshing.
Car-rides were never my favourite, I preferred to walk but since I moved from England - walking was not only a lot harder but more dangerous and that was before dead people started roaming the streets alongside you. Now both walking and driving are dangerous. Imagine being stuck in a car with corpses surrounding you - that would be your worst nightmare: submerged in death.
I shiver, an uncomfortable sigh escaping my lips as I imagine the worst ways to die, one of them I almost lived myself. I earn a concerned look from Alex but I wave my hand, signalling to him that I'm fine which he hesitantly takes for an answer. I'm glad because I don't think explaining that you're thinking about death sounds very healthy. So, I block the visions from my mind with something much more beautiful...
The sea, the green under-laying the deepness of the blue, adding a texture that you couldn't feel with your skin but with your whole body and soul. Reckless and unwavering, a force that you can't stop but can surely fall in love with. Dangerous and soothing. The only difference is that the sea doesn't choose who to soothe.
After what felt like hours, but was simply a twenty-minute drive in a boiling hot vehicle that was exasperating to just sit in, we make an emergency stop. Alex curses as his foot slams down on the brakes and the car jolts forward.
We all stare out of the window with terror plastered to our faces as a horde of corpses tramples the road in front of us. They begin to swerve off their path and towards the car, Alex attempts to reverse but instead, stalls the car. He enters a vicious cycle of panic as he twists the key and then slams his foot down on the accelerator pedal too soon. The rest of us shout and holler, adding to the hysteria.
By the time Alex got the car going, it was too late. The corpses have surrounded the car, slapping and scratching the windows with their claw-like nails and dagger-like teeth. Bile drizzles from their lips and onto the windows, staining the glass a dark, murky colour. Their white eyes glare at us, never blinking as they long to taste our flesh as their next meal. Remnants of their rotten skin glue to the car as if they are melting against the heat of the metal like the wicked witch of the west.
I divert my attention from the corpses and gaze at Alex with pleading eyes. He looks right back at me with a glint of terror that makes my stomach and heart drop. He looks ahead, closing his eyes while counting down from five in a whisper. Then, once he reaches zero, he turns to me with determination.
"Right, we are going to have to push through them." He states, looking back to Charlie and Craig who hold each other's hands in a state of fear.
"Alex, there's too many." I counter.
"When were you the one to give up so quickly?" Alex asks me, a hint of a smirk on his face as he tries to motivate us.
"Okay," I say, my voice stronger than ever before.
"I'll count to three, we all get out then. Kill any that get too close, the others we leave. We run ahead."
As Alex demanded, on the count of three we all push open our doors and barge our way through the horde. I sink my knife into the corpse's brains as I make my way through. I almost make it out when I realise that Charlie is in a tangle of too many dead to fight off alone. I see Craig and Alex running off ahead, making a clean escape. I return to the horde, slashing and dicing until I reach Charlie. I take his hand and pull him out, dragging him the only way there is to go - into the woods.
We chase the treeline, zipping in and around the trees and brushes. The corpses can't keep up at our pace but we will run out of juice soon. We slow to a jog now as we reach a decent distance away.
I glance back to see where the horde is but as I do I trip over a log, slamming down into a patch of mud. Charlie, who still grips onto my hand, flies in after me.
I wipe the mud from my face and decipher my surroundings. We've fallen into a ditch about three feet deep and there's no time to escape it. I zip up my jacket and proceed to dig up the dirt to cover myself and Charlie. As a team, we douse ourselves in enough dry dirt that by the time the horde passes, they can't smell or see us. So, they simply traipse on by, stumbling down the road like a bunch of drunkards. Some of the corpses that trip through the forest almost slip down into the trench with us, but as if we are cloaked with a miracle, they find their balance and carry on.
Just as I think we have a clearing to break free through, the screeching of tyres draws the corpse's attention back to where we came from. A sports car skids, leaving marks on the road as they come to a halt in front of the horde just as we had. Only, the sports car wasn't so lucky as the car tumbles onto its side at the sudden stop. The driver scrambles out of the car just in time before the car is surrounded.
"Over here!" Charlie calls out to the man who is tripping over his feet while trying to get away.
"What are you doing?" I scold, trying to pull Charlie back from the edge of the ditch, but, he clings on.
"I'm saving him," Charlie continues to wave his hand in the air, grabbing the attention of the sports car man who slides down into the ditch with us.
We all sink back down into the mud and pray that the corpses didn't see the man running over in our direction. I have my knife in my hand in preparation for any attacks. But, it's as though they are completely oblivious as they continue to attack the car instead.
After a moment of terrified silence, the man decides to speak. "We should try to take them out." He suggests, pulling out a pistol from his belt.
"No," I stop him, putting my hand on the weapon so that he lowers it. "It will only bring more."
"You wanna trust her," Charlie nods.
The man puts his gun away and peers back at the road. He shakes his head, looking defeated. "It's going to take forever for them to disperse."
"Keep your voice down," I whisper.
"It'll take as long as it needs," Charlie says with an encouraging tone as he tries to calm the man down. "Hey, what's your name anyway?"
"Derek."
"I'm Charlie, this is Ash."
"You can call me Ashley."
"Alright, Ashley, how do you know so much about hiding from the dead?" Derek taunts, disagreeing with my tone and attitude towards him.
"I've been out here a long time," I answer, shooting him a look to say 'don't test me.'
"So have I."
I ignore him, focusing on the last few corpses who escape the woods beside us and head towards the crashed Porsche.
"Who have you been with?" Charlie intervenes, calming the tension. The man looks between the two of us, before giving in - he knows he's better off just talking to Charlie.
"Well, I'm actually looking for my family." He says, "my partner and son were staying in a house when I went out on a supply run. When I came back, the house had been overrun and they fled."
"I'm sorry, man. We can help you find them."
"Oh, no, that's alright. I don't have anything to offer in return."
"Just call it a good deed," Charlie shrugs, his kind attitude shining through. He can always be good and do good even when covered in mud and hiding from a horde of corpses.
"Can we please be quiet?" I snap, silencing the men.
The three of us become restless, tired of waiting for a horde of corpses to walk away on their own. I gave up on checking after realising that we might be here for hours. It feels like it's been ten hours already but only half an hour as breezed passed us - no corpses.
The dirt has started to intertwine within the threads of my jacket and my skin, It'll be shocking if it ever comes out now. I'm endlessly scraping the grains of dirt from under my broken and jagged fingernails too. I think there is some in my boots.
Sports car man is dozing off, probably because of the concussion, but in every other way, he looks well. He barely has any cuts from the crash, only a lump on his head. To keep himself awake, he messes about with his gun, taking it apart and rebuilding it. He must have been in the military.
Charlie can't help himself as he continues to keep conversation flowing, talking about whatever pops up in his mind as a way to distract himself from the droning corpses.
"Any chance you're an Aries?"
I frown, turning to look to him with a confused expression. "As in the star sign?"
"Yeah," he responds, a chipper tone injected into his voice now.
"Well, actually, yes."
"I knew it," Charlie gloats as I turn back scrubbing at my hands. He continues, deep in thought, "the compatibility is alright."
"Huh?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Just that Cody's a Taurus. It's nothing." He rambles. So much so that I barely make out what he's saying.
It takes some thought and mental analysis before I realise what he said. Cody's a Taurus? Good compatibility? I lift my head to question him but as I do, I see him peeking over the trough of the trench. I imitate his movements.
A car - our car - whizzes past with its horn blazing, catching the attention of the horde. The corpses leave their investigation of the car wreck and chase after the moving vehicle, creating a racket. They start slow but soon enough they're all disappearing around the corner. That's when a set of boots come running over and stop above us.
"Alex," I breathe, taking Alex's hand and climbing out of the trench.
I rip off the bloodied and muddy rag of clothing and wrap my arms around him, squeezing my eyes closed as I embrace the man in a suffocating hug.
As Alex pulls away, he turns around at the sound of a rattling car engine. Our car, which had circled the area around us, skids around the corner and slides in front of us. Craig climbs out and has a look of pure exhilaration plastered on his face.
"That felt like a drag race," He chuckles as he walks over to us and helps Charlie out of the trench. Craig is also enveloped in a bear hug.
"That was awesome," Charlie says.
"Who's this?" Craig asks, his hand reaching for his weapon in defence after Charlie backs away, revealing the sports car man.
Derek climbs out of the mud behind us. Charlie and I hoist him up before he holds up his hands in surrender.
"I'm Derek and don't panic, I'm not here to intrude on anything. I'm just looking for my family." His dirty hands tremble, dirt falling from them like dust. He keeps a distance from Alex and Craig who eye him with caution.
"Well, Derek, we can take you with us and maybe you can hijack a car and get back on track to finding your family." Alex offers.
"That would be great, thank you."
The four of us make our way back onto the road where the guys have returned our ride. We all climb in and start on our journey to the mall - again. In good time too as when we pull off, the horde peeks back around the corner.
After a short drive, we arrive at the shopping centre that's full to the brink of restaurants, clothing stores, welfare shops, boutiques and emporiums. It was bound to have an infestation of walking corpses, hungry for flesh and breathing beings.
Alex pulls up the car by the front entrance of the shopping mall, giving us easy access to get to the car whether the building gets surrounded from the inside or outside. We all clamber out, grabbing our survival gear before Charlie does a quick scout around the front of the building and Craig and Alex bang on the windows and doors to attract any attention from anything that may be inside so we know what we are dealing with.
I hold my bow in my hands while keeping my eye on our surroundings in case we drew some attention from elsewhere. I turn my nose up in disgust as a dead, rotting body lays not too far from the building's entrance, torn apart by corpses and ravens. She was dead, not a human, not a corpse, just a carcass left to disintegrate into the pavement. But her eyes are open, the dusty white irises piercing straight through me. It's soulless, heartless... What if that were me?
Meanwhile, Derek gets in a nearby car and finds the spare key in the glove compartment. He starts it up, celebrating to himself as it all works. He calls out a goodbye to us, which we return. I lean over to the window which he rolls down.
"Not quite like the Porsche," I jester, my way of apologising for the hostile attitude from earlier. He chuckles in response, nodding too.
"I'll take anything as long as I find my husband and son." He tears up, clearly missing his family more than anyone should.
"Good luck," I say, tapping the top of the car before moving back, giving him room to drive away.
We wave to him as he travels out of the parking lot and onto the main road.
Charlie returns and announces that the coast is clear. Nothing dead or alive reciprocates our noisy proclamation, so as the three boys prepare themselves for a sudden surprise of whatever could throw itself at us, I grab a crowbar from the boot of the car. I start to pry open the set of double doors separating us from the dark, dingy and jilted array of shops. I jab the crossbar into the miniscule gap between the two doors and use my body-weight of barely six stone - if that - and hoist the barricaded entrance open. The doors ping open.
I jump back in time, avoiding the harsh impact that the doors would have caused. Craig pulls the door closest to him open as wide as it can go and peers inside, squinting to see through the darkness. The sunlight attempts to shine through the windows that have grown grime over the years. The entryway allows enough light for us to see up to about ten feet in front of us, enough to give us time to kill any threats that may jump us. But after five minutes of tense silence and focused eyes that weren't distracted by the smallest of thing - we realised that this place was empty. Did we dodge a massive bullet? Or did we fire one that may just turn around and bite us?
"Uhh - shall we go in?" Charlie asks jovially after an uncomfortable length of silence, his voice a whisper and his eyebrows raised in question in an expecting manner. We all turn to look to him, our faces dis-humoured as he takes a step forward and then wobbles back and forth as if unsure whether to enter the building.
Alex is the first to break: a stifled laugh rumbles in his throat before erupting into a chain of laughter which then sets off Craig and myself. It's just the way he says things.
"Well?" Charlie then pursues, a repressed chuckle escaping his lips.
After we have cooled off, Alex elaborates on the plan, "It looks clear, but that doesn't mean you can get distracted. In and out, okay?" His tone now more stern and demanding as he composes himself for the safety of the group.
The three of us nod in unison, before following Alex inside. We resort to using our flash-lights after we leave the small amount of sunlight that was oozing in.
I shine my light upwards, observing the shops that used to be busy with people, angry customers and all sorts of smells that would have been diffusing from the restaurants and beauty stores. For a moment, I thought I could see the building at its peak - the ceiling lights shining alongside the pristine windows, the skylights and the people bumping shoulders as they ran to get to their appointment at the hair salon or get into the food court before the queue got too long. At that moment it felt as though nothing had changed, the world was back to normal, no corpses, no skin-eaters, nothing but living, breathing human beings getting on with their daily shop.
It wasn't until Charlie nudged me that the insanely vivid image flew away from me. I blinked away the shock and caught up with the cautious men who appear placid despite the unusual lack of... well, anything. It's impossible that not one corpse roams the tiled hallways or even a living person who broke in and was surviving on the supplies deserted here. But, it wasn't impossible because the place was empty, vacant of any life but our own. How?
"I think we should split up in pairs, scavenge what we need then get out of here. I don't like the vibe." Charlie suggests, the four of us stopping to set up a plan of action.
"But, with only four of us, we won't get far." I counter, shrugging before looking around us to count how many shops we could clear in an hour even in pairs.
"I suppose."
"I would feel better if we were in pairs," Alex admits, studying my face, wonder in his own eyes.
I stare back at him, using my irises to hint to him that I, at least, will be okay by myself and that I want to be. For the whole time that I have been in the group, I have had zero minutes to myself, it can be overwhelming.
"However, Ash, you are right: we will get more done if we go independently." Alex acknowledges. "Pick somewhere close by, get what you can carry and then everybody meets back here in one hour." Alex orders, and with that I skip away to the furthest shop that is still in sight for Alex - planning on making my way back, heading into each shop as I do so. "One hour!" Alex calls out to everyone, but mainly me as I rush down the corridor before he enters a shop himself.
I use my light to glance up at the shop's sign seeing that it is a clothing store, one that I'll admit, I can't pronounce. I go inside anyway, spying at the aisles to check for threats before whizzing around, only picking up clothing items that would fit and suit everyone. Black and grey t-shirts line the basket hooked on my arm along with pairs of jeans and underwear, especially socks. As a child, you never appreciated getting socks for Christmas, even if they were the fluffiest or softest pair you had ever seen, but now it's all everyone wants and frankly needs.
After spending a maximum of fifteen minutes in that shop, I moved to the neighbouring store. I rushed my way around the aisles, picking up whatever I saw that would be useful. Though, after I had placed the full basket outside the shop, ready to scoop up once I had finished searching all five of the stores in my row, I wandered around a little bit. I allowed my mind to get lost in thought; I hadn't had a chance to do so in months now. Ever since considering myself as a member of the group, I haven't had a chance to think. When I was alone, rotting in that cabin many months (or years) ago, all I did was think. I thought about ways to survive, die, cure the disease I created and who knows what. So many random things crossed my mind, I don't remember the extent. Perhaps that was me descending into insanity, maybe I was going crazy.
I instinctively brought the palm of my hand to my cheek, covering the nasty, grisly scar that reaches from the corner of my lips to my right earlobe. My fingers trace the scar as I come to a halt in the middle of an aisle, the dip within my cheek extensive compared to the smoothness of the rest of my face. It's like someone dug a pathway in my face, like how a trench might have looked during the war. It's horrific and despite the fact I hadn't looked at it in weeks, I knew exactly how it appeared, the image of my ruined features etched into my mind. Along with the blood that poured out, gushing when it first happened. I wish I had never peered through that damned mirror the night Wayne took a knife to my face. I can remember the moment vividly: the vomit pushing up my throat, my eyes watering with salty tears, the burning sensation that settled into an uncomfortable numbing, the kind where it's as though you're floating above your body. It felt as though death was closing in on me as the blood fled my body. But somehow I brewed up the courage to bandage my face with some cloth and duck tape. That didn't stop me from collapsing on the rusty floor of that cabin, falling in and out of consciousness for days. That was the worst night of my life.
Clearing my throat as well as my mind, I wiped the stray tear that had escaped with the back of my hand and shook my head a little. I don't know how long I was in that trance, but I knew it was about time I had to get back to the others. So, I spun on my heels, prepared to grab the baskets that I had filled but I didn't get as much as two steps towards the door before a black mass captured my vision.
Thwack!
Something smacked into the side of my head; a pain that my body had become so acquainted with that the blurry shadow had to knock me down twice before my vision finally failed me and the world turned black.
It was all a trap.