"It's locked" Jaxon spoke as he shoved hard at the door with his shoulder.
Arden rolled his eyes and pushed past Jaxon's pathetic attempts.
Arden studied the lock for a moment before stepping back a little, seconds later, he had barged at the door the same way Jaxon had – only his attempt successful.
"He's still got it, and you, well you don't" Ronan teased pointing to Arden followed by Jaxon as a few others gamely giggled.
"Who says he even had it in the first place" Arden joined in on the joke, a surprising move yet again from the brute.
It was becoming hard to figure the guy it, it was confusing and I didn't like it - no surprise there on my part.
"File in, settle down" Arden soon changed his tone as the group bustled into the small space dividing out into longer more open spaces. The windows had been nailed shut from the inside, make-shift curtains hanging from each glass panel coated in dust and dirt. Everything inside the police station looked just as morbid as every other house, every other inside of structure I'd been inside. Things were dark, dirty, lost and abandoned. Blood stained some parts of the benches, some parts of the walls. Paper work and once confidential information lay disturbed and forgotten on the light blue tiled floors. Everything was quiet, apart from the whispers of those around me, those around me exploring their new surroundings. I had been in two police stations before this one, one before the outbreak and one after. Both were occasions I attempted to push from my memory.
I watched cautiously as Jaxon and Jesse made their way through each and every hallway of the police station while the others began to relax into their new camp site. I assumed automatically them to be checking, securing the doors and windows of each room and space before actually relaxing themselves.
"All good?" Arden questioned them as the pair returned
Jaxon nodded "All good"
Arden's shoulders fell a little, but he remained standing at the front of the station watching over us intently.
"The sun sets in less than half an hour" I focused in on Arden speaking to Jesse beside him
"We will be back in that time" Jesse responded as I forced out the sound of Nora and Abbie speaking to Keira about sleeping arrangements close behind me
"Who will stay?" Ronan then joined their discussion as they seemed to slowly huddle together
They all seemed to think for a moment before their eyes turned on Jaxon robotically.
"Jax" Ronan called alerting Jaxon who noticed the group and dawdled over.
"What's up?" He breathed as he placed his hands on his shoulders. He quickly noticed their intent stares "What?"
"We are going out to find supplies before the sun sets entirely, you're staying here to keep watch" Arden told him
"Are you serious?" Jaxon's voice changed suddenly "Since when have I become the one to stay back over Ronan?" He snapped
Ronan then spoke up "Since Ronan is always the one that has to stay back and keep watch"
Jaxon's stern eyes turned to Arden, searching for backup.
"Stay here Jaxon" Arden turned on him, his eyes just as stern. I could see the seriousness in Arden's gaze, even from a distance. Slowly, Jaxon's shoulders fell and he gave a nod followed by a huffed out 'fine'.
"Listen up!" Arden demanded of us, the whispers of the others halting soon enough
"Me and the boys are going to go out and find some supplies, some food, medication and what-not. Jaxon is going to stay, keep watch and help in any way he can while we are gone. We will be back as soon as we can, and whatever you do, stay inside" He warned and instructed through the silence.
It was as Arden and his men began to move back towards the front door, that my body kicked into action. My feet moved towards them at a hasty pace.
"I'm coming with you guys" I told them as Arden turned, a slight roll of his eyes visible
"No, you aren't" Ronan answered for his master
"Yes, I am" I told him, looking towards Arden
"No you aren't" Arden shot at me, turning without intention of another word
"Yes, I am" I forcefully pushed towards him as I continued to move in tow
This time, Jesse stopped me as the others moved out of the door, dim light peeking through.
"Stay here" Jesse persuaded as he faced me
I shook my head "I need some fresh air"
"Fresh air?" He repeated, raising an eyebrow "We've been out in fresh air for the last nine ten hours"
I rolled my eyes "We are wasting time here"
"You are wasting time here" He shot back as he moved backward, his hand out as though I was a dog learning to stay.
"Either you move the hell out of my way, or I'll wait until you're all gone and leave on my own accord" I told him forcefully proving my point.
Jesse's arm dropped as he eyed me off with a narrow gaze.
"I won't save your ass again if you get stuck" He reminded me
I couldn't help but scoff as I pushed past him and snaked out the doorway.
"Really Jesse?" Ronan sighed as he caught sight of me leaving the station with Jesse in close behind me.
"She insisted" Jesse excused
"I won't be responsible for you" Arden shot with narrow eyes
"Don't" I shot back "I can't handle my own"
Arden stood silent for a moment before giving in with a short "Fine"
"Split up?" Jesse suggested as we stood outside of the police station, weapons on hand as the sun shrank eagerly
"I'll move towards the East" Ronan nodded before moving off with long strides
"I'll take North" Arden also nodded before moving towards a long street to my left.
I now stood with Jesse. Again, another uncomfortable position I'd unknowingly placed myself in.
"Easy, I'll take South, you can take West" I spoke up.
"West leads out of town"
"Great" I began "More of a chance to find more gas stations" I told him as I began to move in my own direction. Almost expectantly, Jesse grabbed a hold of my upper arm with his fierce grip
Hesitantly, he shook his head and freed my arm "Being brave can sometimes make you weak" He told me as he began towards a street titled 'Lifton', a street that lead South.
I stood in place, deciding on a comeback or a simple dramatic exit towards West.
"You're so intent on proving yourself" Jesse began to call towards me as he walked backwards "Yet you make all the wrong decisions based on simply doing what others tell you not to do. It's quite..." He searched for the right words before falling on one
"Immature"
I narrowed my eyes, searching for my own words to spit at him. But I couldn't form any.
I watched his back retreat, waddle off into the distance as I debated on where to put my feet next. It was then as I mulled over his words that I made an idiotic, unexpected decision.
I began to move, keeping up fast pace. I needed to be back in time before the sun entirely vanished. Anything past a glint of darkness was dangerous, especially in town. Even now, as the sun sat half visible on the horizon, I knew danger lurked close by. I could smell it, I could feel it as a brisk breeze ran over my skin. I shivered.
I pulled my jacket closer to my chest. My right hand held tightly onto my bow in case of an attack. I could feel the coldness in the air, I could smell death around each corner, each street I passed. I was nervous, nervous because I rarely put myself in these kinds of situations unless completely and utterly in dire need to. I made an attempt to ignore the left side of my brain screaming at me to run back to the police station and looked closely to each side of the street in search of something useful.
The group needed food, medication, water, anything that could be of use. Weapons were usually a great find, but rare, extremely rare. A few months after the outbreak, people began to realize it wasn't something that could be easily handled and taken care of, they soon realized they had only one thing left to do, fight.
I kept my eyes open and my mind vigilant. At times like these I created my own personal sensor, a sensor that reacted when Creatures neared my space. At this point in time, my sensor remained flat-lined, but that could change, within a heartbeat.
"There" My mouth reacted as I caught sight of a Pharmacy a few houses away to my right.
"We best get moving" Jesse nodded as we moved forward more urgently.
The door to the pharmacy had also been nailed shut, much like the houses that surrounded it. It seemed the town had one resolution for the outbreak – lockdown. In the end, much like every other 'resolution' it had failed. Not a single soul had been left behind.
Blood smeared across wooden planks nailed from the inside. The planks seemed to have served their purpose, yet it was still visible to see that creatures had made a great attempt at creating holes and tears in the door to reach whomever was inside.
"We should find a window" Jesse sighed as he began around the side of the building
"I should have gone with Arden" I sighed in return, curious as to why he hadn't tried to bash the door down with his arrogant might.
I followed Jesse around the narrow path to the left of the chemist where two windows came to view. As expected, they were also nailed shut.
I lingered behind, my eyes searching for a fault
"Should have gone with Arden" I mumbled again to myself
It was as Jesse continued to saunter around the house, aiming to break in I examined the last window we had passed towards the back of the store.
It had also been nailed shut at one point, but I could see by the way the single thick wood hung from the window, it was loose. Wood was like any other kind of natural material, over time, it wore down, and it deteriorated. My fingers snuck in between the smashed glass and the wood, feeling into the depth of distance between the wall on either side and the wood. I could fit all of my fingers behind the wood and the wall, this meant it hadn't been nailed in properly, or it had broken apart over time.
Either scenario was good enough for me.
Taking a step back, I readied my body for a forceful kick. I took a deep breathe in, let it out and slammed my boot into the wood on the others side of the window. Instantly, it moved about 3 inches from its position with a light squeak in response. I pulled back my body again and slammed my boot hard into it once more, this time, the entire wooden block gave way and I had barely managed to keep balance when Jesse rounded the corner.
"What happened?" He rushed looking in between me and the window, now open as dust flew through from inside to outside.
"I found a way in" I told him, catching my breath as I used the end of an arrow to remove small pieces of glass from the bottom of the window.
"Think you could have been any louder?" He snapped as he moved towards me
I shook my head and pushed myself up through the open space, pausing on the edge of the window sill as my eyes searched the area for creatures, humans or any form of breathing life.
"You're welcome" I huffed out before jumping down, dust reacting as it bounced off of the floorboards
"For someone who preaches so much about being careful you sure can make a lot of rookie mistakes" Jesse began his banter
"Funny that. Those mistakes, I'm making, are risking my neck to help you and those other groupies out" I snapped back as I took in my new surroundings
"So when that creature had you by the throat, that was a mistake due to what exactly?"
"Agreeing to take that kid along with me, he slowed me down" I retorted
I heard Jesse scoff as he entered another room while I began opening and closing cupboard doors at the front of the pharmacy.
The air around me, was cold, the smell was full of dust and tickled up my nose. I forced back a sneeze and leaned down to open another cupboard door, another that I only assumed to be empty like the rest
"Have you found anything yet?" Jesse called out as my fingers pulled open the corner cupboard. The moment I had, I had regretted it. A shriek escaped my lips and my body instantly moved backward, my back slamming against the back of the front counter. My breathing was fast, my hand over my mouth as I urged myself not to scream, cry, or react in any way shape of form.
Jesse's footsteps were suddenly loud, and before I knew it he was crouched down beside me frantically asking what had happened.
My eyes lay firm on the contents of the cupboard, my finger pulling out to point as Jesse watched my face carefully. Slowly, Jesse's eyes followed my arm, following the trail of my finger, unbelievably he reacted with a short heavy sigh once he'd caught sight of what I had revealed.
Jesse moved his boot outwards, closing the cupboard door back up with one quick movement. I sat on the floor, my hand falling from my mouth as I simply stared at the closed cupboard door. I couldn't fathom what I had seen, I couldn't understand, nor did I think I wanted to understand.
"How?" I shook out
Jesse shook his head "We don't always understand some of the things we see"
His voice was hushed, careful. He could sense the sheer terror in my single word. I had thought that I had seen it all, I had thought that I was strong and could handle any sight, but the one I had just witnessed what something that I could never erase. It was haunting, more haunting than anything I'd ever seen before.
"We need to keep moving" Jesse slowly said, his hand on my knee as he knelt beside me
I just nodded and pushed myself up the counter until I stood
"You okay?"
I nodded again, unsure "I'll be fine"
"I found a few vials and tablets in the back, help me pack them" Jesse told me, his hand now on my shoulder as I continued to stare at the cupboard in the corner of the room.
Again, I nodded and slowly, I followed Jesse out of the room.
As we packed up the vials and tablets from the back of the pharmacy, my mind continued to linger on the remnants of the cupboard. No matter how hard I forced my brain to move on, to stay strong, it retraced itself back around and the image of the horror I had seen came racing back. Jesse had asked me numerous times if I was okay, in which my response was always the same 'I'm fine'. I was fine, I was simply unadjusted to the sheer sadness that had overtaken me. My heart had fallen into my stomach and my palms continued to sweat until Jesse's backpack was entirely full of medication.
"Let's go" Jesse instructed as he slung his bag over his shoulder, pulling it into place as we made our way back out through the window we had snuck in through. My eyes remained on the exit. I could not bear the thought of taking one more glance towards the cupboard to my right. My hands shook as I escaped the pharmacy and followed Jesse out back into the now darkened street of Listhen.
"You're extremely quiet" Jesse's voice broke through the silence as we aimed back towards the police station
I didn't answer. I didn't know how.
"I thought someone of your knowledge and empowerment would have come across something like that before" He continued
I hesitated before answering "I've seen things similar, but not in that... state"
"It's a whole lot easier to comprehend when you know creatures are to blame" Jesse answered
"I can't imagine the fear, the situation that had to have taken place for it to have ended that way" I shook my head
"I don't think anyone can until they are in that position themselves" He added "Fear can either motivate you, or freeze you" Jesse shrugged as he looked towards me
I looked down at the ground as I walked. I had been in situations that had both endangered me and the people I cared about, fear motivated me both times, I had seen that outcome, but I had yet to see the opposite effect.
My brain disobeyed me once again and the images of the young child's bones huddled in the cupboard raced through my every vein causing me to shudder.
"We need to hurry" Jesse said, his eyes hard on my face.
That's when it hit me. The temperature around me had dropped drastically in the last fifteen minutes. The sun had set a lot quicker than we had imagined and now, all that was left of light was the dull reflection of the sun underneath the horizon.
"Creatures are here" My mouth spoke instantly hushed as my brain kicked back into place, my eyes searching the area intensely.
"That's exactly why we need to hurry" Jesse told me, his voice also lightening as we picked our pace up, knowing what was soon to come.
The brisk cool breeze brushed past my face, sending cold shivers throughout my system. I wasn't sure how long we had been gone for, but I knew it had been too long. I acknowledged that because of what I had seen, my mind had been hazed over with the thoughts and images of the young child in the cupboard, afraid and alone. I had allowed my mind and my emotions to take over, and I was now about to pay the price for it. This was exactly the reason why I had decided on being the way I was, emotions were useless, they were a void.
"Do you think the others are back okay?" I rushed out as we near ran along the quiet street towards the police station about five minutes' walk away.
"Probably" Jesse responded, his right hand on his sword blade pouch over his shoulder.
I could tell he was readying himself for an attack, an attack that would be solely my fault. I hadn't been in a situation like this in a long time, it was a daunting reminder. If we were to be attacked, if someone were to get hurt because of my overflowing emotions, I would be to blame, it would be my fault, just like it had been with Leo. I cringed as I recalled his name even in my own mind.
Both my own eyes and Jesse's were planted firmly on the road ahead. We were focused only on getting back to the station safe, out of sight. If not, blood would be surely shed.
Slowly, as seconds passed, the station could be seen at the very end of the street. I felt myself relax a little, my shoulders drop with relief, but it was as I did so, that a rush of frozen wind swept past us at a daring speed. Instantly, I knew what was about to emerge from the distance.