Eventually, we got far away from the city. As a result of driving wherever the road led us for hours, we had gone away from the main towns that we were hoping to set foot into. The signs naming the towns ahead looked the same to the out of town me. By this method we would’ve ended up meeting the sea or just going in circles. Without a map it was impossible. But we didn’t have the guts to give up all our chances and settle down, just the three of us, when there could’ve been a place of what world used to be.
The narrow road led us through a small forest. Passing trees and wilderness along the way, we crossed a small bridge that laid across a lake reminding of our apple tree and the intimate moment I shared with Beth. I gazed at her. She had her eyes closed. Every time I looked at her, I felt this amazing change in my feelings, as if I was really excited. Not giving me a chance to enjoy it, the truck’s engine gave up. I saw the fuel monitor’s dreadful warning.
“Oh no…” I said frustrated. “Not this please.”
“Hmm? Why are we stopping?” Asked Beth in a sleepy voice.
“Shit!” I bashed the wheel with my hands.
“Dude what happened?” Ryan asked alarmed, holding his shotgun.
“We are out of gas.” Said I starring out the window, thinking of our next move.
“What do you mean—we had a lot back at the camp.” Said Beth leaning over and checking the monitor herself.
“We’ve been driving for hours, and this thing drinks gas like hell.”
“Where are we?”
“I don’t know—somewhere far.”
“Dude why did you bring us here? I thought we were going to the cities.”
Ignoring that, I tried to think of something. The place was rural and walking with carrying all the baggage not knowing what was out there? It could’ve been our death sentence. Then I noticed something odd in the mirror.
“What the hell is that?” I murmured curiously. Its reflection was a person running towards us far behind.
“What?” Asked Beth.
I got off from the vehicle to get a clear picture. I heard Beth calling my name as I did.
“Trevor get back inside!”
I saw a girl running towards us with all she got. Fear dwelt on her little face. She was about ten years old and her blonde hair and outer shirt flew behind her catching up to the speed she was coming.
“It’s a little girl.” Said I.
“What?” They both go alarmed from the news.
That was when I saw the hell that was with her. Since the road had a bump of a climb, before I couldn’t notice the dozen of walkers that were following her, trying to match her speed. Catch her and rip her guts out.
“Holy shit!” Said Ryan as they both got out of the SUV.
“Trev—we gotta go.” Beth said backing up.
“What?” I asked shocked by her response.
“She’s right man—there’re too many of them.” Said Ryan opening the door.
“There’s no gas you asshole.” Said I.
“Are you kidding me!” Ryan groaned as he slammed the door back.
The girl along with the walkers were closing into our position. With no gas, we had to leave it with all our resources and make a run for it. The walkers were fast. Only way I saw was to kill them before they kill us, eventually.
“Then we gotta run…” Said Beth
“Help!” The girl yelled over her voice. She was slowing down. I realized she was beaten.
“She’s not gonna make it.” Said I. “We gotta save her.”
“Trevor! There're way too many of them, we’ll die if we didn’t leave!”
“She’s a kid—and we’re not leaving her.” I said drawing my handgun. “We’ll take them out using bullets, for the rest—we use our blades.”
“Trevor! We can’t save everyone.” Said Beth.
“She’s not gonna make it—give me that!”
I said as I grabbed Beth’s revolver and ran towards the girl. She kept calling for help as she ran towards me. The walkers behind her had their arms stretched to catch her. She was waving as she ran, and as she got closer, she fell down on the stone-hard ground. Walkers would’ve been on her in seconds. I stopped, took a huge breath. As I felt my shivering breath leaving my body, I aimed the handgun to the closest one, then squeezed the trigger. Shocking the girl with the gunshot sound, he fell down on the road and slipped forward. I noticed another one making her way to the girl. I relaxed my mind, aimed as I could and squeezed the trigger again. With the blasting sound she fell down and rolled over. A click sound came from my weapon, it was empty. I tossed it away and got Beth’s revolver out. I aimed the unfamiliar weapon and took a shot. But the bullet went pass my target. The revolver had a massive kickback than my handgun, making it very hard to continue shooting. I wasted almost all bullets on three walkers, shooting again and again, leaving five of them coming at the fallen girl crawling towards me, crying as she did.
“Bro get out of the way!” I heard Ryan's voice so I turned back. I saw him coming at me with his shotgun at his eye-level. I got on the ground and crawled to the girl fast. Three shots blasted behind me. I saw the girl covering her ears with her hands.
“Come on!” I yelled to her. “You can make it!”
I saw three headless walkers dropping onto the road behind her.
“I’m out! We got two more!” Said Ryan as I got back on my feet.
“Easy enough.” I said drawing my knife.
“You got them?” He asked.
I walked up to one of the disgusting growling dead men. The rotten smell came from them went piercing my nose. As I got closer, their attention deviated from the little girl to me. One of them jumped at me, trying grab me with his slender skin ripped hands. I dodged his attack and got behind him. Then I landed a heavy hit on his back of the head making the knife go all the way inside his skull. Putting my leg on his back, I pushed him forward as I pulled the knife back. With blood sprayed all over my shirt, I went for the next one. The old woman came at me with all she got.
I walked over to finish her as my knife left a trail of blood on the road. “Hello grandma.” I heard myself murmuring as I kicked her leg, making a sharp piece of the yellowish bones stick out tearing the rotten flesh. She fell down on her knees, howling as she did. Unable to stand up, she stretched her hands all the way to get me. I got behind her, and I kicked her in the back of the head. Her face went straight forward and slammed against the hard surface of the road. After waiting for a moment, getting no response from her, I started walking back to the girl. But the growl stopped me. I turned back. She had her face up, looking at me with her horror filled eyes. I went near her, crouched before her, and observed her. It wasn’t a human being that was trying her best to rip me apart. If Alex didn't get any mercy, nor should this woman, nor should anybody! I grabbed her head from her faded hair, and pulled her head up. As she groaned, I blasted her head on the street. A spray of blood scattered all over the road, painting it beautifully.
I turned back to the girl. Ryan was there ready to assist me in any case.
“How is she?” I asked from him.
“Alive.” He said.
I examined her. Her clothes were soaking wet from sweating. Her face indicated the terror of the near death experience she went through. She placed her head on her hands and kept lying on the road, panting as she did.
“What’s your name sweetheart?” I asked.
She kept her posture.
“I think she needs water.” Said Ryan.
“Beth!” I called to the girl whom was standing near the SUV all this time. “Could you bring us some water?”
I saw Beth going back to the SUV.
“What if she’s bitten?” Ryan asked.
“We’ll find a way to save her.” I said, thinking of a quick way to end her life.
“I’m not.” She said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I didn’t let them bite me.” girl said.
“What’s your name sweetheart?” I asked again.
“Christine.” She let out through the huge breaths.
“Hey Christine. I’m Trevor, and this is my best friend Ryan.” Said I.
“What’s up?” He said.
“Hi.” She murmured.
“Could you tell us what happened?” I asked.
“I was walking in the jungle and...” She got on her knees and wiped her sweaty face on her shirt cuff. “And this monster came so I shot her. Then a bunch of them kept coming from nowhere. So I ran back to the street. That was when you went pass me. I was in the jungle, how did you see me?”
“Ah, we didn’t.” I said.
“Then why did you stop?”
“Um, we ran out of fuel.”
“Oh—I thought you wanted to save me.” She said in a slender voice.
“We did. That’s why we came back.” I said gently. She reminded me of my own sister. I had no idea what happened to my family, and I didn’t want to see them again. Because if I do, there was a chance that I’d have to chop their heads off.
“Trevor!” I heard Beth calling so I turned back. The image I saw shocked me. A man held her imprisoned on his tight grip while a woman had a gun pressed to her head.
“Let her go!” I let out the first thing that came to my mind.
“Give my baby back or I will shoot her!” The woman yelled back in a broken voice.
I stood up and aimed the revolver at the little girl’s head.
“No!” The woman yelled.
"Please! I'm sorry!" Christine begged.