Chapter 28 --- Land of the Dead
Dead Girl in a Dead World
"Jett," Rose paused in a doorframe, keeping her eyes trained on him as his figure protruded closer, becoming clearer with each step taken. "How have you been lately?"
Jett paused before her, eyes tainted with a smudge of darkness. "Fine. And how have you been, Rose?"
Rose didn't bother to reply. "Come with me, I want to show you something."
Jett followed her without hesitation, and Rose closed the door behind him. It clicked, making them both know without having to think about it that the door was positively locked.
"Take a look at this newspaper clipping."
Jett's eyes glazed over a torn slip of paper, which was crinkled and dotted with blood. He picked it up, and began extracting information from it. His face began to change, from being blank to confusion to realization. He was about to spin on his heel when he felt his own sword being drawn from its sheath, and held at his neck in an unwavering grasp.
"You've realized now, haven't you, Jett? Figured out my past. Figured out about most things."
"So I'm guessing you have a cure, then?" Jett was unperturbed by his own sword being pressed against his neck.
"Yes, of course I have a cure. But in order for this cure to work, a human body is needed. And it's not just any human body...but it's a human body who has blood type O-. That's you, isn't it?"
Jett's breaths were shallow. "Yes, that is me."
"Ahh, perfect. Just perfect."
Rose began to press the sword deeper into Jett's throat, creating a line as thin as thread, blood beginning to prick at its surface.
This wasn't the way Jett wanted to go down. He'd rather go down in a fight, but he realized it mightn't be possible without being killed first. He had to map everything out carefully, and with pristine precision. One little mistake, and everything would come crumbling down.
• • •
"IVY!" Flynn's screams were drowned out by the sounds of more gunshots in the distance, peppering the ground around them. Dust began to cloud his vision, but he pushed through it, eager to find Ivy. Alice had disappeared completely, hidden behind the thick veil of dust that had risen in the air. He coughed and spluttered, the dust beginning to thin. A sliver of Ivy's thick, black hair as dark as the night sky itself was revealed in the thinning dust. Flynn reached out for it without hesitation, but her hair quickly disappeared as swiftly as it had come.
Flynn tumbled back into the dust cloud, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands. He could hear more gunshots now, could see as well as feel the dirt at his feet rise in the air as more bullets tapped the ground. He began to zigzag through the thick cloud, eyes slit and beginning to water. He felt a hand grab his trousers, and instinctively he yelped, only to realize it was Ivy, who was dragging herself up onto her feet.
"Ivy!" Flynn hauled her onto her feet, before dragging her as fast as he could back behind the broken-down amusement ride. He flung her behind it, and she hit the ground, coughing and spluttering out his name. He apologized and knelt down beside her.
"Are you okay?" He asked finally, ignoring the bullets that reverberated off the metal machine in front of them.
"They didn't get you, did they? Tell me they didn't! Dear Lord, just bloody tell me already!"
"They didn't!" Ivy hissed. "They missed me! It was the force of the gun I used to shoot them that flung me backwards!"
Flynn collapsed onto the ground, cupping his head in his hands. "Thank God, I thought I lost you."
Ivy didn't reply. She thought she'd lost everything for a split second, too.
"I love you." Flynn murmured. Ivy looked up, expressionless as she repeated the words he had just spoken. "I love you, too."
• • •
Alison had completely disappeared, now scouring around where her enemies lay low. She took the chance when Ivy and Flynn were being aimed at to dash around a bend. She took an opening into a building and charged up the stairs, out onto a balcony where she found a man with a gun.
• • •
"Where in the world is Alison?" Flynn asked, emptying out his thoughts. Ivy pondered over it for a minute.
"She could be back inside the building we just came out of earlier."
"Or she could be dead."
"Let's hope she's not dead, okay?"
Something abruptly rang out in the distance. Flynn and Ivy turned their gaze towards it, and suddenly realized that Alison stood on a balcony, gun in her hands. She had shot dead one of Kat's men, whose gun clattered to the ground.
They slipped off the edge of the balcony, like a dead bird, a blur of neutral colours. The man hit the ground and would've been winded if they hadn't have taken their last breath only a few seconds ago.
Alison's spot had been exposed, but the instant all eyes had settled on the man, Alison had taken advantage of it and scurried back inside.
"Hey, Alison!" Flynn called out.
"You know, we should probably move to another spot ourselves. I have a feeling they've found us already." Ivy coughed out.
"Or worse...they're standing right behind you, with many powerful guns in their grasp."
At the sound of Kat's voice, Flynn and Ivy whipped their heads around. Kat, and two of her men, stood with loaded guns in their grasps, aiming directly at their hearts.
• • •
Jett stood as still as he possibly could, a stream of emotions flooding his body. He didn't dare move a muscle in his body; for fear of having his neck slit. Rose remained impeccably calm as Jett thought things through.
When he latched onto a plan, he acted it out accordingly.
"I never would've expected this from you." He muttered, trying to gain her attention. He managed to gain a slight chuckle, and then a hoarse whisper.
"What were you expecting, then?"
"Nothing," he began. "Nothing at all."
"Brilliant." She placed a finger to his lips, which had been drained of their colour. "Hush, now."
Jett started panicking, hoping she didn't intend on killing him. When she lowered the blade a bit, he was surprised.
"You don't have to live your life in fear."
Jett didn't say anything. He didn't even think about the words she had spoken. There were too many thoughts clouding his head.
"You choose to live your life in fear."
Rosemary raised the blade back up to his neck. Jett struggled to breathe properly, believing that she'd only press the blade deeper into his neck.
Jett suddenly changed his mind. His whole life he'd been fighting, and he wasn't going to give up now.
• • •
Flynn raised his hands above his head as Ivy cowered back in fear.
"I love watching the look on your faces morph and change into a different emotion." Kat motioned at Flynn and Ivy, smirking slightly. Neither of them said anything.
"Well? Anything you've got to say? Anything at all?"
Flynn and Ivy looked at each other, not a word escaping their lips. Their faces were contorted in anger, confusion and despair. They looked back at Kat.
"Well then," Kat began. "I guess it ends-
She cut herself off as Alison stepped out onto the field, open to anyone who wanted to shoot her down.
"I propose a truce," she began. "We'll move the hell out of here, never return and you'll get to live in peace and quiet."
"No." Kat spat out.
"You've made a mistake coming out here Alice, you should've just stayed put wherever you were." Flynn whispered under his breath, barely audible.
"Fine then," Alice ignored Flynn. "How about I give you the cure to all this, and then we move out and never return. What do you say?"
"What?" Flynn spat out bitterly. "You don't even have the cure! If there is one!"
"Trust me," Alice gingerly said. "I have the cure."
• • •
When Jett felt Rose's grip had slipped a little on his sword, he backed into her and ducked, knocking both of them onto the ground. His sword clattered to the ground and he reached out for it, running his fingers over the intricate surface. He picked it up, twisted on the spot and held the sword to Rose's neck. She began breathing heavily.
"I'm...confused." Jett began to waver.
"It's quite simple, actually. You were once a flesh-eater."
"...what?" Jett muttered, clearly confused.
"It's like a life cycle. If you get bitten, yes you eventually turn, but then you eventually turn back into a human with most of your memories wiped."
Jett's words became slurred. He had nothing he could say. Rosemary continued to utter words, which became jumbled up in his head.
"I've never turned. Why do you think I still remember everything? Every little crucial detail?"
She leaned in closer so that her breath was hot on his neck. "It's never-ending. Not until the cure is complete. The world needs you."
There were only a few words Jett could spit out. "But the world doesn't need you."
Rose leaned back. "If you kill me, there'll be no cure. And then there'll be no end to this madness. Eventually, you'll forget all about this."
"Why don't I remember anyone else turning? Anyone I know?"
"Because you turned at the exact same time...that's what I'm guessing." Rose narrowed her eyes at him. "It depends on your blood type on how fast you turn back into a human. If you're shot in the head, however, you're dead for real. And any wounds inflicted while you're a zombie stay with you for the rest of eternity."
Jett blinked. "Just...shut up. Shut up. You're insane. I no longer want to listen to you."
"Do you get what I'm trying to say?" Rose pestered Jett. She ignored him completely. Jett almost went psycho.
"Would you at least listen to me? Oh, you know what, it doesn't matter anyway."
Jett hesitated for a moment as pointed the tip of his sword at Rose's neck. She didn't move. All she did was close her eyes and immerse herself in darkness. Jett could feel fear pump through his veins, and his blood coil.
• • •
Kat raised an eyebrow. "And you think I'm insane."
"I'm not insane. This is the real deal. Rose and Jett were talking," Alice snapped. "And I happened to overhear a lot of stuff."
"Fill us in, then."
Alice narrowed her eyes at Kat. "Figure it out for-
She paused. "I mean, don't worry about it right now. All I want to do is...." She trailed off, before reverting her gaze to Flynn.
"It's just like a life cycle."
"Alice?" Ivy coughed out. "What are you talking about?"
"You want me to show you?" Alice spat out. "I'll show you! Are there any zombies around here?"
"No!" Ivy shouted. "You're insane! That's suicide! It doesn't matter, we get you, we get you!"
"Do you really?"
"Yes! We do!"
"No, you don't!"
Flynn clicked on. Thoughts buzzed in his head, suddenly surfacing that it brought him to much surprise.
"That means...we've been safe this whole time."
"Okay, fine, I don't get it!" Ivy screamed, wriggling about. Kat aimed her gun at her.
"Nobody gets it, darlin'."
"Not exactly safe this whole time. You could be shot in the head as a zombie."
"Or killed by Kat." Flynn added, glaring at Kat with rock-hard eyes.
"ENOUGH!" Alice shouted, gaining the attention of everyone. "I have the cure to this mess. That's all that's needed right now."
• • •
"You can't kill me, you know it. I can see you're shaking."
Rosemary was right. Jett was quivering in trepidation, unable to put a stop to it all. There was too much he couldn't register properly. Rose kept on blubbering about everything.
"Think, and think hard. Does it feel like some of your memories have dispersed?"
Jett didn't say anything. He felt like there was a block in his kind, locking away some of his memories. A huge chunk of nothingness filled the crevices of his mind. He pressed the sword deeper into her neck, and their gaze intertwined.
"There's one last thing I should probably mention to you before you kill me."
"What?" Jett spat out bitterly. Rose narrowed her eyes at him, and simply smiled a disastrous smile.
"I was the one who started the apocalypse."
A/AN: DON'T KILL ME.
I MUST EXPLAIN. A LOT.
The whole plot twist? That wasn't meant to actually happen. The real ending was the worst ending I had ever come up with, so I changed the plot twist. The only twist that stayed true was the cliffhanger; yes, Rose did indeed start the whole apocalypse. Is anything linking together now?
I tried as best as I could to make it less confusing. I don't want to bombard you all with so much information that you can't register it. Just tell me what you think, because this whole chapter is messed up thanks to my insane mind.
Oh- also, thank you for over 15,000 reads. I never would've thought this story could make it so far :')
Also, I entered this story in the Watty awards. Which means I have to finish two more chapters in eight days. And then it's all over.
OH MY. IT'S BEEN ALMOST A YEAR SINCE I PUBLISHED THIS STORY. //cries
Well, everything's gotta come to an end.
Until the next chapter,
~Alicion
Update: indeed. ONE OF THE MOST RECENT CHAPTERS WOO.
Updated.