My vision blurred and within seconds, I fell face first on the ground. When I woke up, I was surrounded by people in dark robes. The old woman was among them as she prepared a fire.
"What are you doing?" I barked, staring at her as I struggled to stand up. "What the hell did you feed us?"
My hands are tied. I skimmed the wooded area we stood in. Where's Christie and Haze?
"Your friends, they're fighters." The mysterious woman spoke in a hushed tone. "Don't make this a bad time. These are the final days before your resurrection."
"Resurrection?" Anna questioned from feet away. "You're not going to make us one of them. Don't do this."
"After your resurrection, you will eat with us. Right now, you will feed us."
"If you so much as touched a hair on my friend's heads, you're dead." I spoke through clenched teeth.
I turned to the chained zombies that lingered nearby. Most of them had limbs and ribs missing.
"You're fucking insane!" Courtney hissed in a panicked tone. "What did you do to my sister? Let us go!"
They tied all of our hands up. How can we get out of this? I searched for a way out. I didn't notice any weapons on them but it doesn't mean they don't have them. How else would they survive out here?
"Death is not the end of everything. You will be immortal — and you will have fed the ones who have been anointed — chosen to survive this until we are saved."
"Who chose you?" I yelled with anger. "Who chose you to kill others in order to keep yourselves alive? If you were worth saving, you'd be able to survive without killing."
The feeling in the pit of my stomach formed when I noticed the looks of despair on the other's faces. They were thinking the same thing I was. There's no hope.
She hissed, "Nothing you say matters now."
She snapped her fingers and two of her people grabbed Courtney.
"No! Leave her alone!" I objected in a plea. "Not her! Take me!"
"Would you like to do the honors?" The woman questioned, turning to me as she held a long, sharp knife.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on her." I threatened, slowly untying the knot holding my hands together behind my back. "I don't want to kill you or anyone else."
"I won't touch her — the knife will."
Two robed people held Courtney down near the fire. Her face was illuminated by the glow as she was forced onto her back.
"Hmmm, what do you say? Ribs?" She turned to one of the robed people. He nodded in response.
Bang!
A shot flew through the air, wizzing by me and hitting a nearby robed man. He fell to the ground as he let out a yelp.
"Hurry! We're under attack!" The woman dragged the knife along Courtney's stomach between her ribs.
Blood quickly flowed. I got the knot untied and jumped on the man nearby, getting ahold of his knife. As he jumped up to fight, a bullet hit him too. When the woman was hit in the stomach with a bullet, she scurried away. I ran to Courtney.
"Courtney! Are you okay?"
The blood was pretty profuse. It sourced from the wound and she covered it with her hand as she sat up.
"I've seen better days."
"Let's go," I grabbed her around her waist and helped her up. "Anna can fix this."
"Where's Christie?"
That's a good question. I hadn't seen her since before we were drugged. I decided in this moment, it's best to stay quiet.
_
"Go!"
We rushed into the small home. I barreled through the door first with the others trailing behind.
"Clear," I called from the master bedroom. "No zombies here. Lay her down!"
Joe gently set Courtney down on the bed. She was now unconscious as the blood rushed from the wound continuously. The robed woman cut her deep.
"I'm going to have to stitch it up. Nista, did you find a sewing kit? Alcohol?" Anna called over her shoulder. "If bacteria gets into this wound, it can cause sepsis."
Nista entered the room with the sewing kit she collected. Anna grabbed it and quickly ravaged through it to find the right tools.
"Is this going to work, Anna?" I questioned warily.
She turned to respond firmly. "I'm going to try my damndest."
"I promised him I'd look after them. Now, Courtney is hurt and Christie is dead. If we lose Courtney, I failed him and Vick."
"You didn't fail anybody. We're all here because you chose to help, Jake. Nobody could've known what would happen."
I turned to Nista. "I'm so sorry."
"He's not dead," she objected. "I know my Michael. He's alive and he'll find us no matter what it takes."
I hated to think that he was the one the robed people ate for dinner. Is he really alive?
"I hope so." I paused before continuing, "Michael — I mean Haze — he's a trooper. It doesn't feel the same without you guys together."
She smiled. "He feels the same way. That's why he'll be back soon."
I snuck into the kitchen to see if I could find anything to make Courtney for when she wakes up. Dinner plates were still on the table with half-eaten meals on them. Items were scattered. When the news hit, these people left.
"Cmon, cmon," I mumbled to myself. "I need something."
I scavenged through the cabinets and drawers until I found a pack of beef jerky. I smiled at it for a moment before continuing on to find a small jar of cheese dip. My smile grew just a little wider.
"What the hell is that?" Anna laughed as she examined the plate I held.
"Packaged mashed potatoes with jerky bits and cheese mixed in." I answered, my mouth watering. "Kept some jerky to the side so she could char it over the fire later and dip it in the cheese."
"You two and your different ways to eat beef jerky," she chortled. "Sounds pretty tasteful though."
"Don't worry. Joe's making some noodles right now. Don't need hot water if you just let 'em soak it up."
"You know, she's going to need painkillers. Probably antibiotics, too." Anna suggested, finishing up her suture. "This is going to hurt — if it gets infected, it'll be even worse. It's too close to her heart."
"It'll be light soon. Nista and I can go. You and Joe will have to keep an eye out incase those cannibals come looking for us," I planned carefully. "If anything happens, please, make sure she stays alive. Yourself, too."
Anna nodded in response. My stomach grumbled but the thought of eating made me sick. Until she's alright, I can't.
"If Haze shows up here while we're gone, tell him I'm going to kick his ass for ditching us." Nista noted to Anna with a lighthearted chuckle.
Luckily, there was a dusty but operable car in the garage. I found the keys on the hook near the door. It was an older model Jeep and I let out a sigh of relief. We used the vehicle to head to the pharmacy a couple miles down the road.
Silence filled the car as we traveled. I clutched the steering wheel anxiously as my foot pushed the gas pedal.
"You think — do you really think they'll make it back?" I stuttered. My heart sunk as I hated to even ask.
"I've been with that man since the beginning. Even when you think he won't make it back, he does." She stated firmly, "I've seen him survive the near impossible."
I managed to choke up the words "I hope that Christie is just as lucky."
"If she's with Haze, she's alive." She reassured, "those two were the only smart ones. They got out of there before those people had the chance to drug them."
She's right. They knew something was wrong.
"They must've been the ones shooting." I concluded as we arrived at the pharmacy. "Alright, let's make this quick."
Vehicles were scattered in the parking lot. Some were still collided with one another. Blood was smeared on the glass of the entry doors. Movement was prevalent inside. Shadows lingered and shuffled around the inside of the building.
"We need a distraction. There's too many of them." Nista scowled as she stared through the bloodied glass.
"You bang on the front doors. I'll try to sneak in through the back," I planned cautiously. "Keep distracting them and I'll grab what we need."
"You're crazy, you know that?"
"How else can we help Courtney?" I questioned, "I won't let her die. I made the choice to trust those people and she's hurt. I'm the one who has to do this."
She stared at me for a moment. "If that's what you think you have to do, I'll help you do it."
_
Clink. Clink. Clink.
The taps on the front doors caused the zombies to perk up. Their gazes traveled to Nista who stood near the entrance on the other side of the glass.
Rrrgghh.. rrr...
Being this close to them sent chills through my body. Each of them had their own lives at one time. They were human once. At any moment, I could be them. I could hear Nista's muffled voice as I stood near the back of the store.
"That's right, look at me!"
Slowly, I crept the door open. It let out a long creak that caused my heart to drop into my stomach. They didn't hear me. I shuffled through the store in search of the stock of antibiotics and painkillers.
Blood. It's everywhere. People have tried this before. They're probably still walking around here. Zombies now built up against the glass doors, banging and clanging in an attempt to get to Nista. She stood on the other side of the doors confidently.
"C'mon..." I whispered, maneuvering around a shelf that tipped over in the chaos. "Please."
When I made it behind the counter, I still had an employee to deal with. After putting him down, I chuckled to myself.
"You forgot to clock out."
I shoved bottles upon bottles into the two drawstring bags that were slung over my shoulder. After grabbing an adequate amount, I trudged towards the exit.
Bang! Clink, clink, clink...
In my hurry, I stumbled over the tipped shelf, knocking over a display in the process. Items scattered as I realized I was in trouble. The zombies turned as they met my gaze. My body tensed up, leaving me in a state of shock.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"C'mon, over here, you dead bastards!"
Nista yelled and slammed her hands against the glass. Their attention turned back to her.
Crrssh!
The zombie's weight against the glass caused it to shatter.
"No!" I called out in panic. "Nista, run!"