Chapter fourteen
"Can I try it out too, I want to test it", Zamuel asked. He did hope that his plan would work, even his heart was racing in anticipation.
There was a hint of hesitation on Rose's face but then she slid the teleporter on the table over to him.
Grabbing the teleporter did feel like he had achieved some kind of goal.
"Where are you going to try? just so we know where to find you if you go missing.", He heard Rose call out to him.
Without saying a word, Zamuel pressed down on the button, he tried his best to keep his head free to create a picture of where he wanted to be.
There was only one place he wanted to be at the moment, but he wasn't going to say it. Instead all he did was smile.
And just like that, he felt himself become light. Looking down at himself, it seemed like he was looking from different angles at ones, must be the scattered atoms of his eye.
In seconds, he felt himself land on a wooden floor.
He turned round taking in his environment and listening for any sounds. There was none except for the clicking sound of his feet against the floor.
His teleport had been successful. He had known that even before opening his eyes.
He knew immediately the fresh mint smell of his house hit his nostrils. That was the scent of the numerous mint plants around the house, his parents loved their smell.
His memories went back to a few years ago when they had planted the short herbs, his mother had cherished them and let them grow with so much love.
Staring at one of the mint plants in a corner of the house, he was drawn in with tears lining the insides of his eyes.
He had remembered how mother was hunched over this particular one all day, when it seemed like it was going to wilt. She had watered it and added so many macro and micro nutrients to help it's development.
Even his father had once claimed that he was jealous of those plants.
Walking slowly up the steps to the room that was his parents room, he held his breath hoping that his parents were going to be coiled in their beds, sleeping peacefully.
He opened the door, and the voidness of the room did no good. The first tear stream broke loose and cascaded its way down his face.
He turned and checked his room, trying to believe that they'd be in there, probably perplexed and waiting for his return.
Also empty.
Dejected, Zamuel walked back down to the living room. And that was when he saw it.
The blood. There was a trail of blood on the floor. Though dried out, it was still obvious. And then on the wall too.
His fears had just been confirmed. His parents hadn't survived whatever it was that came here.
His chest was now tight with emotions that threatened to tear him apart. He hadn't thought this was going to be real. He had somehow been hoping that this was all a dream. Some kind of nightmare.
He had to get away from here but he wasn't ready to head back to the facility. He won't want to be seen like this, especially not by Peter and Rose.
He walked out of the house, he wasn't bothered since he was in his facility uniform, the white jumpsuit. Hadn't the professor said the colourings had a way of distorting the senses?
Fresh air felt so good against his skin, but the terrible sights he saw weren't all so good.
There was blood all over the asphalt, in the walls of buildings too. Everywhere.
He took some steps forward, taking in every detail. Well, until things took the wrong turn downhill.
Zamuel turned around, his eyes seeking and searching until it settled on a figure in the dark shadows.
He instinctively tightened his grip on the teleporter, he needed to secure his escape route first.
Taking slow careful steps towards the person, he called out to the body that stood perfectly still. "Hey, are you okay? Do you need help?"
His tears had stopped rolling now, instead he was beginning to hear his heart beating in his ear.
"Hey, can you hear me?" He was already getting nervous and shaky. The darkness didn't help matters at all, as all he could see was the outline of this body. Whatever happened to the street lamps.
He got closer and then his eyes caught the colour of the skin.
Zamuel was suddenly breathless as his brain went shut.
The eyes of the zombie sharply came open and he couldn't help but freeze. He was too scared to even try using the teleporter.
He prayed silently when the zombie began to scrutinize him. The green man twisted its neck and head at a weird angle, its nose too was wriggling.
Without moving, Zamuel's eyes fell to his coat. For the first time, he actually wished that it was really gonna save him. He hoped that it was going to just make the zombie walk away.
But it didn't.
The zombie suddenly jerked and in the blink of an eye, jumped down on Zamuel.
His sides burst out in pain as his voice did. But this wasn't the time to cry.
He wanted to press the button, but the zombie in its violence hit the device off Zamuel's hand.
Now, he was devastated. He shouldn't have come here at all.
The zombie was growling and yapping and snapping its jaws at Zamuel who could only push back on it as he grabbed its neck.
Releasing the neck for barely a moment, Zamuel punched its shoulder with all the strength he could muster.
Like some throw pillow, his punch didn't do anything to the hungry beast. It didn't even stop its movement.
In the last second, Zamuel managed to roll off from under the zombie and he ran in the darkness, aiming for the teleporter that was a few feets away.
He stumbled to the ground again, the zombie had tackled him again, and this time, there was no escaping.
It had grabbed Zamuel by his right leg. He knew he would never make it in time to prevent the fangs from digging into his delicate skin.
In fear and horror, he screamed.
He watched his life play before his eyes. All his sweet and better memories.
Was that the end? Was the prophecy fake? Or weren't the people in it supposed to be Peter and him?
These and several different questions flashed through his mind as he watched helplessly.