Never did I ever think I would end up looking up to a tree to guarantee my survival. I was worried about Kin, I was concerned about his safety. Had he been bitten and turned? just as I was questioning myself I saw some figures through the dark. The figures were running at moderate speed. My eyes were immensely clouded with sleep and my body was so drained with fatigue that I couldn't tell if what I saw was real or it was an illusion. I heard sounds from the figures that ran.
"Oh no, they're back," I said to myself realizing the situation I was in. "Not again."
I looked at the tree reluctant as ever to climb it, I didn't know whether I had the capacity and capability to climb it. I felt my heart pounding in my chest, there was nowhere to run and if I did run the zombies would surely get me.
I hugged the tree and pulled myself up, I felt the weight of my body as moved higher, I gazed below me, the zombies were right there waiting for me to let go and fall and choose whether they would eat me or just infect me. My hands still hurt as I pulled myself, it was a task I never prayed to encounter again.
"You idiots!!! There's no damn way you can climb and reach me. You killed Gerlio,that doesn't mean you can kill me." I said almost in tears, remembering my cousin who was bitten by swarms of zombies before we came to the woods. my throat was hoarse with tears I held up. I tried not to let tears fall out but they did, they fell from my face like streams, and my body couldn't take the pain anymore. I poured the tears of the pain of my cousins's death, the pain of losing a lot of comrades before we came to the woods, the pain of losing my family, the pain I felt in me and the pain of probably losing everyone back at camp. All the pain I could think of came out through those tears.
"Hah!!, You idiots, you idiots, you idiots!!" I exclaimed hitting my head in frustration on the tree, I did not care if I fell or not, all I wanted was all the agony and pain in me to end. I felt suicidal, I had the urge to let go of the tree and let the zombies end me. I was depressed, no one was there to hear my pain but those who caused the pain in the first place. my head ached even more. My nose was stuffy and blocked, filled with blood, I had to breathe with my mouth and a little with my blocked nose. Gerlio didn't deserve to die he was braver, stronger, and more hopeful than I was. Before he died he said a few words to me, I never understood what he said until the suicidal moment I was in.
He said to me: "I know you feel despair. You feel like death is the only option, no, it is not, that's what he wants you to think so you can be his slave. The pain we face is for a reason, they are there to build us to face the mysteries of tomorrow. You can't speak in such a way Dane, what would you want our family to say from above if we meet them so soon, if you die now your enemies win. Isn't that what this zombies want? To end humanity and be the only living beings, dominate our planet, and spread hate amongst ourselves by exploiting ourselves and making fear and despair a prominent topic of our lives. Dane, I feel kinda weird today so I said I should tell you what I think and what I need you to know. Please carry on, take care of the ones you love, hold on to your friends tightly, and always be there for them, be the hero of your story so you can uphold your glory..." The words he said sounded meaningless to me when he said it, it had no weight in my ears and my soul, they sounded like an ancient poem that was very hard to decipher. I asked him a question but I forgot the question I asked and the answer he gave to me.
"Shut up!" I shouted at the zombies and sniffed my nose, I heard a voice far from where I was, I paused to listen, and I heard it again. It was Kin he was calling for me.
"Kin!!" I yelled till my throat felt sore." Where are you?"
" Am on a tree"Kin yelled laughing, he was pleased to hear my voice, and so was I, hearing his voice.
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It was midnight. The noise of the zombies below me covered that of Kin, his voice sounded faint if he didn't yell. I had finally gotten to the top of the tree. The branches as I expected were thick enough to hold and support my weight, I looked down and saw how high I was. The moon was free from the clouds now, I saw the zombies with the illuminated light of the moon scratching at the tree, maybe they thought their bare hands could fall a tall tree.
" Dane we need to have a plan to get out of here. 'cause I don't think this dumbass is gonna leave us alone," Kin said l yelling, even though he was far from where I was, it felt like we were on the same tree conversing.
"Presently, I have no idea how we are going to do that. My mind's clouded" I said speaking In a normal tone remembering my late cousin.
"You said?" Kin didn't hear me.
I took a deep breath before answering him. "Let's wait and see what tomorrow brings, maybe they will wander off and we'll get back to camp" I yelled, praying he would hear me.
There was no reply from Kin. I feared the worst,
Has he fallen from the tree and died? Or was he unconscious? I asked myself then I heard him, his voice had urgency in it, he was frightened at something.
"What's it Kin?" I asked.
" You might want to look at your right, " Kin said, I wondered how he knew which tree I was. I did as he said and what I saw shocked me. I wasn't only shocked, what I saw made me freeze and hold on to the tree dearly, ' 'cause if I didn't death was inevitable.