As they ran through the dark, foggy woods, Maddy's wrist was throbbing painfully and she was starting to feel heady, and her visions were starting to blur slowly.
"Keep moving, guys, we'll call for help when we find a better signal," Tate said, fishing out his phone from his backpack.
Cathy was walking very close to Ray, fear still causing her body to shake.
Maddy was trying to keep up, not wanting to complain and cause her friends to slow down.
She looked down at her wrist and saw the bitten area swelling up and reddening. She frowned; that man must have surely infected her; she just hoped what she saw in movies wasn't real; she didn't want to become a zombie.
"Ahh!" Cathy suddenly screamed, jumping on Ray.
Everyone startled, forming a protective circle, Maddy winced, feeling like her brain was vibrating with Cathy's sudden scream.
"Cathy, what's was that about?" Tate asked with a little frown.
Cathy was panting but looking apologetically at her friends, "I'm sorry, it was just the owl. I'm still a little jumpy from the episode at the hospital," Cathy explained.
"Come on, let's just move," Maddy grunted out quietly.
Tate looked toward her, frowning. "Maddy, you're getting pale, damn it, we have to get help fast, You don't look so good," He walked over to her and placed his hand on her forehead, feeling her temperature.
"Fuck, you're running temperature too," Tate frowned, taking her backpack from her.
"It must be that bite; it's surely infected. Come on, can you walk on your own? No, forget I asked; climb on my back, and I'll carry you," Tate gave the backpacks to Ray and Cathy, then lowered himself in front of Maddy.
Maddy winced from a sudden chronic headache but still managed to shake her head a no at Tate.
"Don't worry, I can still walk on my own," Maddy replied and sidestepped Tate, staggering ahead.
Tate was surprised to see her stagger past him, 'Why was she being stubborn?' Tate thought and quickly stood and rolled her behind.
"Maddy, stop, you don't look good," Tate called worriedly.
The soft, chilly wild was blowing the fog in their direction, making it hard for them to see where they were fixing their legs, each step a cautious endeavor.
"Maddy, don't be stubborn," Cathy called after her friend, her voice carried through the mist.
"We're just concerned about you, Maddy," Ray commented quietly "It wouldn't be cool if something bad happens to you on our watch," he reasoned.
But Maddy didn't stop; she kept walking ahead, holding the trees to keep herself up as she staggered.
"Fuck this! Maddy stop!" Tate covered the distance and caught Maddy's arm, pulling her back.
"Let go!" Maddy angrily pushed Tate away from her.
Tate flew from the strong push, hitting his back on a tree and falling to the ground.
"Ouch!" Tate groaned, wincing from pain.
He frowned at Maddy as she was still standing there, glaring at him with strange eyes.
Ray and Cathy stood aside, equally surprised by Maddy's sudden anger and strength. They looked at where she stood and then turned to look at Tate, who had been pushed quite a distance from her and marveled at how far her single push sent Tate.
"Maddy, what's gotten into you?" Cathy asked with a frown, "Tate was just trying to help you!" Cathy angrily walked over to Tate and helped him up.
"You're bleeding," Ray pointed to Tate's elbow.
Tate twisted his arm and looked at his elbow and was glad it wasn't a serious wound.
"Don't worry guys, I'm good, but," He paused and pointed at Maddy who was now glaring at them with reddening eyes, "She's not." He completed his words.
Ray and Cathy looked over at Maddy and saw that indeed, she didn't look well.
Everyone saw her get bitten by that zombie, and somehow, they were all scared. They've seen a lot of zombie movies to know how this was. And if the movies were really showing the truth about zombies, then it wouldn't be long before Maddy turned into one and ate all of them.
"Should we be scared?" Cathy whispered.
"Shh," Ray shushed at Cathy, "Don't let her hear you," He warned.
Cathy bit her lips, diverting her eyes to the tall trees around them.
"Maddy, please, let me help you; the faster we get to an area with better coverage, the faster we can call for help, and we'll all leave this place," Tate reasoned gently, slowly walking toward Maddy.
Maddy chuckled dryly, "What? Now you all want to leave? I thought we all chose this location. Oh, I get it; you're all scared; you're all scared of me now, right? Because I got bitten by whatever that was," Maddy chuckled as she threw her hands in the air for emphasis.
She started to stagger toward her friend; her head was hurting like hell, but she didn't want to give in to the pain; she was trying to prove to her friends that she was still as normal as them.
Cathy gripped Ray's hands tightly as Maddy got closer to them, but Tate remained unmoving, he stood between Maddy and the others, ready to hold her down in case she turned violent again.
"Are you scared of me too?" Maddy reached in front of Tate and paused, raising her hand to his face and tracing her fingers across his cheeks.
"No, Maddy I'm not. I just want to help you," Tate replied, looking into her eyes.
Maddy scoffed, "Why? Because you don't want me to eat you?" Maddy asked, tipping her toes to sniff Tate's neck.
"Look, she's sniffing him," Cathy murmured, scared.
Ray was observing with concern. 'Is our friend really turning into a zombie?' He thought to himself.
Tate sighed and slowly stepped away from Maddy, he was about to hold her hand when she turned away from him.
"Come on, guys, let's keep going, and y'all can relax, I'm not about to eat any of you. None of you look appetizing by the way," She laughed to herself and kept walking forward.
But within her, she knew they might be right in their fears; when she had sniffed Tate, it wasn't intentional; it was out of some weird and commanding impulse. She felt the urge to know what his skin and sweat smelt like; her brain was telling her to taste him, but she had refused.
She would rather kill herself than eat her friends.
"Argh!" Maddy suddenly screamed and fell to the floor of the dark misty woods, holding her hands against her head and rolling around.
"Maddy! Are you okay?" Cathy quickly ran over to her and squatted beside her, trying her best to hold Maddy in place.
The guys ran over to them, helping Cathy hold Maddy in place.
"Leave me alone!" Maddy growled at them, snarling strangely.
"Fuck, we really have to get outta here," Ray commented, staring at Maddy and looking all around the woods.
"Maddy, Maddy, can you understand what I'm saying?" Tate asked softly.
Maddy just kept snarling, glaring at them.
Cathy gasped, "Oh no, we need to help her; her skin is getting hotter," She frowned.
"Maddy, we're going to lift you in the count of one, two, three - Shit!" Tate cursed as Maddy suddenly kicked Cathy away and pushed them away, running into the woods.
"Fuck, get up, Cathy. I'm sorry, are you okay?" Tate asked as Ray helped Cathy up from the dirty ground.
"Yes," Cathy replied.
"Good, let's follow her before we lose her," Tate ordered and started running toward Maddy.
"Don't follow me!" Maddy turned and shouted at them, pointing her finger at them.
They showed down at her warning, not wanting to risk her anger getting worse.
"Maddy, we're just trying to help you-"
"Don't fucking help me!" Maddy's voice echoed throughout the quiet woods, sending bats gliding out from their hideouts.
"Gosh," Ray whispered, putting his hands over his ears.
Cathy bit her lips, staring at her best friend apprehensively.
"Maddy-"
"No, Tate, No!" Maddy started staggering away from them by walking backwards.
"You think you know it all, huh? You think you're the leader? You think you're responsible for me? Always wanting to be in charge of situations," Maddy scoffed loudly, still moving backwards.
She didn't want to turn and run away, she knew she couldn't make it far from them with the excruciating pain she was feeling in her head. That's why she decided to slowly back away from them.
They slowly followed her, not saying a word. They knew responding would make it worse.
"You think you can cure me?! Forget it, Tate, in the end, I'm going to become a zombie, ugh!" Maddy grunted as she hit her leg on a rock, but she didn't fall to the ground.
Tate thought he would use the opportunity she was looking away to get hold of her, but Maddy was quick to see him, and again, sprinted into a run.
"Damn it," Ray said and chased after her.
They ran past the thick trees in the woods, almost tripping over branches, the wind was blowing coldly against their skin, causing them to shiver with goosebumps, their backpack was weighing on them, making each step a grave effort in the dark and misty woods.
"She went that way," Tate pointed to his left when they reached a doubled path.
Wasting no time, they followed the path, but Maddy was no where to be seen.
"What's that?" Cathy asked as they suddenly slowed down in what seemed to be the end of the road.
Tate frowned, staring at a very old and unused Cabin in front of them.
"No, not another scary house," Ray murmured, sighing tiredly.
"She has to be in there, I don't see where else she could have ran into," Tate declared.
"So...we have to enter the house?" He asked skeptical, looking around the lonely environment.
'Who the hell builds a house in the middle of nowhere?' Ray shook his head at his thoght.
"Yes, Ray, we have to ho find her, or, you can choose to stay outside and wait," Tate replied and walked toward the building, Cathy following along.
Ray quickly followed them, not wanting to be left alone in such a scary dystopian. "I'm coming, I'm coming." He ran up to them.
As they neared the building, they noticed that the wooden door to the Cabin was slightly ajar and swinging off its hinges.
The front pounch creaked as they stepped on it, but they went ahead, focused on finding Maddy.
Tate slowly pushed the door open and it creaked so loudly, echoing within the house.
They quietly walked inside the dark house, not wanting to make too much noise so that they could be able detect any sound from Maddy.
Bam!
"Oh, fuck!" Ray jumped behind Cathy, hugging her midsection.
Cathy chuckled softly at Ray's fears. It made her feel consoled, at least she had someone as scared as she was.
Tate turned around to what had caused the sound and he found the door on the floor, that was how weak the building was, the door had fallen off its hinges from the little push they had given it, he only hoped the house doesn't collapse on the them as they were there.
"Focus, guys," Tate reminded, flashing his flashlight around the almost empty house.
"I hear her rapid breathing, Tate," Cathy whispered quietly.
Tate paused and turned to Cathy, "Which direction?" He asked.
Cathy pointed to another smaller door in front of them, it looked like a small room, "In there," She replied.
Tate nodded at them, "Stay here," He whispered and started to walk toward the door.
But, before he could reach, Ray's phone suddnly rang out, startling everyone.
"Oh, fuck, fuck, I'm so sorry," Ray fumbled and took out his phone from his pocket and suddenly released a loud sigh.
"Who's it, Ray?" Tate question.
"Gordon," He replied and picked up the call immediately.
Hope rose in their chests, they couldn't wait to get away from such a cursed place.
"Hello, hello, Gordon, can you hear me? I can hear you, yes. We need you to come and pick us at my location, yes, hurry please, Maddy's not well too, hurry, please," Ray hurriedly informed the driver, sighing in relief as he finally knew that help was coming.
"Thank goodness," Cathy sighed.
"He is coming?" Tate asked, his back to the small door.
"Yes, He said he'll be here in - Tate! Maddy!" Ray screamed as Maddy dived out from the small door and pushed Tate down before he could react.
Tate was quick to wrap his arms around Maddy's neck as they rolled on the floor. Maddy seemed determined to sink her teeth into Tate's skin, snarling and growling.
"Fuck! What are we going to do?!" Cathy asked as they quickly scanned the whole room for anything to knock Maddy out with.
"Ray, hurry!" Cathy shouted urgently as she saw Maddy suddenly overcoming Tate.