Killing Corpses (zombie novel)

Chapter Twenty

HEY GUYS
Sorry for the note, but just really wanted to let you guys know how much I appreciate the reads this story is getting! Were almost at 1K!
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H x
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I woke up as I felt the car jerk to a halt, and rubbed my eyes. Seth was still driving, but he didn't even look tired. I yawned. "Where... Are we?"
I took in the surroundings, seeing nothing but thick forest and a gas station, which we were parked behind. It was slightly dark, and cloudy.
"I think," Seth said, looking at a map. "I think we're at... A gas station..."
"Great work, Sherlock." I muttered. "What are we doing here?"
"Gas." He stated simply. He tapped the empty tank-meter on the dash. "We're all out."
"Yay." I said sarcastically, running my fingers through my hair.
"What's *yawn* going on?" Asked a sleepy Abbie from the back seat.
Callum then woke up, asking the same question.
"Out of gas." Seth repeated.
"C'mon then," I sighed, grabbing Senshi and getting out. "Better go look for some."

We all broke our way into the abandoned gas station, stalls of food knocked over, and vending machines smashed. There was no food or water to be seen.
"We don't have to worry about food," Callum reminded us, holding his gun. "We just need gas."
"Yeah," I agreed. "But some food couldn't hurt..."

We searched everywhere - in the back, behind the counter, behind the gas station itself, and not a jerrycan in sight.
"Greattt." Seth moans, scuffing his shoes. "Just fantastic."
"Quit whining," I said, sheathing Senshi. "We'll find something. In the mean time, lets just barricade ourselves in there." I suggested, pointing to the building.
"Good idea." Abbie complimented.
So, we grabbed the files from the orphanage and some food and water, and made quick work of barricading ourselves in a storage room for the night, with one tiny window that showed us the trees. We got to work on investigating the files by candlelight.
"Okay," I said. "Each take a file and point out anything that might be useful to us."
I grabbed the one on the top, and began flicking through it, seeing nothing but police investigation reports scribbled in untidy handwriting. I could barley make out what they said.
"It says here," Abbie began. "That he ran off to find his real dad. So, your dad wasn't his?"
"Guess so." I shrugged, and kept flicking through.
I read a few lines stating he was seen trekking through woods, near where I had been with the cabin, at the beginning of the apocalypse. I had walked where he had.
"Apparently," Callum spoke up,"The case was closed after three years, when he was 11."
"And I was only 1." I figured out. No wonder I didn't know.
"Is that all?" Seth complained, confused.
"I... Think so." Abbie wondered, wearing the same expression.
"Guess we didn't grab as much as we thought we had..." I muttered.
"Well,"Callum says. "It mentions the last place he was sighted was on the borders of Oregon, but who knows where he could be."
"Thats our only lead, I guess," I sighed. "We'll start in the morning, when we find another car."
Everyone muttered in agreement.
That's when we heard the rustles in the trees.
Everyone's heads darted at each other, all of us exchanged the same look of panic. I grabbed Senshi automatically, and Seth grabbed the rifle.
"Stay, here," I mouthed to Callum and Abbie. They nodded, and Seth and I sneaked out.

I drew Senshi from its sheath and crouched towards the trees, where we'd heard the rustle. Seth followed close behind, watching my back.
We got to the border of where the trees began, and I looked up, confused.
"Were we just hearing things?" I asked out loud, lowering Senshi. I looked at Seth, but he just flicked his hair and shrugged.
Thats when an apple whacked me on the head.
"Ow!" I yelped, looking up. "What the heck?!"
Seth tried to muffle his laughter, and I punched him into seriousness.
"Dude," I said. "There aren't any apple trees around here. Just pine."
He stopped laughing, and looked around him, as if he was coming to the sudden realisation that there weren't any apple trees.
"Shit." He said. "You're right."
I looked up slowly to the tree where the apple had fallen from, to see a pale hand disappear into the leaves.
"A hand!" I yelped, watching it disappear. "Did you see that?!"
He shook his head.
I sighed. It was a tall climb, but I was sure I could make it. "Boost me up." I prompted.
He raised an eyebrow at me, but agreed. "Okay... If you're sure."
I nodded, and he gave me a leg up, boosting me onto the first branch. I hoisted him up along with me, fastening Senshi's strap tighter around me. I didn't need to lose it now.
We ascended the tree, the rustles becoming more frequent, and we were sure we could hear voices. There was a scary moment where I slipped, but Seth caught my foot and pushed me back up. "Thanks," I had breathed.
We got to the thicket of the tree, where the branches were as thick as the trunk. Small amounts of food was tied in bags to even higher branches, and planks of wood had been haphazardly placed along the branches, making a shaky floor foundation. It was built in a hexagon type shape, around the main trunk, holding water and food, supposedly from the gas station. We could easily crawl along the branches now, they were strong enough to hold our weight.
I heard sniffles and a "shhh Renton!" And continued to make my way around the tree, to the opposite, symmetrical side, where I guessed there were two people hiding out.
I decided to be brave and speak out to them. "We aren't here to hurt you," I reassured. "We just want to know who you are. And... Why you dropped an apple on my head..."
"Who are you?" A small voice called out. It was a little girl.
"My name is Copsyn." I said firmly. "And this is Seth."
Seth didn't say a word, and held a firm hand on his gun.
"If we come out..." The voice asked. "Do you promise not to hurt us? Please?"
"Of course." I said gently. "Promise."
"Okay..." The voice said quietly. And then, appeared a small girl, no older than 10, clutching a very small boy, with glasses slipping down his nose.
"My name is Daisy..." She whispered quietly. "And this is my little brother Renton."
All I could think when I saw her for the first time, was how the hell have your survived?