𝐓𝐈𝐋 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐃𝐎 𝐖𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 ⚠︎︎ 𝐉. 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑

chapter nineteen

TW: Gore, Violence, Emetophobia

Pain was all she felt in this grueling moment. Her lungs felt as though they were going to collapse in her throat. Legs ached, feet ached, knees, everything fucking ached.

She couldn't stop though.

For her life, she had to continue sprinting. Not just running, because if she even slowed down that much, they would catch her.

Thalia panted as she dodged another frost covered tree, her boots crushing the snow as she attempted to get herself to safety, some solitude.

Exhaustion had hit several minutes ago but as the screeching behind her got louder, she pushed herself to keep moving.

A branch snapped behind her, perhaps a few feet, but she wouldn't dare turn around. There had to have been ten, no doubt. One store run might just cost the woman her life because she had run into these things in the back room.

Horror stories were often shared in the Boston QZ, it gave FEDRA soldiers something to torture the people with, something for the Fireflies to strike fear with.

Most people believed them and she always thought them to be gullible idiots. Just because one person told you of a creature you've never seen, you're going to believe them?

At the underground bar, many years ago, she'd overheard a few smugglers gossiping about what they'd seen outside the walls. They spoke of these horrid versions of infected.

Fast and strong like a clicker, but not blind. Smarter, fresher, and determined. They hunted their people like a predatory animal would, never waning or giving up.

It was rare to find them, to find so many would just be dumb luck.

Thalia Miller, this day, had become the queen of dumb luck.

Only five had managed to follow her out of the large grocery store, after opening up the back room, she'd accidentally unleashed hell upon herself.

Someone must have locked them in there, to either escape or to play some sick prank on whatever poor fool would open the door next. One's relief was now her curse.

She continued sprinting through the snow, coat flapping in the wind, one she'd snagged from an old van on the side of the road a few days back.

Finally, sweet relief came when she saw the cabin in the distance. With the door and window broken, this would make for an interesting situation. That was the least of her worries because as she approached, under all her heavy breathing and feet, she heard screams.

Thalia's face shifted to one of terror, the noises of distress alerted the infected to more people, more opportunities. A deafening screech came from the one closest to her, suddenly it was running past her.

Watching it so easily stumble past her had bile rising in her throat. So easily it could have caught her but it wanted the hunt. The infected, a smaller woman, ran up to the cabin, around to the side of the singular bedroom.

"Dean!" Thalia screeched as she traveled towards the front door, praying that she could get inside before they finally managed to catch her.

The wooden door swung open, his shock was clear even from this distance. He watched as several infected chased after the woman who volunteered to get them supplies.

Thalia panted as she finally seemed to reach the door, he promptly slammed it behind her. She grabbed the heavy table, using all the strength she had left to create a stopper between them and the infected.

"What the hell are those things?" Her lower back leaned against the table, backing it farther into the door, "Stalkers..." The word was barely audible, breathy and lost in the chaos that stormed outside.