𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐈𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬

- Chapter 16 -

"Now you turn left," I sighed, putting the map Chase gave me down. Looking at him, I asked, "Why do I even need to tell you where to go? It's your run that you apparently do every night."

He shrugged, unbothered by my annoyance. "You gotta be familiar with your surroundings."

"And you think me telling you where to go based on the map that's literally giving me directions is gonna help me?" I argued like a little child, trying to prove my point. "It's not going to - "

He snatched the map out of my grip and started turning the wheel right and left. With a fake panicky voice, he asked, "Hurry, where do I go now?"

It was like the whole map was in front of me in an instant. I could see all the markings and the pathways that I was looking at for 25 minutes.

I blurted, "Left again."

He gave me an all too knowing smile and gave me the map back.

"That's right," he informed me, keeping his focus on the road. "See, I did help you."

"You got lucky," I mumbled, denying. I didn't want him to win. "It was a 50/50 chance of me getting it right."

"Whatever you say Aliana."

We drove in silence after that which was somehow bearable. We moved fast through a highway that was completely empty. The only cars that were on the road except for ours were the ones abandoned and completely damaged.

My gaze didn't leave the window from the view far away. The meadow was outstretched in both directions. The tiny soldiers in the night sky illuminated the red, white and yellow rug on top of the grass. It was beautiful.

Suddenly, Chase stopped by the gigantic willow tree, turning off the engine. I looked at him puzzled, "Why did we stop?"

"We're going on foot from here."

My expression changed in an instant. No, no, no. I looked in front of me, a narrow, empty road leading into the arms of the darkness.

"I'm just going to stay here," I let out a nervous chuckle, gripping the butcher knife closer to my body.

"Suit yourself," He shrugged and I didn't think it was going to be this easy to convince him. "Just so you know, there's an Infected by that fence over there."

I glanced from the rear-view mirror to the washed off, white fence noticing a middle aged man. He was stumbling, trying to figure out his surroundings. If the world wasn't the way it was, I would think he was just extremely drunk.

I looked back to Chase to see him walking off. I huffed, getting out of the car, "Wait...wait for me." I ignored he was grinning from ear to ear.

Every snap of the branch, every hoot of the owl, every rustle of the leaves made a piece of my soul leave my body. I was walking in complete darkness, guided by the moon's tiny light and Chase's claims he was going the right way.

"Are you sure we are not lost?" I asked quietly, my eyes wildly looking around.

I could practically feel his eyes rolling before he answered, "For the 15th time, no. We are not lost."

Suddenly, a low growl from my side of the road escaped from the woods. My heart leaped in my chest and I took out the gun. Chase quickly wrapped his hand around the barrel of it and pushed it down. His dark brown eyes matched the night but I could still read them clearly. He was calm. Fearless. Ready to strike at any given moment.

"It seems like it's alone," he explained, whispering in my ear. I stiffened when his front creeped up towards me. His body was so close to mine that heat enveloped me. "The gun is only going to attract more. Take this."

He handed me the carving knife, and I took it. For the first time I didn't question his actions.

I heard a branch crack right in front of me and in a second 2 bloodshot eyes met mine. I backed away, moving further back into Chase's broad chest. He pushed me behind him, switching our positions. In a quick swipe, he inserted the same type of knife he gave me into the Inefected's skull.

I stood frozen, my feet heaving me down. I couldn't feel anything other than my pulse beating quicker, quicker, quicker. My eardrums were filled with the perpetual clicking and it felt like I was going insane.

"You need to move Aliana!"

I could hear my mother's screams, cries of pleas as I stood inches away from the Infected. My family sought shelter in the house right across the river. It was only me and the little boy.

I wasn't able to peel my eyes away from him. He was three, at most. His curious, and yet dead eyes were glaring me down with hunger. I looked down at his hand; or what remained of it. Dried blood was splattered on the skin of his upper arm, reaching all the way to the clothes. His mutilated hand was slowly brought up; his little forefinger, the only finger he had left pointed at me.

"Aliana you need to focus."

I could hear Chase, faintly. I felt like I was underwater and he was shouting from the land. I wanted to tell him something, anything. I couldn't. Suddenly, I was pushed forward and I stumbled as the strong hand started dragging me. Without realizing, I was running.

We were running.

I looked at Chase and for the first time I could see fear in his eyes. His face was covered in blood, droplets of sweat glistening in the moonlight, his every breath harsher from the other.

Finally, I realized what was happening. I got out of his grasp and continued running, turning my head back. Growls filled the forest and I almost tripped over nothing at the sight of the Infected.

"There's too many of them," he gasped, talking about more than a dozen of them right behind us.

I didn't know what to say. Fear choked me, filling my body. I looked at Chase who was running right alongside me. His eyes weren't on me or the front, instead they kept turning back to the Infected.

I grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Chase..." he snapped his head at me, his eyes feral. "Don't look back. Just run."

And we did, and we didn't say anything, and there was only one thing that was crossing my mind.

Was this really the day I was going to die?

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Finally real action. This is only the beginning of the problems they are going to face. I loved writing this chapter and I hope you enjoyed it. Next one is coming soon! :)