Don't Get Eaten

Chapter Forty

"Alright, let's get ready to go. We're burning daylight." Lacy stands up, swinging her pack over her shoulder, ready to go.

I slip my shoe back on and lightly step to the ground. Heeding Zared's words I try hard not to put too much pressure on it. It was more to ease his mind than mine since he kept giving me a stern look.

"Prepare yourselves. Make sure your weapons are out and ready. Once we pass that structure, we're game to them. Keep your eyes wide and open. Be cautious, just because everything looks normal doesn't mean it is. If you catch any movement, silently inform the group. None of us should be caught off guard, understand?"

She looks to each and every one of us as we nod. After grabbing our own packs, Zared once again slips his hand into mine and holds it tightly. He leans in close to whisper, "Remember, if things go sideways, we drop everything and run like hell. Even if I have to throw you over my shoulder, I'll do it. You're the most important thing to me, got it?"

I nod. "Right back at you." I whisper back, wanting him to know he's my top priority as well.

We all start heading into the deeper part of town where the buildings started to clutter, closing in together and grew taller in size. Here there weren't that many open spaces, no fields, hardly any grass spots and just a few trees spread out every now and then.

At one point Christina started leading us since we had no idea where we were actually heading. She was once again distant and quiet towards us, and something kept bothering me in the back of my mind. I couldn't help squeezing my hand in thought, alerting Zared of my growing anxiety.

We were the only two further back than the rest of them because I needed to slow down on my foot, so we couldn't really be overheard with our whispering from the others. He leans in close to me and whispers,

"Everything alright?"

I scan ahead of me seeing that Christina was starting to head a little further than the group as Leo tries to stay close to her. Both Lani and Lacy brought the center gazing around constantly afraid they were going to miss something, I guess. I don't particularly feel any imminent danger, so I wasn't too focused on my surroundings.

Paranoia was a real thing though.

I lean a little towards him. "Don't you think Christina has been acting a bit weird since we started out?"

He looks in her direction with that ever-present frown of his. He doesn't say anything for a few moments like he was really thinking on it of when she had started acting differently. He then looks back to me.

"I mean, she's been traumatized Jinsen. I know she hasn't been acting like her old self but who would after going through this shit? She's seen a lot of people die in horrible ways. Christina is more than likely never going to be the same again. Hell, none of us are."

I wish I could agree with him. But there was just something else that was bothering me. I just couldn't pinpoint what that was. Eventually, I decided to let it go. I give him a grim smile with a nod.

"You're right."

He takes another moment to look at me intensely and when he finally does look away, he just sighs, knowing that I wasn't just fully going to let it go. I couldn't help it though. My intuition was bugging the crap out of me.

"Get down!" Lacy suddenly hisses and before I could wrap my head around what was going on Zared yanks me to the ground in an instant.

He crowds a bit over me as I roam my eyes at the others to see them all crouched just as we were. I didn't get why we were doing it since we were out in the street, completely exposed. Plus it was daytime so why the hell were we hiding like this?

Then I hear it.

Clutching Zared's chest, bunching his shirt in my hand, I stare at him with wide eyes as the loud crunching was moving around in the building that wasn't too far from us. What the hell kind of thing could make that much noise? When I look towards where the sounds were coming from my entire body paralyzes with fear, my heart thundering even louder in my chest.

"Z-Zared?" I whisper stutter.

"It...can't get near us. We're out in the middle of the street and it's still daylight." He almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

There was slight movement on one of the floors, then another movement on a different floor of the same building. Then something crashes on the other side of the street, making us all whip our heads in that direction while Lani squealed a bit in fright.

This one was on the ground floor, with a large window facing us. The shade was on their side as the sun was positioned over the building just right. I couldn't help scrambling back against Zared as the fear escalated. The monster was staring right at us, and I realized it was another one of those that had chased us that first night we were trying to get to the hotel.

The same kind that had injured Mateo.

It's ugly brain like head throbbed and pulsed, it's mouth oozing with large amounts of salvia. But it doesn't attempt to leave the building as it raises a claw and screeches the window with a horrible cringe worthy sound.

"We need to get the fuck out of here and fast. This place is already crawling with them." Lacy stands up making the creature's head snap in her direction.

She turns to Leo, who was hunched to the ground looking at the creature with a look of pure concentration as if preparing himself in case the damn thing decided it wanted to be brave enough to smash through that window and risk the sun just to get us.

"Hey, where the hell did your cousin go?" She snaps.

I quickly turn to see that Christina was now nowhere in sight. "Dude what the hell?" I nearly bark out, my fear slightly forgotten as I quickly stand up, Zared quickly following.

Leo whips around, then scrambles to stand only to start running in the direction that only she could have gone off too, disappearing down the street to the left, yelling out, "Christina?!"

Both Lani and Lacy go to race after them and just when the both of us go to follow, a horrible gut-wrenching scream pierces through the air in the distance. And it sounded a lot like Christina's.