Don't Get Eaten

Chapter Fifty Nine

The horrible screams and sounds of bone and flesh being ripped apart refused to leave the forefront of my mind. It was daylight now and I was stuck crouched to the ground of the living room with my hands over my ears, desperately trying to drown out the evilness that was forced upon us. I almost went out there to stop it, but Zared being Zared held me so tightly that all I could do was silently cry while those poor people were slaughtered, then eaten.

The creature hadn't been the only one out there like I had first thought. But I was so hard pressed to save them that if it wasn't for him I would be in the belly of one of those monsters too. Zared had forced me to look away from the scene before it was too late. So the sounds were the only things I witnessed, but it was more than enough to be forever traumatized for the rest of my life.

I jerk at the slightest touch, jerking my eyes open and staring up at my boyfriend who was leaning down to look at me. He was dressed and held our packs over his shoulders. His face was pinched with worry. But there was sadness too. I release a deep sigh and stand up to take my pack from him.

Handing it over he says, "How's your foot doing?"

I knew he wanted to ask that other question. The question where it asked how I was doing. And to be honest, I wasn't doing okay. And neither was he. I could tell he was trying to be the stronger one, the one who didn't let these things bother them. But they did and no amount of hiding it could get me to think otherwise.

I stare at him, feeling a bit hollow and pathetic. But I give him the only answer I knew to give him, the answer to the question he really wanted to ask me. Leaning forward, I kiss him while reaching my hand to hold the side of his neck gently. Placing my forehead against his, I close my eyes and let a few silent tears fall.

I feel him breathe deeply himself, reaching up to clasp the sides of my face in the palm of his hands. "Yeah, me too." He whispers, before pulling away from me.

I instantly miss the contact, but we needed to move on from this place. It was clear it wasn't safe and that we were lucky to still be alive. When we reach the front door we both stall, Zared's hand pausing on the doorknob, staring at it. Once we opened this door the aftermath of last night's horror show will stare right back at us in the face.

And we wouldn't be able to convince ourselves it was all just a horrible nightmare.

When he still doesn't move, I reach up to take a hold of his long sleeve shirt, grabbing his attention. Looking at me, he takes another deep breath and twists the knob until it opens, allowing the sunlight to hit us.

I blink, getting accustomed to the bright light as he walks forward and out into the open air. The stench of blood couldn't be mistaken, and I wanted to throw up. I avert my eyes from the dark spot that covered the street from sidewalk to sidewalk. It was there in my peripheral vision, but I didn't dare look, afraid of seeing what had happened to them all.

Zared just takes my hand and starts speed walking in the opposite direction, not looking back himself. "Don't look, babe." His tone hitches as he says it.

My heart pounded against my chest as we don't stop for anything and just keep on going until we come across a road that led out on the highway. We slow down as Zared looks in the direction where fewer houses were built on one side and a huge park on the other. Further down you can just see that fields widen out into open space.

"What's wrong?" I ask him, wondering why he was just stopping.

"Do you think anyone has ever made it out of this city? What do you think we'll find if we headed somewhere else? Is the entire world filled with them?"

He looks to me with a curious frown and for once I take in the actual distance of the place. Now that he mentioned it, Lacy and Chuck never mentioned about leaving the city. They've been here for months and yet they never left. Why?