Chosen to Survive (ONC2024)

Chapter 7

Lily's POV

The last few days have been a blur of fear and hiding. Zoe, Zack, and I have been laying low, trying to piece together the nightmare our lives have become. But tonight, I needed air, a break from the stifling fear that's been choking us.

I slip out, the cool night air a welcome relief against my skin. The streets of Crestwood are eerily quiet, the usual nighttime sounds absent, as if the town itself is holding its breath. That's when I see her: Jess, or what used to be Jess, moving with a purpose that chills me to the bone.

I follow, keeping my distance. There's a part of me that screams to turn back, but I can't. I need to know what she's become, what's been done to her.

Jess stops, and I hide in the shadows, watching as a lone figure approaches her. My heart races, the horror of what I'm about to witness paralyzing me.

"Hey, are you okay?" the lady asks, concern in her voice. Jess turns to her, and even from this distance, I can see the change in her. It's in her eyes, her posture, she's not the friend I knew.

"I'm just so fucking hungry," Jess says, her voice a whisper that carries in the still night.

What happens next is a blur. Jess moves with an unnatural speed, going for the lady's neck. She doesn't even have time to scream.

I should run, scream, do something, but I'm frozen, a silent witness to the horror unfolding before me. I watch as Jess sucks/rips the lady's neck.

It's over quickly. Jess steps back, she looks around as if sensing she's being watched, and I shrink further into the shadows. After a moment that stretches into eternity, she leaves, disappearing into the night.

I wait, heart pounding, before I force myself to approach the victim. I tell myself there's hope, that maybe I can help, save her somehow.

But it's too late. The person is alive, barely, he breaths shallow and ragged. "Help me," she chocks out, blood pouring out of her mouth. Reaching out sh stars blankly at me, the movement making more blood gush out of her neck.

"I... I'll get help," I stammer, but even as I say it, I know it's a promise I can't keep. There's nothing to be done, and the realization is a weight that crushes me.

I run, tears streaming down my face, the victim's plea echoing in my mind. I've never felt so helpless, so lost. The night around me feels alive, filled with unseen threats, and I'm acutely aware of how alone I truly am.

Back at our hiding place, I don't mention what I saw. Zoe and Zack have their own horrors to deal with, and I can't add to their burden. But the guilt eats at me, a constant reminder of my failure.

The horror of what Crestwood has become is overwhelming. Friends turned into monsters, victims left in the wake of hunger monsters, too terrible to comprehend. And we're caught in the middle, struggling to survive, to find a way to fight back against the darkness that's taken over our town, our lives.

As I lay awake, listening to the quiet breaths of Zoe and Zack, I make a silent vow. We won't hide forever. We'll find a way to fight, to save Jess from the darkness that's claimed her, and to protect our town from the night's shadow that's descended upon us. And if I can't save Jess... then I will make sure she can't hurt anyone else.

But tonight, all I have are my fears, my guilt, and the haunting image of what Jess has become. And as dawn approaches, bringing with it the promise of another day of hiding and fear, I can't help but wonder if we'll ever find our way out of this nightmare.

Zoe's POV

The plan is simple but risky. I'm to sneak into the library while Mr. Henderson is preoccupied. The thought alone sends my heart racing, not just from the danger, but from what we might discover.