In The End: A Zombie Apocalypse

~~ The Shadow Dancer ~~

I breath in the crisp, cool air. Winter is coming.

It's  been a few weeks since we left Costco, and so many still grieve over their lost friends and family, including myself.

Every day, I think about how I could've saved him, and every day I hear his screams as he hit the ground, and the disgusting sound of the walkers feasting.

The trucks bounce over things in the road as we continue on our journey to nowhere. When we first left Costco, we had seven vehicles of people. Now, we have five.

One night, we set up camp just off the highway, lining the cars up in a circle to protect us. Or so we thought. Walkers began to surround us, taking life after life. Fortunately for me, no one I knew closely. we had shot and stabbed as many as we could, trying to get out of there, but we weren't able save everything. We had to leave two cars behind, as well as people.

I sit now in the back of Jane's blue pick-up, along with Winona, Olivia, Delilah, and Scout. No one wants to say it, but we all think it. Scout's not safe. His mind has been blinded by his father's death, and countless times his emotions skyrocketed, scaring so many, yet he insists he's best suited to lead the group. Although, I don't even think he believes himself.

"How's the shoulder, sweet pea?" Winona says, breaking me from my gloomy thoughts. "Oh, uh, it's alright. Jane fixed it up the best she could." I look to my shoulder, and slowly make my way down to my wrist, and look at the marks, now scars, left behind from Jason's iron grip.

"That's good. I tell you, you're one of the strongest youngsters I've ever met."
"I just don't want to die." I tell her.
"I can see that. The day we fled Costco, Scout had brought you to the truck, and I held you as tight as I dared. You looked as fragile as glass, like one wrong move and you would've shattered into a million pieces. You were literally covered in blood, sweat, and tears. You were barely holding on, but you never gave up. You never wanted to die." Winona, so much love to give, yet so much heartache.

"Thanks, Winona." I can't think of anything else to say. She turns her head to the back, watching the land fly by as we race across the empty road. It's still early morning, and not everyone's awake yet.

I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn. It's Delilah.
"Hey Luke. I've... I've got something I need to tell you. It's about Venus.."

"Is she OK? Is she... Bit?" I ask. I can't handle another one of my classmates' death. I was never really close to Venus, but I know Jason was.
"Is it about Jason?"

"Y-you could say that. But... She's... She's-" Delilah's cut off by a screeching halt of all our vehicles. Everyone groggily wakes, looking for a reason for our sudden stop.

Jane gets out of the truck, looking forward. "Well, it looks like this is as far as we're going. Unless we continue on foot." I peer over the hood of the truck, and see our problem.

Multiple cars block the road. Some flipped, others slammed into each other. Walkers are sprinkled throughout the wreckage. Some pinned under or in between cars, others still inside their previously owned vehicles.

As I've been observing, the others have made their way out of their cars and staring at the traffic. "What are we going to do?" Asks Benjamin.

"Well, what are our options? We could try turning back, find another way around, we could try heading a different direction, or we could go by foot from here on out." Says Jane.

"I think we should turn back, find another way." Cecilia says, still half asleep.

"No." Scout coldly responds. Cecilia's face morphs into a hurt expression, and she retreats back to her car.

"We won't go back. There's nothing for us there. We're running out of gas as it is anyways."
Winona steps forward. "I used to live 'round here. Took this highway to get to Costco. There's a small town a mile or so ahead of us, with a gas station and some stores."
"Alright, then on foot it is." Jane announces. We go to the cars and grab what ever we can, water, food, and throw them into the three backpacks we have. Then, we go.

***

After several minutes of walking, Delilah approaches me once again.
"So, about Venus..." She begins. I look to find Venus, and see her walking closely behind Olivia, with a bitter look on her face.
"She's not right, I-I mean, she's not doing to well, after what happened. She... She's angry, at you." She stutters.
I'm lost for words. There was nothing I could've done! I shout in my head. He... He was my friend too.
"We can't have someone like that with us. It pains me to say it, but she needs to go." I whisper to Delilah. She nods, and walks away.

A while later, I over hear Winona and Scout's conversation.

"-there's this flower shop, 'Lulu's Lilacs', up ahead in the town," Winona begins. "I was wondering if we could get and plant a few flowers, to honour those we lost."

And for the first time since we left, sanity has found Scout's eyes. "That sounds like a great idea."

***

"Alright, potty break." Jane announces. Evan and I go together to watch each others backs. I go first as Evan looks out, then we switch.
"How're you holding up?" He asks.
"Never better." I reply.
A twig snaps.
We go silent. I pull out my knife and Evan soon does the same. Back to back, we look to see anything. To my right, the bushes shake, and out emerges Venus. With a gun.
Pointed right at me.

***

"What are you doing?" I begin.
"You don't get to choose." She angrily says, spit flying.
"Wha-"
"You don't get to choose!" She states again, this time shouting.
"Venus! You're going to attract the walkers! Keep it down!" Evan whisper shouts.
Not caring, she continues. "You killed him! You did! You could've saved him, but you only thought of yourself, and you let go! You let go!"

"There was nothing I could've done! I tried to save him,  I tried with any strength I had left, but he told me to drop him, he told me to let go. He told me it was the only way..."
"Liar! You could've saved him! You could've...." Tears stream down her face, before she looks at me with a sinister, crazy look. "But you don't get to choose. Life or death, you don't get to choose for someone else! I'm... I'm only making it even..."

"No!-"

Bang.

No bullet hits me. My initial thought is Evan was hit instead, but when I look at him, he stares with the same shocked expression I have.

Then I look at Venus. Blood trickles from her forehead, and with an expression of pure anger, shock, and sadness on her face, she falls to the ground.

Behind where the broken girl once stood is Delilah, with a gun held out and a hand on her mouth, tears flowing from her eyes. She drops her hand to her side and releases the gun, letting it fall to the ground. As she looks at her friend's corpse, she whispers,

"It-It's better now. For you... And for us..."

QOTC~
What's your birth sign?

AOTC~
Pisces