STAGE 1

6

Maitland

My body shook, my eyes wide. We walked through the forest back to our camp. My dad limped, Beau's shoulders were folded forward exhaustedly, Henrietta watched my every move and David, Emery and Sydney stayed as far away from me as possible.

"Mait?" Henrietta said making me jump, I turned to her slowly, opening and closing my fists.

"Y-yeah?" I replied.

"You had to kill those people. They were gonna kill us, I know it ain't easy-" She said but I stopped her from saying more by putting my hand up.

"Thanks Mother Hen," I replied softly and I began to walk quicker. The crunch of bones replayed over in my head while the smell of blood still filled my nose.

I couldn't believe what I had done, I was no better than a Stage 1, than any of them. I was a monster. I killed three of them like it was nothing and I felt nothing while doing it. Another voice snapped me from my thoughts.

"Honey?" My father said, he hadn't called me that in so long.

"Yeah, Dad?" I replied, tears forming in my eyes.

"I love you, no matter what. You know that right?" He asked and I nodded. I crushed my body to his, burying my face in his chest. He huffed when my body hit his, he felt bony to me. Not the chubby man he was a year ago.

"I love you too!" I said, breathing in his musky, dirty scent. He finally released me and we walked together. "How are you feeling?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I'm alright, little sore. Probably bruised," He said rubbing his ribs, his limp didn't seem to come to mind.

"And your limp?" I asked, he looked down with wide eyes, watching as his weight was shifted unevenly.

"Ah shit, must've messed my old knee up," He replied calmly, but I could see the anger and fear in his eyes. If you had a limp or a leg injury that usually meant you were dead.

"Don't worry about it, Dad," I replied, the sound of the stream just dancing to my ears. I looked at my Dad, he looked back at me and then up into the trees.

"Go ahead, wash that blood off while you're there," He said and I nodded. I walked down the small hill to the stream. It was running faster than it was this morning. Looks like the stream had changed just as I have.

I looked at my reflection in the clear water, blood splattered around my hazel eyes and down my forehead. A giant smear ran across my cheek. My lips were puffy and raw from when Blue Eyes kissed me. I felt the knife slowly slide into his chest and I shivered. It was slow, but the harder you pushed through the tough skin the easier it slid in.

I moved a piece of my light hair out of my face, and slowly dunked my bloody hands into the cool water. I shivered at first but soon was used to it, it was nice and embracing. The blood soon floated down the stream, leaving my hands clean again. I closed my eyes and just let the water rush over them.

"Mait?" I heard in a voice that I hadn't heard in more than a year. My eyes snapped open and I looked around. Nothing, she wasn't there. I cautiously put my hands back into the water, letting the afternoon sun warm my face. I slowly let my eyes droop until I saw nothing. I heard the rustling of trees and the running water that cleaned my hands.

Julia.

God, I missed her. She lived in this stream, comforting me after something went wrong. I wish I knew what I know now, a year ago. I could have saved her. If I did she may have been sitting next to me right now; a slender, pale arm wrapped over my shoulder; a cheery smile on her face. I would nuzzle my face into her neck and just breathe her in. The sound of water stopped, I slowly opened my eyes; the bright sun burned my retinas. I looked down and saw red, all red. The water had stopped flowing and was once clear was now stained crimson. I pulled my hands out of the water hurriedly, tears blurred my vision as I stood up.

Just like that, I had ruined something else. I had ruined Julia. I wiped my hands on the grass next to me and slowly stalked up to the rest of the group, everyone looked impatient but my dad and Beau. Beau hadn't looked at me since I killed them.

"Just a little further guys, then we can sleep," My dad said looking right at me. I needed sleep, I just needed this day to be over, my hands still dripped watered down blood. I shook them off and walked closed to Beau, his face, his poor face.

"Hey," I said quietly, he turned to me. His eye was completely swollen, his lip stuck out, a lump on his cheek, and cuts were scattered around his face. "How's your face?" He smiled painfully and gestured to his face.

"What do you think?" He mumbled.

"I'm thinking ouch," I replied and he nodded slowly.

"How's yours?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked, he reached up and touched my cheek softly, it stung.

"Small bruise," He replied dropping his hand and his eyes.

"Probably when that guy decked me," I replied my hand coming up to replace his.

"Why did you do it?" Beau asked, his brown eyes shining.

"Kill?" I asked, quietly.

"Yeah," Beau replied looking forward, we were starting to branch further and further from the group.

"They were going to kill us, I couldn't let that happen," I said, Beau nodded.

"But, you could," He replied.

"No, they were hurting my dad, waving a gun in your face. If Blue Eyes could he-he would've raped me," I said swallowing roughly. Beau's eyes narrowed and he clenched his fist.

"I just don't believe in killing," He replied.

"I know but-" I started.

"No," He replied. "There was a choice, you and Henrietta you didn't-"

"That man was killing me, Beau. I WAS dying, Henrietta had too," I said my voice raising.

"Henrietta I understand but you-you had never killed and then suddenly you were smashing a guy's face in! It wasn't YOU! It wasn't natural, you're letting this world change you when you don't need it too," He said, his face filled with pain.

"You have to change in this world, you have to evolve," I replied, and he sighed heavily.

"Don't get all sciencey with me! None of your adaptation, evolution crap. We ARE who we are," He argued and I huffed.

"Well then am I a murderer?" I asked and he looked down.

"Well yeah but-" He said and I walked off. He saw me differently now. I wanted nothing to do with anybody at that moment. I just wanted sleep, I wanted to be lost in myself instead of just lost.

The crunch of vegetation soon turned into the loud tapping of black top. I looked up to see our cars, exactly as we had left them. My eyes watered when I saw our car; home. I started speed walking towards the car, my backpack falling from my tired shoulders.

"Mait, NO!" My dad called, the rotting stench of flesh filled my nose as a Stage 2 pounced for me. I shrieked and pulled myself backwards, falling to my back. It crawled up my body, clawing through my shirt. I screamed as it ripped into my stomach flesh and begged for it to be over. A loud blast filled my ears as my eyes closed, the cold, wet body fell forward into me spraying my face with even more blood. Then it all went black, that's it-

I'm dead. 

*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#

It's been such a hard day for Maitland :/

Well that took long enough and this chapter was very short but I'm happy with how it turned out. Clashing ideals, inner struggle and A CLIFFHANGER?!?! Yes, please. 

I apologize for the short chapter but I hope you continue following this story because it's one that I am very passionate about. 

Thank you! :)