Santiago Rising

Chapter 31

Everyone now knew I was bitten but then they would find out about Gabby as well. So after I got clean up I told them how it happens. I told them how I saw a person changed before my eyes and turned into a freak. it was gross and something out of this world. I told them how Josh and I fought it and how we were thrown around like rag dolls. how he was thrown in a storefront. while I was fighting it alone for a few minutes before it grabs me and throws me into a car and how it bite me before it throws me but I couldn't feel it. how after it was all over I try to kill myself but Josh stopped me and we fought. I told them all.

All eyes were on me. I wanted them to say something, anything. I wanted someone to try and come at me or tell me to fuck off and leave. but instead, Casey walked up to me and hug me. I held her and I felt her shake. "Never think about killing yourself again," she said quietly. At the time I didn't realize how much I would hurt her if I died but now I do and I'll never think like that again. No matter how bad it gets. I love her and Carmen too much for that. Jane came up to me. look me in the eyes and touch my face. "You're still your mom's kids, headstrong and reckless as hell but you here, alive and fighting to keep us all alive," she said to me and pulled me into a hug. Then she turns to Josh and slapped him for keeping this from all of us.

He took it and just said, "It wasn't my thing to tell." I smile at him and look towards the others. none of them seem to mind but I knew they didn't fully understand, hell I didn't understand this shit and this was my body. "Well we should at least know what you can do right, I mean you fought a freak by yourself so there is something that's good out of all this," said Lily. I like this kid. She had a good head on her shoulders. "So what do you think I should do,"I ask her. Then she had this wicked smile on her face and I felt fear creep into my body. What did I just do?

"Alright rookie lets see how fast you really are," said Jana. She had me running laps and timing me. After the sixteenth lap, I was started to sweat. Now after twenty-three lap I was started to get tried. "Damn girl you can run you were fast then you kept getting faster until lap nineteen," she said. I nodded at her and drank some water. my body felt hot and sweaty but not burning up when I get into fights with freaks or any other growler or ticker. "Hey did you know your eyes get all red and black when you fight right," Jana said to me. I looked up to her. "What no they don't, the only thing that happens is my body gets hot and I can kind of seeing in slow motion," I told her. "Not going to lie that's hella cool, but maybe we can try and recreate that right," she said and I was not like the look in her eyes.

She left to find some people for her little project and I went inside to eat. I so was so hungry. I was Jane making some food and when I went for some she slapped my hand away and told me to wait. I gave her puppy eyes but she was not having any of it. I went back outside to find Jana standing with Josh and Gabby. I smile her them and walked up to Gabby and kissed her. Josh awed us and I punch him. He fake being hurt and I walked away from him. "Okay, so I need you two to fight her. This was a one on two," said Jana. I looked at her in questions. before I could ask her about what she meant Gabby came up to me and smiling at me. I smile back at her but then the next thing I know is that I felt her fist connect with my gut. I back away from her and she came at me again but this time with a right front kick. I block it and moved away from her but what I didn't take into account was Josh being behind me. I felt him kick me in the back. I turn away from her and look at him.

My body was growing warm but not hot. I dodge them until I saw Jana holding a knife. But she didn't come at me she was just playing with it. Then someone's fist hit me in the jaw. She was trying to distract me and it was working. I shook my head and looked at the two who were coming at me in full force. With each hit, I took my body was growing hotter and hotter. Then I saw it. I saw their movement in slow motion and was able to dodge every single hit. I catch Josh's arm and throw him from me and stepped up to Gabby. Her eyes were red and black as well but she didn't attack me. she held my hand and smile. I smile back at her but then I felt something sharp in my mouth. I tried to speak but nothing came out and I felt something warm drip from my lips.

She had a worried look on her face and she took me what she saw. "Babe your teeth are kinda well it looks like you have wolf teeth but more fucked up and you are bleeding," she told me. I stepped away from her and brought my hand to my mouth and find that she was right. I tried not to freak out but my body starts burning up again. I closed my eyes and try to come down but I couldn't. Then I heard it. We all heard it. I heard a howl and something in me wanted to, no needed to fight it. To kill it. I grab my knife and a gun and went running for it. I knew everyone was yelling my name but I didn't listen to them.

I ran for it. I left the farm and after running three miles I find the freak. I was on the small side compare the others I fought. This was going to be an easy takedown. No one was around and I could let loose. It roars in a challenge and I yelling back at it. It charges at me and I at it. With my speed, it couldn't keep up with me and I would unless my knife on its arms and fire my gun at in when it back away from me. With each swing of its arms or trying to grab at me my knife would land in its gross flesh.

Soon I was out of ammo and just used my knife. Before I could climb on its back and deliver the final blow I saw Josh and Gabby running towards me. I was distracking long enough for this freak to grab me and throw me into a wall. I groan in pain and looked up to see it grab Josh and bring him to its mouth. Everything stop. Nothing move and I was looking at someone who I grew to love as a brother get taken by this thing. No. NO! I refuse to lose another brother. I yelled out and it stopped and looked towards me. It felt like I was walking through fire. I ripped my shirt off in hopes to cool down but it didn't help. I looked up and ran towards to freak. I swear I saw it back away from me.

It let go of josh and I jumped at it. With all my strength I stabbed it through the eye and twist my blade deeper and deeper into its skull. It fell with me on top of it and something in me wanted to be let out. So I let it out. I yell out. It felt like something in me had broken free until I felt something touch me. I move to fast away from it but I saw it was Gabby holding a bloody upright Josh. My body was still on fire but I went to them and held them tight. I could smell the blood on Josh and hear his heartbeat. It was growing Slow. I quickly took off his shirt and saw that he has a deep cut on his left side. I didn't know what to do. My knife was cover in the black blood and I was bleeding into him. But when I think about it this was the first time I bleed on his with open wounds. I didn't know what I was thinking so I just bite him.

He cries out in pain but I heard his heartbeat. His heart was picking up the pace again and he started to smell different. He normally smells like mint and wood but now he kind of smells like a ticker but not really it still had the minty wood smell to it. It overpowers the ticker smell. His once light blue eyes grew to a dark blue and where I bite him his veins were began to blacken. But it stop and return to normal expect his eyes. His blood was still bright red like mine. I looked her him and started to cry.

I almost lost my best friend and I did the one thing that could've killed him but it didn't. I so was so damn happy that I held in tight in my arms. "I am not losing another brother to fucking zombie freaks," I mumble. I felt him wrap his arms weakly around me and laugh. "Like you can lose this handsome boy anytime soon," he said and smile at me. With tears in my eyes, I just held him. Gabby help me pick him up and we walked back to the farm. I have to explain to them what I just did and how I felt fighting a freak again. This was going to be a long day.