"I may have saved her from the monsters that crawl through the dark, but she saved me from the worst monster of all. She rescued me from who I would have become without her, the monster that would have easily conquered my body."
* * *
Reese Chambler...
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I BLINK ONCE.
The ghosts of the fired shells echo off the bare walls of the prison, whispering to each other about the damage they dealt and the lives they took.
The fighting silenced long ago.
The steady sound of a burning fire can be heard through the broken windows. Trash and glass litter the floor by my feet.
I blink twice.
My bottom is almost completely numb as I continue to rock back and forth on it. The baby in my lap isn't screaming anymore, but the stream of tears still runs down its cheeks.
I blink a third time.
I cannot look down at the baby in fear that the heavy realization of what I have done will sink into my skin.
I blink again.
A growl emits from the dark corridor leading further into the musty building, bringing me back to my senses.
My eyes flicker down to the glossy pool of blood forming around my leg. There, the sharp pain has dulled to a persistently throbbing ache.
I gently place the baby down on its back, and pulling out my knife, I begin to cut away at the fabric of my jeans right below the knee. Blood oozes down the back of my calf from the divot of missing flesh. Burns trail along the edges from where the hot bullet skimmed across my skin, cauterizing the outer rim of the cut.
Though it hurts a lot, it's just a surface wound. It will heal.
I tear the length of denim material into strips and use them to tie up my leg to make the bleeding stop.
Another throated growl comes from deep within the tombs, echoing throughout the empty halls. It seems closer than before.
I struggle to stand, but once I finally make it to my feet, I pick up the baby and hold it loosely in my arms. It looks up at me, a sad frown set on its small face.
I look around the musty cell block, finding an old backpack to carry the infant in. I swaddle it in a thin blanket before gently putting it into the pack.
It takes me a while to find my way out of the dark building, but when I see the aftermath of the battle, I almost wish I would have just stayed inside.
So many bodies litter the ground, most of them are being eaten by biters. One body belongs to Tara's girlfriend Alisha, and a sudden flash of panic surges through my body. It tenses my muscles and crushes my lungs to a pulp.
I have no idea where my aunt is.
My hands grow numb at the thought of her body being one of the many scattered around, melting onto the hot pavement. I fight back the tightening feeling in my neck as I try to breathe normally. I don't have any time to look around for my aunt as biters stumble in through the broken fences.
