Just Survive Somehow

Chapter 23 - Five Lives

1 year later

"Come on, it's just a little farther this way!"

"Where the hell are we going?!"

"They need our help!"

Surrounded by a crowd of the dead stood a circle of people, not regular people though, survivors.

I watch as Ahri pulls her gun, she starts taking out the dead ones surrounding them, clearing a hole for them to get through.

The group looks stunned as the dead start dropping to the ground.

"Hurry!" I shout at them, hoping to clear them from their trance.

The group starts running towards us, killing a few more dead ones along the way.

"Move fast, we've got a place a few blocks from here," I tell them before we start running.

We round the corner, and a dead one falls into me. Its stringy flesh begins to peel apart as I try to shove it off of me. One of the people we saved pulls it off and another stabs it in the skull.

"Thank you."

They both nod and we keep running.

"Ahren, open up!" I shout as we get closer.

We get to the subway station and the shutters are opened, Ahren hurriedly ushers us all inside before immediately shutting it once we're all in. The dead quickly begin piling up against it and Ahren closes the gate behind the shutters.

"Is anyone bit?" Ahren asks.

I look amongst the group of newcomers.

"No, we're all clean." One of them speaks up.

"We're gonna have to send you to quarantine anyways. It's just a precaution, if you're all clean then you'll be out in no time." I tell them.

Ahren nods in agreement. "We've got a way of doing things around here, if you comply then we'll have no problems."

The group all nods. "We won't cause any problems."

"Good. Quarantine is this way." Ahren leads the group away, leaving Ahri and I alone.

"Good find today. You saved those people out there."

Ahri smiles. "We saved them."

We head down to meet up with everyone else.

"I'm gonna go check in with Ahren."

Ahri nods and runs off.

I turn down a corridor towards quarantine. Jasper is walking towards me with someone. I recognize his companion as one of the women we'd brought in about a week ago. Their fingers are interlaced with each other.

Jasper smiles at me as he walks by. A butterfly flutters in my stomach at the sight. I smile back at him. My smile falters once they've passed me.

I brush the moment off as I turn the corner again. Ahren is there now, waiting outside quarantine.

"How's it looking?" I ask.