𝙵𝙻𝙴𝚂𝙷 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙱𝙾𝙽𝙴 | 𝚃. 𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙾 𐂃

Chapter 16

Wincing from the pain in her side and jaw, Cristine clenched her molars together. The pounding stab in her head made her stiffen, as another surge of pain racketed through her frame. Clenching the handle tightly in her grip, she pulled out the blade its full length from her victim underneath and stabbed him in the nape afterwards. Panting, she stretched her neck and tried to look for Joseph in the dark but only saw their busted truck from the other jeep that rammed into theirs and cursed. The two were out on the road to gather intel and the culprits weren't that far behind. A trio set up their camp a few miles away. Long story short; Cristine and Joseph had agreed to disarm them and in fact caught them off guard, but weren't aware their trio was a quartet. A gunfight ensued, dead were attracted. She got into a physical altercation with the one underneath her, but now she lost Joseph and the other three were nowhere to be seen. Patting her walkie, she noticed that it was busted, so there was no way to call home. But first she had to find Joseph.

Cristine readied her legs and prepared herself to run the final stretch back. Her breathing steadied and she thanked her discipline. She was glad to still do morning and night runs from her track years days during high school and college. It gave her the advantage of doing long runs or short sprints without much effort. She was so grateful to her nagging father to keep exercising. Then, something moved up ahead. Cristine froze before lowering her legs slowly. Something had definitely twitched in the field. She could hear something, too. A moaning. A person? She wasn't sure. Cristine move slowly into the field again. She flanked to the right slightly, out of the direct path of the movement. She jogged, slower than before, and readied her blade. She'd use it again if she had to. As she got closer to the source of the movement, she saw another twitch.

Cristine stopped.

There was definitely someone there. She crouched down. She felt her heart best against her chest and stepped forward towards the movement, keeping low. The cawing of the insects almost deafening in her ear, as was every step in the dry, lifeless patch of rocks and dirt. Cristine took another few steps closer to the movement. It was a matter of meters away now. Whatever it was let out another noise. That was definitely moaning and sounded like a wet chewing sound? Feeling a chill, Cristine raised her knife. Tensed all the muscles in her body. Reached for the edge of the slab she used as a shield. Three, two, one... she pulled herself up and ready to strike the steel into flesh when she froze and saw it. The moaning were breathless gasps of pain as a single reanimated corpse tore through his gut and feasted on his intestines. Seemed like the one that turned was one of his own and not Joseph. That was two birds in one stone. Cristine coldly watch the man's blood covered mouth part as his teary gaze silently begged her to release him from his misery. She tapped the edge of her blade and after debating that she wouldn't waste her time, twisted on her heels to look for Joe instead.

Another break in the action heightened Cristine's senses. The silence closed in again. As her eyes adjusted to the outline of the area, she followed the first simmer of fresh blood smeared across the stone. With a short, yet shallow breath did Cristine vigilantly look around. The area was silent aside from the distant croaks of the dead. She rolled her knife between her wrapped up palm as she stalked along the mangy bushes and pointy rocks. The singing of the insects grew louder. She moved on and focused. She saw everything clear now. Knew what she had to do. She had to kill. Was going to. She stretched her legs and started to jog again, through the soft ground and in the direction of the brighter fire. Being out in the open like this was not good too vulnerable and there was one more around with no clue of Joseph's whereabouts. Cristine heard some low voices, saw some shades moving around. She stopped and crouched through her knees and kept her eyes peeled for movement, knife ready as the other dug into the stone wall. She sucked in a great deal of oxygen when the lanky figure came close and she kicked him in the leg before slamming her full body on him and assaulted him from the shadows. The man tumbled down his back and Cristine drove her blade down only to stop inches from the veins near her neck when-