Fungal Fury

Chapter 2; Highers

Amelia kept thinking, her brain racing as she tried to figure a way out of this situation. How could they have been so careless and how did the Higher get here?

She shook her head, looking to the front doors of the supermarket. It would be loud and take a little time to open, but it was their only visible way out. Without making a sound, she lowered herself into a crouch, pointing to the doors for Jesse.

They started to make their way over to the moss-covered glass, knowing they'd have to go into the open to finally open the door, but it was their only choice. When the time came, they both hugged the windows leading up to the door, hoping their dark clothing would blend into the green growth... though it was hopeless with the sunlight breaking through.

The door! It was within a few feet of Amy, and so she slowly stood, glancing to where Jesse had come from.

She shouldn't have looked.

Staring back at her was the Higher. It was bulky, with two large arms that seemed to be tacked onto the smaller body, and it's face and head were deformed. The veins and arteries were visible, but had a black hue to them, and its teeth seemed sharper. The most striking feature, which is the same for every Higher, were its eyes; solid in color. No sclera, no iris, no pupil. Just a solid yellow-green.

Her heart rate skyrocketed, and she scrambled to the door, forcing it open as she had done minutes ago. Since they didn't have Emily anymore, the gap didn't need to be as big for Jesse or Amy, who were both on the thinner side.

When the gap was large enough, Jesse didn't hesitate before squeezing himself out. But before Amy could, however, Jesse decided to come back inside.

"What-?!" Amy started to shout, knowing the Higher had seen them, but Jesse cut her off, definitely more panicked than before.

"There's a horde of Lowers outside! And I might've seen another Higher." His voice kept getting higher in pitch, and he was gesturing with his hands to shut the door. He was suggesting they handle the Higher inside!

"You're insane! Two Highers within one hundred feet of each other?" Amy said, letting the door shut as she crouched to the ground again, watching with a concerned gaze. The Higher had seen them... it was coming.

As she went to grab Jesse and leave the store, likely through a backdoor nearby, a thudding could be heard on the other side of the glass.

The Fungals! They were pounding on the glass, trying to break in.

With that sound, both Jesse and Amy bolted for the aisles they'd left, hoping to confuse or lose the Higher within the twisting shelves. They only got to the front of the first aisle when a shattering sound could be heard, along with the tinkling that glass shards made when they hit the ground.

Amy took a glance to the front, wondering what had happened-

In the window, holding a rock, was a girl. She didn't look like a Fungal, nor did she look prepared for the world at hand, but Amy couldn't tear her eyes away from her.

She wasn't from here... there was no way she was from here! Her adrenaline kept rushing through her blood before Amy turned the corner, Jesse leading now.

"Jesse! Did you... did you see her?!" Amy whispered, trying not to shriek into the empty store. She received a shake of his head.

"What, what'd you see? Is there another Higher?!" He was panicked, as he had been for a few minutes now, but managed to lead them to the bathrooms, hoping they could hide.

"I.. I don't know! She didn't look like a Fungal, but she could not not be one! Did you see her fucking back?!" Amy remembered the girl's appearance very well, despite having seen her for a total of two seconds.

A long ponytail, with purple roots and white tips, a small purple jacket and a blue skirt. Mismatched eyes.

Wings.

The girl she had seen had wings. Feathered ones protruding from her back, with brown and rust feathers.

Amy kept remembering her past experiences; she'd seen Fungals with wings before, but they had never been feathered. They were always leaves, roots, or just fleshy. Not feathers.

The bathroom door slammed shut behind them, and the deadbolt was intact, so that was the first thing that Amy did; deadbolt the door. It wouldn't stop the Higher, but it would buy time.

"Jesse! She had fucking wings." Amy sputtered, her voice now starting to raise a few octaves. The adrenaline and panic and confusion were actually starting to get to her.

"A winged Fungal?!" Jesse cried, holding Amy's shoulders and shaking them with fear, "Amy, we're dead. That's it! We're done for! Game over man!"

"No! No, I... I don't think she was a Fungal. Her eyes weren't solid in color like other Highers!" Amy cried, taking a step back as she removed Jesse's hands from her shoulders, "And she could see us! Meaning she isn't an Intermediate!"

"How could you say that?! Literally nothing else could have wings but a Fungal! And so what if she could see, that doesn't mean she isn't infected. And some Intermediates can see!" He spat, angry at Amy now. How could she possibly think that wasn't a Fungal?

"Jesse! Think about this for a second; Highers and Intermediates have solid eyes! They can see, sure, but never have I ever seen one with normal eyes! Her eyes were normal." Amy couldn't believe what she was saying, herself. That wasn't a Fungal, but that also wasn't someone who was human, "What if... what if she's not infected? Then we leave her to die?"

"Yes! We are not getting involved with this! And why do you care? You haven't before." Jesse had a good point, especially with Amy. The girl was always cold, having never opened up to someone. Sure, she joked with their camp, but she never got close to anyone, so what was different with this girl?

Amy opened her mouth to respond, but a sound stopped her. Both turned their gazes to the door, hearing a soft tapping sound, and it kept repeating. It sounded like knocking, but it couldn't have been louder than whispering.

The duo gazed to each other, each gaze saying different things with their eyes. One was saying not to open the door. The other said she would.

Amy rushed forward, Jesse doing the same, attempting to restrain her from opening the door, but she was slippery, having dodged his attempt. She slid the bolt out of the way, cracking the door open a tiny bit before a force shoved it open.

A blur of purple and brown rushed inside, then pressed her hands to the door, sliding the deadbolt back into place.

It was the girl.