Chapter 7 - Determination, Reunion and Change

Fear gripped me as I read the article. “It wasn’t me…it wasn’t me…” I mumbled repeatedly.

The End’s words replayed in my mind. Is this what she was referring to? The challenge I’d have to face is being held at gunpoint and reading this nonsense? It wasn’t even my fault, so why’re are people hellbent on blaming me? The Dtective was supposed to help but this is what he does.

Anger overtook the fear and I exclaimed “It wasn’t me god-damnit!”

“Then how do explain the article?!” he countered.

“Article? What evidence does this article have on me? What are the so-called fruits of their investigation that lead them to believe I did this?!” I exclaimed frustratingly, The End’s words ringing louder and louder in my head. “I only tried to warn them, but those people chose to ignore me.”

‘That’s right, get angry.’

I threw the covers off me and stomped towards him, holding his gun to my forehead as I looked him dead in the eyes, “Instead of persecuting me and believing these baseless articles, believe me. Do you think if I caused this I’d be running from those things?!”

‘Take that first step.’

“The government waited till things got worse before they took any measures but instead of criticizing them, you people have the nerve to blame me!”

He was at a loss for words. I could see that he was conflicted but I couldn’t care less.

“I’ll put an end to this. I’ll find the cause of this outbreak and reveal it to the people. You don’t have to believe me, the choice is yours,” I felt a strange calmness wash over me.

I wasn’t angry that people blamed me and labeled me a criminal. I wasn’t sad that not one person believed me. And I wasn’t afraid that I may die today.

The End was behind me as she whispered those words in my ear, hugging my shoulders. She had won, all the cowardice in me was now gone. I couldn’t even remember why I was afraid in the first place.

Demi lowered his gun, “Tell me, make me believe you.”

And so, I told him. We sat there for hours as I told him about the first dream that I had and that I can see how a person died. He didn’t interrupt me as I spoke and just listened. When I finished, it took him a while before he said anything, it was as if he was processing the information I’d given to him.

“One thing confuses me, how-” his sentence was cut off by a loud explosion followed by screams.

We sprang to our feet and rushed to the window. In the distance a black cloud of smoke rose to the sky.

“Shit, they’re using heavy weaponry on the zombies,” his jaw clenched.

I looked at him horrified, “But those were screams. People are still screaming!”

“That’s how he does things. He said they’d subjugate the zombies, not save people,” he said bitterly.

Seriously? They blame me for everything that’s happening, turn people against me and then kill them? How is any of this right? The government is supposed to protect its people.

“Let’s go. I’m certain they used the warp gates to get here. We can use those to get to my father,” he spoke as he headed towards the bedroom door.

“I need to find Rina first,” the determination evident in my voice. Before he could retort I spoke up, “I can find her.”

He ruffled his hair in frustration before letting out a sigh, “Fine. But we have to be quick.”

I flashed him a thankful smile as I picked up my bag, emptying the contents on the floor. It was filled with clothes and medical supplies. I kept the latter, but I needed things that would help me survive.

Demi called the menu and we took food that we could prepare while on the run, and things that wouldn’t spoil quickly.

We were almost out the door when I paused. A bloodied, metal baseball bat was lying on the floor. I picked it up and continued out the door.

When Demi saw me, he threw a quick glance to the bat in my hand, “Just don’t accidentally hit me with that.”

I didn’t expect the witty remark from him but I chuckled in amusement. “Let’s take that,” I said pointing to a blue hovercar parked in the driveway.

It would’ve been easier if I knew how to drive, I wouldn’t have had to run so much if I did. Then again, it’s not like I’d be fined if I did. I wanted to curse at my own stupidity but without my ID watch I couldn’t even start the thing. After using the arm to start the car he threw it in the glove compartment.

As I re-dressed my wounds I gave him directions, the zombies didn’t pose a threat to us while we were in the car so that was another good thing. Demi didn’t hesitate to smash the car into the zombies as he drove but if he could avoid them, he would. I’m sure he had questions on how I suddenly knew where Rina was, but I wasn’t about to tell him that The End was the one who actually knew. I was truthful to him earlier, but I’m not sure how much of what I said he believed. Telling him about The End would make me more suspicious than before.

Soon, we came to a stop at a food storage warehouse. The surrounding area was filled with the corpses of zombies. We gave each other a small nod and cautiously approached the warehouse. I knocked on the door and we waited, shuffling and muffled whispers could be heard from inside.

The door slowly creaked open, revealing a short man with greying hair in a white coat. When the man laid eyes on me, he moved to slam the door but Demi was faster. He yanked the door opening making the man fall on his face.

For a moment I had forgotten that I was now wanted, the man’s reaction was natural. Ignoring him we walked inside. People immediately huddled together, both resentment and fear in their eyes as they looked at me.

Normally I would’ve cowered at their gazes, a lump would form in my throat and I’d find it difficult to speak. But neither of those things happened.

I was searching the crowd with my eyes when her voice called out to me “May?”

As I turned in her direction, she ran and gave me a tight hug, “Do you know how worried I was?!” Tears spilled out of her eyes as she continued, “There was that article this morning too. I know it’s not true but other people….”

Her sentence trailed off, she didn’t have to say anything else. The gazes of onlookers were enough.

Suddenly, one of the people in the crowd yelled, “What’re you all waiting for?! She’s the one that caused this mess! Somebody catch her and call the District Officers immediately!”

His small speech had seemed to light a fire in everyone else, because not long after others joined him. They cursed at me, ridiculed me, asked why I did this, told me that they lost someone because of me and threw things at me.

Rina and Demi shielded me and tried to reason with them, but their words fell on deaf ears. I tried to defend myself as well, but alas, no one believed me.

An angry mob of people is dangerous for many reasons, they’re unreasonable, violent and loud. Extremely loud. And in a zombie outbreak, they’re basically an all you can eat buffet.

A bloodcurdling scream broke through everyone’s voices. The man who had opened the door for us was still outside and the door was open too. Everyone held their breaths as the place became deathly quiet. But they were too late, the zombies charged in every direction as they ran through the door. They already knew people were in here, they didn’t need to know where.

The three of us managed to move out of the way and hide behind some containers. Screams and pleas for help continued to fill the warehouse every second. Rina covered her ears as she trembled in fear while Demi was looking for a way out.

I just sat there, their screams didn’t phase me as I thought it would. I glanced at the bat in my hand and then to The End. She never disappeared, from the time she appeared this morning until now, she was just standing there, watching me.

I took a deep breath, “We have to fight our way through them.”

Both of their heads whipped towards me.

“Are you crazy?! There no way we can do that, you there, try to talk some sense into her too!” I expected as much from Rina, she never agreed with me.

Demi was no exception, but he pulled up a holographic screen from his watch, and a few seconds later his gun transformed, a knife now at the edge of it.

“I don’t have enough bullets for all of them, I’ll have to make do with this,” his response surprised both Rina and I. For once in my life, someone had taken my side.

I was about to try and convince Rina again but Demi beat me to it, “She risked her life to find you. So you can either stay here and wait for your death, or show a bit of appreciation and come with us.”

Reluctantly, she pulled out some brass knuckles from her pockets, “…let’s go.”

At the count of three we ran out from behind the container simultaneously. I had taken the lead and smashed the zombie’s head with my bat. Its blood splattered on my clothes, arms and face.

Something within me had changed. I no longer felt any sadness for people who died before me. If they chose not to listen to me, then their deaths are their own fault. There was no need for me to hesitate to kill a zombie either, I was merely helping in putting it out of its misery. The value of life that I held was still there, but I could feel that it became twisted.

‘That’s okay. No matter what you do, you will always be right’ she was trying to comfort me, and I believed her.