Time to depart

Dean didn't know what to say. Houses stood in flames; people ran in every direction. It seemed like they didn't even know why. Of course, he also saw the ghouls feasting on human flesh. Without thinking, Dean ran inside and shouted:

'Everyone who can move, grab chairs and tables and barricade the damn door!'
Nobody moved. So he tried again: 'If you do nothing, you'll die! Now move, move!'
This time, they obeyed. The children stayed behind the women while the men rushed to the front. As they neared the ghoul, their pace slowed—but in the end, they did what they had to.

While the men worked, Dean, Larah, and Sark huddled around a man whose hands were stained with blood. Dean knelt before him. Meanwhile, Sark leaned toward Larah and whispered:

'I heard you talking to him earlier. Seems like you knew each other before. Was he always like that? He told me he got beaten by someone—but that's hard to believe now. I mean I am not dreaming right? He just fought whatever that thing. Is!' Larah smiled faintly.
'He's always been like that. But when you really need him, he becomes the most reliable man I know. He just doesn't know that about himself yet. Sometimes people he' she blushed 'cares about must get in trouble for him to act!' Sark gave her side-eyes accompanied by a faint smile.

'So people he cares about!', he repeated. 'I see!'

Dean was in the middle of a conversation when the man suddenly began scratching his shoulder. His shirt had ripped there, revealing a bite mark. Dean helped him up and guided him to the bar, where a woman was handing out water. One of the women approached Dean.

'Why did you tell us to barricade the door? Are there more of those things out there?'
A heavy silence befell the group. Here and there, someone swallowed hard, but no one spoke. Even the men stopped working, waiting for Dean's answer. Finally, he said:

'Yes. For now, the best thing to do is wait here.'

'And then what?' a man asked, lowering the table he had carried. 'How long are we supposed to wait? I've seen enough horror movies to know one thing—staying in the same place too long is suicide. It's just a matter of time before something crashes through that cheap barricade. Damn, it wouldn't even keep out a toddler!' Dean was speechless, heart pounding, sweat beading on his forehead. The room's tension sharpened as everyone turned to him. That's when Larah stepped forward and pulled the women away from Dean.

'If any of you have a better plan, step forward. You're not being held hostage. You can leave. Whenever you please! When that monster attacked us, what did you do? Exactly. So shut up!' She turned to Dean, her voice suddenly soft.

'Thank you for saving me, Dean.' Dean smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

'I should be thanking you. Damn, I dumped you? I dumped you? How dumb was I?' Larah puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms, nodding in agreement. Their moment was broken by a fit of coughing. The injured man's arms were no longer the only thing red—his eyes, too, had turned bloodshot, bleeding at the corners. He dropped to all fours, his body twitching unnaturally. Growls escaped his mouth, and his teeth sharpened into fangs. The women grabbed their children and ran toward the men by the barricade. Sark raised his gun, aiming at the transforming man whose skin was slowly darkening. Dean and Larah backed away. Everyone just stood there, watching the man turn. Then a woman—clear-headed, at least for now—shouted:

'You! The barkeeper! Shoot him! Can't you see he's turning into a damn monster?'
Sark hesitated, but when the creature shrieked, his reflexes took over. A single shot rang out. The man's head exploded. He fell dead. But the so-called sane woman wasn't done. She pointed at Dean.

'Now shoot him. He was near that thing. He even touched him. He's probably infected. Kill him!' The people behind her nodded. Agreed. Dean raised his voice.

'I saw the man's shoulder. He was bitten. That's probably why he turned. That dead guy over there didn't turn—he wasn't bitten. I only got scratched!' The woman laughed manically.

'How can you be 100% sure? What if you turn and kill us? That's your plan, isn't it? You'll kiss me first, then kill me!' (Random man: 'The fuck, woman? You mental?')(Random woman: 'Oh yes, nice. I also want that!') Sark couldn't take it anymore. He pointed his gun at her. She responded by pointing her finger at him.

'I knew it! You all want me! You perverts!' Shaking his head, Sark handed Dean the gun, then leapt over the bar. He pulled out a black bag from beneath it and tossed it to Dean.

'Dean, these people are lost. If you stay, they'll kill you—or worse, that crazy chick might rape you.'

'I would never do such a thing but I know that you want me!' Sark shook his head.

'Woman who are you even?' He noticed Larah's face twist in annoyance and turned to her with a grin. 'You look promising, Larah. You coming with us?' Larah glanced at Dean. He gave her a grin. Sark jumped back over the bar and took the bag from Dean. 'We're taking the backdoor. The front's barricaded like crap anyway.' He gave the group one last look and moved on. Larah and Dean followed. And the woman still couldn't shut up.
'Yes, go! And never come back!'