empty look in her eyes as she stumbled towards us. I looked at her feet. No shoes. Her feet were covered with cuts, some not properly healed because she was leaving a trail of pus and blood behind her as she shuffled towards us. I was filled with terror. I turned to run, but Jae held me firmly by the waist.
âShh!â he whispered. âIf we run, weâll be seen.â
I donât know what would have happened if the commotion hadnât broken out behind her. She whipped her head to look and started shambling away. We squinted from behind the boxes, trying to make out what was going on. And then, immediately, we wished we hadnât.
One of the adults had collapsed in the middle of the road. Well, it looked like a man, but we couldnât tell. The rest of the group shambled frantically towards him. I thought they were going to help him up.
They didnât. They didnât! Oh my God, they didnât!
They did something else. Something much worse. They stooped down and started taking bites out of him.
I felt bile rising up my throat and I turned around and threw up.
Jae looked as if he might vomit too, but instead, he patted my back gently. My own terror, horror and disgust were all reflected on his face. He peered through the boxes nervously, then looked back at me. His face was pale.
âPlease be quiet,â he begged as I started to cry.
He held me close to him as we huddled behind those boxes. We could not â did not â want to look anymore. After a while, the grunting and feeding sounds stopped and Jae got up to take a cautious peek. They were gone, and so was the body. They must have eaten all of him and dragged his bones away. The poor man, I thought, he was being eaten alive.
We sat there for a long time, too frightened to move away from our hiding place. What if they were still out there waiting to pounce on us?
Jae looked pale and distressed, all the bravado and swagger gone. I didnât realise I was shivering until he started to rub my back.
âItâs okay. They are gone,â he said, uncharacteristically gentle.
His green eyes looked right into my heart, and for no reason at all, I felt better. I gave him a weak smile. He put his arm around me and I leaned on him. It was nice.
Finally, after a long while, Jae stood up.
âLetâs go. This is ridiculous. We canât sit here forever,â he said.
I shook my head.
âThis isnât safe either,â he insisted.
He stuck his hand out. I took it and hauled my butt off the ground.
Jae took one last look to ascertain that no one was around. Still holding my hand, we ran all the way home, fuelled by the adrenalin, fear and terror coursing through our bodies.
CHAPTER 17
When we finally reached our home, it was dark. Our bags of food were gone. Goodness knows where they were. We must have dropped them while we were running. Jae looked at me nervously as the kids circled us.
âWhat happened to the both of you?â Shulin demanded anxiously.
âWhatâs wrong?â
âAre you okay?â
âWhereâs the food?â
Everyone was jostling around us, hurling questions, fear and anxiety written all over their faces.
âWe are not okay. We saw some adults. They were gross looking⦠very gruesome. And⦠and we saw them eat their own friend! â I blurted out shakily.
âHe was still alive!â Jae added.
The kids recoiled in disbelief. âWhat? They were eating each other?â
âWhere were they? What did they look like?â Kyl asked, shushing the rest of the kids with an authoritative wave.
I gave him a blank stare. My mind had shut down.
Jae was the one who answered.
âThey were over by the main road, you know, near the start of the HDB estate. They looked⦠they looked⦠like zombies.â
Someone laughed. I turned my head to glare. It was Dyanne.
âZombies? Zombies? Like dead people come back to life? Oh please! Have
âShh!â he whispered. âIf we run, weâll be seen.â
I donât know what would have happened if the commotion hadnât broken out behind her. She whipped her head to look and started shambling away. We squinted from behind the boxes, trying to make out what was going on. And then, immediately, we wished we hadnât.
One of the adults had collapsed in the middle of the road. Well, it looked like a man, but we couldnât tell. The rest of the group shambled frantically towards him. I thought they were going to help him up.
They didnât. They didnât! Oh my God, they didnât!
They did something else. Something much worse. They stooped down and started taking bites out of him.
I felt bile rising up my throat and I turned around and threw up.
Jae looked as if he might vomit too, but instead, he patted my back gently. My own terror, horror and disgust were all reflected on his face. He peered through the boxes nervously, then looked back at me. His face was pale.
âPlease be quiet,â he begged as I started to cry.
He held me close to him as we huddled behind those boxes. We could not â did not â want to look anymore. After a while, the grunting and feeding sounds stopped and Jae got up to take a cautious peek. They were gone, and so was the body. They must have eaten all of him and dragged his bones away. The poor man, I thought, he was being eaten alive.
We sat there for a long time, too frightened to move away from our hiding place. What if they were still out there waiting to pounce on us?
Jae looked pale and distressed, all the bravado and swagger gone. I didnât realise I was shivering until he started to rub my back.
âItâs okay. They are gone,â he said, uncharacteristically gentle.
His green eyes looked right into my heart, and for no reason at all, I felt better. I gave him a weak smile. He put his arm around me and I leaned on him. It was nice.
Finally, after a long while, Jae stood up.
âLetâs go. This is ridiculous. We canât sit here forever,â he said.
I shook my head.
âThis isnât safe either,â he insisted.
He stuck his hand out. I took it and hauled my butt off the ground.
Jae took one last look to ascertain that no one was around. Still holding my hand, we ran all the way home, fuelled by the adrenalin, fear and terror coursing through our bodies.
CHAPTER 17
When we finally reached our home, it was dark. Our bags of food were gone. Goodness knows where they were. We must have dropped them while we were running. Jae looked at me nervously as the kids circled us.
âWhat happened to the both of you?â Shulin demanded anxiously.
âWhatâs wrong?â
âAre you okay?â
âWhereâs the food?â
Everyone was jostling around us, hurling questions, fear and anxiety written all over their faces.
âWe are not okay. We saw some adults. They were gross looking⦠very gruesome. And⦠and we saw them eat their own friend! â I blurted out shakily.
âHe was still alive!â Jae added.
The kids recoiled in disbelief. âWhat? They were eating each other?â
âWhere were they? What did they look like?â Kyl asked, shushing the rest of the kids with an authoritative wave.
I gave him a blank stare. My mind had shut down.
Jae was the one who answered.
âThey were over by the main road, you know, near the start of the HDB estate. They looked⦠they looked⦠like zombies.â
Someone laughed. I turned my head to glare. It was Dyanne.
âZombies? Zombies? Like dead people come back to life? Oh please! Have
Similar Books
Bedlam
Greg Hollingshead
TW07 The Argonaut Affair NEW
Simon Hawke
Charon's Landing
Jack du Brul
Operation
Tony Ruggiero
Little Tiny Teeth
Aaron Elkins
Poseidia
J.L. Imhoff
Club Agony & Ecstasy Box Set
Lexi Cross
Riptide
Margaret Carroll
B00JORD99Y EBOK
A. Vivian Vane
Phase One: Identify (Territory of the Dead)
Rose Wynters