instead of being the idiot who went, again, to investigate, I squirmed over to Ian, and grabbed the hand that had lost grip on my own. Squeezing hard enough to crack his knuckles for him.
There was this unexplainable fear. This pain. But.. no. No, I lied. It was explainable. I couldn't get over what I'd just done. I couldn't get over the fact that, just a for a moment back there, with the zombies hands wrapped about my shoulders, I considered not fighting. In the back of my mind, yes. But the thought had been there. I never thought I'd consider
such a thing.
I never figured I'd ever survive a zombie invasion.
Even for the short amount of time the invasion had been going on.
My friends, and I had all entertained the thought of a zombie invasion, while we were growing up. There was always the joke that the brain craving creatures would come and kill us all. The question had always been the same, "What would you do, if zombies suddenly invaded?" The answers to the question varied. It went anywhere from stories of how kick ass we'd be, surviving to the very end only to be taken out in a terrible taco accident, to how we'd be taken out in the first couple minutes of the ordeal.
I'd always said, being completely honest, that I'd probably curl up in a corner, crying for my mommy. Which I really did begin to contemplate. I never thought I'd make it. I'd become the proverbial cry baby that held the group back. With the way things always seemed to work out, if it wasn't the zombies that killed me, it would be my comrades.
Because I'm just that lucky.
"Excel! Ian! Are you all right?!" Dustin shouted it, as he approached us. Falling to his knees maybe two inches from my side to look me over. "Jesus, where'd these bruises come from?" He asked, examining my arms where the zombie had grabbed me so tightly before.
"He grabbed me.." I mumbled, motioning where the zombie had just fallen.
The comment brought a frantic Cathy to my side. She was worried, I could tell. She looked a bit sick, actually. Maybe it was the sight of the zombie chasing us that brought on her pallor. She was sickly pale. Her eyes were wide, shifting from side to side like she was panicked.
She probably was panicked.
I couldn't blame her if she was. I really couldn't.
"Well.." Cathy was a bit breathless as she spoke, smiling weakly at me as she pulled my sleeves back down my arms. "He didn't break the skin, so you'll be okay. Unless he grabbed you anywhere else. Bit you. Something like that. He didn't, did he?" She smiled when I shook my head in the negative. "Good."
"How's Ian?"
"He's fine." Dustin grinned, looking up at me from checking Ian over. "Except he's upset." "I know."
"Why?"
I felt my eyes water a bit, and my nose go red from holding in the tears as I shook my head. Telling him I didn't want to talk about it. Saying I didn't care. Telling them it was a mystery to me. It depended on how they translated my head shake.
"Excel?" I glanced up at Dustin when he addressed me. Smiling a bit at his worry. His eyes told all. He was bothered. He couldn't hide it. But he pulled a still tearing Ian to his feet, while he looked at me, being pulled to mine. "Excel, tell me what happened." There was gentle authority in his tone. But I didn't open my mouth, I just shook my head, not wanting to admit what I'd done.
"She was a kid.." Ian spoke, raising a shaking hand to wipe his face. No doubt he was feeling like a child. Like a girl, as I'd heard it put so many times before. He probably felt inferior, being a boy that was so openly crying. "She couldn't have been out of high school. Barely in high school. She"
"Was she turned?" Cathy asked, helping to steady me on my quivering legs. "She was.. turning." My mouth worked without the permission of my brain. "Turning? She was in the middle of it?"
"She was completely aware of it." Ian wailed, ripping his arm from Dustin's grip, but not moving any
There was this unexplainable fear. This pain. But.. no. No, I lied. It was explainable. I couldn't get over what I'd just done. I couldn't get over the fact that, just a for a moment back there, with the zombies hands wrapped about my shoulders, I considered not fighting. In the back of my mind, yes. But the thought had been there. I never thought I'd consider
such a thing.
I never figured I'd ever survive a zombie invasion.
Even for the short amount of time the invasion had been going on.
My friends, and I had all entertained the thought of a zombie invasion, while we were growing up. There was always the joke that the brain craving creatures would come and kill us all. The question had always been the same, "What would you do, if zombies suddenly invaded?" The answers to the question varied. It went anywhere from stories of how kick ass we'd be, surviving to the very end only to be taken out in a terrible taco accident, to how we'd be taken out in the first couple minutes of the ordeal.
I'd always said, being completely honest, that I'd probably curl up in a corner, crying for my mommy. Which I really did begin to contemplate. I never thought I'd make it. I'd become the proverbial cry baby that held the group back. With the way things always seemed to work out, if it wasn't the zombies that killed me, it would be my comrades.
Because I'm just that lucky.
"Excel! Ian! Are you all right?!" Dustin shouted it, as he approached us. Falling to his knees maybe two inches from my side to look me over. "Jesus, where'd these bruises come from?" He asked, examining my arms where the zombie had grabbed me so tightly before.
"He grabbed me.." I mumbled, motioning where the zombie had just fallen.
The comment brought a frantic Cathy to my side. She was worried, I could tell. She looked a bit sick, actually. Maybe it was the sight of the zombie chasing us that brought on her pallor. She was sickly pale. Her eyes were wide, shifting from side to side like she was panicked.
She probably was panicked.
I couldn't blame her if she was. I really couldn't.
"Well.." Cathy was a bit breathless as she spoke, smiling weakly at me as she pulled my sleeves back down my arms. "He didn't break the skin, so you'll be okay. Unless he grabbed you anywhere else. Bit you. Something like that. He didn't, did he?" She smiled when I shook my head in the negative. "Good."
"How's Ian?"
"He's fine." Dustin grinned, looking up at me from checking Ian over. "Except he's upset." "I know."
"Why?"
I felt my eyes water a bit, and my nose go red from holding in the tears as I shook my head. Telling him I didn't want to talk about it. Saying I didn't care. Telling them it was a mystery to me. It depended on how they translated my head shake.
"Excel?" I glanced up at Dustin when he addressed me. Smiling a bit at his worry. His eyes told all. He was bothered. He couldn't hide it. But he pulled a still tearing Ian to his feet, while he looked at me, being pulled to mine. "Excel, tell me what happened." There was gentle authority in his tone. But I didn't open my mouth, I just shook my head, not wanting to admit what I'd done.
"She was a kid.." Ian spoke, raising a shaking hand to wipe his face. No doubt he was feeling like a child. Like a girl, as I'd heard it put so many times before. He probably felt inferior, being a boy that was so openly crying. "She couldn't have been out of high school. Barely in high school. She"
"Was she turned?" Cathy asked, helping to steady me on my quivering legs. "She was.. turning." My mouth worked without the permission of my brain. "Turning? She was in the middle of it?"
"She was completely aware of it." Ian wailed, ripping his arm from Dustin's grip, but not moving any
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