My ears were still ringing when I stood up and ran to Richard. He's stunned and he's on his knees while clutching his ears. Damn! How loud was that scream? It was cut short with a shot to the head but I was scared shitless. It was my first time firing a gun but I was glad I didn't hit Richard accidentally. I guess being a sucker for all those airsoft sessions and games paid off huh.

I ran towards Richard and grabbed his collar while pointing the gun towards the lumbering unclean. It's quite heavy holding it with one hand compared to the airsoft modules we've been using. I didn't shoot because my hands were still shaking. It will only be a waste of bullets. "Get up! Come on!" I exclaimed. He was still in a daze but he recognized that I was dragging him by the collar.

"Whaaat!?" Richard shouted. Fuck, I think he shattered his eardrum. I wrapped his arm around my shoulder and assisted him in walking. In the corner of my eye, I saw 4 new unclean who wanted to join the party. Ahead of me, I saw at least a dozen cresting down the hill towards us. Fuck this is bad. Alright, think later move now. I need to break visual contact and keep my companions safe. I'll leave the thinking to Richard later. Another 3 rounded around the corner of the house and at least 8 were coming from the road towards the city center. A few unclean stirred from where they were lying. Like a siren call the scream woke up every living or unliving thing around for like 200 meters? With the accompanying gunshot, I'm sure things will get fucked up by Murphy more right now.

Upon arriving at Abigail's position, I sat Richard down. "Abigail! Abigail! I need you to assist Richie while walking make sure you stick behind me okay? I know you're scared but I need your help." I said to Abigail keeping it short and concise. She was trembling, clearly afraid of being eaten, who would not. She was holding the knife close to her chest while trembling. Fuck. She is entering into a state of panic.

"Abby. Abby. Look at me. Give me your knife." I ordered. "Ok." Abigail followed. Yeah she's not in her right mind. Giving me her weapon is a sign of it. She is just on auto-pilot right now. "Clasped your hands together like in a prayer. Yeah like that." I hurriedly added.

I slapped Abigail's hand with both my hands hard. Making sure she feels the pain. This should force her brain to focus on the pain and think.

"OW!" Abigail exclaimed. "What was that for!" she shouted.

"You want to live?" I asked. She nodded. "Good! Now focus. Assist Richard and follow me. It's do or die, Abigail, your choice." I stood up, took the M9 knife off the plate carrier, and tried to fit it into the M4. Based on the spacing of the barrel it should fit. I'm not sure if this has one but running and shooting is not viable to me right now. The weight and recoil are different from the one I'm used to too. The gunshot would probably attract more rather than kill so I have no choice. After a satisfying click, making sure the knife was fixed, I stood up and panned my way to break through the lines towards the buildings in the distance. It's the only way to break visual contact in this coastal desert. At least 600 meters, I stabbed the eye of the first one to come near us. I closed my mind off anything that wasn't in front of me. I hope Abigail and Richard are okay. NO! Focus. Focus on getting them out. I stabbed the 2nd one and kicked the 3rd that was closing in on us. I don't have to kill them I just need to make space for us to go through. I dodged the hand that nearly grabbed my face and tackled it with my shoulder. I stabbed, kicked, and dodged over and over and over again. I ignored the raspy moans these things produce. I ignored their smell. Their state. Some got their limbs torn off. Some were just crawling on the ground. The smell of burnt flesh. Some got chunks missing from their face and necks. Others have their inside hanging out from their stomachs.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Old men, women, people in office uniforms, civilian clothing. Fat people, people in uniform college students, firefighters, bikers. Women who were wearing risque outfits, whom I could've slept with during my days off. None of them were the same. Each one I killed was different from the other. But they all have something in common. The drive to hunt, the drive to kill, the drive to eat. A few stabs and kicks more and I was starting to feel exhausted. I am starting to breathe heavily due to this exhausting effort to break through the encircling unclean. Yeah, they maybe slow but they got the numbers, and the worst of all, they don't tire.

I was about to smack the next target in my way when my world slowed because of what I saw. In front of me was a boy. about 10 years old age. The boy has, no, this is an IT. I am still having a hard time accepting that these things aren't people anymore. It had no lower torso. It was dragging itself towards me with its entrails being dragged out. He's just kid a goddamn kid.

Something clicked inside me, I wanted to scream! I wanted to break something I wanted someone to pour my anger into. But knowing that giving in to anger right now and shouting will only attract more trouble. I rushed towards the unclean blocking my way and tackled him down. Locking my hands to its knees I smashed it hard on the sidewalk. I stomped on his head not caring if this shit is contagious through contact or bites or whatever. I punched the jaw of the once woman with a missing eye unclean and moved on. If this were a coincidence, I would accept that everything is just as it should be but if this pandemic or whatever it is, is man-made? They better pray I wouldn't discover who they are. Because If I knew and I could reach them? I would fucking drag them to the street and let the unclean have meal out of them and after that I'll fucking pee on their corpse! No, that would be a mercy. I'll fucking skin them, I'll skin them alive and hang them where everybody can see. I'll put a fucking sign saying they are the culprits of these abominations! Who the fuck do they think they are! Taking away the future of other people! Taking away the hope of children! Taking away the breath of all newborn and unborn babies! Even the pregnant ones! I'll fuck 'em. I'll fuck them all!

~~~~~

I reached out to Big Ben, slowly tapping his shoulder. He spun around so quickly that I was too late to react! He held the gun with a knife above his shoulder, and about stab me with a face of wrath written all over it! I recoiled back. Emotions filled with anger, Big Ben took deep breaths and slowly lowered the gun. Then a loud smack! The man called Richie punched Big Ben in the cheeks and pointed at him. I can still see his ears bleeding. I haven't known them for long but the connection these two had is more than mere friends. Are they brothers? But they don't look alike.

Perhaps Richie smacked Big Ben to make sure he didn't lose control and endanger us. That's the feeling of the action I get. But without budging, Big Ben just took a deep breath and said to Richie.

"Yeah, I needed that. I was getting out of control there." Big Ben said while massaging his cheeks. I looked back at the carnage this man brought just to make sure we made it through alive. We knew each other only for a day now but I'm sure as hell that if I want to have a chance of surviving at all, I need to follow these two.

On the night of our flight from the mesa, or even at the house. They could've left me. but they didn't. Even if I was not an asset. By the looks of what's the world gonna be in the next few days or months, even years. It's better to trust these guys who saved me a couple of times already than jumping from one group to the next. I just hope they trust me that much too.