Chapter 6 Walking Time Bombs

Fear and desperation could lead us to do some stupid things. Every time I bumped into someone, they were not in their right minds to think - either they push you aside or hurt you outright. Help was almost impossible to find in times of catastrophe. So, when Caite appeared in front of me and hugged her, oh, I fucking regret that. My emotions carried me away - I even forgot how much I hated her.

I was the first to pull away from the hug. My arms dropped awkwardly to my sides as I avoided her gaze. How could I look at her properly? Come on, me and my friends used to taunt her online for petty reasons-stupid jokes that spiraled into something cruel. I did so many horrible things to her, yet here she was, saving my ass like none of it mattered.

To escape the thick silence between us, I bent down and picked up the portable hologram Shae had dropped earlier. My hands moved slowly, deliberately, as if dragging out the moment would somehow make this less uncomfortable. I slipped it into my bag with excruciating care. By the time I stood back up, Caite's attention had already shifted-to Shae.

Her expression softened as she knelt beside Shae's lifeless body.Caite reached out hesitantly, brushing a strand of hair from Shae's face like she was still alive-like she was still her.

I couldn't bring myself to move closer.

"I'm sorry," Caite muttered under her breath. "You didn't deserve this."

I wanted to say something-anything-but my throat felt like it had closed up. What could I even say? That I agreed? That I hated myself for not being able to save her? That every part of me was screaming at how wrong this all was?

Before I could gather my thoughts, my mouth gaped open, ready to heave out a sigh of relief that we were safe-for now-but instead, a sharp gasp escaped me.

Behind Caite stood a blank-eyed woman-or what was left of one. Her entire left hand was gone, causing it to burst dark blood everywhere. My wide-eyed self froze when she bolted right to our positions with terrifying speed.

"Caite!" I managed to choke out.

But it was too late.

The woman slammed into Caite with full force, sending them both crashing to the ground. Caite's gun and metal rod flew from her hand.

"Get off her!" I screamed.

Caite struggled beneath the woman's weight, her grunts of effort mixing with the wet gurgles coming from the creature above her.

The gun was too risky-I couldn't trust myself with it in such close quarters-but the rod... The rod felt solid in my hands as I grabbed it and pointed it at them at full tilt with trembling arms.

I need to get the hell out of here and shoving this creepy girl away from Caite is the very first step to accomplish that. Before she could get up, I pinned her back on the ground using my foot and tightened my grip on the steel, preparing to strike on her head.

The blow's definitely gonna kill her, but am I ready to kill?

'You already killed yor friends.'

Me, swinging the metal rod comes to a full stop. Rushing thoughts of guilt stun me to the core again.

"Jane!"

Two bright headlights heading on our way stopped right in front of us.

"Get in!"

Vino's familiar silhouette, looking out the car window almost dropped my jaw.

I stopped myself from smashing the woman's skull. I release the metal rod from my grip. Caite grabbed my hand and we dashed straight to the back seat. Our butts in with no hesitations.

Even though we're not yet sitting properly, our car skids to a halt. I let out a yelp in no time when we ran over the woman who attacked us earlier. On top of that, I find myself constraining Caite back into a corner. I averted myself and tightened my grip on the driver's seat.

"I have so many questions," I said, confusion lacing my voice.I looked back to Caite. "I mean why are you even here? How come you're here all the way from La Primo with a police-issued gun?"

Her eyes darted away. "Tito... your dad... he invited me to the grand reunion. We're still family, after all."

I frowned. "Why attend now? After all these years of declining his invitations, what changed?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Well, technically I still didn't attend. I changed my mind because I remembered how ridiculous it is to attend that reunion."

I scoffed and decided not to push her further. I turned my attention to Vino. "And you, how did you find me?"

Vino looked at the rearview mirror before answering. "Your phone is not that hard to track," he said in a casual tone.

My eyes widened, shocked by what he had just revealed. I tightened my grip harder, then carried myself into the front seat. The car jerked sideward, earning a curse from Vino. I just stared at him intently.

"Are you saying that my phone has an encrypted tracking system?"

"Why do you think the boss is so confident to let you sneak around unguarded?"

"All this time, you knew and said nothing?"

I cursed him again and hit his arm when he nodded. Two palms covered my face, ashamed of all the escapes and lies I've told my father.

Ugh, why am I even surprised? Oh well, at least his tracking device saved us.

"Look out!" Caite screamed as our car jerked in another direction, snapping my attention back to the road. We passed a group of people with pure white eyes, six of them standing together as if they were eagerly anticipating our approach. The various growls outside, along with their relentless pursuit, urged Vino to drive even faster.

"You both okay?" he asked, shifting his gaze to us.

"I'm fine," Caite replied.

"I'm not..." I heaved a deep breath, overwhelmed by everything that had happened that night. Two of our friends were dead-or maybe even more.

I still had so many questions, but I couldn't ask them all at once. We were still in the middle of nowhere, and knowing Vino, he needed to concentrate if we wanted to reach safety.

Leaning against my seat, I crossed my arms. "What the hell are those creatures?"

"They sure look and act like zombies," he said.

"Zombies aren't real," I countered. "Even recent studies say it's impossible."

"Maybe they're wrong. Honestly, nothing is impossible nowadays," he retorted. Caite nodded in agreement, which surprised me. Had her cynical side vanished too?

She must have noticed my gaze on her because she quickly shifted her eyes outside. The silence hung heavy until she broke it.

"I ain't no rocket scientist, but I think the explosions earlier may have sped up the process of the apocalypse."

I felt fed up with everything. I frowned at her words. What was she trying to imply?

I glanced back over my seat. "Are you saying those who died from the explosions...?" She cut me off with a nod.

"They have risen back from death."

A long silence enveloped us.

"Your claims are hard to believe. How could you-" Before I could finish, she pulled out her phone and showed me a video.

Everything was visible from the ground in her low-angle shot. The loud music and screams from below filled the air. It looked like she had been at the top of a ferris wheel when she recorded it.

In a normal situation, others might think it was just the bliss of a roaring crowd, but in reality, it was a scream born from fear. I recognized myself somewhere in the video; we looked like violent ants caught in peril.

The video zoomed in on the stage. I snatched the phone from her and focused intently on the scene, especially when I saw the woman who seemed like an office worker-the one who had warned us earlier!

She was having a severe seizure on the platform while nearby police officers were stressed by the unfolding chaos.

One policeman jumped down from the stage. A girl got temporarily arrested from the group of fleeing people; he snatched her big teddy bear and released her before passing it to one of his colleagues. They placed the teddy bear on the woman's head as a makeshift pillow and arranged her laying position sideways.

The office woman's seizures stopped abruptly as she sat up as if nothing had happened.

Other policemen approached them cautiously. The nearest one grabbed her shoulder, seemingly asking if she was okay. But when she looked at his hand on her shoulder, she forcibly removed it and bit him.

Panic erupted as everyone ran toward them. They tried to separate the two, but the bloody woman's grip was too strong for the policemen to break free.

They struggled again, but they all flew away from her in terror; only her victim's fingers remained in her mouth as blood splattered across the stage.

The clip cut off and transitioned to another shaky video segment. Caite must have exited the ferris wheel because she turned in different directions as if looking for someone; thick fog surrounded us under the dark sky, making it harder for her to see.

No wonder Caite stumbled along the way-the camera had night vision so I could see a body she stepped over.

Caite crawled toward it and laid it down properly. I winced at the sight of burns covering its body; their skin was so crusted that they were barely recognizable. Caite gripped their pulse and leaned closer to check for breathing.

I heard a faint growl nearby. Though I couldn't see much now that she blocked the lens, I knew they were beginning to transition.

Staring at the black screen left me too stunned to speak as Caite took her phone back from me.

"The person I stumbled upon was already dead," she explained quietly. "There was no pulse or response, but there was a groaning sound coming from their mouth. He's one of them."

"So that's what it takes to become one of those creeps? Die first, then transition later."

"Creeps?" Vino asked incredulously. "Isn't there still enough evidence that they are zombies?"

"Nah," I replied dismissively. "I'm just too lazy to say 'zombies.' Plus, they remind me of those green walking time bombs from Minecraft-so 'creeps' suits them better."

"Minecraft? What's that?"

"My God, Vino! Didn't your grandparents tell you about that classic game?"

"Aba! I don't know, okay?" He frowned and returned his attention to the road. "My grandparents weren't gamers back then."

"I get it now," Caite muttered from behind us just as our conversation came to an abrupt halt. "They're basically creepers 'cause they only act on instinct and explode figuratively when they see any living thing."

"Exactly! The only thing that's bothering me now is how they transformed into walking time bombs."

"We can only theorize for now," Caite said thoughtfully. "But I'm guessing some toxins affecting neurological responses have been released into the air-either accidentally or on purpose."

Vino and I exchanged glances before he shrugged while I leaned back again.

I caressed my left arm where Trixie had attacked me; though she was gone, the bruise remained-a brown discoloration causing mild sharp pains whenever I moved. Vivid images flared up in my mind again: from the sudden departure of birds to my discovery of Trixie's half-eaten body.

I also recalled how aggressive Trixie had been and how dark blood splattered from her mouth before I left her behind. Was Caite right?

Was there really toxic air poisoning our minds and triggering us to act violently?

That thought felt absurd yet strangely logical at the same time.

"If that's true," I said slowly, "then we're all doomed. It's too early to conclude anything definitively, but most likely we've all been exposed-especially those with wounds... even if it's just a scrape."

I clamped my mouth shut tightly; I'd been talking out loud again!

The car came to an abrupt stop, causing us to lurch forward into each other's space. We found ourselves at the edge of a dark street with few homes nearby-we were literally right next to a forest now and still quite far from Alatus district's highlands.

"I've been thinking..." He let out a deep sigh before he continued. "Why is this happening to us? Are there terrorists attacking? Is there another political war?"

"I don't know," I admitted honestly, "but if there is a war going on, our enemies might be using radiobiological warfare against us-something that could wipe us all out." My words left them speechless.

Geez, I knew I sounded intellectual for once-but that was just my gamer instincts talking.

"Jane," Caite called softly as I turned toward her again with curiosity lingering in my eyes. "We should go to your dad; I think we would be safer at the Hall."

"Don't worry," Vino chimed in with reassurance. "That's our destination anyway." A sigh escaped me; they were right after all-my father was vice mayor of Alatus district and surely had police protection around him.

"But what about Rina and Gabby?" I asked anxiously.

Vino looked at me for a moment; tears welled up in his eyes as his hands trembled while starting up the car again.

"Let's hope they're already at the camping grove," he said quietly before maneuvering the steering wheel once more.