Chapter 3

A Chapter by HighExpectations

Chapter 3

That scream meant only one thing; Walkers. I was so stupid for deciding to join. I could of done something, something that would of prevented us from all coming here. I knew this part of the village wasn’t fenced in.

I bet my father really is laughing now.

Jae and I run towards the booth, but we are stopped in our tracks. My jaw drops at the scene of Tessa surrounded by Walkers. I guess Braxton and Hannah made a run for it because all I see is Julian beating some of the Walkers with wooden beams, that came from some of the ruins of the circus. It’s not working, though. The beams are not powerful enough. All though the beams may be knocking loose eye balls out of sockets, tearing off twisted fingers, and placing dents in their heads, it just isn’t powerful enough. But, it’s already too late. The Walkers have made Tessa fall to the ground, them piling above her. I see them bite her neck, veins and muscle tissue hanging from their mouths. How is this appetizing? What sick concoction can give humans this thirst and hunger for their own blood and flesh. I hear a gurgle come from my stomach. I feel whatever lunch I had today churning inside me, rising up through my esophagus and it comes out in front of me. Jae is holding my shoulders while I try to get everything out of me, but time is not my friend.

They are finished feasting on Tessa, and now there attention is on Jae, Julian, and I.

Julian looks into my eyes, he knows he won’t make it through the gate in time. I see tears form, and fall from his face. He keeps hitting the Walkers, though. He has a new weapon now, the mallet from the Test Your Strength game. I watch him aim for their heads, knocking their heads degrees that I thought were physically impossible, left and right. The horde is surrounding him. I look at where Tessa lies, but she isn’t there. I look into the horde and find her. I see her that her foot is twisted to a 90 degree angle, must of happened when she had fallen. She reaches for Braxton, just like the other Walkers. Jae takes my hands and we make a run for it. I can’t believe I’ve left my friend, my friend that I’ve known my whole life time. I could of done something to distract them, or to attract them. Just long enough for him to run away from the horde. But, I didn’t.

I don’t want to look behind me, the sight is unbearable. I regret coming here, I regret leaving my mother by herself, and I regret not believing my father.

I’m so glad that we didn’t venture of to far from the gate. Jae pulls and pulls but the gate doesn’t open. Oh, so now the Vigilante decides to lock it. Did they see us go through? Do they know that we are locked in here? Me and Jae are going to have to find another way out, or we’ll become infected.

“Remember that wall we used to climb over to get into the circus for free?” Jae says.

That’s it! Since the gate won’t open, we’ll just climb over the wall. But who knows what awaits us there.

“Yes, but we don’t have much time. We got to run, run as fast as you can, Jae.” I tell him.

I feel as my feet are even touching the ground. I’m running like I’ve never ran before. I didn’t even know I could run this fast. Jae is still holding my hand, not wanting to lose me. We reach the wall and Jae places his hands, palms up, on his knees.

“I’ll give you a boost, but hurry. I can hear their moans.” he says.

I place my left foot onto his knee and he lifts his hands up, giving me that extra boost. I’m now on top of the wall, and I can see the Walkers coming into view. They aren’t that far away, only a few feet away from the wall. I take my hand and go to grab Jae’s hand. His hands are sweaty and slippery and it’s hard to get a good grip. I look up to see how closer the Walkers have progressed; a lot.

“Come on, Jae. You can do this.” I assure him.

I reach down for him, both hands. My eyes are closed because I don’t want to see Tessa and Julian. I can feel Jae’s hands clasped with mine and I pull up. He’s heavier than I expected, I feel as if my arms are about to pop out of socket. He uses his feet to climb up against the wall. The Walkers are now below him, reaching their broken, or twisted hands up towards him. I can see how badly they want him, his flesh. But, I won’t let them have him.

I keep pulling and pulling, so confident that he’s going to make it to the top with me. That he’s going to make it back into the village with me, but that confidence goes away as I feel his hands leaving my grasp.

“NO!” I yell, as I see him fall downwards toward the horde.

“LAYNE!” He yells back, knowing that my name was his last breath.

He lays on some of the infected, the ones that he landed on. I don’t see his body anymore, but only a pool of blood.

There’s a sharp pain in my chest, my heart shattering into tiny shards of red

glass. I’ve lost him. Jae is gone. Julian and Tessa are gone. Everyone is gone. It’s all my fault. I did nothing to protect any of them.

I take handfuls of my hair and try to yank them off my scalp. I bury my head into my palms, not wanting to see the sight of him becoming infected. I will never feel safe again. Jae said he would keep me safe, and he did. He kept that promise. Why couldn’t I of kept him safe, too?

I jump down from the top of the wall. My hands are twitching, just a few moments ago I held his hands within mine. Now, I’ll never be able to touch him again.

My face is coated with dirt. My hands are now blistered, and my arms are sore.

I want to go home, lay in bed forever. I have nothing to live for anymore.

My thoughts are interrupted by an announcement, “Will Layne Welds please report to the Vigilante headquarters.”

Oh no, they saw me. They saw us go to the circus grounds. I’m dead, more than what I already am. I twiddle my thumbs and bite the inside of my mouth, worried of what I’m about to hear.

I walk towards the Vigilante HQ. I knock, three times, because they think that it’s proper. A metal door opens and allows me to enter. I see a man in a red uniform before me, waiting for my arrival.

“Layne Welds?” he asks.

“Yes sir.” I answer, my legs going numb.

“We found your mother beside the fence, she was unconscious. We found bite marks on her hand, and the bites were from your brother, James. We’re sorry, but we were forced to kill her.” he confesses.

I don’t remember anything else, except seeing black.

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