Chapter One

First Chapter

I drove my spear through the Contaminated shoulders bones driving it into its heart. It gurgled some blood and spit it into my face. It rolled over and died. The others were finishing up with theres. Grayson walked over to me and said, “Hey Koby, how many do you think that was?” He walked up to me, sliding his sword in his stealth. He’s the only one left who still calls me Koby. Most just call me Kob. I allow it because he’s my best friend and he saved my life. I scanned my eyes over all the bodies and said, “About fifteen.” He nods his head. He had thirty-one kids in our group so we could take care of these guys no problem. “Hunter says were going to head south,” Grayson says pointing his finger to the north. “That’s north,” I point out pulling his hand to the north. “I knew that,” He said putting his hands in his pocket. I roll my eyes and Grayson and I walk off to the huddle that came together. They were arguing about where we should go. “Ugh, Grayson. I thought you said we were going south?” I ask him tired already of all this arguing. He shrugs and trying to come out with an innocent voice, “Did I?” I glare at him. “We should go north where it’s all cold and no Contaminated would go there!” Douglas called out at our leader, Hunter. “It’s decided,” He said simply. “You decided not us! This is America! A democracy! We should vote!” Shouted out Amanda in the crowd. Marcus started chanting, “VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!” Even the people that wanted to go south were shouting “VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!” I shook my head and groaned. Hunter and I meet eyes and he nodded. We both thought this was stupid. Grayson started chanting now so I elbowed him in the gut. “Hey! Don’t blame me!” He examined. I gave him a look making him say, “What can I say? It’s catchy!” And then he went on chanting. “Fine!” I heard Hunter yell. “If it gets you guys to shut up!” He yelled over the yells of success. The kid’s quickly silenced, well except for Grayson who was still yelling, “VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!” Hunter and I both glared at him making him stop and move behind some over kids. “Whoever wants to go south go over there,” Hunter called and motioned to the right side of the field. Multiple people walked over there including me and Grayson’s. “West kids over there,” HE yelled and motioned to the left side of the field. Hunter came over and counted while Douglas counted the kids that wanted to go west. “Nineteen!” Hunter called to Douglas in success. “Twelve!” Douglas called sadly. “Were going south!” Hunter yelled doing a little dance. Just because your leader doesn’t mean you have to be a stuck up snob. “Wait!” Shouted Douglas. “Why don’t the people that want to go west go west and the people that want to go south go south?” He suggested. My mouth dropped open. Grayson, Hunter, and a lot of other kids on the south side had the same reaction. “That would cut our numbers in half!” I yelled shocked. Then it all broke loose.  People were yelling and screaming at each other, and getting into big arguments. Everyone was yelling, “Were safe in numbers!” or “This can’t happen!” but some people were yelling, “It’s a free country!” or “It’s our lives!” Hunter just stood there in horror. Everything is falling apart! Were rip each other apart before the Contaminated does! “Stop!” Hunter yelled at the top of his lung. He rubbed his chin and pointed to Grayson, then Douglas, then his head adviser Ralph, and finally me. “With me,” He said and started walking off. We hurried after him. Once we got a while away from everyone else Hunter turned on us and said, “Reasons, now.” Douglas had many reasons but Hunter quickly got agitated with him and motioned for Grayson to go next. I was surprised at what Grayson said, “I think we should let them.” Hunter and I both stood there in shock as Douglas smiled and said, “Well welcome! We always need an extra foot going west,” He said as he put his arm over Grayson’s shoulder. Grayson quickly pushed him off and said, “No I want to go south but the kids should be able to go where they like or it would be look like were holding them hostage. I don’t like it but I think it’s the right thing to do.” Hunter nodded at this. It was a good argument. He motioned for Ralph to go. His talk was mostly about safety in numbers and all that. Finally it was my turn. “They should be able to choose. It’s their lives to control, not ours.” I say. Hunter nodded. He turned back and started walking to the others and we followed. Who did he listen to the most? We all headed out into the crowd. Hunter called everyone to meeting and said, “There your lives and yours alone. Do what you wish. If you want to go south we leave tomorrow,” Hunter turned and went off to talk to Ralph. Kids started going in groups and going to talk to Douglas who made himself leader. There done for with him for leader. We’re splitting up. Just like what happened with Sadie he thought sadly. She’s dead. Killed by our own parents.

 

“I’m scared,” I hear my sister whisper to me in the dark. I wrap my arms around her, embracing her and said, “It will be okay. Nothing will happen to us.” I start to feel her shake. I couldn’t see her in the darkness of the closet but I could imagine her expression. Scared and hopeless. I hug her a little harder to stop her from shaking.  Suddenly the closet door opens and light floods into the little space where we sit there hugging. I have to blink a few times to get used to the light but by then two hands grab me and yank me out of the closet. Sadie tries to hold onto me but she wasn’t strong enough to hold on. I was yanked out. I saw my father, eyes wild and insane, with his teeth baring, there was nothing but wildness in his eyes. He no longer had a mind. So he is no longer human, which means he’s easier to kill. I see my insane mother lunge into the closet where my sister was and I hear her yell, “Koby!” I bring my arm up and sock my dad on the head. He lets me go and I fall to the ground trying to regain my balance. I grab a lamp and hit my dad hard on the head with it. It won’t kill him but at least it will knock him out for a while. I turn and see my mom with a cleaver as she swings it at my sister. She dodges and goes right between my mother’s legs. I lunge at my mother but in mid-air I get hit into the wall by a strong force. Dazed, I look up and see a savage dog. Now where did they get a dog? I smashed his head into the wall with my bare hands. I get up just in time to see the cleaver hit my sister square in the chest. “Sadie!” I scream, my voice filled with sorrow and fear. She made a terrible screaming, gurgling sound and falls to the ground. I try to run to her but arms wrap around my neck and kicks my legs out from under me. My dad was awake. I try to struggle but my arms hit open air. I saw through tear Sadie being dragged away by four adults including my mom. She was screaming and crying but there was no way I could help her. She was on her own. My sister disappeared through the doorway as I rammed my dad against the wall. I broke free and found a broken floor board and shoved it right into my dad’s neck. He made a gurgling sound and fell to the ground twitching. I barely had time to comprehend what I did before I ran out the door in search of Sadie. “Sadie!” I called again and again. There was no response. I saw no trace of Sadie or the adults that took her away. She’s dead. She has to be dead. But maybe? No, Sadie’s dead. I feel a weight fall onto my shoulders and teeth start to sink into my neck. I’m going to die. As I sit there and wait for the teeth to bite my head off I hear someone yell my name. Then all the weight come off my shoulders scratching my neck as the creature went. It was another dog and it was dead. I look up to see a kid with gray hair and gray eyes. “Are you okay?” He asks running over to me. “Yeah I’m fine,” I say getting up and touching my neck. “I’m Grayson,” He says. “Koby,” I say to him rubbing some blood onto my jeans. I look around wondering who said my name. “Did you hear anything?” I ask him scanning and around the destroyed room. “Besides you dying? No. Why?” His face was confused as he asked. “Nothing,” I say then ask, “Do you have any weapons I can use?” He grins at me and hands me a sick looking spear. I give him a look that asks are you serious? He nodded and says, “Let’s go to the others.” Others. I heard things about kids ganging together. I follow him. That’s the day I meet Hunter and his gang, the day I meet Grayson and he saved my life, and the day I decided that Sadie was dead.

 

I woke up screaming from the same nightmare.

 

Koby had me in his strong arms. I was sobbing trying to stay quite but I was too afraid. I heard the doors of the closet blow open and arms yank me out. I thought I heard Koby scream my name but fear took over my hearing. Things seemed to go in slow motion. I got out of the grip of my once was mother. I noticed a big shinny clever. I kept ducking all the swings. There was a sheet of newspaper one the hard wooded floor but noticed it too late and went sliding right into the clever. I heard myself scream. The pain. My vision went black and I fell to the floor, hearing Koby call my name in terror. The pain. It was horrible. I can’t even explain it. Imagine coldness go into your chest and swell and swell even though the worm blood. More of them came in and dragged me out the doorway and outside. How was I still alive? With these things. Contaminated, I called them. I will not die like this. I had no energy left but started kicking around and punching anything I see. Then I saw things. Shadows reaching out to me. I was dying. Or am I already dead? Then angels came. With bows and knives coming in killing them all. Then leaned over me and it wasn’t angels I saw but normal girls. They all knelt over me talking words I couldn’t understand. Then opened up my shirt and took out the clever, which I barely felt over all the pain I was already in. One girl with her blonde hair in a braid and bright blue eyes working furiously on my stomach.

I pull up my shirt to reveal the scar I had from that night. Then one more imagine flashed in my mind.

Koby . . . I saw a big dog like creature jump onto his back and lunge at his neck as I was carried away by the Warrior Maidens.

Author's Note

:D