"What were you doing out there though?" Czar asked as he moved out with Ezekiel. The rest followed.
An hour had passed since he joined Ezekiel's group and lo and behold, his skin had regained its vitality revealing a rosy tone. His blisters had disappeared as well. Aliyah was unwrapped too after being cautioned not to do so earlier. Since that would risk her skin peeling off. But now he could and he did.
"I was scouting," Ezekiel answered.
"Our group is quite the number, we need to scout ahead in different directions just to be safe."
"What? What did you think? That fate had us together. Don't make me laugh please." Ezekiel snickered.
"Why are you so relaxed and energetic?" Czar pushed another question again.
"As opposed to?" Ezekiel rolled his eyes.
"What would brooding do in this situation anyway? You'd just die of depression and anxiety."
"Is that so?" Czar watched the weirdo.
"Sure, I mean I lost it momentarily when an Undead killed my father, but what should I do?"
"I can't avenge his death obviously, and neither would being irrational bring him back. Life goes on, Czar."
Czar was at a loss for word. Yes, life went on even after the most horrifying situations, but wasn't he being too carefree? His father saw his father die. But then again, people grieved differently.
He remembered when a man died in the outskirts. The wife didn't cry. She greeted those who came to pay her condolences with a bright smile. Some even suspected that she killed her husband. But three days later, the news drowned the entire outskirts like a tsunami — she committed suicide.
'Hopefully, it wouldn't get to that.' Czar told himself, looking at Ezekiel.
Although he didn't fully trust Ezekiel and his group, their company wasn't bad at all. Ignoring the need to constantly have vitality energy around, being in the midst of other humans in a death zone was something he never thought he'd appreciate this much.
As social creatures, being in the company of others would never be underestimated. It didn't mean that the people here were his friends or comrades, though. There's a thin line between acquaintances and allies.
"Uncle."
"Huh?"
Aliyah was awake.
"See."
"What is it, tadpole?"
However, before he could get an answer, he froze. Everyone froze, their faces drained of colour. It was a horde.
"Shit," Ezekiel cursed.
From their three o'clock, they saw them coming. Czar's heart thumped. His fingers dug into his palms, legs wobbled. No matter how many times he had seen Undead he'd never get used to their sinister sight.
"Everyone, run." Ezekiel's voice broke the stupefied group. Everyone processed what was about to happen. They dashed.
"Aliyah hold tight to me, don't let go." Czar screamed.
"Disperse, don't run in the same direction." Ezekiel yelled, moving opposite Czar.
Everyone mirrored him, taking different directions, North, South West, East. It didn't matter, escaping came first, they would regroup later.
Adrenaline stormed Czar's muscles. He forgot himself, his surroundings, his pain — he had to run, faster, quicker, with all his strength.
"Argh." A scream rang in the air.
Czar caught the scene from the corner of his eyes. That friendly muscular man had been caught by an Undead. Not a humanoid type, but a slithering serpent that snaked around the man's large frame. It tightened itself around its prey, crushing bones and organs, then the man's windpipe.
Czar saw its jaws sink into the man's head, ripping it from his neck. Blood surged like a sinful geyser.
He averted his gaze. He ran, even faster than before, but the Undead were relentless. They chased their prey.
Screams resounded in the air like the coming of a banshee. Bones snapped. Wild claws tore flesh apart. Blood splattered on trees, on the ground, and even on the living. Brain matter splashed on Czar's cheeks, but he didn't even register that. His legs contracted. His muscles and nerves working in sync, his mind chaotic.
From behind him, the little boy from earlier followed, a yard apart. Czar pulled his gaze away, back to the front. He needed an escape route.
His racked his brain, his eyes flashed around, nothing. It was a dead end for them, all of them. They would die.
He heard a shriek, he turned. His heart jumped. The serpentine creature was behind them. It slithered forward its eyes locked on its next victim.
"Curse it all, curse it all."
"There's a tunnel in my twelve o'clock, the Undead shouldn't fit in." Ezekiel's voice resonated in the air.
It gave the others a tiny hope of survival. Everyone ran, maddened and twisted.
Czar saw Ezekiel jump into the tunnel, it was big enough for a human to pass, but most Undead couldn't fit in. He wasn't sure if it'll block all of them though, but for now, it wasn't as if he had a better choice. He was close, just a few yards away. He would outrun the Undead. He had to.
Before he could reach the tunnel though, he fell — no, someone tripped him. It was the boy.
"Uncle." Aliyah cried as they hit the ground.
"S-sorry." The boy's eyes were wild, savage. He needed someone, anyone, to slow the undead down.
Czar's vision blurred. He saw the boy run past him, disappearing into the tunnel.
Time seemed to slow down, he counted three other people jump into the tunnel, the fourth person was shove away to feed an Undead. Those farther from the tunnel sprang into the woods — their fate, sealed.
Behind him, the serpentine Undead arrived. Their eyes met. One, murderous. The other, agape in horror.
"Was this the end?" Czar thought.
The serpentine Undead opened its maws — jagged teeth, forked tongue, a squashed eye stuck between its teeth. It closed its jaws. Czar's mind blacked out.