Desolation ✔️

Chapter 18: Fuel to the Fire

My feet ache from having walked so far and long. 

Boots pound against the pavement and crunch the gravel repeatedly, one step after another. The sun scorches my bare shoulders. I tried traveling light clothes-wise, leaving Ash's house in just a white tank-top and black shorts. He stuffed one of his black hoodies into my bag in case the weather got cold, and I have denim jeans and a t-shirt in case I have to change. But right now, I'm tempted to shed every layer of clothing to spare my blood from boiling out of my pores.

I lift my arm up over my eyes to shield them from the sun. I can make out a few of those creatures ambling aimlessly along the sidewalks, their shoulders sagging, faces drooping, feet dragging. Classic zombies. But strangely well-behaved classic zombies. Hm. Do they smell me? Is their attention caught by scent? Sound? Sight?

I don't wanna wait to find out.

The street stretches out far beyond where I stand, packed with overturned vehicles. Looks like everyone was driving in all sorts of directions. My bag straps weigh heavy and send sharp pains in my shoulders. Maybe now is a good time to rest. I drop my bag on a metal bench near a crooked bus stop post and loll my head back. How long have I been walking? The sun has shifted enough for me to guess...a few hours? Feels like an eternity. And it's honestly been the most painful eternity ever without Ash.

Although, a part of me feels like this was for the best. He was too distracting. And right now, I can think more clearly and focus on my mission.

Which no longer revolves solely around finding Carter. Yeah, I need to find him, but that's only the first step towards the bigger picture. Like, how did this all begin? When? Where? Carter and I had literally just returned from our Cali trip when the world went to crap. Maybe Carter can help me figure it out, if I find him. That's where we can start. Maybe he has an idea how this started? And if there's any hope of fixing it. And that, if anything, is how I can redeem my parents' death. If I can figure out a way to stop this madness, their deaths won't be in vain.

If only I'd paid more attention in the PSCC. I have so many regrets now... But obviously, now is not the time to count them.

A loud crash to the right of the road steals my attention and I pivot on my heel, gun pointed out. The only thing in the area is a brown building set off by an abandoned parking lot. The red letters at the top of the store read EHOUSE. Huh. The other letters have been removed. Or the sign is incomplete. Who would spell backwards though? And what were they spelling?

Safe House?

Another crash slices through the silence and echoes in the muggy air. I shift to the left slightly, turning my attention to the opposite side of the building. I can't see anything from where I'm standing, aside from the dead who shuffle in the parking lot. They rotate jerkily to face the sound before hobbling towards it.

So sound startles them. Check.

Is that why they haven't noticed me yet? The closest one is a good fifteen feet away, but it's not looking at me. He wears tattered beige shorts and a long-sleeved red t-shirt. Patches of hair fall from his head, bringing ragged chunks of his scalp with it.

Gag.

I debate whether or not I should shoot him. The noise would only draw attention back to me, but what if this is just a false alarm and he sneaks up on me when I least expect it? Maybe having a melee weapon would have been better. Ash had plenty at his house. A katana would've been nice. Maybe a baseball bat with nails. A stick, even.

I won't kill him. Yet.

For now, I decide to study the faces of the...one, two, three...seven lingering creatures in the parking lot. While I don't like being so dark, I'd want to know if Carter...turned. If he were one of them. I grab my backpack from the bench and inch into the parking lot. One has long black hair. Another is shorter than I am. One wearing a cheerleader outfit. Oh yeah, totally Carter. I take another tentative step towards the building when—