We had grown accustomed to relative safety so the slamming on the door brought us all into frozen terror. We weren't loud so how had the Cannibals found us?

No, there's only one continues slam. That means that only a single Cannibal had found us. But with the noise that Cannibal is making, it will attract more. The fact that all the Cannibals are on the street means that it wouldn't take long for them to get here. Matt was the first to snap out of it, " We need to get the hell out of here, right now!"

That snapped Jeremy and me out of our trance but Mellissa still stood there, her eyes open and her face pale.
Jeremy and Matt rushed over to the supplies and I rushed over to Mellissa. She's more important to me than stupid supplies we could always replenish. The slamming on the door became harder and louder.

"Mellissa, we need to go! Snap out of it! Let's go", I grabbed her wrist but she yanked it out of my grasp.

"No."

My heart shook in panic, "What do you mean 'no'?! Let's go!" I was panicking, my hands started shaking.

"I c-cant go with you. I'm a liability and you know it! Eventually, they'll find us again because I'm too loud", she cupped my cheeks, "go Will. Go save yourself and live. Please live. But this is the end for me, I will not lose you and if this is what I have to do to stop that from happening... then I'll do it."

My eyes burnt as tears started streaming down my cheeks.
"Guys we really need to go!", Matt shouted in panic.

"Mellissa please don't do this... I can't...you're my everything... I NEED YOU", I was shouting in desperation.

"When I first saw you at school, starved and ready to pass out, I knew that you were strong... And I'm asking you to be strong for me...be strong for me...Willie. Live."

The door burst open and Cannibals streamed in, Matt threw me over his shoulders but my eyes never left Mellissa's. She was smiling gently at me, soft tears slithering down her cheeks as Cannibals raced toward her, toward the one person who's kept me alive, toward the one who actually cares about me, toward the one person that helped me through everything, toward the one person I'll forever need.

A Cannibal grabbed her shoulder, and bit a chunk out of it, "Live!", she screamed in agony.

I choked on sobs, my heart shattered. My gut constricted, every organ in my body felt the blow of pain that punched me repeatedly.
Matt threw me out the window on the second story and I didn't care if he was trying to kill me. I flew through the air like a rag-doll, but a pair of strong arms caught me. In a daze of overwhelming loss, I looked up at Jermey's solemn face.

I was numb, my psyche was protecting itself by dissociation. It was as if I were watching all of whats happening on a cinema screen - watching the struggles of the characters in the story without any of it affecting me.

Jermey said something but words seemed to float away. Matt came over and hugged me tightly, I could feel his warmth, his strong frame wrapping around me, but it felt as if he were simply caressing my being. I couldn't feel the force. Matt also said some words but they came in one ear and left through the other. I looked around the rooftops next to the building we were on. They were close enough to jump... but would I jump? Why not just stay here and get it over with?

'Live!'

I stepped back from the shock of the memory. Tears threatened to spill but I couldn't let them. I wanted to cry but I physically couldn't. Matt started talking again.

I'm bored of talking. Why talk when there's nothing left to say?
When there's no one left to talk to...
Matt started shaking me and I peeked through the haze my mind was in, "Will we need to move and we can't carry you and jump. Please just focus on the present..."
He sounded so worried. Yet that didn't help my heart that feels like it's disappeared, leaving an empty space. A freezing cavern that burns from the cold. I don't care.

I nodded at him and jumped over to the next roof. Matt and Jermey were keeping up despite carrying all the supplies. I suppose they think I'm in no state to be under any pressure. I wonder if they cared that Mellissa is.... dead.

I gasped at that thought, the frozen cavern iced over even more. My bones ached and I bent over, trying to ease the pain. Nothing worked.
I firm hand grabbed the back of my shirt and flung me back, so I landed on the ground.

"Don't ever try that again!", Matt shouted at me. His eyes betrayed him, they were scared - afraid.

I blinked in confusion and looked to where I was standing. I was right on the edge of the roof. I hadn't even realized.
I had no words, I should probably say sorry but I'm not. I should probably tell him that I won't do that again, but I didn't realize I did it in the first place. I can't make promises in this state. So I simply nodded. His facial expression relaxed slightly, but I could still see that fear. Why was he scared? I won't hurt him nor Jermey. I couldn't understand.

"Maybe we should stay here for the night", Jeremy's voice sounded cold. I pursed my lips in confusion and looked back, we had made a large distance between us and the practice. I must've lost time somewhere. That would normally panic me, but I had no heart to pump the adrenaline necessary for panic.

"I'll take first watch", Matt said sternly while looking at me. Did he expect me to challenge him? I don't care. I sat down and looked at the building across from ours, counting the windows. Then counting them again. And then I counted them again. I did that for a while. Jeremy had fallen asleep and Matt was sitting next to me. The silence was so incredibly sad. There were no snores, no indication that my best-friend was sleeping peacefully. The silence made me want to go back and look for her, maybe she didn't die?

I was lying to myself. She'd been bitten, Mellissa is...gone. Air rushed out of my lungs as that freezing fire in my chest burned. I hunched forward and clutched my chest, trying to smother the flames. Matt didn't say anything, he just gently rubbed circles on my back. I sat up and looked at the building again.

No one spoke, what words are there to describe losing a piece of yourself and your past in a few seconds.