Will POV

I was excited to see Matt and Mellissa, but I had to shove that emotion down. The sun started setting and with that, the Cannibals started heading indoors. Some of them stayed on the street. I tried to get as clear a picture as I could of what streets I'd have to travel on.

Adrenaline might make you faster and stronger, but it also has a way of interfering with the thinking process. From the building I was standing on, I could see some Cannibals littered in random assortments on the streets. I knew that it wasn't random at all. They preferred the street lights, over the lights in the building they were by because they were brighter.

I didn't know how long it took for them to revert back to walking, so I waited two hours.

The building I was on happened to have dim lights so there weren't any Cannibals inside. That didn't stop me from gripping my aluminum bat in a death grip. I missed the noise. Silence just reminded me that most of the people in this city had become cannibalistic. It reminded me that most of the people in this city would die to bite a chunk out of me.

I snuck to the ground floor and looked out of the glass doors. There were twenty-six Cannibals outside. Luckily they were far away enough from the front doors. There wouldn't be a way for me to silently open those doors, and even if I could, there wouldn't be a way to travel on the streets without my footsteps echoing. I took a few deep breaths, my head has been spinning the whole day from exhaustion and stress.

A near-death experience really haunts you.

Whenever I close my eyes, I can see the face of that Cannibal. His fogged up eyes seemingly staring at me in deranged desperation. His skin was a bright red from the rash. I could even see the way his muscles went rigid when he realized I was there.

He realized I was there, a chill went down my spine. I made my way over to the front door and checked from side to side, making sure that there weren't any surprises. I hated surprises.
There weren't any Cannibals hiding in the shadows so I pushed open the front doors. Their heads snapped in my direction, I heard a few cracks, and then they started walking toward me. I kept up a steady jog through the streets. My legs felt weak but I was almost at my house. My body was under heavy strain, I felt faint and my head was spinning. I could see my house in the distance, and ran harder. I needed to get off the ground as soon as possible.

Cannibals from the neighboring houses filed into the street with their mechanical walks. I saw a head peek up from the roof of my house, Mellissa!

A ladder dropped down the side of my house and I sprinted towards it. I almost made it to the top before a firm hand yanked me up and I was buried into a chest.
"I thought you were dead", Matt whispered, inhaling the scent of my hair while squeezing even harder. He pulled back and his eyes flicked down to my lips.

He leaned down and I slapped him firmly. There was a satisfying sound, telling me I did a good job. His hand flew up to the cheek I slapped and his brows furrowed in confusion. He looked adorable but I couldn't let him off the hook so easily. He nearly killed me. I placed my hand on my hip, poked him on the chest and locked my gaze with his, "Don't. Ever. Shout. Again", I put emphasis on each word.
"Don't sneak off during the night", he countered back. I noticed the cheek that I slapped started glowing red.
I raised a brow and folded my arms, "I'm an adult, I can do what I want."

His eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything else. I turned to Mellissa and she was smirking, "That was so hot."
I walked over and hugged her. I pulled back and looked into her eyes, "I knew you'd know me well enough to come here", I offered. Of course, I knew that she wanted to hear that. Her eyes suddenly started looking everywhere but mine. I looked back at Matt, and this time he was the one smirking. I rolled my eyes and sat down. I held a hand to my forehead, I started developing a splitting headache.

"What's wrong", Matt grumbled. He was clearly sulking, but there was still a concern in his voice.
"I almost died, haven't slept in two days and only have disgusting food to eat", I told him.
They both went silent, giving me questioning looks. I filled them in on my adventures.

"That's so badass", Mellissa whispered in awe.

"How can you do that stuff", Matt sounded surprised.

He probably expected me to hide and wait for the danger to pass. I shrugged, "I did gymnastics in high school."

"So you're flexible", he said in child-like splendor.

He reminded me of a kid looking at a tall building. I blushed and looked at Mellissa instead, "So what have you two been doing?"

Mellissa spoke to me in lengths about how irritating Matt is.

She told me about the cell-tower dilemma and I nodded my head in agreement. If Mellissa doesn't understand something, she is then convinced that she is right - no matter what. She even told me about Matt flirting with her. She said that she was minding her own business, eating a can of vegetables when Matt suddenly asked her if she wanted his corn. She told me she was stunned at the sudden outburst and looked at him in disbelief. An argument ensued.

"I never want to be stuck with him again", she sounded stressed.

I snuck a glance at Matt and saw he had his lip curled in disgust.
My head started spinning again and the headache throbbed in response. I felt like my spinning head and throbbing migraine were having a conversation. I grabbed a bag - not caring what was in it - and used it as a pillow. I instantly fell asleep.

My dreams were a constant loop of being stuck in that CEO's office with Cannibals just outside the door. But this time, I didn't shove the Cannibal away. This time, the Cannibal grabbed my leg and bit into it. I could feel the way his teeth pierced my skin, I could feel the blood rush out of the wound. I screamed and his eyes flashed up to me, and then he smiled with a mouth full of bloody teeth.

Ice filled my veins as fear made itself at home in my stomach. I tried to push myself back but he held my leg in a vice grip, "Wake up", he said in a grave voice. I heard glass shatter behind me and Cannibals rushed into the room, they took me by the arms and started shaking me as they bit into me. I watched the flesh tear from my body and heard them chew. I screamed and bolted upright.

Matt was looking at me in worry, "Are you okay?"

His voice was dominated by concern but I could still hear the pity.

I hated pity.

He was looking down at me, feeling sorry for me. I clenched my jaw and shook my head. I forced myself to relax. I was panting and drenched in sweat. I took a few deep breaths and unclenched my jaw. I placed my hand on my forehead and closed my eyes, I saw a flash of the smiling Cannibal from my dream and snapped my eyes back open.

"Yeah", I told him simply.

I looked at my surroundings and saw Mellissa standing with her arms folded. Her gaze held no pity, but it held a look that told me that she wanted to know what happened. I met her gaze, silently communicating that I would tell her when we were alone and she nodded. I didn't want Matt to know, the mere thought of him pitying me filled me with scorching anger. I refused to give him more reason to pity me.

Matt obviously didn't buy my answer, he reached out to touch my cheek but I moved my head away. He looked down at the ground, clearly hurt but then stood up.

"We should get moving", he said simply.

Melissa turned to him, "Where to?"

He didn't look at her, "I was thinking we could bunker up in a tall building and stay on the top floor. That way the Cannibals won't hear you snore."

I stood up, shaking my head, "No, that's a death sentence. If they do find us, we'll be trapped with no way out."

He turned to look at me, his lips were pressed into a firm line, "Then where do you suggest we go?"

We needed someplace that had a way out but was also safe.
"The golf estate."

Matt visibly considered my choice. It irked me a little that he thought he was in charge, even though I escaped death twice and didn't need his help. But he shared the burden that is Mellissa and he has an alpha-male personality so I let it slide to keep the peace.

"That's not a bad idea, it has solid iron fences and lots of fields that provide great visibility", he told me as if I didn't know it.

I nodded, "The only downside is that it's a three-hour walk from here, and I, for one, can't jog for that long. Even if I'm being chased by deranged, cannibalistic people."

"I can drive us, but we'll have to move during the day. It'll give us a chance to check the fields of the estate", he told Mellissa and I.

"But first thing's first, we need to get you two a weapon", I told them.