JINSEN

We weren't as far away from those creatures as I liked us to be. It was harder with more children in our group now and most of them, who haven't been here long enough to know better, kept complaining about one thing or another. I was getting frustrated, but I kept myself back not saying anything about it. I could tell it was starting to get to some of the others. Like Tanya for instance. She was tolerant most of the time, but I could tell that her and children don't mix very well.

One of the young boys, around five or six I would guess, started crying because he's scared. He wanted his mother who wasn't here with us. I don't know if she ever was or if she had died before we got to him. He had been alone hidden in a closet in a house we had ransacked for supplies. Ezekeil was the one who found him, and we couldn't leave him behind. We have an older woman around her early thirties who showed up with three others in a grocery store we had been staking out, and she took it upon herself to look after all the little ones.

She was sitting on a log cuddling the boy to her chest trying to calm him down. It was starting to get dark now and the child will need to start quieting soon. I was sitting on a rock a few yards away from the group looking over the blueprints once more. I still had two arrowheads and one flash bomb that I was able to make. But with low supplies I couldn't make more.

So I needed to be sure these counted when the time was right. At least until we could find another hardware store. I look up at the sound of crunching footfalls heading my way to see Tanya grumbling with a sour look on her face. She sits on the ground next to me opening the one map we had of the county in front her to scan.

She found it when we ransacked a gas station. To be honest I didn't even know they still made those with electronics taking over the world. It was a good thing too. She squints her eyes at the paper.

"Okay, according to this landmark we're here. There's about ten miles between us and another gas station towards the mountains." She points to the West of us.

Leaning down she takes her pen from her ear and writes a line then a circle over a name with a tiny little pic of a gas pump. She sighs heavily as she sits back up. "That's going to be quite a walk for us."

"With more pressing matters, what are we going to do about those monsters? They can't be the only ones around." Ezekeil whispers feverishly, leaning against the tree my back was facing, his arms crossed.

He looked out over at the group as they rested. He had joined me not long after I sat down, wanting to break away from the screaming child as well. Ever since we found those zombie like creatures he hasn't thought of nothing else. He was worried, hell I was too. And we still haven't told the others besides Tanya. I had a mind to at least inform Daniel and Audra, the woman with the little boy. I knew they would both take this situation seriously and not freak out like the other adults would.

We had some sticklers that's for sure. Most of them complained and bitched then actually trying to figure out a way to help or come up with solutions. If it wasn't for the three of us none of them would have made it past a fortnight that's for sure. It was because of us they were all even still alive and yet they wanted to treat us like we were the problem.

Or as Tanya likes to say it, I'm the problem.

"If they can withstand the daylight then they might be able to withstand fire. We might not be safe in the campground." Tanya states aloud with concern.

"They weren't in daylight." I point out, getting both of their attention like I always do when I finally talk.

Ezekeil's frown soon turned into understanding. His eyes widen as he realizes my meaning. "Hey, you're right. They weren't. They were in the shadows, but not directly in the sun."

"So, what? They can withstand shaded sunlight but not direct sun?" She asks a little confused.

"I've seen it before actually." I stare at the ground remembering. "It was my very first day here. Me and a few others were attacked at my high school in the daytime. But once the monster hit direct sun it started burning up into red ash."

"Oh, wow." Tanya whispers.

Remembering that day my mind thinks of Zared and how he came out of nowhere and saved me, risking his own life to protect mine. Even then he had showed signs of how much he cared about me. I didn't think it at the time, my mind in hysterics as I clung to him that he was willing to die just to make sure I didn't.

My heart twists in an aching feeling and my throat closes with the threatening tears that wanted to appear. Closing my eyes I take a deep breath to calm myself before I was a fool in front of everyone. I hated getting emotional every single time I thought about him. No matter how much times has passed it never fails, the grief that overtakes me.

The pain that was still there buried, wanting to resurface every chance that it gets.

Quickly shoving everything back into my bag I stop myself from thinking of any more memories, especially about him. Standing up and throwing my bag over my shoulder and clutching my bow I say, "We should keep moving as far from here as possible."

"It's already close to dusk, you sure we should? We might not get enough time to create the circle for the campfires." Tanya stands up, folding the map and placing it back into her back pocket.

"At least another mile I think. We'll make everyone help out this time. It'll get done faster that way."

"I agree. The further away we are from those things the better." Ezekeil pushes himself from the tree. "And I think we should tell the others about them. They'll argue with us if we don't make them realize the danger."

My lips turn thin at that. I get telling Daniel and Audra, but everyone else? This was a shitshow waiting to happen. Instead of moving on they'll stand there asking question after question, arguing about why we didn't tell them sooner and if it was really safe to stay in the forest at all. I could already see it. Sighing deeply, I nod anyways because even though that was going to be the outcome, they all had the right to know.

We start walking back to camp when suddenly a loud scream shouts in the distance behind us. Whipping back around I stare out into the forest, seeing nothing. Everyone stops making noises as they all become quiet and still.

"Was that human?" Tanya whispers, staring out as well, looking tense.

Taking a step closer I listen intently.

Another scream, this time closer followed by, "Run! Don't look back and keep your ass running!"

My eyes widen because I recognize that voice. "Seth." I whisper getting both of their attention.

But before either of them could ask me anything I jet forward, racing as fast as my legs would allow to get to my friend. Because it was clear he was running from something, something that was going to kill him. My lungs work hard as I jump over logs, rocks, whatever the hell was in my way and zigzagging through the trees ignoring the sounds of my name behind me.

I needed to get to him before it was too late. My vision blurs as I couldn't help thinking that one of my friends were alive after all. And I needed to make sure it stayed that way.