chapter 22

After spending some more time with Vince and Katie and learning a few tricks from them Josh and I leave for HQ. we were making a good time heading back to HQ when we heard a howl. As we got closer to the sound I saw something. Well a someone. They look to be hurt so Josh and I get closer to them until there body jerks. I stop and look at Josh and he just has a confused look on his face. Then they jerk again, and their body began to shake. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Their body began to rip itself apart while they were howling in pain, they started to run for us and Josh and I ran form them. We would pause for a few seconds to take a shot at them but that wouldn't stop them. The body changes into this hulk of a thing. I couldn't understand what I was seeing but we were leading this thing back to HQ. all those people were going to get hurt. We needed to take it down before we got there but I'm not too sure if we can.

It's running after us and slamming into a car making the alarms go off. We needed to stop that thing! I just didn't know how. It was a damn tank on two legs. "Josh I need you to fire at it while I flank it," I yell at him. He yells alright back at me and started firing at this thing. I wish Jackie was here she would know how do deal with this thing. Josh runs and fires every few seconds while I stop behind a car waiting for it to past me, so I can get it from behind. I wait for two more minutes to go by and start firing into its back. It howls again and takes runs for me. I run while still firing at it. One of its arms reaches out towards me. It tries to reach for me, but I sidestep out of its way and fire at it some more. It tries again to grab me and I once again move out of its way. It growls and howls again swinging its arm and slams into my side. I can still here Josh firing his weapon into it, but I didn't really care. I was thrown into a car and I felt something wet come from my arm. I groan out and saw red on my hand. Blood. I'm bleeding from the glass in my arm.

I get up and take out my pistol and start firing at this thing some more. It was started to slow down but this only made it more aggressive. It throws Josh into a storefront and came after me again. Before it reaches it, I slow, and it reaches for me and grabs it, I took out my knife and went for it head. But before I could I could end it, it sinks its teeth into my shoulder. I plunge my knife deep into the side of its skull and I felt it go limp in my arms and fall to the ground.

I throw it off or my and walked towards Josh. I look him over and saw some blood but no other wounds. I limp next to him and we walked back to HQ. it was a long walk back and I was still bleeding from my arm and shoulder. I couldn't believe that I got bit. This wasn't supposed to happen, but it did. I have to tell Josh. I won't become one of those things. I refuse to become one of them. I won't be growler or some other shit zombie. "Josh, it bit me," I said to him. "Sorry what was that I didn't hear you," he said. "It fucking bit me, that thing that tank that fucking freak bit me," I said to him and the panic in my voice raising. "No, it's just the blood from the piece of glass that sticking out of your arm, you didn't get bit I saw you kill it," he said. "Dude I got bit," I said and pulled down my shirt and show him my shoulder. He could see the teeth marks clear as day, but he still shook his head. "No that's just glass," he said again.

I stop walking while he continues and mumbles. He stops a few feet ahead of me not believing that I was bitten. My gun is in my hand and I know that only thing I can do, that I will do to protect my girls and family. I guess ill be seeing my family soon. I bring it to my left temple and close my eyes. Then I'm on the ground with Josh on top of me pushing the gun away from me. "No, you aren't going to become a freaking zombie growler thing!". He yells. I saw tears in his eyes. "No not where you got two girls to get back home to," he said. "Like hell, I'm going to lose you maybe you won't change," he said, trying to convince me and himself. But I wouldn't let him stop me. I went for his gun and brought it under my chin and pull the trigger. But nothing happens, so I did it again and still nothing. I shout in anger. I throw the gun to the side and push Josh off of me. And moved away from him. My body hurt but I didn't care I couldn't go back to HQ like this or to my girls. I needed to move away and keep them self. Then I was on the ground with a body on top of me. "Don't walk away from me Haley, no I am not letting you good," he said and held on to me.

I punched him in the jaw. He didn't let go so I punch him again. Then his fist came at me and hit me in the cheek. I punch him again and he kicks me. We started fighting and by the time it was done the glass in my arm was wedge deeper and I was bleeding more while the cute on Josh sides open more. We held onto each other and walked back to HQ. blooded and hurt. That's when I notice my blood was still bright red just likes Josh's. It wasn't turning black like the others I witnessed. I didn't know what this meant but I sure as hell wasn't going to tell anyone.

By the time we made it to HQ the sun was setting, and Josh and I went to find a doctor or someone who can patch us up. I pulled the glass out of my arm and groan, I cover the bite marks on my shoulder and looked at Josh. I knew he wasn't going to stay anything even if I could turn and kill someone. But I knew if it ever came to that he would end it, I'm sure he would. I needed to get my arm stitched up and so did Josh's side. It was annoying, but it was something that had to be done. A few minutes later and the guy was done sewing me up. I picked myself up and went to find Julie to let her know about the that group that it held in a parking garage downtown.

As I enter her office I find some more pins pushed into the map and more Xs over areas. She was standing in front of the window. "Hey Julie, I got some good news," I said. she turns to me waiting for me to finish. "Josh and I find a group of survivors and they are doing pretty well for themselves they leaders are their siblings Katie and Vince, they should be reaching out to you soon and Vince and some of his men help us clear out the shopping center, so it would be safer, but we don't know how long that would be," I said, and she looks at me wanting to know more about the new safe area. So, I told her what I've seen and how they handle things there. How they train people to gather supplies and avoid the dead. I told her how I saw kids and were running around with no care in the world. "We should send people there or have a meeting here to see how they set up and let people in," she said. Then two other people enter her office and started talking about the supplies they went out for and how to divide them among their group.

I left her to talk with her men and I saw Josh standing there. I knew he wanted to look at my shoulder, but I wouldn't let him, and that's when I remember that I need to tell Julie and the siblings about the thing that Josh and I fought. It was a tank and it took a lot for it to go down. I went back inside and told Julie what we saw, Josh was there to back me up, I didn't care that I walked in on them talking but this was important, there a new threat out there and they needed to know and that meant people at home needed to know as well. "What do you mean Haley," Julie asked me. "What I mean is this person just turned in to some kind of freakish growler and throw me into a car and Josh into a glass window. It took most of our ammo to slow it down then a knife to the head for it to stop," I said. It took everything we had to bring it down. I just don't want these people to be unprepared for anything. If I could help them then I will. Julie looked shocked to find this out, but the others looked at me like I'm crazy. But knowing Julie, she would listen to me because she listens to me the first time I told her something this crazy. "Alright I believe you so now we need to inform everyone," she said. I sense that the two other men didn't believe me, but I didn't care. This was for everyone here. Leaving her office again Josh and I went to find a place to sleep, instead, he wanted to talk about my bite mark. But I wasn't going to have any of it. It was my problem and mine alone, except I might have someone to help me if I don't turn.