Deacon - Chapter 7

Chapter 1 (Revanchists)

Did I make it? Did I make it to heaven? Am I still here? I hear a voice next to me, "He's waking up. Call Jane and Kelly."

Jane and Kelly! It's never been better to hear their names. At least I know, they're okay. Things are looking up... at least, till I hear this, "Hold him down. He won't like the sight of this."

The door slowly opens. Soon, I see two deformed people walking towards me. Their fingers are ripped, bent and hanging on to their hands with just a small patch of skin. They are being pulled towards me with a rope and handcuffs. Their arms' skin is being ripped out and pulled by the metal of the handcuffs, just like mayonnaise. As they are pulled towards me, I notice their faces. It's a halfway molten face of Jane and Kelly. "This can't be real." I say. Then, I hear Jane's voice in my head, "What's not real?"

Then, the two on a leash and handcuffs, break loose and sink their teeth into my skin. I can feel the blunt forces piercing into my neck.

Soon, I feel a large splash of water on my face. Water covers my face. While it wears off, I jump up. When it pours away, I notice that it was just a dream. I am in a dark room. Covered by concrete, and plywood on my left-hand side.

As I sit up, I turn to the right and stare through the small window while I ask, "Where are we? Where is Kelly?"

"She's resting. I fixed up her wound and extracted the bullet from her. Back at the horde, when your dad was there, I heard the gunshot. I thought you shot a revanchist." She says. "Revanchist?" I ask. "Oh... yeah, it's like a nickname for the infected. Besides, people think that they've been sent by God to make us see the real side of people today. It's sad. With the revanchists out there, the real threat is the people. This... this shed we built, with twigs and light wood from the pond nearby. We haven't eaten in two days. We need some food. You need and Kelly needs some."

"Anyways, we got a long day ahead of us. A lot of our supplies were scavenged by people. People who looked like police officers. We need to go. They're holed up in a camp nearby. Outside this cabin, I got some hostages. We can work out a deal with them." She says.

"Alright, I need to see them." I say. I get up on my feet and follow Jane outside. There's two people in police uniforms. Both females. As I walk up to them, they look away from me. "I think I got this." I say to Jane. She nods, sits against the cabin and listens. "Where are your people?" I ask. I get no reply. "Let's try that again." I say. I reach for the gun socket on one of the officers' belt and grab the gun. They still don't look at me. "Where are your people?" I ask in a much firmer voice. Then, something happens. Something snaps in me and I feel a rush of anger. I hold the gun up to one's head. As the gun presses against her forehead, the officer on the left looks at her and says, "Stop. I'll tell you." By that time, Jane walks in and grabs the gun with the look of shock on her face. I notice that it was stupid. Jane then says, "I'll handle this. Just go in. Be with Kelly."

Accepting my mistake, I walk back into the cabin. Few minutes later, Jane walks in and says, "Ten minutes of a walk down the forest, due north."

"Mount up!" I say. As I walk out, I notice that one of the officers have a bag on them. I walk towards them and open it. They have a machine gun, a sniper rifle and a handgun, with plenty of ammo. "We're keeping this." I say as I take the bag from the ground, on her side.

We soon reach the camp. It looks pretty weak. It has a wooden fence, looking like it was built from thin logs of wood and scrap metal. I walk up to the gates. "Wait!" A muffled voice screams through the gates, at me, "Who are you?" I say, "I'm Deacon! You have our shit. We need it back!" "What shit?" the voice asks. Soon, the gate creeks open, and I see a familiar sight. "Son. You made it!" he says.

"After you tried to kill me... yeah, I made it. We have a lot to discuss." I say. He takes us into the camp. "Come in this room, we can talk there." He says, "Leave the two out-..." I interrupt, "They're staying in my sight."

He reluctantly nods. We go in. "Welcome son," he says. "Welcome to what?" I ask him. He smiles, turns away, then says, "To your downfall."

A few seconds later, I hear gunshots. Jane and Kelly run with the tied-up officers. I scream out to them, "DON'T RUN! HIDE!"

While they run, I turn back to my dad and hold him by his neck. I try to use my power. It doesn't work. "What's the matter? Too cold for you?" He asks while he sadistically laughs with his neck in my hands. I throw him down, make my way out the door to notice that all hell has broken loose. A horde of infected surrounded the camp. There's at least a thousand of them.

I look around more, while I panic, my eyes lock on Jane and Kelly. They're holding hands, fighting off the revanchists. I manage to run over to them. Then, I take them to the infirmary. It's the only wooden structure standing. We get in, lock the doors.

"Your dad's out there." Says Jane, "Stay with Kelly, I'll be right back." "No! Jane... Don't" I say to her. She just looks at me holds my hand and says, "I'll be back for you."

She runs out the door right into the herd. I look out the window at her. She picks up an axe and starts plowing her way through to my dad. She reaches him. Still flinging her axe at the herd, I notice a gun in my dad's hands. She turns away to shield dad. He looks at her with a rage, points the gun at her and doesn't shoot. He lowers the gun. I begin to get tense. Then, I hear a gunshot. It's Jane, I don't see her out there. I roll my eyes around. She's there, on the floor. She looks into my eyes with regret and pain while the herd surrounds her. Soon, she drowns into the herd. I don't see her anymore.

A few seconds later, I hear her cries of pain. She's getting devoured out there. "I'm going out there." I say to Kelly. "I'm coming with you," she says, "she was a mother to me."

My heart starts pounding. I stop hearing everything around me. All I hear is my heartbeat echoing through my ears. And, one again, my hands catch on fire. I kick open the door, hard enough to knock it off its hinges. Kelly follows me with a knife in her hands. With every revanchist, I melt their face and squeeze it so the eyes slip and roll out of the eye sockets. Then, I twist and take their heads clean off. There's a lot more than what we can handle. Soon, I hear an explosion. Then, I see a helicopter on top of me. People in it throw down a ladder and say, "Climb up, you crazy sonofabitch!"

Then, I hear another gunshot. From right behind Kelly. It's David. He shot her in the left eye. She turns to me slowly and says, "Deacon?" Then, as she falls, a man from a helicopter comes down to help. I pick her up and call for a body tray. They throw down a platform, I keep her on there, and they pull her up. I climb up the ladder with the man.

All of me is stuck in the doubt of Kelly being alright. I sit right next to her. She isn't moving. I put my hand on hers and say, "I shouldn't have left the infirmary. When I first saw you, I thought you were weak. But no, you've shown me how strong you are, today. It's something you got from Jane. I wish she was here with us." I lay my head down against the platform. My hand stays on hers. I begin sobbing. a few minutes later, I stop sobbing. While holding her hand, I sing a song that my mom used to sing to me. 𝅘𝅥𝅮 "You were born with the world on fire. Through all that, I held your hand. You still climb up mountains, higher, 'till you slip and don't know where to land. That's when you took my hand.

When the smoke and flames I left were too cold, you stayed behind, and warmed my heart.

You have earned the heart of mine. I have held the heart of yours and never let go. You'll be just fine, I still hold your heart, and won't let go.

You, lit a spark in me, which had been dead for years. Wish I could do the same for you hold a part of me, as I hold your hand, as I will till the end. 𝅘𝅥𝅮

Then, I feel her hand tighten on mine.