Chapter 24 - Cries from the Mist

"Ejay... Ejay... wake up. Ejay can you hear me? Please wake up!"

A voice breaks through the walls of my mind and peels my eyes open. Everything is blurry at first but I could make out two people sitting over me. Lici was shaking me and calling out to me while Angie sat and watched next to her.

"How long was I out?" I groaned while sitting up.

As my vision cleared up, I realized we were sat on the roof of the van. I wasn't in pain at first but it all started to hit me at once as I began catching myself. I felt my head and noticed blood dripping from my forehead.

"You was out for about fifteen minutes." Lici replied. "Surprisingly you were the only one that got knocked out."

"Where are the others, and how did you get here?" I asked to Angie.

"Me and Dameer was looking for Lici after we heard her scream. Instead of finding her we found you guys getting tossed through the air like a football."

"The others are outside watching over the area." Lici added. "The fog is beginning to fade."

"You alright?" I asked Lici.

"Yeah, I'm good."

We crawled out of the back of the van to find Liam, Dameer, Victor and Lj standing outside.

"Where did the heavy infected go?" I asked.

"We don't know, honestly something that big shouldn't be able to disappear like that." Dameer responded.

"You alright Ejay." Liam asked.

"Never better."

"We should try and find the others now." Angie suggested. "We could only assume they're moving back to the office, so we should do the same."

"Most likely they're far off with how much time has passed." Lj added.

"The fog isn't as thick anymore so at least we stand a better chance if we come across any more infected."

Our field of view has been extended to probably several yards and on top of that, the sun has began rising.

"Lici are you in good enough condition to lead us back?" I asked looking at her leg.

"Of course I am, I could push through this." She replied.

"Yanno Ejay quick to throw you on his back." Liam stated.

"Yeah you would know huh." Lici replied with a smile. "Let's get moving."

It's quiet, a bit too quiet for me. After what just happened there's no way it should be this quiet. Mali and the others...

"Time isn't our friend, let's move quick." I stated.

As we sprinted down the streets through the slightly dispersed fog, I became more and more worried. Every second that we didn't see an infected made me think that they're all near Zhaire and the others.

"Body up ahead." Lici exclaimed. "It looks... like an infected."

"They came this way?" Dameer asked.

"Nobody else would've." Angie stated.

"Quiet." Lj exclaimed.

Lici came to an abrupt halt, forcing the rest of us to slam on the brakes. We stood in the middle of the street frozen, but attuned to every minor detail around us. We analyzed our surroundings in complete silence, but it was as if our thoughts were synchronized. We were being watched. The streets were still submerged in fog and it was unnervingly quiet. However, it was impossible to ignore the feeling that we were all being stalked.

"Shouldn't we run?" Victor said under his breath.

I peeked over at him for a second and noticed he was shaking heavily. His eyes bounced around in every direction and he couldn't even keep his gun pointed straight.

"Victor, calm down." I whispered to him.

"I hate this." He swiftly replied.

"We all do, but we gotta stay cool."

"They're cowards." He replied as his shaking intensified.

"Victor come on you got this." Angie stated.

"I'm not a coward!"

"Keep your voice down." Lj exclaimed.

Just then we heard rustling in a bush across the street from where we were stood, but we didn't even have a second to look at what caused it. "POW!" A gun fired into the bush. We all ducked and was startled by the sudden loud noise, everyone except for Victor.

"What's wrong with you bro?! Liam asked pulling Victor's arm down. "You tryna get us killed out here? Catch yourself before I-"

Before he could finish he was interrupted by a sickening screech.

"On that roof." Lici stated aiming her bow in that direction.

"Behind us!" Dameer stated.

"They actually surrounded us." I said.

Those same mutated infected from before. They're smart enough to stalk us in silence and surround us to get the upper hand. I thought infected were supposed to be brain dead, how are they this strategic.

"We take the first shot." Lj whispered.

"What?" I replied.

"We're not dying here." He stated drawing an arrow.

Without hesitation he shot for the infected on the roof of the building ahead of us and nailed it in the head. In unison, the remaining infected charged at us without hesitation. "We're not dying here." Lj's words dated through my head as I aimed my bow at one of the oncoming infected. I was gripping the bow so tightly that I nearly snapped it in two, and right as I went to release the arrow.

"Now!"

A bright red light illuminated the entire area. I was blinded for a moment and it sounded like a fire was just lit around us. I guess this world wasn't far from hell after all.

"Move Ejay!"

That's all I heard as someone pulled my arm and dragged me out of the light.

"Let's go run this way!" Zhaire shouted.

"Where did they...what was that light?"

"It was a flare, come on at least try to run." Lici replied as I realized she was the one holding my arm.

"That's only gonna burn for about thirty more seconds, let's move." Zhaire stated.

Alyssa, Regine and Cory. We were all back together.

"How did you guys find us?" Liam asked.

"The gunshot." Regine answered.

"Luckily we got to you guys before that big guy." Alyssa added.

"Those infected gets stunned by bright lights, remember that for the future." Zhaire stated. "We're entering the populated area, I hope the people are safe."

"Why aren't any of the street lights on?" Dameer asked.

"Stop!" Zhaire shouted to us.

A gentle breeze flowed by us as we stood in the street, and observed our surroundings.

"Is that another body?" Angie asked pointing at a figure that was layed on a car roof.

We walked slowly up to the corpse to investigate it, and found a huge red flag.

"This isn't an infected." Zhaire stated.

"This person was recently killed." Lj added.

Both of this person's legs were broken and their stomach was torn open. A gruesome sight that a lot of us wasn't ready to see. Alyssa threw up on the side of the street while majority of the others couldn't even look at the body. I however couldn't drag my eyes away from the unsettling display. This could have been one of us.

"This is bad." Zhaire stated. "If an infected did this then-"

He was interrupted by what sounded like gunshots off in the distance.

"Let's go." Liam exclaimed.

"Wait." Zhaire whispered grabbing his arm.

The ground began shaking lightly in a slow rhythm. I already knew that could only be that large infected. Actually saying large was an understatement. The fog has dissipated to the point where we've regained majority of our field of view. With that, we now realize how insanely huge that thing really is. About two stories tall and its frame is as wide as a bus. We stood frozen by fear as two of them walked passed us towards the gunfire.

"How the hell are you supposed to kill those things." Dameer asked temporarily breaking our groups silence.

"If they're here in the city then-" Zhaire began to say before being cut off by...

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

We all spun around to find Victor being dragged away by one of the earlier infected. The sound of gunshots echoed threw the streets as the flash from each shot became the only thing we could see as he got pulled deeper into the darkness.

"Victor!" I yelled as me and the others sprinted after him.

Zhaire tossed the other flare stick he had ahead of us which revealed three of those infected standing around Victor. I immediately began firing arrows at them and with two successful hits to the body and head of one, I took it down. Another one went down in two shots as well which came from Lici and Lj. The last one had its claws dug into Victor's left leg. He layed there crying and pleading.

"Kill it please, don't let me die here."

I went to fire my last arrow, but just before I did somebody else took killed it with one shot to the head. I turned to the left and saw that it was Cory.

"Good sh-" I tried to say before someone covered my mouth and pulled me aside.

"Shhh." Lj whispered to me.

He was holding Angie as well, and Zhaire, Alyssa and Liam. Cory and the others stood across the road looking back towards where we came.

"I can't walk." Victor muttered. "Some help please."

I tried to pull away from Lj and right before I tried to say something it became obvious why everyone went so quiet. The massive heavy silently walked towards Victor, carefully taking each of its step so that it wouldn't make a sound.

"No." Victor muttered. "No please. Someone, help me."

I struggled more with Lj trying to fight free.

"What are you gonna do?" He asked

"I can't sit and watch him die."

"Someone please!" Victor cried trying to crawl away from it.

I finally pulled myself free from Lj, but then immediately after Zhaire tackled me to the ground.

"Don't." He whispered to me.

I watched on as the heavy walked up to Victor and lifted its massive foot over him. Victor looked up and quietly asked...

"Why me?"

The flare Zhaire threw burned out, and right after the entire neighborhood shook as the heavy slammed its foot into the ground, on top of him. We all watched it. We all couldn't do a thing.