Chapter 3.5: Wanderers and Seedlings

Ash

They were not thinking rationally anymore. I tried talking to them about what I saw, The seedling- but they just ignored me.

All I can explain was I got kicked out the group and just as I thought it was getting bad, it got worst. Carmen was also caught to have been scratched in God knows where because her signs of infestation were more prominent than mine.

Grey is outside the room while I'm being locked in along with Carmen. I keep hearing that he's trying to explain to Annie that I'm fine but they don't seem anymore concerned. I noticed Maison pacing back and forth from my previous post, nearly taking his nape off with all the scratching he's doing. My instinct took off and I grabbed him by the back collar and pulling down to reveal the same thing but in green.

Shit, Ash get off him. Carmen tried pulling me off but I grabbed on. "He's a seedling, Fuck off Carmen, he's a seedling" I managed to push her off but by then my hands slipped off him and we were already crowded.

"What's going on?" Leah pushed through and stood him up to his feet. Matt followed suite

"You are clueless!, Utterly clueless. He's more dangerous than me and Carmen in this room"

"Ash calm down" Carmen tried to get me off the door "I'm not staying here with him "I burst out

"Then go, Take Carmen with you" Matt returned his voice stern and cold, He has his arms around Matt shouldering up.

"She's not going anywhere" Grey pushed back, "They're going to turn into those things and I'd rather not risk it"

"Big words for someone who helped hide it in the first place, Watch your mouth Matt. I'm not the only ones turning here. Maison is too and I've seen the thing he's going to turn to, It's worst and less human" I closed on him face to face with the bars in between us.

"What did you see Ash?" Annie came into view and I sighed a breath of relief, finally someone with a common sense and a danger sense.

My mind went back to the Garden Club's area. Between the tomato patch nearby was the garden shed. It looked the same but it wasn't, there was cluster vines going inside that shed and something came out. The loud shriek that everyone probably heard was not the only monster out there. There's things mutating. In the garden a fungus looking thing attached to a body was...… moving, eating. It's head? It opens up by it's mouth like a flower and..... swallowed a zombie full. That's what he'll turn to for better or for worse. Me and Carmen? I laughed. Some of us are scratched since Day 1 and we still haven't turned to kill you all and your asses. You've seen them turn and they don't last a day.

I looked her in the eyes to find a hint of understanding.

"The threat your looking for is outside this room, If you want me gone that's your decision"

Leah was the first to break the silence "Maison, You said you reached the front gate when you found those children. You would had passed by the garden or gone around it. Which way did you say you went?" Matt stepped forward saying that Maison just got back and could barely stand.

"It's okay Matt, I went around the garden when I found the kids inside. I did come up with one of those things but I didn't get bitten or eaten. It sprayed us with gas, I'm still alive so I'm probably not infected either." Maison said trying to stand up with the help of Matt's shoulder and Ali on the other side.

"Grey You'd understand right? He's your cousin. At least trust him a little" My eyes went to Greyson. His cousin?

"Don't make me choose- I'll leave" I cut him off "If you don't want to believe me, then I'll go and I'll take Carmen"

I looked at matt again "What happened to keep it hidden Matt? It seems you know a lot to hide if you suddenly taking me out the picture"

"It settled, if they want to leave then they can go" Annie called out and Carmen started crying about dying. I slumped on the wall and sighed.

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Matt

I hauled Maison away to a corner to settle down, he does look like he's turning pale. Ali placed him down and smiled

"The kids are doing fine in the other room, Are you sure about letting Ashley leave? I mean I already knew about Carmen's back but why are we suddenly kicking them out for real?" She asked and it's starting to irritate me.

"I know and hiding it was a mistake"

"Then why-DROP IT ALI"I stopped her and shouted, rubbing my head I sighed apologizing and asking her to leave me behind with Maison. He was breathing calmly but when he got back it felt like something was wrong with him. I didn't want to point it out either.

"Annie you can't do that to her, She's been hauling our asses since this happened" I can hear Grey along with Annie "None of us forced her. You knew about her injury and you also kept it but I'm not holding up against you. Matthew too"

The voice started to lower down but I can still make out their conversation. He said that Annie is tearing the group and he's not wrong. There are about 24 people rotating the floor and there's a possibility that there's more whos having the same problems like Carmen.

"They made that decision grey and we're not even sure if what ash was correct but if Maison said that they were sprayed with gas it could be the same gas hallucinating her. you said so yourself that you didn't see it either" The battle of words continued and I looked down on Maison. I just got him back don't take him away from me. I cried holding my head down. I rubbed salt onto Grey knowing that he liked Ash and forcing her to leave to protect my boyfriend was selfish. This is the least she could do right? I did cover for her wounds and left her to stay here for a while.

My head felt like bursting. What do i even do? Do I convince to let them stay? It's not like we'll last long either way. Letting them go early would let us lose more baggage and mouths ,right?