Chapter 8

“Come on!” Said Amanda urgently, as she jumped out of the truck.

Immediately, everyone followed her inside the building and she ran to the pantry where all the food was stored. Amanda gave DJ a serious look, and she sighed heavily.

“We may have to leave camp, so I suggest we load the truck up with as much as we can,” she said, and Megan nodded in agreement.

“What about everyone else? We can’t just leave them!” stated DJ.

“I know. Okay, we will still load the truck, but after tonight I am afraid we may still have to leave,” stated Amanda seriously.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently, and Amanda, Megan, and Faith fell to the ground. The loud screech that came next made everyone cover their ears. Quickly, Josh helped Megan to her feet, and John pulled Faith to hers. Joe looked down at Amanda and grinned.

“Knight in shining armor at your service, madam,” he said, as he held out his hand and she shook her head, as she grabbed a hold of it, and he pulled her to her feet.

At that moment, they heard everyone that was outside screaming and DJ realized that Amanda was right, the camp had been breached and they would have to leave as soon as the attack was over.

“Okay, I think it’s best that we don’t make any noise. I don’t want to alert those things out there that this is where we are,” DJ whispered, as he swallowed hard, and everyone nodded.

Unfortunately, Faith began shaking uncontrollably in fear and she looked at her husband frantically.

“We can’t stay here. We have to go,” she cried frantically in a whisper, and John looked at her firmly.

“Calm down, we are safe here,” John whispered, and she pushed him.

“No, we have to go!” she exclaimed, and then, unexpectedly, she ran for the door.

Immediately, John ran after her and Amanda and Megan scoffed as they ran after them.

“Get back here!” whispered Megan in a demanding tone, and then they saw Faith run out of the door and John ran after her.

Annoyed, Megan and Amanda looked at each other and then pulled their hand guns.

“Stay there,” whispered Amanda, as she looked at DJ, Josh, and Joe, and they all nodded nervously.

Amanda and Megan nodded at them and then nodded to each other as they silently slipped out of the kitchen door.

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The sight of the camp was unbelievable as they slipped out from behind the building wall. Half of the camp had been set on fire and there were mutants running after the other campers as they ran for their lives. Horrifically, Amanda and Megan stared with wide eyes as they saw the newest monster that had mutated.

The mutated monster looked like it was once a small centipede. That was what had crashed through the wall. It breathed fire from its ugly round head, and its skin was black and shiny looking. The creature must have been at least twenty feet long.

Luckily, the creature had wedged itself in between two of the steel panels that had made up the protective wall and it screeched into the sky, angrily. Nervously, Amanda and Megan looked at each other and swallowed hard.

Suddenly, they heard screams, and they turned their heads to see Faith being grabbed by a nightwalker and it bit her in the shoulder. John ran to her, but another nightwalker emerged from some nearby bushes and attacked him as well. Without a second thought, Megan and Amanda shot Faith and John in the head and then they shot the mutations.

Quickly, they ran back to the kitchen and barricaded the door from the inside. Amanda and Megan nervously looked at each other and then they ran back to the pantry where D.J, Josh and Joe were waiting for them. They huddled together on the floor and covered themselves in sheets of cardboard and anything else they could find to hide underneath.

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Silently, Amanda listened and everything seemed to be quiet and still in the outside world. Cautiously, Amanda pulled the cardboard back and looked around. Carefully, Megan pulled back the cardboard and she looked at her partner.

“Is it over?” she asked, as she looked at Amanda with wide eyes.

“I think so.”

At that moment, Josh, Joe, and DJ pulled the cardboard back and looked at the girls sadly.

Evidently, Amanda and Megan explained to them what had happened to Faith and John, and the family was saddened by their loss. Amanda pushed the cardboard off of her and she coughed as she got to her feet. Curiously, she walked over to the barricaded door and looked out of the window. The sun was shining bright in the morning sky, and she noticed that her truck was still in one piece and was parked right where she left it. Amanda couldn’t help but sigh a sigh of relief.

“See anything?” Megan asked, as she walked up and Amanda shook her head.

Josh, Joe, and DJ walked up to them and looked at them nervously.

“Should we go out there and see if there are any survivors?” asked DJ, and Amanda sighed heavily, as she looked out of the window.

“I think we should load up the truck with as many MRE’s as we can. Megan and I will go see what weapons and other supplies we can scrounge up and then we will load up and get out of here,” suggested Amanda, as she looked back at the sergeant.

“You two be careful,” he said seriously, and she nodded.

Suddenly, Joe grabbed Amanda’s arm and he made her face him, as he searched her eyes.

“You had better come back!” he stated, firmly, and she only nodded.

“You too!” Josh said to Megan.

“You two had better, or we will come looking for you!” stated DJ.

“Yes, sir!” said Megan, and then she looked at Amanda.

“Let’s go,” Amanda said, and Megan nodded.

Quickly, they pulled the barricade down, and Megan and Amanda cautiously slipped out of the door with their guns drawn. Carefully and quietly, the girls made their way around the building, and then they stopped and stared. Surprisingly, the whole camp was destroyed. The high rise sleeping quarters that were built in the trees had crumbled to the ground in pieces.

Horrifically, there were dead bodies everywhere as they cautiously stepped through the camp grounds. Suddenly, there was a low growl behind them and the girls turned around. Sadly, one of the guards had mutated into a daywalker. Annoyed, Megan holstered her gun, pulled her knife and stabbed the creature in the head. Seemingly, blood splattered on both Amanda and Megan, as Megan pulled her knife out of the mutant's skull.

“So gross!” she breathed, and then they continued to walk around the camp grounds.

Unfortunately, everything seemed to be destroyed. The communications tent burned and crackled, as it billowed dark smoke into the air.

“Look!” exclaimed Amanda, as she pointed.

Megan looked at where she was pointing and she saw the weapons and beer barn tent. Thankfully, it was untouched and the girls ran over to it. They looked inside and then grinned at each other.

At that moment, Amanda and Megan ran back to the kitchen and found that the guys had loaded a bunch of cases in the bed.

“Okay,” Megan said, breathlessly.

“Get in. We found ammo, weapons, liquor and the gas cans,” said Amanda out of breath.

“Are you hurt?” Joe asked, as he noticed the blood on Amanda and Megan, and Amanda shook her head.

“No, Megan killed a daywalker,” she said, and he nodded, as he sighed a quick sigh of relief.

Evidently, DJ, Megan, and Josh piled into the backseat and Amanda and Joe took the front seat. Slowly, Amanda drove over to the weapons tent. They loaded up one of the crates of liquor bottles, ammo, weapons, and as many gas cans as they could. Amanda pushed the button for the bed cover and they made sure everything fit under it.

Suddenly, they heard growling and snarling and they immediately jumped back into the truck. Strangely, a mutated man staggered out in front of the truck plow, turned and he looked at them with angry glazed over eyes. At that moment, the man put his hands on the plow and he screeched at them.

“This is new!” stated Megan, as more and more creatures began to stagger toward them.

Amanda looked at everyone and then she glared at the creature in front of the truck and put the vehicle in gear.

“Fuck it!” she said, as she slammed her foot on the gas.

Immediately, the truck lunged forward and ran the creature over.

“How are we going to get out of here?” DJ asked, nervously, as he pointed to the front gate.

Surprisingly, the gate was off of its hinges, on its side, and the creatures were gathering in numbers around them.

“Hang onto something!” Amanda said, annoyed, as she put the truck in reverse.

She looked through the back window as she sped backward, mowing over the mutations.

“This may get a little rough,” she said, as the truck came to a stop, and Amanda put it in drive.

She hit the button to raise the plow and Joe looked at her nervously as she revved the gas and looked straight ahead.

“You really are crazy!” he exclaimed, as he put his seatbelt on.

“Now!” yelled Megan, and Amanda stepped on the gas, praying that she was not about to ruin their only means of transportation.

Quickly, the truck sped forward as it gained speed and then the truck lunged onto the fallen gate. Everyone yelled in victory as they went over the gate and sped toward the main road. Megan, Josh, and DJ looked back at the camp and then they noticed something odd.

“Uh, Amanda?” called Megan, and Amanda glanced up in the rear view mirror just in time to see two survivors running toward them.

A man and a woman ran for the truck as a herd of mutations chased after them. Seemingly, the woman was a little ahead of the man as they ran.

“Shit!” Amanda yelled, as she spun the truck around.

“I am going to swing the truck around the girl. Grab her!” Amanda said to DJ, and he nodded.

Amanda stepped on the gas and at the most opportune moment she pulled the emergency brake. The tires squealed as she turned the wheel, and the truck bed smacked some of the daywalkers to the ground.

Immediately, DJ swung the door open, and Amanda got close enough that he could easily grab her and pull her inside. He pulled her inside and shut the door as the truck slid to a stop. Unfortunately, the man had been swarmed by the daywalkers and they couldn’t help him.

“Oh, thank you,” the woman cried, as she hugged DJ.

Amanda chuckled as they turned onto the highway. Joe sighed sadly, as he looked out of the window, and Amanda gently placed her hand on his arm. He looked at her and she gave him a sincere look.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, and he only nodded.

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They drove on the highway for a while and they noticed that the sun was beginning to set. They only had a few hours left until sundown, so they needed to find shelter. Amanda pulled off of the highway and turned down a road. The road led them to a small town that seemed like it was deserted or worse, dead.

“Well, this place sure is a little spooky,” Joe stated, as he looked through the windshield.

Slowly, Amanda pulled up to an old abandoned church, and she parked the truck.

“A church?” Megan asked and Amanda nodded.

“Okay,” DJ said, as Amanda rolled down her window and listened.

Thankfully, there wasn’t a sound throughout the little town.

“Let’s go check it out. It will be dark soon, and I think it’s best that we are not out here when the monsters come out,” stated Amanda, as Megan grabbed her duffle bag off of the floor.

“We all stick together,” stated DJ, and everyone nodded.

Slowly, they all got out of the truck and Amanda opened the bed cover.

“Uh, what is that smell?” Josh asked, as he covered his nose.

Evidently, Megan looked into the truck bed and made a disgusting face as she pulled her head back.

“Okay, who loaded the arm?” she asked, as she gagged.

“Arm?” DJ asked, as he peered into the bed.

“Gross!” he laughed, as he pulled the tailgate down.

Apparently, there was a mutated arm lying on the bed and everyone turned their heads.

“That is gross!” the woman said, as she covered her nose, and Megan looked at her thoughtfully.

“What is your name?”

“My name is Christie,” she said, as she shook her long dark hair.

She had tan skin, a medium muscular build, and bright green eyes.

“Hi, Christie. I am Megan, and this is Amanda, Joe, Josh, and of course, DJ.”

Christie smiled at everyone.

“Thank you for coming back for me,” she said gratefully.

“You are welcome,” said Amanda cheerfully, and Christie nodded.

They pulled the disgusting mutated arm from the truck and threw it. Then they began to fill the duffle bag.