Forest of warm bodies

Baby Camila giggled at Helen's back. "Don't worry, we will be there soon." Helen whispered tiredly. She could hardly feel her legs because of her sister's weight.

"Your father and I might be killed tonight. You must bring your sister to safety." Morgan held her daughter's shoulders. Her eldest daughter is a six year old child but she could think like a fifteen years old teenager.

"Promise me you will keep your sister safe." Morgan said.

Helen didn't understand what her mother was talking about. Who is coming to kill her parents? "What is gonna happen to you?" Helen asked, glancing at her sleeping baby sister.

"It's just a feeling. But it might happen and when it happens, you have to save your sister first." Morgan convinced her.

Helen could see when Cameron crept in, thinking they were engrossed in their cartoon network. She blinked once when she heard a bomb and several gunshots. "Mother!" Helen whispered at the front of the door, looking at her dieing mother. The bomb obviously affected her.

"Save Camila. Travel east. You'll find guidance. Go!" Helen's blue eyes shone slowly whilst hearing her mother's voice in her mind. That was the communication she needed at that moment. Helen didn't think twice. She picked her sister's feeding bottle, few toys, pancakes, bottle of juice, a small shawl and she dumped everything into the bag pack she could find.

Helen saw her father dashing out through the door. She carried her sister and the bag pack, following Richard Mics in a quick pace. 

"Father, wait!" Helen struggled to get into her father's car. The door hit her hand just before it could close and that was why because he was already driving off. 

Helen knew he was the one who activated the bomb. It doesn't matter whom he wanted to kill with it, the tragic thing is that he killed their mother with it. She had always known her father never liked them as a family. He is self-centered but she still loves him as her father.

Cameron's car was zooming and shooting after them. "I promise you will be safe, Camila." Helen straightened her baby sister's long purple hair. Suddenly, the car threw itself over, rolling multiple times until it landed upside down.

Camila wails was more than that of five babies combined. Helen's face hardened. She could see Cameron from the side mirror of the car, he was coming closer with a gun. She made an eye contact with him and he fired at her father.

Immediately he left, Helen didn't waste time. She places her hand on the locked door and it opened. Sustaining a few leg injuries while struggling to get out of the upside down car was the littlest of her worries. Getting her sister to safety was the most important.

Helen walked straight, taking the route on the eastern side of where she was born. For a six year old, she knew the way like the back of her palm but how's that possible when she has never stepped out of her father's house ever before?

"Deep in the forest, you'll find guidance." Helen sighed, glancing at the forest that was before her. "I guess this is where we can survive." She tugged at her baby sister who was sleeping peacefully at her back and she journeyed into the forest alone.

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"How are we supposed to find this forest? Forest of what again?" Duran beats his hands over his thighs in frustration.

"Forest of warm bodies." Kelvin rolled his eyes. They have been walking into the eastern part of Michigan for a day and they haven't found the root yet.

Kelvin drank water out of the bottle. "You'll finish that very soon and we will be left with no water." Duran warned.

"It's already finished." Kelvin sighed, throwing the bottle away. The forest looked really thick with the ratio of wild animals lurking around eight to one.

They continued walking, deeper and deeper. "Okay, I think I need a break. I'm human, I don't have the strength like the both of you." Duran sat on a branch tiredly.

Cameron hasn't said a word since they began the journey. "You will know the exact part of the forest through your mind." Ilse's words flashed in his head.

"This place is unbelievably cold." Duran rubbed his hands on his jacket and that was it. Cameron looked around. The area they were has a very low humidity, very very cold. Forest of warm bodies, it isn't expected the forest will be occupied with warm temperature. It is the opposite.

Cameron pulled Duran up. "We are close to the tree." He muttered, taking the same route forward.

"How are you so sure?" Kelvin eyed him.

"Can you just trust his instincts?" Duran whispered, understanding the fact that Kelvin was still angry at Cameron.

"I hope we can save Gray on time." Kelvin said.

"The question is, is Glendale safe with that blind woman?" Duran countered and they both sighed.

"Over there." They both darted their heads towards where Cameron pointed and their lips parted in shock. Is that really the tree?

Duran chuckled. "What are we waiting for? Let's get to work!" He laughed.

Kelvin activated his vampire abilities and leaped against the tree, going upwards to pick the nuts while Cameron made use of a pocket knife to cut some of the open roots.

Cameron froze. His nose sniffing in the air. "Something is wrong." He muttered.

Kelvin caught the smell too on top of the tree that he still was. "No. Someone's coming." He added.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Duran asked, looking in between the two of them.

Cameron began to tread backwards carefully. "Duran, don't....move." He warned.

"What exactly is it?" Duran turned backwards and he swallowed tightly. "In the name of....." A loud growl interrupted him

 "Duran, don't move...." Just before Cameron could complete the same sentence, Duran already fled for his life.

"Fuck!" Kelvin jumped down from the tree.

"Once it's starting to get dark, leave and get the items to Gray before the portal will close." Cameron instructed.

"I can't leave both of you here." Kelvin argued. "Do you want the three of us to die here when the time lapses? It means Gray will die too. Just go!" Cameron held Kelvin's shirt.

"Fine then. I will surely get me and Duran out of this place but you must go first. Go!" Cameron pushed him away.

Kelvin's lips trembled as he watched the sky get dark. The time they were given by the witch Ilse has lapsed. The portal that leads back to Gray might be shut forever and Gray will die.

Kelvin packed the roots and nuts into his bag with a heavy heart as he sat on the floor waiting for the portal gate to open. Within two minutes, the red portal showed up. He looked back, bits his lips and entered into the portal.

On the run. Duran was running for his life, away from a giant wolf. Sounds of rustling leaves on the ground. Erratic breathing. Rough running footsteps. That was all Cameron focused on to find Duran, using his vampire abilities - speed and sense of hearing.

Duran screamed. He just fell and hit his leg on a tree bark. The wolf leaped unto him. Duran struggled, giving it hard fists. 

Suddenly,Cameron screeched loud which sent the wolf running away. "Are you alright?" Cameron helped him up as his elongated teeth slipped back into the right position.

Duran breath out, dusting his clothes. "Yeah. I am fine." He answered, glancing back at the route the wolf took.

"We should head back to where the tree was maybe we can still meet up with the portal." Cameron said.

Duran nodded. Just as he took a step, his side rib shot right into his brain in pain. He opened his shirt. A large swollen bite. The wolf had bitten him.