"After you put the mask on…" I trailed, choosing my words carefully. "The jackets and vest are really warm, and it's pretty cold out here." I didn't receive a response, just two hands reaching out to grab the mask and fumbling with its straps as he tried to attach it.
He looked up for a split second and I looked away, unable to handle any eye contact. I would have helped him, if I wasn't terrified.
I left him to struggle with the straps, backing away from him and to the two corpses. I needed to hide them. If the man was close enough to hear the woman attacked, than there could be other's nearby. They'll know something's wrong as soon as they find the bodies with their gear missing.
I moved to the man first, picking him up as best as I could and dragging away into a bush. The clothes he was wearing were enough camofouge to blend in with the leaves. From a distance, it didn't even look like a dead body.
I dragged the woman's body to the same bush, looking anywhere else other than the neck. Because of her white T-shirt, she would be easier to spot among the brown and green. But the shirt was now darkened with dried blood, and the darker color neutralized the dingy white.
Twirling around, I went back for the head. Aaron was standing now, and his hoodie was at his feet. Underneath it he had a plain, simple black T-shirt, with no design or anything creative on it. He slipped the black jacket on with ease, but the vest was becoming a problem for him.
"Don't do that," I muttered, watching as he almost ripped the best in two. I put my fingers on the clasp of my own vest, unclipping and clipping it again to show him. "Like this," I clipped it back a second time. "You can't jam them together. You have to connect them."
The special infected watched my fingers with precision, and copied my actions. I let out a breath of relief when he finally connected the clasp.
I stared down at the head. Pale and lifeless, with blank eyes stuck in a painful wail. Her hair was still in a ponytail. I grit my teeth. "You wouldn't happen to still have my hair band, would you?" I asked, not looking at him.
No, he doesn't. I was coming real close to snapping and just chopping my locks off. No one has time to keep their hair clean and pretty anymore, survival is priority. Theron's knife was still tucked in my pocket, and it was tempting. But the woman I was impersonating had long, dark hair. Just like mine.
I leaned down and quickly pull the band from her hair. This was disgusting and immoral. But there are worse people out there, I told myself. I was nothing like them, told myself. I just want my friends back.
I kicked the head away, and it hid in a pile of fallen leaves. I'm a horrible person, aren't I?
Picking up the mask from the ground, I pulled my hair into a messy ponytail, feeling a little sick to my stomach. I tried to keep a blank expression, pulling the mask over my face and adjusting it so it fit comfortably.
Picking up the backpack, I took the gun from it and shoved it in my jacket pocket along with the other. Dragging it, I hid it underneath some leaves and behind a dead shrub. There was no way I could take that inside; it would raise too much attention.
I took a deep breath, the exhale muffled by my mask. Aaron was standing up right, and though I couldn't see his eyes behind his own mask, I imagined them burning through my skull. "Ready?" I asked, noticing how my voice wavered as I spoke.
"Think you can act human long enough for us to find them?" I voiced my concerns, crossing my arms in sudden self-awareness. "We won't take long." At least I hope we didn't. I didn't know if Paradise lived up to its name, because from what I know, it sounds more like hell.
The Leaper shrugged, and his lack of the usual grunt or playful growl was slowly digging holes in my mind. "You don't have to go…" I suggested, "You can leave, right now. You don't have to deal with this."
He started walking, more stumbling, really over to the fence gate halfway through my sentence. As he passed by me, I thought he was about to trip over the air. My eyes grew wide. I wasn't sure whether he had understood me, or not. But did it really matter if he had my permission to leave? He could of just left anytime he wanted.
He flicked his head down, at the assault rifle in my hands. Thinking for a moment, I kicked the other rifle somewhere into the forestry. Now the only evidence left to tell about the murders was the blood stained grass in two different spots.
"Don't worry about the gun, we'll say you lost or something if anyone asks…" In other words, if anyone asks; lure them off someone discreet and beat them until their quiet. The likely hood of this whole thing going as planned was low, especially if there really isn't an actual plan.
Gripping the rifle, I walked passed Aaron, opening the gate and taking my first step into Paradise.
Aaron caught up, keeping pace as we approached the buildings on in the distance. They were further away than they had looked, but more and more buildings were becoming clearer as we got closer. Among them, little moving dots seemed to portray as people. My heart throbbed nervously.
At the last moment, he pushed his clawed hands into the jacket pockets. They would have been a dead giveaway. He's smart enough to know this. I wonder what else he knows.
"Aaron" I whispered, suddenly surrounded by faces and people. They were all smiling, and some of them were in uniform, like us. Someone waved and my struggled for a decent reaction. I gave simple wave back. Smiling, like everyone else, they continued talking to their peers.
"Aaron" I whispered again, now entering a slightly less populated area. "…still mad at me?"
He just shrugged.
Chapter 17
After wandering cities that were either deserted, filled to the brim with infected or bombed and in ruins, the liveliness around us was overwhelming. There wasn't any trace of infection, no destruction, and no one fighting desperately to survive. The only signs of anything relating to the world past the gates was the overgrowth sprouting on a few buildings and the rubble piles at every corner.
The people around us traveled in groups, talking among themselves and hardly sparing us a glance. Everyone was smiling, laughing as they strolled along. They appeared to be well fed, healthy, and happy. Looking around, no one was carrying any sort of firearm, or even melee weapon.
The only ones carrying weapons were the strangers we had disguised ourselves as. They stood on the sides, unmoving, gripping their guns and scanning the crowds as they walked. They didn't speak to anyone, just watched behind concealing masks.
We were blind here. My plan from earlier only extended far enough to where we could walk around freely here, as long as we weren't caught. I never contemplated on where to go or what action to take once we were actually inside. So right now, our only option was to keep moving and hope a lead would suddenly reveal itself, though it was unlikely.
A uniformed man happened to glimpse in my direction and I was able to catch the slight movement of his head. A simple nod in place for an unvoiced greeting. I returned the gesture to avoid looking suspicious. The man returned to his duty, back straight and keeping close watch on the bystanders. If I could avoid conversation, then I could pull this off.
Aaron, on the other hand, was having a much more difficult time than I was. He was walking in a straight line, putting one foot in front of the other. With his hands stuffed inside his pockets, no one could see the claws attached to his fingers or the dried blood that was caked to them. He pulled the survivor act off so well that if I didn't already know he was a Leaper, I would have been fooled.
But I could tell he was distressed. If anyone looked hard enough, they would be able to spot the obvious signs. As we walked, he would stray a foot or so behind me, whether it was because he was still angry with me or just nervous, I don't know. But as a little girl with black braids adorning her hair brushed passed him and into the outstretched arms of her father, he flinched, quickening his pace in able get closer to me.
I don't know how much longer he can behave, but if even so much as utter a growl then it's game over. Our cover will be blown and I'm sure that
the armed gunmen standing at every corner will be more than happy to unleash hell. We needed to find somewhere we could stop and think about our options. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted an ally.
It was hidden from public view, facing against the sun completely shaded. Once I was sure there was no officer lurking at the end of it, I spun on my heel and began casually walking into the shadows, Aaron following closely.
We turned the second corner, becoming undetectable. When I was sure I could no longer hear the loud conversations and laughter, I lowered my mask. "How are you feeling?" I questioned him. There wasn't really anything I could do to prevent him from going nuts at any moment, considering just on how edge he was. But I could provide words of encouragement, and while he may not understand them, I'm sure he'll appreciate the pause from the hustle and bustle.
He remained still, with his head still angled downwards staring at the ground. I don't want to try and wheeze a reaction from him, not with the mental state he was currently in. But the lack of response still bugged me. I felt guilty, not only for dragging him along in my problems but for making him suffer. It was clearly a bad idea to take him somewhere highly populated.
"Listen," I started, pausing to double check for eavesdroppers. "I meant what I said before; you don't have to do this." I told him. There was no answer, so I tried again. "You're not in debt, you never were. Hell, if anything, it's my fault we're here. If I hadn't of left them, they might have been ok." I confessed, letting my rifle swing loosely at my side.
I had already repeated that confession again and again inside my mind, but it seemed fresh saying it out loud. He didn't hear me, and slouched. I couldn't follow his gaze, and there was no clear sign of him actually listening to me, or maybe tuning me out. But I continued, whether or not he was.
"I'm not your problem to deal with, and you're certainly not mine-" He stiffened and I tried to catch myself, but the words were already free. "No-no wait, I didn't mean it like that, I swear." I did my best to explain, but he kept tense. Nervously, I ran my hands through my pony tail. "I'm just thinking…it's not…You aren't…"My words seemed to break and I stuttered terribly. I was never good at social skills anyway.
I took a deep breath, unnerved by the fact that he hasn't so much as tSirened in the last five minutes. Maybe when we were somewhere safer, we could figure this out. This just wasn't the time. "Let's go, we'll figure this out later." I sighed, hoisting up my rifle and walking away.
The short break was nice, but the tension was too thick to enjoy it.
There was a lack of footsteps behind me and I stopped. Turning around, he was standing straight, no longer glaring at the ground but instead directly at me. The mask covered his face and head completely, leaving me with no clue on his current expression, if he was even making one at all. Not like a blank stare would be any better than a death glare.
"What's wrong?" The question slipped out before I could bite it. His hesitation was making me feel uneasy. "Aren't you coming?" Well, are you? Or did you finally realize that you're following around an idiot who entered a hostile area blindly with no plan whatsoever searching for people whose whereabouts are unknown and could even be dead?
I was in the middle of a mental debate on whether or not I should have walked off or forced him to come with me when moved. It was a pause after the second step, like he was heavily distracted himself. Biting the inside of cheek, we wandered out of the ally and into the streets again. My mind was overflowing with questions.
The cold had driven many people inside their homes, or what I guess was their homes. The surrounding buildings looked to be formerly cafes, general stores, and even a day care. The streets were becoming less populated as we moved, the road becoming narrower and narrower. The amount of officers around each turn was decreasing, until there was just a single man stationed. Far away, it seemed as if he was just relaxing, leaning against the wall. But as I neared closer, I heard soft, faint snores.
I scanned the rooftops. Every building had a flat roof, close enough to each other that it would be easy to jump them myself. However, they stood at different heights, the highest being four stories high. This was a very old fashioned town, I thought. If we could get onto of those roof tops, we could easily make our way around much faster without drawing too much attention.
We slipped to another ally, out of view. The back of the brick building we were behind had broken windows and a fire escape that had partly broken off. Now that I think of it, most houses nearby were in poor condition as well. I guess even Paradise had a bad neiborhood.
"Hey, Aaron…" I pulled my mask down, letting it hang from my neck. "How high can you jump?" I joked lightheartedly. For once, he looked away from the concrete and up above, taking in the height and distance of the rooftops.
"I know you mad…but it would be really helpful if you could take us up there." I pointed to the fire escape which only reached from the fourth floor to the third, the other half missing. If he could at least take us to the third floor, than we could make our way up to the top.
"We can stay above everyone else, they wouldn't see us." I pressured. "It would be faster too, we can see a lot more from up there," I reasoned. Starting at the brick, Aaron let out a low rumble. But I don't speak Leaper, so that was nothing but nonsense to me.
"Can you?" I asked again, trying to sound light but I felt myself becoming a little impatient. He turned from the sky to me, then to the roofs again. I sighed, "Alright, fine. Let's head back out into the stre-"
My sentence was cut off. An arm wrapped around my waist and held tightly, the sudden and quick movement causing me to pause. One moment I was standing on my feet at ground level, the next I was flipped over and I squealed in surprise. "What the he-"
I felt the sudden feeling of weightlessness, and my chest spiked and stabbed my throat as I watched the ground fly away. But in reality, we were the ones who were flying. We passed the second floor, the third, and the forth, and even went a few feet past the roof.
Once again I have wrongly underestimated the abilities of a Leaper, something I best not do again.
It was over as quickly as it had started. We landed on the roof with a solid thud and I was still in the midst of processing the last two seconds it took to get up here. As I gathered my thoughts, I noticed I was still being held. Last time I had pushed him away he pretty much threw me at the ground. I frowned, doing my best to squirm and wheeze my way out of his grasp, but stopped when his hands gripped even stronger that I could feel the pricks of his claws poking through my clothes.
Once again, we were airborne, and the only way to prevent myself from screaming was to bite my tongue. The pressure of my teeth combined with the impact on the next roof was extremely painful. I couldn't stop the loud curse escaping as I screamed. Without purposely meaning to, I aimed a punch for his head. I missed, but he seemed to take the hint.
We landed on the third jump and I was carefully placed on solid ground. As I spat, I realized we were a good distance away from our original spot. But the pain in my tongue still overruled all other current thoughts. A little dribble of blood flowed from my lip and I licked it away.
"A warning would have been nice…" I sneered. I couldn't be mad at him for my tongue, since it was my own fault. But still, I didn't like surprises, and the rapid beating in my chest had yet to slow. I sat cross-legged on the roof, catching my breath. Aaron copied my action, crouching down and sitting on his hind legs.
The mask was putting pressure on my jaw, and it suddenly wasn't necessary anymore. No one could see us up here anyway. I unstrapped the clips, carefully pulling it away and setting it on the ground. Running my fingers through my ponytail, I tried to straighten it out best I could.
I caught Aaron eyeing the smear on my mouth. "This?" I pointed to my lips, sticking out my tongue and showing him the bite. "Just a bite, hurts like a bitch though." I commented, tapping my tongue with my finger. Mouth injuries healed pretty quickly; I'm sure by tomorrow I
'll be fine.
I was too busy prodding at my own mouth that I didn't notice him fling off his gas mask. It fell to the floor, landing near me. I raised a brow. "Just not the same as the hoodie, huh?" I asked without making eye contact. I could feel his stare, but as I looked up to meet it he turned away. His jaw had healed, no longer wearing the gash marks that Tanya had inflicted earlier.
My previous racing heartbeat was now the steady, normal pace I much prefer it to be. It was quiet. Looking over the edge of the building, I turned from left to right. From that point I could see the entire street and past that. I could even make out the sleeping officer, still leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his gun laid at his side.
There was a noticeable lack of shadows on the ground, and I looked to the sky. There was a thick collection of grey clouds concealing the sun. I frowned at the sight. It was bone chilling cold, and rain would only add to my suffering. I clenched my hands hidden in my sleeves. This jacket was warm, yeah, but how would it cope when it was wet?
My hands and unclenched and my eyes widened when I realized I was missing my rifle. I glanced down at my hands, then spun around and scanned the nearby rooftops we've previously landed on, hoping that it was dropped somewhere close by. It was nowhere to be seen. I groaned, gritting my teeth and flinching in regret when my mouth rippled with pain.
Aaron sat innocently to my right, watching me from the side. Now I had something I could blame him for. "You made me drop the rifle…do you know how valuable that was? That could have been the difference in a life and death situation!" I half yelled, trying to keep my volume under control. The Leaper responded with a blank stare.
Normally I would of crumbled under his inverted glare, but I was too peeved off to care. With grim thought, I noted on how much more angry and upset I get when he was around. Most everything that went wrong was my fault, but that didn't mean he didn't play a part in them.
His eyes narrowed, zeroing in on my jaw and I became aware of the stain that now covered the front of my chin. I rolled up my sleeve and made move to wipe it off. Bringing back my hand, it was spotless. Wiping multiple times with my hands and even resorting to the sleeve, it was no use. There was a faint trace of dried blood. It would have to be ignored.
Walking Bodies Page 17
