EVOLVED

by Jessica Gomez

  A startled yelp leaves my lips as I step out over emptiness. Becky leans over the ledge and watches me as I fall. The air whooshes around me as I brace myself for impact, holding my belly tight.

  When I hit rocks at the bottom, I shoot straight up in bed. I’m panicked, my breathing is erratic, sawing in and out of my lungs. The sensation of falling and hitting the ground isn’t how I expected to rouse this morning. My dreams are vivid, proving hard to shake off, ingraining its essence within me. The sensation will remain imbedded for hours.

  “Are you okay?” Asher asks, concern creasing his features.

  His words penetrate through my fog, allowing me to catch my breath. “Bad dream.”

  “Must have been a good one. Want to talk about it?” Asher stretches his chain to its max to sit next to my pallet.

  “I’m…I fall off a cliff,” I say quickly. “My premonitions are speaking to me. This is going to happen. Becky’s there. She’s the one that comes after me, the one who causes me to fall.” Rolling to my side, I sit up. My belly is growing larger, making movement difficult as I scoot closer to Asher.

  “You sure this one’s real? Your mind could be playing tricks on you,” he rationalizes.

  “No, this is real,” I confirm. “All the pieces to the puzzle fit together,” I mutter to myself, reviewing the bits of information I’ve collected through my dreams.

  “Lay it on me. We can figure them out.” Asher doesn’t stutter. He’s always there for me.

  My bottom lip quivers. The pregnancy’s driving my hormones insane, bouncing from one spectrum to another. “Thank you for helping me, for being my friend when I need it the most.” The first tear drip over my lashes.

  He chuckles quietly. “Come here, you.” He pulls me into his arms, setting on the ground between his legs. “Anything you need, I’m here for you.”

  I squeeze him tight and sniffle. “I’m sorry. I’m such a mess.” I giggle. “I swear this isn’t my normal behavior.” Swiping the remaining wetness from my eyes, I lift myself from the ground and stand next to the fire.

  He stands next to me. “I feel the same way. You help me stay sane. Give me hope that there’s life after this, a chance that I might find my family if Ian can find us.” He stares into the flames, lost in his own thoughts. He rarely speaks about his family. I know he married young and they had a baby a couple of months before he was taken, but nothing else. He loves them very much and holds them close to his heart.

  “There’s always hope.” I rub his shoulder as we both stare into the flames.

  The days moves slowly. Mundane. Jeff and Mr. Mom have been gone more often the last few days. They’re behavior is unusual, causing me to wonder if there’s an issue. The unintelligent are out all morning, returning late afternoon with a bounty of fish. They’re completely soaking wet when they return. I’ve concluded that infected can withstand colder temperatures than humans. None of them wear protective clothing, only normal tattered pants and shirts. They’re out all day and night, returning without consequence. If a human attempted that, or went for a swim in these temperatures, frostbite would soon follow. On the upside, their baths give me a small reprieve from their retched body odor.

  The infected toss a few fish at Asher and me. He cleans them quickly and throws them in the fire. The aroma fills the air; the best time of the day is when we’re cooking. The meat covers all the odors throughout the cave. Asher pulls the fish from the fire and opens them on the rocks in front of us, cooling them quickly.

  “They’ll be good in a minute.” Asher gestures to them and my stomach responds again by growling.

  I smile and rub my belly, sending Sweet Pea into his daily workout. “He’s hungry.” I blame the baby for the horrid noise.

  Asher laughs, checking the fish periodically until they’re ready. He hands me two and grabs the last two for himself. Before the Flash happened, you couldn’t pay me enough to eat fish; I hated the slimy bastards. Now here I am, tearing into another bite with anticipation. My appetite has grown over the last couple weeks, the baby using up his fair share of energy.

  “Do we have any water left?” I ask, looking for the container.

  “No. We finished it earlier. Jeff should be back soon. He’s normally not gone this long without checking in,” Asher ponders out loud.

  While I’m mulling over his words, a commotion draws my attention toward the entrance. The infected inside the cave stand still, listening. The hairs on the back of my neck stand as they rush outside. The growling intensifies, alerting us of a disruption. An uneasiness sets in, increasing my awareness. The infected often growl when returning to the cave, but nothing like this. It’s as if a feral creature is standing outside our door. They’re fighting.

  My heart pounds against my rib cage. Sweet Pea is performing summersaults, sensing my adrenaline rush. By this time, the rest of the humans in the room notice the same commotion. Our eyes focus on the exit, waiting.

  Soft giggling pulls my attention to the left. It takes me a moment to realize the noise came from Abbey. Her volume increases until she’s hysterically laughing, her shoulders shaking with its force. Wendy and Asher both look at me, then each other, confusion over Abbey’s unexpected outburst covering their faces.

  A startled squeal leaves my lips when Abbey turns to us suddenly, as if possessed, and stares directly at me. Her eyes are wild and yellow, unseeing, even though she follows my every move. She cocks her head and assesses me. “They’re coming.” She laughs with glee and hops to her feet. All three of us take a step back from her raised form, our chains ringing out in unison. Abbey glares, her eyes moving south to lock onto my stomach, staring at my Sweet Pea. “She’s taking you and the baby for herself.” Her smile stretches wide. “I don’t think either of you will survive.”

  My lip curls up as I step forward, reclaiming my forfeited step. I know the she is Becky. “You can both burn in hell.”

  Abbey’s demeanor is always crude and rude, but it’s not until I see her yellow eyes staring back at me that I know she’s turning.

  She’s infected.

  Abbey growls at my response and lunges in my direction. Her chain pulls tight and a loud pop sounds, signaling a dislocated body part. Abbey doesn’t react, her pain sensors nonexistent. She continues to fight, the metal digging into her ankle as red liquid begins to color the top of her foot.

  “Jesus,” Wendy breathes out quietly.

  “Is this how it happened with the others?” Asher glances at me, but doesn’t take his eyes completely off of Abbey.

  “I think each person is different. When the Flash first happened, one of them got inside my apartment. He was manic with rage. No thought process left except to attack, inflict pain, and kill. With Becky, Jeff, and Dane, it spread slowly. We didn’t notice that any of them were sick, not until it was too late. They retained most of their humanity until the end. They seemed to fixate on one person, obsessing over them, but limiting their contact with others. We thought the quiet from each person was due to personal issues. Abbey’s change is quicker than the others. I think her mental state is playing a larger role. Whatever happened to her with Big Bully that last night changed her, sent her over the top.”

  “Fuck off!” Abbey screams at me. “You know nothing about me!” She continues to pull against her ankle as another crack sounds. This time, her foot twists at an odd angle, moving her chain down farther. Her struggle stops as she turns and checks the movement of the chain. She turns back to me and sneers, continuing her pursuit.

  Understanding dawns on me for the first time. She could get out of her chain and come after me if she breaks her foot enough. Panic begins to course through my veins. Looking around, I search for something to use to defend myself. “She’s going to get out,” I tell Asher.

  He looks at Abbey sharply, and notices the chain twisting around her ankle. Sooner or later, her skin and bone will rip, and she’ll get free. “Come over here.” He steps closer to me, picking up his poking stick along the wa
y. He’s sharpened it over the months on the rock while moving the fire around. “Stay behind me. Hopefully, Jeff can make it through whatever’s out there. If he doesn’t come back, we have to figure out a way to get these chains off.”

  As soon as the last word leaves his lips, a loud snarl bursts through the cave’s entrance. Abbey turns to watch when an unintelligent infected we don’t recognize looks around the room. My heart drops to my stomach as he locks eyes with each of us, saliva running down his chin. Half of his face has rotted away, revealing his jaw and teeth, only held together by tendons. He steps closer and lifts his nose to the air, scenting our surroundings, a loud purr signaling his pleasure. He takes a step in our direction, and another commotion draws his attention away from us. A threatening growl sounds within the small corridor, but is snuffed out midbreath. Shortly after, a body flies into the cave, landing next to the intruding infected. A deafening roar follows the threat. The infected studies the body at his feet, but widens his stance when Jeff storms in.

  He’s covered in blood, his clothes torn, and death himself is staring back at me. “Mine,” he states silently and assesses me from head to toe.

  “I’m all right,” I reply, and step farther behind Asher.

  Jeff’s eyes narrow again and focus on Asher for a moment, until the infected in the middle of the room crouches for an attack, drawing his attention. Jeff’s eyes turn black in their entirety. The corner of his lip tips up with the challenge.

  “Look out!” I shout, but Jeff is ahead of me, sensing Abbey’s attack.

  He grabs her by the neck when she lunges for him and snaps it like a twig. He drops her lifelessly to the ground, wiping his hand on his pants, as if she was a parasite. The intruder doesn’t wait for him to refocus. He pounces, attempting to catch Jeff off guard.

  They slam into one another with enough force to shake the rock around us. Their snarls echo off the walls as they tear at one another with their claws, ripping clothes and skin. Jeff twists the infected around and pins him against his chest, pulling his head back by the hair. Bearing his teeth, he sinks them into its neck. Screams of terror fill the room as the life drains from the infected.

  Jeff releases the dead moments later, its body slapping heavily to the floor. He’s standing in the middle of the room, huffing with exertion, watching the infected on the floor for signs of life. When he’s satisfied its dead, he locks his black onyx eyes on me, heading in my direction.

  “What’s going on out there?” I ask, panicking.

  He grabs my arms and pulls me to him, hugging me close and scenting my head. He places a hand on my belly, splaying his fingers wide. Only seconds pass before he’s holding me out at arm’s length, searching my face. “Run.” He bends down and unlocks my chain, tossing it aside.

  This is happening too fast. “Run? Where are we going?”

  “No,” he replies silently. “You run. I fight.”

  This situation is worrisome. He’d never willingly let me go. “Who’s out there?” The more information I have, the better our chances of survival.

  “Her.”

  “Becky’s out there?”

  “Yes. Others.” He looks worried as he touches my belly again. “Mine. Baby. Run.” He nudges me toward the exit.

  “Wait!” I protest. “They have to come with me.” I point to Wendy and Asher. “My belly gets in the way. I won’t be able to protect myself without help.” I wrap my arms around my stomach.

  Jeff pauses for a moment, but then reaches down and undoes Asher’s chain, tossing it aside like mine. “Safe.” He gets in Asher’s face, threatening him with the word. If anything happens to me, he’ll come after him.

  “You have my word.” He nods, agreeing with Jeff to keep me safe.

  “Go.” Jeff instructs again, pushing us both this time.

  “No, wait. What about Wendy?” I protest as he continues to push.

  “Don’t leave me here!” Wendy pleads.

  I step in Wendy’s direction, but Jeff turns me back. “No key,” he explains silently.

  A sob rips from my throat when I realize we can’t help her. We’ll have to come back for her. “He doesn’t have your key!” I cry.

  Wendy puts her face in her hands, crying, knowing we’ve got to leave. When she looks back up, she screams, “Go! Save the baby!”

  I grab Jeff’s arm. “If he comes back, you have to let her go.” He watches me closely, the brown and black of his irises switching back and forth.

  “I will,” he says, just between us, then pushes me toward the exit again. “You go, now.” The urgency in his voice, aloud or silent, is increasing. He drags me over to the pile of disintegrating shoes and points to them, signaling to put some on. Faintly in the background, I can hear Wendy’s muffled cries. My heart aches and cracks.

  “Is there any way?” I ask Jeff again, not taking my eyes off Wendy’s huddled form.

  “No. No Key.” As soon as our shoes are on, he shoves us. “Hurry. They’re coming.”

  I look at Wendy one more time. “I’m coming back for you, I promise,” I tell her.

  She finally meets my eyes with her swollen ones. “I know you will, dear. Take care of that little one.” She smiles, ripping out another chunk of my heart. She doesn’t think she’ll stay alive long enough for me to come for her.

  Seconds later, we’re around the exit and stepping into the forest clearing. The sight that greets us is pure terror. Dead infected are everywhere. Body parts ripped from limbs and strewn about the forest floor, leaving trails of blood in their paths.

  “Go,” Jeff growls, shoving Asher toward me. “Run. Safe.”

  He doesn’t have to tell us twice. Asher takes my hand and we begin to run. I’m trying to keep up as best I can, but my belly’s making it hard. There’s still snow in small patches under some of the trees. The cold temperature makes the ground hard and cold against our feet. Luckily, we’re both wearing a couple pairs of socks and warm clothing, but those will only hold out so long against the damp air.

  “Go faster. They’re coming.” Jeff’s voice rings through my head, causing me to lose my footing, almost crashing to the ground.

  Asher wraps an arm around my waist, saving me from a bruising fate. “What’s going on?”

  My lungs are burning with our pace. I rest my hands on my knees, attempting to catch my breath. “Jeff just talked through our connection. He says they’re coming. I don’t know how much longer I can run.”

  He pulls me tightly against him, lending his support. “You can do this. We have to.”

  Swallowing, I nod, digging down deep to find the strength to keep going. Taking my hand again, Asher pulls me to a slow run, my other hand supporting my belly as we move. We’re working our way around the lake, heading uphill, bringing a burn to every muscle in my body. We’ve ran for what feels like hours, and I’m literally about to pass out.

  “I have to stop.” I choke on the words as my legs give out from under me. Asher lowers me slowly to my knees. I pull away from him, onto my hands and hurl. My stomach tightens, expelling what little water I have in my system.

  “Easy.” Asher rubs my back. “Slow breaths.”

  I close my eyes and attempt to steady my breathing, the pain in my belly easing. I sit back on my heels, looking around for small patches of snow left under the trees. “Can you grab me a bit of snow?”

  “Of course.”

  He moves a couple trees down until he finds enough snow, bringing back two nice size snowballs. “Here. Can you eat this and walk at the same time?” He looks over his shoulder nervously.

  “Yes. Help me up.” I reach up to grab his free hand and stand. I wipe my butt off and take a bite of the snow. The small crystals turn to water, immediately quenching my thirst. “This is so good.”

  Asher chuckles at my reaction. “Yes, it is.” He agrees and takes a bite of his own.

  “Go! I smell you. Close.” Jeff’s voice chimes in my head again.

  The snow falls from my hand and breaks
apart on impact. “They’re close. Jeff says he can smell me.” I face Asher. “We have to run again.” My lower lip trembles. I’m reaching my max. My body physically can’t move much more, and Asher sees it in my expression.

  “I’ve got you. Come on.” He tugs my hand.

  Somehow, my legs begin to move, one foot in front of the other. With each step they liquify. It’s a miracle I’ve come this far. I’m panting heavily, cradling the underside of my belly for support. My shoes are too big and threaten to fly off with every step. We’re moving so fast, branches and twigs snag my clothes and skin, tearing material and flesh.

  I chance a glance behind me, Asher keeping me in front of him for guidance. His face is stern, trying to hide the panic his eyes are expressing. “Keep going, they’re coming. I can hear them behind us.” He pushes me, turning me back around.

  We’ve ran forever, and it gets worse when we clear the thicket and start heading up a hillside. It’s then that I recognize our location. The flowers that lead to my family cover the entire hillside. The purple, pink, and yellow flowers are identical to the ones in my dream.

  I stumble and trip, but Asher snags me before I crash to the ground. “Careful,” he warns.

  “This is it,” I gasp, trying to catch my breath.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Where they find us. It’s here!”

  Hope spreads throughout my body. Now that I recognize where we are, our actions before this point mirror some of my puzzle pieces. We’re living my premonition, which means Ian is close. Hopefully, close enough to sense me. I blanket my emotions across the hillside, releasing all my pent-up frustrations and worries, asking for help. Moments later, his voice echoes off the mountainside.

  “Lillie!”

  “Ian!”

  Breaking out of Asher’s hold, I rush up the rest of the hillside, knowing he’ll be there to catch me on the other side. We smash into each other in our eagerness. My grip tightens, worried he’ll slip through my fingers and disappear into another dream.