The Human Race (Book 2): The Fighting Chance

by Tahnee Fritz

  Carter shrugs, “Me neither, but I know when to leave another man’s beliefs alone and shut up. You, on the other hand, tend to not do that.”

  I roll my eyes again and let out an annoyed sigh, “Oh well, he’ll be alright.”

  “I hope so.” Ryder adds.

  There’s a dried up corn field to our left and the leaves crinkle in the wind. A few cars found their way into the ditch before the field and are crashed against one another. I take a moment to close my eyes and let the bad thoughts escape my mind. I can’t keep over thinking things and asking myself a million questions that will never have an answer. Thinking gets me in trouble and makes me sad or upset. It’s hard to do, but I have to keep my mind clear and get back to work.

  The breeze blows through my hair and I take a deep inhale through my nose, letting the scents of the world fill my nostrils. The dried corn smells like dead leaves and dust and I detect a hint of ash coming from one of the charred vehicles. There’s something else lingering in the air. It’s faint, but strong enough for me to know something’s not right. I open my eyes and glance in every direction only to see there’s nothing around. I don’t find a horde of zombies in the fields as we make our way to an overpass.

  “You alright, Bridge?” Ryder asks.

  I shrug, “I don’t know. Something doesn’t seem right.”

  He takes my hand and holds it tight. I can feel his fingers shaking between mine. He knows whenever I smell something that’s not quite right, that it’s time to be nervous and prepare for anything.

  There is a cluster of cars crashed together on the side of the road. Two of them are completely burnt with fire marks and a few still carry their passengers behind the wheel. They have been dead awhile, but there’s still a faint decaying odor to them. This might be what I’m smelling, but I can’t think like that. Carla, who’s walking with Dennis, glances in the vehicles and grimaces. For a girl who was once a traveler and has seen some pretty messed up stuff, she’s still grossed out when she sees dead humans rotting away on the side of the road.

  I’m so lucky to be used to it and not grossed out anymore.

  We move closer to an oncoming overpass. A white van is pressed against one of the cement structural beams and folded together like an accordion. I notice Dwayne whipping his head from left to right, searching for something I cannot see. I sniff the air once more and the odor is quite stronger. Dwayne looks to his left and stares at something for a long moment. He stops walking and holds a fist in the air telling us to stop moving as well. My heart starts beating faster and Ryder squeezes my hand a little tighter.

  Everyone in the group is on edge now. Dwayne readies his gun and the guys around him do the same. Carla and Dennis get their guns out and Carter has his rifle ready to shoot when necessary. I wrap my fingers around my gun tighter and I spot Ryder getting his out as well.

  I keep my eyes peeled for anything at all. There’s nothing under the overpass that I can see. Nothing undead in the cars trying to get at us. But I can smell them. Their stench is growing and I know there’s more than what we were hoping to run into. I’m hoping not any more than what we can handle.

  “We’re not alone here, people.” Dwayne says, his deep voice sounding concerned.

  The second those words leave his lips, the groaning begins.

  * * *

  The first zombie comes from behind an over turned minivan. She’s short and fat, blood staining the collar of her shirt. Her left arm looks broken and she groans louder when it bangs against the back of the van. I don’t know if she felt the pain and I don’t really care to find out. Dwayne takes the first shot and gets her right in the head. She falls like a sack of potatoes, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

  Two more come from behind what’s left of a barn to our left. One only has black pants on, letting his pale, veiny chest reflect the sunlight. The other wears a cowboy hat with part of the brim missing. A bloodlust look in both of their eyes and a groan that is considerably annoying. Another shot is fired and the cowboy goes down first. This draws out five more right behind those two and even more from where the fat woman went down. We have no choice except open fire on these things. Some fall to the cement, never to move again. Others creep closer to their only source of food.

  I hear a loud grunt come from behind me. I turn around and see a teenaged zombie rushing at me. I raise my gun and pull the trigger without even thinking. He gets hit in the head and falls face first to the concrete. Once he’s down, I notice a small horde of them coming down the highway. Six or seven, I can’t really see them close enough to count. The important thing I’m noticing, is that we are surrounded. Our only option is to run as fast as we can and get to the other side of the overpass and pray to whatever god there is, that a safer place lies on the other side. It’s a good thing zombies are pretty slow which gives us the advantage here.

  I fire a two more rounds, hitting another in the head and a girl in the shoulder. She grunts at me and moves faster. Why can’t these be the zombies who hesitate? Those ones are much easier to handle and we waste a lot less ammo on them. These ones here are just really hungry and aren’t going to stop coming at us.

  “What do we do?” I hear Carla shout.

  Ryder has now turned around and starts shooting into the zombies with me. He lets go of my hand and steadies his grip on the gun. I can see it shaking, but he still gets one in the head after he pulls the trigger.

  “We’ve gotta get out of here!” I hear someone shout through the barrage of bullets.

  I look around. At least twenty or so zombies are coming at us from all angles, their arms outstretched and their moans only getting louder. If this goes on any longer, there will be a hundred of them coming here just for us and, soon, we won’t be alive for them to enjoy.

  The group has to stay strong. We have to keep shooting whatever gets within a few feet of us. We still have a clear shot to the overpass and we might find something on the other side. Maybe a building we can board ourselves up in or something up high enough so these monsters can’t get us. Anything will be better than sitting out here in the open letting our ammo run low. I’m almost out myself and it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the group runs out too. With as many zombies as this, taking the time to reload is practically suicide.

  I shoot another in the head. He was just a couple feet from sneaking up on Carter who turns around and nods a thank you.

  “We need to get to the other side of the overpass.” I shout at him, it’s kind of hard to talk over guns going off every second.

  He nods and begins urging everyone to move forward as fast as they can. A few break out in a mad dash to get away from the flesh hungry beasts. Ryder and I start walking, him forwards, me backwards. I hear him take a couple more shots, destroying two that were to his left. I get another in the chest, it falls, but is trying to get back up. Three more go down to the right of me from someone else still trying to fight these things off.

  I glance over my shoulder. Dwayne and three from the group made it to the overpass and are on the other side. That’s not what’s catching my eyes. The zombies aren’t following them. They aren’t going anywhere near the shadowy overpass at all. Their main focus is on those of us who are left trying to get away from them. I shouldn’t let it worry me too much, but I can’t help but wonder why.

  It’s darker under the bridge, shielding us completely from the sun. The zombies don’t follow us and I stop walking trying to figure out why. All of them are staring at us, devouring us with their eyes. They continue playing their annoying song, yet never pass into the shadows. I run my fingers through my hair and realize something. Probably something I should have figured out a few minutes ago. It’s dark under this bridge. Dark enough to keep the sun out entirely. What’s the one thing on this planet that thrives in the darkness? The one thing that lives in the shadows while we stay away?

  “Vampires!” Dwayne shouts, answering my question.

  I whip my head around and see thre
e of them jump out from the darkest corner and land on the road. Carter, Ryder, Dennis, and I are the only ones under the bridge and the vamps are blocking the way out. The zombies are keeping us from going back the way we came and we are completely trapped in here.

  Dwayne stands on the other side, away from the zombies. I see him raising his gun and taking aim for one of the vamps. He pulls the trigger, but misses its heart. The vamp falls forward and catches himself before hitting the ground. Another one comes out of the shadows and I spot it just in time. It leaps into the air, his main target would have been Ryder if I hadn’t got my gun up in time. I pulled the trigger and got the damn thing right in the heart. It’s a good thing I don’t hesitate with these things anymore.

  Ryder didn’t even see it coming. He looks down at the ground, confusion on his face, then passes me a thankful glance. Two more shots are fired and one of the others goes down. I turn and see the other group members standing in the sunlight, doing their best to save us. That actually calms me a bit and I lower my gun. They have a clear shot and the benefit of being in the sun where these things can’t get them. We’re a little stuck and no time to reload our almost empty guns.

  Carter takes a shot and gets one in the head. It stumbles backward and trips over a rock before falling on her back in the sun. She screams as loud as she can when the rays begins to boil her skin. It’s not long before someone shoots her in the heart to end her misery.

  “Bridget, look out!” Ryder shouts and points at something behind me.

  He takes aim and pulls the trigger the very second I turn around. One vamp falls to the ground and another comes from a dark corner. I spot the vamp Ryder shot in the heart. She’s lying in a growing puddle of her own blood at my feet. She twitches once and I shoot her in the back just to make sure she’s really dead. I let out a sigh then look up.

  That second vamp is mere inches away from me and I quickly take aim. I pull the trigger, but miss the target. The blast has my ears ringing and the vamp slaps my hand out of his way. He rushes me and I don’t have the time to back away. Everything is happening so fast and the only thing I’m noticing anymore is the pain coming from my neck.

  The gun slips from my fingers and I don’t even hear it hit the ground. The only thing I can comprehend are the teeth sinking into my neck and the pain coursing through my veins. I can feel the blood being sucked from my body, feel his nasty fingers tugging at the collar of my hoody. Two gunshots fill my ears and the vamp gets blown away. He falls to the ground and I stumble backwards, my hand instantly going to my neck. Blood seeps between my fingers and down my arm. My satchel suddenly weighs a ton and is digging further into my neck. I struggle to grab the strap, but I eventually lift it over my head and let it drop to the ground. More blood flows down my arm and I stumble a bit. I can’t stop myself from walking back a few paces and don’t even realize that I’m back in the sun.

  “Bridget!” I hear a voice, but can’t tell if it’s coming from Ryder or one of the others.

  The voice was trying to warn me of the zombie not even a foot away. I feel it’s grip on my arm, it’s claws digging into my skin sending a new pain shooting through my body. I don’t have to look down to know it broke the skin. I can feel the blood soaking the sleeve of my hoody and it’s already too late. It latches its jaw to my arm, biting through the fabric. I’m so lost in this whole moment, not even a cry of pain can escape me. I can’t move nor can I find the strength to fight the zombie off.

  A bullet whizzes through the air and pierces the zombie attached to my arm. I step away from it as two more get taken out nearby. I pull my hand away from my neck and look at the blood in my palm. My hand shakes as I stare at the result of what I thought would never happen. I raise my right arm and see the hole in the fabric, the redness of more blood coming through three small holes in my skin. My jaw drops and I don’t know what to do anymore.

  I can’t believe this happened.

  I can’t believe I let this happen.

  In just a few short seconds, I completely failed everybody in my family. I ceased to be able to survive and got bit by not one, but both of the creatures that strike fear in the hearts of whatever humans remain on this planet. This is something I never thought would happen to anybody. Being bit by a vampire and a zombie, all in the same short moment, seems like a horror story. A story I’m ashamed to admit that I’m living right now.

  What am I supposed to do? There’s no stopping the turn my life is going to take. There’s no changing back to the normal Bridget I was a minute ago. As much as I really don’t want to admit this, I’m dead.

  The other zombies aren’t coming near me anymore. Either they know something is different or they don’t care about me. I look up from my hands and see into the shadows under the overpass. The last remaining vamps fall dead to the ground and the rest of my group stares my way. All of them have fear and worry on their faces. My teary eyes find Ryder and I feel my lips quivering. He’s fighting the tight grip Carter has around him. It’s the only thing stopping him from running to me.

  “Let go of me, Carter!” Ryder screams.

  “It’s too late, man.” Carter’s voice sounds calm, but I can hear the sadness. “There’s nothing we can do for her.”

  I feel a pinch in my neck and wince at the pain, letting a slight gasp escape my throat. Whatever is going to happen to me, is starting to. The vamp’s venom as well as the zombie’s is already in my system and, like he said, it’s too late for me. There’s nothing they can do. Nothing I can do. I blink my eyes, letting the warm tears hit my cheeks.

  “Bridget!” Ryder shouts, still struggling against Carter’s grip.

  I look him in the eyes. The lump in my throat is choking me and making the pain that much worse. I never thought I’d have to say good-bye to him. I never thought I’d have to leave him like this. I just can’t take the risk of staying with this group after getting infected. They’d kill me the second I turn and I won’t stop them. If I still had my gun in my hand, I’d end this for them. There’s only one thing I can do that makes perfect sense. I have to start walking away from them. To start putting some distance between them and the monster I’m sure to become.

  “I’m so sorry, Ryder.” I say, fighting through the pain I feel in my heart and everywhere else. “I love you.”

  I take one more, long look at him. Letting his image burn into my memory. I know I’ll forget everything once I’m not me anymore, but I want his face to be the last thing I see. I want to know that I at least thought of the only person I love in this world before I go to hell. Hearing him scream my name, listening to him begging me to stop moving, is killing me inside. Worse than this poison already is. Watching my father die does not compare to knowing that I’ll never get to see the man I love ever again.

  I can’t take looking at him any longer. I quickly turn around and run. His shouting gets more fierce and I’m sure he’s really trying to get away from Carter. That guy has a pretty strong grip and I know he’ll never let go. I don’t want him to. I want Ryder to live a long life without me. I want him to go back to the city and never think of me again.

  I get off the road and sprint through an empty field. My legs are being pushed to the limit and my lungs are burning. It’s hard to breathe and run as fast as I can with a broken heart and a brick of sadness clogging my throat. Not to mention the extreme amount of pain coursing through every vein in my body.

  * * *

  I don’t know how long I’ve been running or how far I’ve gone since I left Ryder at the overpass. I can’t bring myself to stop moving, not even for a second to take a breath. The pain of my broken heart hurts worse than the fire burning through my lungs. Even the pain in my neck and arm are no match for what I’m feeling. I know the group will move on without me. I’m not worth running after now that I’m infected.

  Everything inside me is completely shattered.

  I run through a small line of trees, most likely an old tree farm. All of them are in neat rows and of
the same species. The leaves are fading to brown and they crunch under my boots as I run. I hear the wind rustling through the branches above my head and a few birds scattering out of the trees. There’s a long, red building with a green roof up ahead. The sign above the door is missing and it left behind a faded spot on the front of the building. It doesn’t look like a human has been near this place for a while. The windows are mostly broken out or shattered and debris is strewn all over the place. This might be the perfect place for me to hide and die alone. I just need to make it there.

  A sharp pain stabs the inside of my stomach and I have no choice but to stop running. I double over and let out a quiet cry of pain as I clutch my gut. The stabbing hits me again and I fall to my knees next to a tree. I stare at the building ahead of me. It’s the only thing to focus on and it’s gradually getting blurry. An annoying buzzing sound floods my ears and a pounding comes to the back of my head. Another jolt of pain erupts in my stomach, this time worse than before. I lean forward and hold myself up with my hands on the ground. I clench my fists, squeezing the dirt and leaves as the pain takes over.

  The lump in my throat has been replaced with something else. A repulsive taste fills the back of my throat and the buzzing in my ears gets louder with this taste. I feel my stomach begin to convulse which is only making the pain that much worse. There’s nothing I can do to stop the bile from escaping me. I vomit all over the leaves on the ground and stare at what’s coming out of me. I don’t even know what it is. It’s black and liquidy and just staring at it makes more come out. I wish it would stop because it is burning the back of my throat like a fire ripping through a house.

  My entire body aches and my hands shake intensely. My lips are quivering as my eyes start to water. There’s something tugging on my hair, making the forming headache a million times worse. I reach up, feeling the back of my head for the thing that’s bugging me. I grab the hair tie and pull it out, letting my hair fall over my shoulders. That seemed to fix the tugging sensation, but my headache remains.