The Human Race (Book 2): The Fighting Chance

by Tahnee Fritz

  This is so strange.

  Finally, I see the person coming into view. It’s a man and he isn’t too far from me. He’s not paying attention, his eyes are focused on the ground. Not the wisest thing to do in the woods, but to each his own. He’s carrying a backpack on his shoulders and a gun holstered to the belt around his waist. He steps over a small branch and I notice a smaller human right behind him. She’s younger than me, maybe fifteen or so, and the man she’s with has to be a few years older. She has jet, black hair that’s pulled back into a tight bun and a serene face. Her clothes are dark, matching the shade of her eyes.

  The girl is the first to notice me.

  Our eyes meet and she freezes in her tracks. She grabs the man’s wrist and he stops walking. Both of them are staring at me and I feel like a deer caught in headlights. The man’s hand quickly goes for the gun at his waist and he aims it at me in a flash. I’m sure if he saw my eyes under these sunglasses I’d be dead in a second. Seeing those metallic orbs is a surefire giveaway that I’m not human. Luckily, he can’t see them and I’m not about to take these shades off just to show him.

  “What are you?” he shouts and moves a little closer to me, “Are you human?”

  How should I answer this one? I’ve never had to think about this before. Never thought I’d have to. Lying is the obvious choice, even though it doesn’t feel like a lie. I’ve been a human my whole life, so forgive me for thinking it’s weird to say I’m not one all of a sudden.

  “Answer me before I shoot.” He demands.

  I shrug, “Do I look like anything that’s not human to you?”

  He stops moving and takes a moment to go over my answer. It’s not necessarily a lie. I just went around the answer to let them decide what I am. Everything about my appearance is human, other than my eyes and the blood on my clothes. I’m not pale and veiny like a vamp and I’d be frying right now if I were. I’m standing in a direct ray of sunshine. My skin isn’t rotten or decaying like some of the zombies and I can speak in perfect sentences. To the untrained eye, I am still a human.

  Good thing this man can see all the human things about me. He lowers the gun and stands up straight, putting the gun back in the holster. The girl has her hand tight on his wrist as they slowly make their way toward me. Their aroma gets stronger and I start thinking that it might’ve been a good idea to run away. I still don’t know how well I can control this new desire of mine.

  * * *

  The smell of their flesh drifts up my nose and that horrifying hunger pain is starting to take over my stomach again. I keep my eyes on the man and focus on only his scent. The salt of his skin, the sweat on his brow, the smell of his blood coursing through his veins is much stronger than before. My mouth starts to water as I stare into his eyes. I know in my mind I could catch him much easier than that rabbit. It would lead to a pretty good fight, but I’d win in the end. I have a feeling the monster inside me is much stronger than this strange man and the girl he’s with. Both of them would be so filling and so rewarding with all I’ve been through since I woke up.

  The man is well built, slightly bigger than Ryder, with shaggy blonde hair and deep blue eyes. His tan skin and those tight muscles under his shirt look delicious, I can practically taste him already. The girl is a tad on the scrawny side with long, black hair. Her dark eyes stare right through me, questioning why I’m staring so much. Her flesh and blood would be pretty tasty as well.

  Hold on a second. I’m not seriously considering eating these people, am I? That goes against everything I believe in.

  What the hell is wrong with me?

  I can’t eat them. They are two, simply travelers, most likely out here in search of food or shelter. I can’t be the one bad thing that stands in their way of that. I have to control whatever the hell is going on inside me. I don’t want to add to the pandemic that has already destroyed the planet.

  “You alright?” the man asks, as he stops moving and stands right in front of me.

  I shake the demonic thoughts about eating him out of my head and run my fingers through my hair. I nod and keep my mouth shut. That gun is still holstered to the belt around his waist. If I show any signs of not being human, a bullet could go straight into my brain. I have no idea if I’m quick enough to evade the deathly outcome that would bring me and I’m not ready to find out.

  He squints his eyes as he stares at me, “You know you have blood on your chin? And on the collar of you hoody and even some on your shirt? You mind telling me what that’s all about?”

  I shake my head and quickly wipe the rest of the rabbit’s blood from my face, embarrassed about it being there. I have to force myself to keep the urge of wanting to lick it off my hand. It was so good the first time, I know it would taste the same now.

  “I cut myself a little bit ago,” I reply, “that’s all it is.”

  He raises an eyebrow and says, “Sure,” he doesn’t believe me one bit, “What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere then?”

  I shrug and say, “Nothing. Just out for a hike.”

  He smiles a pretty gorgeous smile and I can see him relaxing as he says, “A smart ass, I like it.”

  “A girl has to be when she’s faced with a world full of monsters.” I reply. “What are the two of you doing out in the woods?”

  He shakes his head, “We’re headed back to our village. We went looking for supplies,” he notions to his backpack, “and it’s about another day’s walk before we get home.”

  “I see.” I reply.

  The girl steps around him and asks, “Aren’t you afraid of getting eaten?” her voice is soft and sweet sounding.

  “Not anymore. I have no reason to be.” I reply, keeping the truth all for myself.

  “Why?” she asks.

  I shrug, “There’s no point in spending your life afraid of them.”

  “Where’s your weapon?” the man chimed in.

  “Ran out of bullets so I ditched it. Don’t need it anyway.” I say, thinking about the gun my father gave to me.

  At least that wasn’t a total lie. I’m pretty sure I was out of ammo when the gun fell out of my fingers at the overpass. It serves me no purpose anymore. I think I could handle my own if I’m face to face with a vamp or a zombie. There’s nothing either of those things could do to me that would further ruin my life anyway.

  “You’re a weird girl,” he says, stating the obvious, “Name’s George and this is my little sister, Kelly.” He sticks out his hand to shake mine.

  I stare at his outstretched hand while he waits for a response from me. I’m a little afraid to touch his skin. Controlling myself, I am learning, is going to be a hard task and touching the flesh of a human, something I’m craving at the moment, might drive me over the edge. However, in order to keep passing as a human, I’ll have to force myself to take chances like this one.

  “I’m Bridget.” I say, taking a firm, yet shaky, grasp on his hand.

  The second our skin touches, the frenzy in my mind begins again. I can feel the blood flowing in his hand. His rough skin wouldn’t be so hard to get through and it would only take a few seconds and his agony would be over. My lips are quivering at the thought of devouring another living creature. This would be more fulfilling than the measly little rabbit lying dead a few feet from where we’re standing.

  I can’t do it. I can’t go against the things I stand for. The human race still needs to go on and still needs to win the war against the vamps and zombies. I’m not going to allow myself to stoop to the levels of the creatures destroying mankind.

  It pains me to do this, but I peel my hand away from his and force a smile to my face. George smiles in return and raises an eyebrow at my lack of commitment with my own. It’s hard to fake a smile when my body wants something I refuse to give it.

  “What’s with the shades? It isn’t that bright out here with the trees to block out the sun.” He asks.

  I shrug, “The sun hurts my eyes. What’s with the million questions
to a complete stranger?”

  “It’s rare to come across another human in the woods. Normally people stick to the highway since vamps roam this part of the world. Our village isn’t really near a highway so the woods are the easiest way to get there.” He replies.

  “Then I should let you get back to your village. I’d hate for you to keep your family waiting.” I say, then step aside.

  “Where are you headed? To the city?”

  The city. I hated that place at first, wanting to feel like I mattered in a place filled with hundreds who could care less about me. But I made something for myself there. I made sure I still mattered and was still able to contribute to the survival of mankind. I made a home in Des Moines with close friends that were more like family and Ryder being the number one best thing about that place. He’s all I really miss about it right now and a lump forms in my throat just thinking about him.

  “I can’t go back there.” I say, quietly.

  “Why?” Kelly asks.

  I shake my head, hoping to drop the subject, “I just can’t.”

  “Okay. Keep your secrets,” George states, “You can come with us if you want. We don’t have a lot, but you could stay for a day or two until you figure something out.”

  That could be the worst decision I’d ever make. Being in a place with other humans might be bad. I’m new at this and it’ll take a while to get used to things and how to control myself. If something goes wrong, that village could witness the beginning of a horrible monster unleashed to the world.

  On the other hand, I hate being alone. I hate thinking that this is how it’s going to be from now on. It would be nice for some company and the last time I traveled with a stranger, it wound up being something spectacular. There’s a good chance that won’t happen with George and Kelly, but I could at least entertain the idea of traveling with them. This will just have to be another learning experience on how to control myself.

  “Sure.” I say, hoping this doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass.

  He smiles, “Okay. I just have one more question before we get moving.”

  “Go for it.”

  “You have no idea who we are or if we’re even telling the truth, how are you so trusting?” he asks.

  I raise an eyebrow and tilt my head to the side, “Well, for starters, you’re not nervous enough to be lying to me. You seem confident, like you care to get back to your village without bringing harm to an innocent young woman. Secondly, you wouldn’t be walking around the woods with your little sister knowing full well there could be vamps all over the place, just to find someone to hurt or kill. A normal person would be scared shitless to do such a thing.”

  He smirks and nods, “I guess you’re right. Let’s get going.”

  * * *

  George really doesn’t like to travel in silence. He’s basically told me his entire life story in the short couple of hours since we met. I got to learn that he came from a very wealthy family of doctors and lawyers. He was on the path to becoming one himself when the cure was developed. His mother was one of the doctors who injected quite a few people with the cure and had a hard time living with herself after that. She wound up injecting herself and sat out in the sun to seal her fate.

  His father is still alive and helps run the little village. George told me it’s just what’s left of a very small town. Most of it has been destroyed and only a few houses remain. The humans trying to survive haven’t been there for long and only plan on staying until the vamps or zombies get wind of them. This would also be the very same village that small family told me about. The very reason all of us left the safety of the city walls. At least I can find comfort in knowing it still exists and isn’t full of bad guys like Dwayne thought.

  George’s sister, Kelly, hasn’t said much since I joined them. She keeps quiet and only speaks up when she has something to add to a story George is telling. He whispered to me how she’s still upset about their mother dying. She never really got over it and has been quiet ever since. I can’t blame her on that one. I know what it’s like to lose a mother who chose to kill herself. I just refuse to stay quiet most of the time.

  “Tell me about you, Bridget. What’s your life like?” George asks.

  “Not much to tell. I was a traveler, then went to Des Moines and lived there for the last year and now I’m back out here. Pretty boring.” I’d rather not tell them too much about my life.

  “Okay, you obviously don’t want to talk about life in the city. Tell me about your family, then. What are they like?” he asks.

  “Dead.” I say, simply.

  “Oh,” he says, “Sorry to hear that.”

  “Don’t be. I was able to take a lot of anger out on the creatures who did it and that helped quite a bit. The zombies tend to be my area of expertise when it comes to killing them.” I say.

  He smiles, “Yeah, they are the easiest. Have you run into any of the ones who sort of hesitate when they see a human?”

  I nod, “Yeah, still haven’t figured out why they do that.”

  “No one has, but it’s got all of us confused and some are afraid that they’re about to change into something worse.”

  I raise an eyebrow, “I highly doubt that. An entire group of them committed suicide to save me and a bunch of other humans from being a midnight snack for the vamps. I don’t think they’re going to change into anything different at all.”

  He snaps his head in my direction and seems taken aback, “What? What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, before I came to the Des Moines, a friend and I found this small city down south, Hatfeld. They were trading human travelers to the vamps for safety in their city. They took my friend and I did what any girl would do to get him back. I went after the bad guys and kicked some ass.” I told him the rest of the story and he seems completely mesmerized by my every word.

  “I don’t get it. Why would they attack the vamps like that if they knew they would die in the end?” George says, surprise to his voice.

  “I don’t know. My assumption is that they still had a bit of human left in them and didn’t want to live life as a zombie anymore. Or they didn’t want to see innocent humans being killed at the hands of the vamps.” I reply.

  “Strange. I can’t wait for my village to hear your story.” He says.

  We walk in silence for a little while. I can feel his eyes staring at me from time to time. He doesn’t seem too concerned with me so far. It’s his little sister that worries me. I can feel her eyes glued to me the entire time. It’s as though she can tell I’m hiding something and she is waiting for me to spill the beans. I hate to break it to her, but the only way I’ll ever admit to not being human is if something accidental happens on this journey. I’ll take this secret to my grave.

  That thought brings a smile to my face.

  We cross a small stream, it’s about five feet across to the other side and the water is only a foot deep. He walks through it, getting his boots and the bottom of his black jeans soaking wet. I don’t think as I hop over it before he makes it to the other side. I didn’t need a running start or even need to push off of anything to make the jump. It was just so easy to me. George seems surprised by it, but Kelly insists on giving me a suspicious stare.

  “That’s a pretty wide stream you just leapt across.” He says.

  I shrug and tilt my head to the side, “Didn’t want to get my boots wet.”

  That’s a logical excuse for a girl. We never want to ruin our shoes by getting them wet and we will do amazing things to keep them in perfect condition. Granted, that was not the real reason I jumped over the stream. It’s just fun being able to do things without having a running start at it.

  “Okay,” he says, then takes his backpack off when he makes it to this side of the stream, “I’m gonna refill my water bottle while we’re here.”

  He takes an old, plastic bottle out of his bag and kneels down to the water to fill it. I stand a few feet away from the stream and let him do as he ple
ases. Kelly stands behind him, her eyes are constantly questioning everything I do or say. I don’t know if she has the random ability to read minds or if she can just tell when a person is lying. All I know, is that she’s really starting to creep me out with all the staring.

  George stands up and faces me again. He takes a drink of water, then offers the bottle to me. I haven’t tasted water since I’ve been bitten. I don’t know how it would taste or how I’d even react to it. As far as I know, I could die from eating or drinking human food. I’d rather not risk it nor would I want to risk drinking from the same container as George. I could infect him and things could get really bad, really fast.

  “No thanks.” I say.

  “C’mon, we’ve been walking for a couple hours and I haven’t seen you take a drink of anything. You’ve got to be thirsty.” He says.

  Oh, I’m thirsty alright, just not for water, “Trust me, I’m good. I’ve gone further without drinking water before, I’ll be fine.”

  He hands the water to his sister and she takes a big swig of the clear liquid, “Okay, just let me know if you get thirsty. I’ll consider sharing it with you.” He says.

  He smiles and walks past me leaving me to get yet another awkward glance from his sister. She slowly puts the lid back on the water bottle and shoves it inside her brother’s pack. I wait for her to say something, to ask me a question about why I’m so different than a normal human being. I might not have the greatest answers for anything they have to throw at me, but I’ll be damned if I don’t keep trying to pretend to be human. I’ll never be ready to give that up.

  * * *

  George found a small clearing to make camp when the sun went down. He built a fire and made himself comfortable on the grass across from me. Kelly sat with her legs pulled up to her chest right next to him. When she wasn’t staring at the open flames, her eyes were burning a hole in my head. It’s like she’s this obsessed teenager and I am the object of her desire.