text: I stepped over the mossy log and continued down the hill. The forest was cool, unlike the city, dirty, and full of the smell of dead corpses. The smell of the woods was different, it was fresh, clear, not musty. I spent most of my time in the woods now, staying away from the city as much as possible. The site of the corpses scattered across the city filled me with, anger. None of those people had done anything to deserve this, to be gunned down by the army, then left to rot. They didn’t deserve the Seed either, or the Cycle. But out in the woods, I didn’t have to see any of them. No Reapers stumbling around, no people going through the Cycle. I can’t stay in the woods forever though, just to hunt. I must be with Avery, Jenni, and Tessa. They are all I have left, after the Seed. “Give me the beat-Boys and free my soul,” I sang quietly. “I want to get lost in your rock and roll, so drift away!” Singing the chorus of that song brought back the memory of listening to it for hours with my mom. Me and her always loved the same type of music. Suddenly, a deer emerged from the brush, silently eating grass. The animal had been left alone for years, that it didn’t even care about me. I squatted down and started to stab my knife in the dirt, watching the deer graze. Occasionally, it would look up at me with its big, brown eyes, then continue to eat. I was jealous of the deer, he was free. Didn’t have to worry about Reapers, or the Seed, anything. Maybe getting mauled by a bear, but nothing really, free of worry. I stood up, which made the deer flinch. I sheathed my knife, then walked away. My sudden movement scared the deer away. “Time to get back,” I whispered. Slowly, I made my way back up the hill, the whole-time singing Drift Away, while I could. ... The sky was grey, the streets were barren, besides the few bodies of Reapers here and there, and some crashed cars. I walked in the middle of the street, hoping to not attract attention from Reapers. When one came, they all came. I’ve only been chased by a horde once, and I wasn’t waiting for that chance again. I remember it clearly. It was about two weeks after the Seed hit, and I was scavenging in some Walmart supercenter. I had just filled my bag up when I started hearing moans. They started coming from everywhere, behind cash registers, the bathroom, random aisles. It was a miracle I made it out of there. When I did escape, they came pouring out the front door, huddling up into a horde. I ran for what seemed like an hour, but it was just a minute at most. The ones from the store plus Reapers from the streets added up to about a hundred Reapers. I managed to barricade a close by furniture store, then escape out the back door. I shook my head and tried to forget that day. “Just plain stupid to remember,” I told myself. The low hum of an engine came into my ear. Quickly, I turned around, and just in time to doge the blue Charger barreling after me. I rolled into a pile of rubble, but I jumped up quickly. The driver of the car stopped, then leaned out his window. “Stay out of the road, dumb ass!” he shouted. I picked up a rock and hurled it at his car. It shattered the back window. “Yeh, watch where you're going, You big sh...” I didn’t finish, the car slowly started rolling backwards. Quickly, I turned around and ran. Some survivors were nice, but this guy wasn’t. I heard the engine being revved up and the wheels squealing, then the car took off towards me. My legs were pumping, sweat dripping off my hair. I jumped behind a cement barricade before I became one with the road. The car zoomed right past the barricade, and straight into another. Smoke was rising out of the hood, and liquid was pouring from the bottom. I heard whimpers and screams of pain from the man. I wanted to leave him for dead, but I just couldn’t. I came out from behind the barricade and jogged to the car. I came up to the window and looked down at the man. He was in his twenties, slick, blonde hair, blue eyes. “Please,” he begged. “Don’t leave me.” I nodded. “What’s your name?” He coughed hard for a second, then said, “Gavin.” “Okay, Gavin,” I replied. “Are you hurt?” He nodded. “Can’t... Can’t feel my legs.” I knew then I wouldn’t be able to get him back to the shelter. I tried opening his door, but it was so crushed that it wouldn’t budge. Another sound, besides the broken car, filled my ears. It was the silent, dark moan of the Reapers. I looked around. I couldn’t see any, but they were there. “Please don’t leave me,” cried Gavin. I shook my head. “I'm not going anywhere.” I then started to jerk to what was left of the handle, but it was stuck. I pulled harder, but nothing moved. Gavin started to cry. “It's stuck,” I said. “You need to calm down.” “Don’t leave me,” he cried. I turned around once more, and sure enough, there were Reapers. Four of them. I couldn’t shoot them, it would just bring more, and it would be a waste of ammo. They limped towards the car slowly. Gavin grabbed my arm. “Please!” I pulled out my Revolver and aimed it at the first Reaper. My finger wouldn’t pull the trigger. I looked down at Gavin, he was a pitiful sight to see. “I'm sorry,” I whispered, knowing there was absolutely no chance of escape for him, and I shot him. Right int the head, it just took one shot, and he was dead. His body stopped breathing and he went limp. I replaced my gun in its holster, then ran, away from the Reapers and Gavin’s body. I turned around once when I was at a safe distance. There were about ten Reapers now, huddled around the car, ripping chunks from Gavin’s corpse. ... “He came out of nowhere,” I said. “Almost ran me over, but I jumped.” Avery pointed his spoon at me. “And what happened after that?” I shrugged. “I smashed his window with a rock and ran.” Avery dropped the spoon in his clam chowder and started to laugh. Jenni’s smile grew wider. “You smashed his window,” she asked. “Then ran away.” I nodded, smiling myself. Avery recovered from his laughter, then scooped up the rest of his chowder. Tessa slowly stirred her dinner, watching the steam rise from the bowl. “What happened to him?” she asked. “The man in the car.” I looked at her, my body stiffened. “Umm,” I replied. “He, uh... He drove away.” “Thats it. You smash his window, and he drives away?” Avery questioned. I shook my head. “No, he chased me, but he kept driving,” I lied. “Missed me by an inch.” Tessa was about to reply when a knock came from the door. I looked at the door, thinking it was just my imagination. Avery looked at the door too, so I knew it was real. Jenni stood up, gripping a steak knife. I pulled out my own knife and slowly advanced towards the door. Another knock came, but this time with a voice. “Hello, is anyone in there?” I took one step closer. “Please, just let me in,” he said. I looked at the door, then reached out for the handle. “Who are you?” I asked. I was answered with another knock. “Just let me in!” he cried. “They're coming!” I turned the lock, then opened the door. The survivor stumbled in, falling to the floor. I looked out the door before I closed it. Sure enough, the street was full of Reapers, on top of cars, crawling around, everywhere. I closed the door, locked it, then looked down at the new man. “Who are you?” I asked. Jenni and Avery walked over from the table, but Tessa stayed there. “Riley... Riley Summers,” the man stammered. I held out my hand, and Riley took it. “Who are you guys?” he asked. I pointed towards my friends. “That’s Avery, and Jenni,” I said, then gestured to the table. “And that's Tessa, I'm Noah.” Riley looked over at the table, then back to me. He had eyes like a hungry then. “Food,” he said. “I haven't had any in days, please.” Jenni walked back to the table and served Riley a bowl. He scurried over to the table and wolfed down the clam chowder, then he served himself another bowl. While he was eating, the rest of us went into the living room to talk. “He can’t stay here,” said Jenni. I shook my head. “He helpless,” I replied. “Got nowhere to go.” Avery clapped his hands together. “Listen, he can stay until he is ready to set out, then that's that,” he said. “Maybe for a week at the most.” I nodded. “Thats fine with me.” Jenni looked at us both, then sighed. “Fine, one week.” I turned around and headed back to the kitchen. Riley was talking with Tessa when I sat down. “You can stay,” I said. “For a few days.” Riley took another bite of his chowder, then smiled at me. “Thank you.” Jenni and Avery came and returned to their seats. I was about to ask Riley a question when I noticed something on his arm: it was a bite mark. I looked up at his eyes. Sure enough, there was red swelling under his eye lids. I didn’t know what to do. Kill him on the spot, kick him out, tell everyone else. For now, I wasn’t going to do anything. In the morning, Riley was gone. Along with some of our food and the hunting rifle. ... “He was infected,” I explained to Tessa. “It was good that he left.” Tessa leaned back into her seat. “Why did he leave though?” she asked. “I mean, he had safety, shelter, anything anyone would want.” I looked over at Jenni, and she just shrugged. Avery jumped into the conversation, which I was glad. “Some people just don’t trust everyone, that’s why.” Tessa nodded. I turned the wheel and the car glided to the right. The sky started to grow dark, the sun drifting slowly behind the horizon. I pressed harder on the gas pedal. Avery leaned forward from the back seat. “They will be out soon,” he said. I looked at him, then reached down for my water bottle. As I brought my hand back up, the bottle bumped the radio knob, turning the station on. At first, it was just noise, then a voice started talking, clear as day. “Turn it up,” Avery said, staring anxiously at the stereo. “This message is... is to all survivors. My name... Kevin Reich,” said the radio. “There is... lifeboat in Newyork harbor. Me... Crew... For as long a... can.” I looked at Jenni, and she stared back with the same look. “We will wait for everyone... that can fit. Go... Bye.” After those last words, the voice left, and the scratchy noise returned. “Lifeboat,” I whispered. “Newyork?” Jenni reached back and grasped Tessa’s hand. “We're gonna be safe?” She asked. I nodded. A smile crossed my face, and hope returned to my heart. Suddenly, Tessa screamed. I was so consumed with the thought of freedom; I wasn’t paying attention to the road. “Watch out!” Jenni cried. I didn’t know what to look out for, but I jerked the wheel to the right, then everything went black. ... My eyes opened slowly. The car had crashed, into a lamppost. Smoke was coming out of the engine, and the window had shattered. I tried to turn to the back, but a sharp pain entered my neck. “Is... Everyone okay?” I managed to say. I heard a faint groan from the back. I reached down the unbuckle myself, but I stopped. There was a giant shard of the window glass stuck in my thigh. Blood was steadily dripping off my leg onto the seat. I tried to pull it out, but it hurt too much. So, I unbuckled my seat belt and opened my door. I fell onto the floor when I tried to stand up, and the glass sunk deeper into my leg. I wanted to scream in pain, but what I saw next stopped me from it. There was a Reaper in the road, standing about thirty feet away. I rolled over so I could grab my gun. When I pulled it out, I saw the Reaper was getting closer. Its jaw had rotted off long ago, same with its hair. I cocked my pistol, then fired off a shot. The bullet hit the Reaper in the stomach, but it kept coming. “Noah!” Avery shouted from the car. “I'm coming, just hold on.” I took another shot at the Reaper, but it missed. I just couldn’t hit its head at the angle I was at. Now it was about ten feet away, step by step it got closer. “Hold on!” Avery said again. I started to lose consciousness; I was losing too much blood. My hand slowly lowered, then I dropped my revolver. My head sagged to the ground. And I was out. The last thing I heard before fainting was three gunshots. ... “Help me!” I cried. It was dark, and cold. I couldn’t see anyone, no one was there. I stood up and started to walk, then run. I felt like I was going to run into an invisible wall at any moment, but I didn’t. I started to sweat as I ran. My legs started to feel heavy, same with my arm. Suddenly, I heard the noise of an engine. I turned around and saw Gavin’s Charger racing after me. “Please don’t leave me!” he shouted from his car. I tried to run, but I kept getting heavier. The car got closer. I fell, my legs were stuck in place. Gavin’s car drove right over me, but I didn’t feel anything. “Help me!” I cried. Again, no one came. I was alone, alone in the dark. ... I shot up into a sitting position. I was covered in sweat, and dirt. My wounded leg had been bandaged by someone; blood had stained my pants and the bandage. Slowly, and with difficulty, I stood up and made my way to the door. The hallway was dimly lit, but I still could see. “Hell... Hello?” I croaked. Avery appeared from the kitchen. He smiled, then embraced me in a hug. “How are you doing?” he asked. I shrugged. “Hurt, but okay.” He pulled away from me, then led me to the couch. I practically fell onto the cushion; I couldn’t even hold myself up. Jenni was sitting in the armchair across from me, and Tessa was on the floor beside her sister. “What... What happened?” I asked. Jenni looked at Avery, then he looked at me. It was like there was some dark secret between them, just staring at each other, deciding what to say. “Noah, I killed the Reaper,” Avery finally said. “You had lost so much blood we barley saved you.” I leaned back into the couch. “I figured,” I said calmly. “Is there anything else?” Avery sighed, but Jenni spilled first. “Were leaving, Noah,” she said. “To Newyork, the haven. That’s better than this.” Again, I figured so. “Well, when do we leave?” I asked. Avery smiled. “As soon as your leg heals.” I rolled my eyes, then stood up. “I'm fine.” After I took a step, I fell to the floor, pain shooting up my leg. “Please... Just help me,” I asked. Jenni sighed, then got up from her chair.