It was a battle for survival and maybe that was exactly what gave them the strength to go on.
Even the people who weren't great fighters were fighting harder than anyone had ever fought before. It is in human nature, as it is in the nature of every other being, to fight for survival, and they weren't giving up.
They knew that their chances were slim, but they still kept on going, as long as the hearts were beating in their chests.
Gala was fighting more fiercely than anyone else since she had so much pant up anger that it came in handy in fighting off the huge number of zombies that was surrounding them.
The problem with their perfectly fortified base was that they had nowhere to escape. Once the zombies broke through their defenses, they were cornered without a way out.
Ali was well aware of that fact, and she tried to think of a way out. She knew that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't kill all the zombies. They needed to find a way to escape, but there wasn't enough time to even think of any ideas. What with the constant slashing and tearing that was necessary to stay alive.
It was clear that she couldn't afford to let her attention wonder because that would be the end of her. Kay and the others seemed to find it easier to focus, after all, it was their life for many years.
For Ali, it wasn't such an easy thing to do, she could feel her attention wavering from time to time, and she knew she had to keep her focus if she wanted to live.
Life doesn't always turn out the way we want it to.
Sometimes no matter how much you try, you can't help but lose focus even when you know it might cost you your life. For Ali, that moment came when she became transfixed by the scene in front of her.
It was a morbid fascination that she couldn't explain even if she tried. It was such a strange and otherworldly scene that it somehow broke through her concentration. She had seen some disgusting things since she entered the zombie-infested world, but for some reason that particular scene made her hesitate.
There was a young zombie, what used to be a young guy, in front of her. It had the eyes that made her skin crawl, they were lifeless and colorless. Never before had she noticed that about the zombies. It seemed to her like the color had washed out of its eyes, and what was left were just gray orbs floating aimlessly inside its eye sockets.
It also had a huge slash on its forehead, and its bare shoulders were covered in many bites of different shapes and sizes.
Once it was an innocent human who got bitten by a zombie and had the misfortune of turning. She couldn't help but feel pity for the person the zombie once was.
Pity was soon replaced by disgust, as she registered what the zombie was holding in its bloody hands. It was a bleeding human heart that the zombie was gobbling up with delight. With its eyes distant and unfocused, it was munching on the heart while it splashed the warm blood all over its shirtless body.
Behind the zombie, she could see bloody spatters and splashes on the wall of their sleeping quarters. Droplets of blood and brain matter were dripping from the wall, making the nightmarish picture that was worse than Ali's most blood-curdling nightmares.
It was even worse than anything she had seen in horror movies, and she had seen a lot of terrifying movies.
While all of that was happening, one of the people who had been at the base for a long time, remembered that there was a point of exit that was very small, but if they smashed it in with a hammer it could be their exit.
They needed to stop the advance of zombies, for them to be able to break through the wall and make a run for it. The zombies were very slow and maybe some humans might make it, if given the opportunity.
So, one guy used one of their old-fashioned torches to start a fire in front of the zombies since it was common knowledge that zombies feared fire. It wouldn't give them much time, but they hoped it would at least give them a head start.
Everyone was preparing to break the wall and run for it, except Ali. She was staring at the zombie in front of her with wide eyes.
Luckily for her, all the other zombies were busy dealing with the fire, so they didn't attack her. What she failed to realize was that the zombie she was looking at was much closer than she thought.
"Come on Ali, we need to move!" Gala's voice snapped her from her hypnotized state, but it was moments too late.
As she started moving towards Gala and Kay, she failed to pay attention to her surroundings. The moment she was in front of, at that moment a much bigger hole in the wall, she felt sharp teeth bite into her right arm.
She screamed in pain and seconds later Kay was there, disposing of the zombie and pulling her through the hole. He was close enough to see that Ali was in danger, but he wasn't fast enough to stop her from being bitten.
Gala hurried towards the hole and for a split-second, she managed to see a sign behind her that she didn't pay attention to before "You are leaving Slim".
As they barged through the hole, they didn't expect the strange prickling sensation and a shiver that ran down their spines. Kay felt a bit sick as it reminded him of being on a roller coaster, long ago, when he was a child, and he didn't like the feeling.
For Gala, the feeling was familiar, but she couldn't focus on pinpointing why since she was busy dealing with a screaming Ali.
It was only seconds later before she recognized that they were back in the very center of the city of Slim which they first encountered on the island they went to explore before all the craziness started.
Well, maybe not before ALL the craziness started but still, it felt like a much safer place for them especially having in mind that the portal seemed to close down after they went through.
Everything seemed to be back to normal, if normal was ever the word that could be used to describe Slim.
"Cut it off! Cut it off!" Ali screamed. "I don't want to turn! Please cut it off!"
Not having a lot of time to think Gala screamed: "Help! We need help! Imboz, are you here? We need your help, please!"
At the same time as Gala was yelling for help, Kay took out his ax and with the determination in his eyes and the sense of urgency, he made Ali sit down lowing her hand on the pavement and chopping it off in one precise movement.
As Ali cried out even louder, Kay quickly used his belt to stop the bleeding. She was bleeding so much that he started to wonder if he did the right thing.
In that exact moment, a zombie started approaching them. Kay immediately lifted his ax ready to fight, but Gala grabbed his hand to stop him.
"This is Imboz, he is here to help." Gala said.
"I waaas... a doc..tor. She neeeeds hel..p or she will...die. Let Imb..oz help." Imboz said.
Knowing that there was no time to waste and having in mind that he had never seen a talking zombie Kay complied.
"Fire?" Imboz asked.
"Burrrn, to st..op bleed..ing." He said.
Finally, Kay understood and he burnt the stamp on Ali's hand to stop the bleeding.
With Kay's speed and Imboz's knowledge, they managed to stop the bleeding.
It was clear that Imboz was tempted by the fresh blood, but he stayed professional during the whole process which would have impressed Gala had she not been so worried about Ali.
Imboz told them that he thought the infection was prevented since she still smelled human to him.
"How do you do it? How do you control your hunger so well? Why?" Gala asked as she looked around at the curious faces of other zombies who didn't seem to have any attention of attacking.
"I to...ld you ab....out the Law. We are bo...und to res...pect it, all the in...habit...ants of thissss islaaaa...nd have to res...pect it. If we don't, the ch..aos bre...aks out, and we don't wa...nt th...at." Imboz explained.
Since Gala was too worried about Ali, she let the subject go, although she was still very curious and asked if there was anything else they had to do for Ali.
Imboz explained that there were some medicinal plants nearby that she could gather to prevent any infection from occurring in Ali's body. The problem was, that even though the zombie virus didn't reach her body, the hand was cut off in time, she was still in danger.
There could still be other infections caused by unsterile amputation.
However, Imboz assured them that the plants he told them about had supernatural properties, like everything else on the island, so they would ensure that Ali survived and recovered completely.
So, Kay went off in search of the plants as Gala and a few other people, who went through the portal with them, stayed with Ali.
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