“Run.”
My heart explodes out of my chest as I scramble up the side of the ridge, only checking back to make sure that Lavish is still behind me. The Ruthless thunders after us, its powerful feet kicking up dust as it sprints. It is a predator, and we are the prey.
Suddenly, I feel a jerk on my arm.
“Shit!” Lavish shouts, “Rekill, I’m caught! Pull me up!”
I try to haul him up—but it’s in vain. Lavish’s shoe is caught in one of the footholds on the side of the ridge. Frantically, I slide back down. I wrap my hands around his leg—as low to the ankle as I can—and yank upwards like I’m trying to uproot one of the saplings in the Arboretum.
Lavish’s foot comes free, nearly knocking me in the jaw.
“Go!” I shout.
I don’t need to say it twice. Lavish scales the ridge and so do I.
The Ruthless behind us lets out another blood-chilling scream. Living comfortably in the Bunker, I have never known the fear of death. But I know it now—and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it for as long as I live.
As fast as we run, the R-Zomb is faster. With the Bunker entrance nearly in our reach, it cuts us off, standing as an impenetrable force between us and safety. Strangely, all I can think about is how I’ve never seen an R-Zomb up close before.
There’s no sugarcoating the disgusting creature in front of me. Exposed muscles and tendons bulge like tumors from its body. A thin, slimy layer of blood covers it from its bald head to its feet. Its eyeballs are a deep red, as if every blood vessel behind them has popped, and its jaw unhinges like a snake’s, revealing a gaping maw full of uneven teeth.
Lavish reaches into his holster and pulls out his BB gun. He aims it at the R-Zomb’s face, and pulls the trigger. The metal BBs bounce off of the R-Zomb’s skin harmlessly.
I hear a weak thump as Lavish drops his gun to the ground in defeat.
The Ruthless takes a step towards us and bares its teeth.
“I don’t want to die,” Lavish whimpers. “Rekill, what do we do?”
The cogs in my head turn as I estimate the distance between us and the Bunker. It’s only a couple yards. If we can somehow get the R-Zomb out of the way, making a run for it will be easy. I look at Lavish, and wonder if this is the last time that I’ll ever see him—the guy who is as close as a brother to me. The guy who I’d do anything for.
My stomach drops as I realize what I have to do.
“I have a plan,” I say, swallowing hard.
The R-Zomb takes another step forward. Lavish and I both back up to compensate. I place my hand on his shoulder. “Be ready to run, okay?”
“Rekill, what are you-,”
I shove Lavish as far away from me as I can, and aim my BB gun right at the Ruthless. Hoping against hope, I pull the trigger.
POP!
Miraculously, I manage to shoot out one of the R-Zomb’s eyes. The creature howls in pain before glaring at me with purest hatred I’ve ever seen.
I turn around. And I run towards the ridge as fast as I can.
“Rekill!” Lavish screams. “You crazy idiot-,”
“Go to the Bunker!” I shout back.
If Lavish doesn’t take the opportunity to run to safety, we’re both dead. And there’s no good in that. At least if he leaves me, one of us can survive.
Thankfully, the Ruthless follows after me, completely forgetting about Lavish. I can hear the creature’s snarl as it begins to close the distance. Then, suddenly, it’s upon me. A heavy force knocks the breath out of me as I’m tackled to the ground, and a shooting pain goes up my spine as I make contact with the hard dirt.
I manage to twist my body around, and I shoot two more BBs at the R-Zomb. They lodge in the creature’s throat, but don’t seem to harm it. The Ruthless smacks my gun out of my hands before beating down relentlessly on my face.
My gasmask absorbs the first blow, but by the second, the glass face shield shatters. It’s all I can do to scream as the sharp glass cuts my face and the toxic air burns my now-exposed throat.
It’s then I realize that this is how I die. Alone, at the unforgiving hands of a Ruthless. I look up to the sky, trying desperately to see the sun beyond the blood and tears muddying my vision. Just like my father, I want just one last look at that great big star before it’s taken away from me forever.
The Ruthless opens its jaw and leans close to my face, preparing to tear apart my flesh. It gets so close that I can feel the creature’s warm, repugnant breath hitting my face.
But for whatever reason, it stops just short of my cheek.
I don’t have any time to question this strange behavior—in an instant, the R-Zomb is shoved off of me. I gasp as I’m thrown over the shoulder of someone who I only vaguely recognize as my Dad.
Several loud gunshots discharge. And when my Dad turns around to run back into the base, I see that he has shot the Ruthless into nothing but a gory mass of blood and flesh. The sight makes me vomit as my Dad carries me back to the Bunker.
As soon as we’re back inside, Lavish pulls the levers back up to shut the Bunker gates. Dad deposits me on the hard metallic ground and begins to shake me harshly.
“Rekill!” Dad cries, his voice wracked with panic and grief. “Rekill, son, stay with me!”
I have to focus intensely to keep Dad in my vision. My throat is scorched by the toxic outside air, and by my own vomit, and my face feels like it’s on fire from the cuts left by the broken glass. But at least I’m alive.
“Sorry, Dad,” I say weakly.
It’s the last thing that leaves my mouth before my vision fades to black, and I fall unconscious.
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