Theme Song: "Snow White Queen" - Evanescence

My boots hit the earth so hard my feet were aching. I tore through foliage, trees and bushes. I could feel the scrapes and cuts on my skin as I got them, but at the moment I really didn't have time to pause for pain. I tripped once and ate the ground hard, but right as rain, I got back up and continued to run.

I was being tailed by a few of Daniel's men and I had to out run them. This was not a game of freeze tag or hide-and-seek like she used to play with my brother, Henry. No, this was real. This was life or death. My lungs burned and the wound in my abdomen flowed like a riverbed. I didn't feel much at all when it came to her stab wound as the adrenaline coursing through my veins propelled me along and made me almost immune to pain.

I saw the road ahead through the forestry and pushed along, my mouth parted slightly as I tried to gasp for breath while running. It was a difficult task trying to stay alive during the zombie apocalypse, but what made it even more trying was that the living still reared its ugly head and provided you with evil bullshit. Just like before. Except, it made people even worse and with no rules and no law, you were basically free to do whatever you wanted. Daniel and his men were the epitome of said evil bullshit. And so I ran from them.

I could see Daniel's face even as she ran away from him. He was smiling that crooked smile at me and staring as if I were something to be fawned over. He'd taken an instant attachment to me in the weirdest ways and though he wasn't physical with me, it sure felt like he had been. The creepy crawler feeling was all over my skin anytime he'd walk into the room that I had been confined in.

He was psychotic and a skitzo. He had a wicked tongue though as far as his charisma, but I'd known from the get go it was a telltale sign of him being a little..odd.

I felt the tears burning the back of my eyes and threatening to spill over. I would not go back to Daniel. I would end up like the other women..and she'd rather be dead than be his little puppet to play around with. Why he'd chosen to idolize me and allow the other women to be abused like that she hadn't a clue, but I didn't feel lucky. If anything, I felt targeted and disgusted.

Those other women had been there the entire time, right under my nose and I hadn't known. And worst of all..I'd left them. I had no choice. I had to run, right?

Once past the forestry and into the road, I came across an old convenient store that had been placed in the middle of nowhere. There was a van and a motorcycle parked outside, but I paid them no mind. My eyes darted to the dumpster that sat along the side of the building and then to the front door of the convenient store.

I intantly heard voices coming from inside and despite my wound and need for help, I was still weary. I'd been confined to a room for almost an entire week and look over like some...pet. My desire to interact with humans was down a few notches right now, despite the wound. Stubborn, yes, but that was nothing new for me.

I ran quuckly to hide behind the dumpster only to give myself a few moments to breathe and get a closer look at my wound. I had made it stealthily to my destination just in time to see four people step out of the convenient store.

There was a boy who ran to the opposite side of the van now and out of sight. No doubt loading up whatever was in his hands. A scruffy man with a five o'clock shadow walked at a slower gait with two other people trailing next to him. They all looked to be in good health and talked lowly among themselves. There was a dark skinned woman with swords and a rough looking man wielding a crossbow.

I leaned my head against the dumpster and though the smell was putrid, I stayed put and didn't move. It was only when I closed her eyes for the briefest of moments to debate calling out for help that I heard the shouts.

I peered from around the dumpster, cold dread filled me as I recognized some of Daniel's henchmen, three to be exact. They now had the boy in their grasp with a gun nudged up against his temple.

I recognized the man holding the boy as Stanley. He was a large, burly man with a long pony-tail and a chubby round face. He always flaunted around his biker gear, yet he didn't even own a bike, nor had he ever had one. He was a follower of Daniel's and he was a dumb son of a bitch.

Shit.

I looked to the other two and noticed Charlie, Daniel's brother, was not with them. Charlie was the one that had given me the nice little stab wound I had right now. He was probably licking his wounds since I had beat him with a tire iron before she escaped.

Back to the situation, all weapons were raised and the tension was so thick she practically choked on it. I couldn't make out everything that was being said, but Stanley seemed to be asking questions to the innocent people and the scruffy man that now had a revolver out looked enraged.

They could've been asking about her..maybe not. Biting my lower lip I hefted the duffel on my back a little farther up before mulling over a decision.

The wound was pouring out blood more effortlessly now and the pain started to worsen. I realized with cold dread that my adrenaline rush was wearing off and soon I'd feel the full effects. I would not allow Daniel's men to kill innocent people over me and with that I sprang into action, revealing myself from behind the dumpster.