Bitten

The Forest

Chapter 60

Noah

A little bit over a week had passed and I had learned that Kiki definitely held on to a grudge. It was a sore topic to bring up her mother and she was dead set on giving me the silent treatment.

The sound of dirt and peddle under heavy footsteps filled the air for some time while we walked along the road.

The road we had been following suddenly stopped and became a dirt road that cut right down a deep woods that hadn’t seen a trace of human life or civilization in years. Kiki marched ahead and so did I into the woods.

About an hour into our silent  march I was leading us through the woods Kiki spoke, “I’m starting to get tired here.”

I glanced back at Kiki to make sure that she was close to my side. It was very late, we were isolated, and there was hardly any telling what was out there in the woods tonight.

“I we need to keep going and rest once we make it to the next town,” I told Kiki, but I stopped for a moment to glance around us.
Kiki was my guide through the woods, but she was still just a kid. She needed her rest and energy to properly guide us the rest of the way and to be ready for an attack from any type of enemy.

I wasn't that much of an asshole to walk a child to death.

“Yeah, let’s rest for a moment", Kiki was actually getting a little sleepy, but when she heard me actually say 'let's rest' she smiled.

Kiki sunk down to the ground resting up against a tree. She viciously attacked a bag of snacks she had in her backpack,"Do you want yours?"

"I'm good", I said walking over to her. The keaves had a soft crunch under my feet when I walked through the under bush, and pushed aside any shrubs and bushes that got in my way. This forest was dense and a bit hard to navigate through. The only real light we had was from our flashlights, the fireflies, and the flickers of star and moonlight that trickled in.

Other than that, we had been plunged into the darkness with the sounds of nightlife nature around us along with our grassy footsteps. The night was cool and smelled like the greenery.

It was surprisingly relaxing, but also unsettling. It almost felt too peaceful to me. The world around me was easing my mind too much. I tensed up all over again and listened.

“You think this would be a good spot for camp? I mean I can dig you a hole and bury you alive. Honestly, we should have–” I hushed Kiki and stopped her from talking anymore.

"Don't you fucking shhh me!" I swiftly dove in and covered her mouth before she could say another word. There were muffled words against my palm, but I  didn’t bother to listen to what she was saying. When she was probably cussing up a storm.

Then it was there; rustling in the bushes and the sounds of bodies coming towards there. It sounded like a group of something in the woods. Kiki gave up her struggle against me and just listened. She was so still, like a deer that was about to pounce away in fear but that was the instinct of her body telling her to do that.

Soon enough, the approaching creatures were in my sight I gritted my teeth at the decaying flesh and rotting smell of the monsters.

“Revenants", I hissed out and removed my hand from Kiki’s mouth. I moved her behind me and away from the danger. “We gotta get outta here.”

I quickly ordered Kiki to turn and hightail it back to the dirt road. I would be behind her with gun in hand. Kiki had her own gun at her hip and when we started to run away from the approaching zombies, the undead monstrosities let out a blood-curdling scream and rushed after us with as much speed as their undead legs could carry them.