While We Fall (The Eva Series #2)

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Elliot, give me the keys.” Said Wyatt, holding his hand out.
“Now why would I do a thing like that, brother?” Elliot cocked his head, mock confusion in his expression.
“We need to leave.” Wyatt replied. “There’re zombies coming through the trees as we speak. And you’ll be one of them soon.”
“Oh, this little scratch?” Elliot asked, lifting his pants up to reveal a huge bite mark on his leg. “It was bound to happen eventually. I’ve been prepared for this outcome for years. Though, I must admit I had hoped I could live happily in paradise for at least a year before it came to this.”
A hint of sadness flashed in his eyes.
“No matter.” He sighed as he shook his head, the sadness turning into anger. “Get out. Now.” He said, gesturing towards the door with his gun.
No-one dared argue with him as we slowly backed out of the RV.

“Oh no.” Jo whispered, looking out into the trees.
I followed her gaze, my heart skipping a beat when I saw at least twenty zombies shuffling through the forest and heading straight for us.
Elliot took one look at the hoard and began to laugh.
“That’s it! Come one, everyone! Lunch is served!” He yelled, making sure he had their attention.
“Not you, though.” He said to Jo. She shrieked in terror as he grabbed her by the neck and held her in front of him like a shield, his gun pointed straight at her head.
“Jo!” I yelled, taking a step forward. Elliot pointed the gun at me, forcing me to stay where I was.
“It’s just like you said, Wyatt.” He laughed. “I’ll be one of them soon. And this one will make a great first meal!”
Jo wailed, her knees buckling in fear. Elliot lifted her by her throat and held her against him.

I gasped as a zombie appeared from behind the RV and started moving towards us. Seeing my frightened expression, Elliot turned around to see what I was looking at.
Elliot being distracted by the zombie was exactly what we needed to finish this once and for all. I pulled Jo away while Wyatt and Ben grabbed Elliot’s arms and pushed him to the ground, throwing the gun out of Elliot’s reach.
But the zombie was still closing in, and more had followed it.
“Ben, look out!” I yelled.
Wyatt held Elliot down while Ben jumped to his feet, hacking at the zombie until it was lying in pieces all over the ground.
Ben furiously attacked the growing hoard, but there were too many, it wouldn’t take long for him to be overpowered.
“Eva!” Wyatt yelled as he snatched the keys from Elliot’s hand and threw them to me.

Jo and I started running to the RV, with Ben clearing our path.
“No!” Elliot yelled, and I turned to see him headbutt Wyatt in the face, his head snapping back as blood spurted from his nose. Elliot kicked Wyatt off of him and scrambled to grab the gun.
“Wyatt!” I yelled. “Jo, here!” I threw the keys to Jo and ran towards Elliot, but he had already risen to his feet, gun in hand. I launched myself at him, knocking him to the ground.
“Get off me, bitch!” He snarled. I struggled to hold him down, but he was too strong. I felt something hard smack me in the cheek, knocking me onto my back. He had hit me with the back of his gun.

Ignoring the pain, I stood up to see a zombie headed straight for me. It launched itself onto me, knocking me back onto the ground. It growled, grabbing hold of my shirt with its gnarled fingers as it prepared to sink it’s teeth into my flesh.
I screamed, frantically trying to push it off of me, when I saw a rock on the ground next to me. I stretched my arm out as far as I could, grabbed hold of the rock and smashed it as hard as I could against the creature’s skull.
It let out a sickly gurgle as I shoved it off of me and stood over it, stomping on it’s head again and again until there was nothing left but mush.
I spun around to see Wyatt and Elliot wrestling for the gun.
“Is this the way it’s going to end for us, brother?” Elliot yelled. “I’m ready, but are you?”
Suddenly, a shot fired, and my heart stopped in fear.
I stood there for what felt like an eternity, waiting to see who would be the one to fall to the ground.

“I told you I was ready.” Elliot muttered as he clutched Wyatt’s shoulder. Tears welled in Wyatt’s eyes as he watched his brother slump onto the ground, with the gun still in his hand and blood spreading across his chest.
“He…” Wyatt whispered. “He shot himself.”
I closed my eyes, feeling relieved that it was finally over, when I noticed a searing pain in my left shoulder. I looked down to see blood running down my arm, staining my shirt a deep red.
I placed my hand over my shoulder but it only intensified the pain, as though the touch of my skin was boiling hot. I removed my hand to see it completely covered in blood.
Hopelessness washed over me as I realised what had happened.
“Oh no.” I whispered. “It bit me.”

“Eva?” Wyatt asked, the colour draining from his face when he saw the blood pouring out of my wound, the crushed zombie lying on the ground next to me.
“No!” He screamed as he ran towards me, but it was too late.
I was already falling to the ground.

I strained to keep my eyes open as I lay there in so much pain that it hurt to breathe. I could see Wyatt kneeling over me, looking into my eyes. He was right next to me, but somehow he felt a million miles away. The heat of my wound felt like it was enveloping my entire body.

As my breath became shallower, I wondered how long it would take for me to turn, and I hoped Wyatt would have the strength to end me before it happened.

The last thing I saw before plummeting into darkness were the mangled faces of zombies, every one of them closing in on us with desperately hungry eyes.