The back door burst open. It slapped the floor and in came hundreds of hungry predators. They all jumped everywhere, vandalizing furniture and items in their paths. We just stood there, gazing into them, looking for a breach in their group. The cold anticipation is glaring, like something I had not feel before. Those predators are munching everything in their path. For the first time I realized that this might be it. I would revisit Ash up there. Or something much worse could happen. I could lose my friends.

The first one saw us and expressed its hunger with grimace. It hissed loudly like it yelled. 

I gripped my axe steadily. We looked like some gladiators facing walkers in a fantastical Roman story. But inside, our hearts were not as valiant as those who came before us.

Chase was actually shaking. It was pretty dark but his vibrating body rumbled like I would notice. I really wanted to calm him down, to hug me if that is possible.

“Chase, it’s gonna be fine. I promise.” I tried to be as firm and convincing as ever.

Chase nodded. He took a deep breath and calmed his nerves.

The first predator looked like a police officer. It leapt straight for Berta and she smashed it in the head with her crowbar.

“Push forward!” Jon yelled.

My four friends upped their shields. Berta in the front, Jon and Clara on the sides, and Chase right behind me. I prepared my pistol and steadied my axe.

We pushed the incoming predators. They hurled and spitted, and we backed them off several times. One time push and our bodies lurched forward to the backyard, to the sea of monsters.

We finally exited the house, and outside was just pure chaos. Every single monster pushed us, jabbed us. Three seconds into the scene and Jon was almost knocked out by the force of dozens of predators pushing towards him. The sensation of utter terror didn’t freak me up as much as before. I was too concentrated at the task at hand, and it was not easy.

I slowly stabbed some predators in front, helping Berta clearing the way. We kept making progress. One stride at a time we managed to pull off, but for how long?

“Move a bit faster!” Clara screamed.

Berta kept pushing and pushing. Behind me, Chase was struggling to keep the door up. His ankle must’ve hurt so bad, but his fear pumped his adrenaline and enraged his energy. He almost stumbled down at one point, but I hold him up and stabbed the closest predator. I was not about to lose him. I didn’t plan on losing anybody, though that theory was very weak and I had lose a bunch of other people before. I closed my eyes and let the adrenaline sank in, and I returned to the battle with newly refreshed nerves. 

Kill them all. Kill all the predators. Kill everyone who stands in your way.

“I see the staple’s roof!” Clara shouted.

Jon stabbed one on the face. I killed one predator every second, but it was almost too hard. These predators were stronger than I thought. They were attacking from every single possible angle, even from above. I tried to save my energy, but every second a threat came and I had to take care of it.

Suddenly, Clara slipped and almost dropped to the ground. I immediately pulled my pistol out and started shooting. Every bang was a drum to the ears. Gunshots are louder in real life than I would’ve expected. The sound deafened my ears for some moments, and so were my friends’. I tried to shoot not next to their ears, but the close defense didn’t let me do it.

I pulled Clara up as she caught her breath. She steadied her door and continued the pace.

I turned back to check on the back defense. Chase was there breathing heavily and sweating thousands of galloons of nervousness.

“Something bit my toes, Ti!” Chase yelped and panicked. I saw a small predator chomping his left foot. I quickly ducked low and just bashed its head violently until it let go. The fear came towards me not in an instant. I might have to shoot Chase’s predator self if he ever turned into one of those monsters. I was scared.

I was very scared.

But the excruciating situation we were at didn’t allow me to think or to breathe. So far, we hadn’t lost anybody, and that was good.

“We’re almost there,” Berta called. We slowly entered the staple. This claustrophobic feeling of being trapped inside a horde of predators messed up my hallucination. I kept seeing glances of Ashley and Velna, but I shook my head to keep focus.

Another kid predator jumped straight to the middle of us from on top of a haystack. It bit my arm, but the teeth didn’t sink. I quickly nudged it off and smashed its head. I imagine that some of these predators could be my fans. Now they were here to kill me. 

But I was grateful because of the layers of tapes applied to our arms. I would’ve prefer quick death rather than being infected.

And here we were, standing right next to the white van, smearing blood are painting all over it.

Berta touched the door of the van and burst inside after letting go of the shield. Next was Clara, and then Jon, and then Chase. I kicked the last predator before prancing inside the van. Another attempt to bite my ankle was proceeded by a predator, but I didn’t feel a thing. If we didn’t wrap ourselves with duct-tapes and rags, we would’ve been dead.

I pushed the door, but before it was closed, bloody hands reached in to us and jammed the door.  

“I can’t close this shit!” I breathed heavily whilst still trying to push.

Clara revved the engine while Berta helped her clean the enemy from the front windshield. It was broken, remember? Predators tried to get in from there.

But behind them, I was struggling to close the door. Those squinting hands didn’t retract. Chase and Jon tried to push them back. Jon stabbed so much heads, yet some hands still tried to pull him.

Jon suddenly reached for his side and picked two intriguing items; an igniter lighter and a spray paint. 

He turned the lighter on. He pressed the paint and flame burst into the predators’ faces and hands. They tumbled back, burned and squirming. With all my strengths, I quickly slapped the door until it was closed.

It was to our shock that the rear window also took some hits. Three predators were smashing their heads towards the weak glass. It finally shattered, so I quickly grabbed my axe and started chopping some heads. Jon used his flame thrower again.

“Clar, now is a great time to escape!” My voice was just as troubled as the burning situation.

Clara jerked the gas pedal, but we moved ever slowly, nudging everything while trying to speed up. 

“Get the fuck away from us!” Clara was so annoyed. She revved some more, and the two tires in the back spurt. Berta still tried to get rid of some of the predators from the front.

We moved very slowly. We were barely outside the staple, and yet it was as frustrating as ever. 

But we pushed slowly. I saw Chase next to me, bashing his baton towards the beasts. Jon was still grilling those predators from the back, and his sister kept chopping heads out front. Clara swore every minute and her leg kept pressing the gas pedal with every might.

“You okay?” I asked Chase. Our van was shook to every side. We danced and bounced inside the van like scrappy toys.

“It bit my toes,” Chase said. His voice hoarse and rough, and he had a hard time believing it. The bitten shoe was situated in front of my eyes. I could only pray... and hope.

“Let me see it.”

I checked his toes. Thankfully, the predator only bit his strong leather boots. There was really nothing to worry about. I sighed deeply, and Chase seemed to do too.

“You’re fine. You’re not bitten. It didn’t cut through.” I hugged him slowly.

And the sprung made all of us jump. Another glass had been shattered. It was the one next to me. A predator jumped straight for the broken glass. I aimed for its head when it was as close as two inches from me and pulled the trigger. Blood splashed everywhere, staining every side of the interior of the van.

The predator fell back, but another one tried to jump. So many predators came rustling in through that small gap.

I realized we were almost on the road. It should be much roomier there. 

“Fuck!” Clara shifted and the van burst forward.

We were speeding a bit faster. The van still jingled everywhere. I was scared that they might topple us down.

Clara rammed so many of them, feeding them to the van’s tires below us. Bodies hampered on the ground, stacked and rolled. We ran over each of them and it was one bumpy ride.

Until finally, the horde got a bit less crowded. The speedometer rose slowly. 

And before we knew it, we were out of reach from any hand.

We were safe. We outran them.

“That was fucking crazy!” Clara shouted. A smile crept on her face. She looked proud towards herself for pulling that off. But her toes weren’t retracked from the gas pedal.

Berta replied her smile. She looked back and saw everyone panting breathily. “Everyone good?”

We nodded slowly. Jon let his body fell to the floor. Chase, Berta, and I quickly undressed from the overwhelming armor. 

We stopped about five miles away north of the house. We were still in the right route of the track. We stopped behind a small diner, and I noticed something familiar from afar. A black SUV was parked on the side of the road. It was facing the other way, and I saw three men drinking beer on the side, laughing. They were dressed the same as those soldiers from before. These untrained soldiers just exposed themselves to us. They must’ve thought we wouldn’t survive.

“Clar!” I silently shouted to her as I ducked lower behind the short wall of the diner’s parking lot. She joined me after undressing the armor. I pointed to where the SUV was.

“Yeah… that’s the same one.”

“You sure?”

“Not a single doubt.”

I nodded. “We should probably do something.”

Clara smiled. “U-huh. Wanna fuck ‘em up?”

I smiled too. I called everyone to see.

“Those bitches are gonna get fucked.”

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Art: Healing Wounds by darekzabrocki on DeviantArt from Pinterest