Chapter 20

Fury's P.O.V

The great city stood before me, it's tall buildings run down and it's streets littered with rubbish. What was once a thriving place full of humans and monsters alike, now turned to the wasteland that zombies roamed and starved. At least, that's what Mum and Dad told me. I saw that nature had begun to take the city over since the apocalypse started. I remember a nice old man being invited to our classroom once. He told us the stories that his own father told him, that his grandfather told his father and so on.

The world we lived in was as bad as the zombie apocalypse. Nobody cared for the nature that allowed them to live. They killed the earth with their plastic and tin cans and all anybody would care about was how they would become rich and famous. The world was dying slowly, global warming caused by the civilisation the world struggled to support melted lands of ice and snow. Our desperation for progress was going to be our downfall.

But now, with no people to drive the cars that burned the hostile fuel and no factories to create the dreaded plastic, nature could take back all it had lost. The zombies were nature's greatest warriors and friends. They allowed the world to recover just before it hit the point of no return.

The city, although barren and dead, gave me a warm feeling inside. I felt welcomed as someone who cared. As someone who refused to harm the earth again. A small robin flew down from one of the tall buildings, landing in front of me and chirping happily. I knelt down slowly, holding my hand out. The robin hopped onto my hand and rubbed it's head against it, showing it's friendliness.

I scratched it gently on the neck and it turned it's head so I could see where it itched. I couldn't help but smile. But then, the robin flew away, squawking with panic. Why did it fly away?

I felt a pair of unfriendly eyes look down upon me. I slowly turned, fear rising from my non-existent stomach. There stood my Dad, but he was different. He was nothing but a dark shadow with dangerous, glowing, insane eyes. Before I could say anything, a bone with a sharpened end appeared in his hand and he pierced me through the soul, a wide smile never leaving his face.

My eye sockets fluttered open. Everything hurts, I thought. I was laying down between two things. Behind me was the back of a row seats, if front of me was Faith, who had his arms wrapped around me. He was awake and he smiled happily at me.

"Morning, sleepyhead." he said.

"Morning..."

I felt my cheekbones get hot with a blue and purple blush.

"Are you feeling alright now?" Faith asked.

I raised a bonebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You started screaming as soon as you were given the zombie cure."

"I don't remember screaming, just remember falling asleep."

"Oh, well that's good." Faith held me a little closer. "But I found it cute when you stopped screaming as soon as I cuddled you."

My blush grew hotter. "I, uh...T-Thanks?"

"You're welcome." Faith's hand trailed up and pulled the bandanna off my face. "Aww, you're blushing."

Since when did he ever flirt?

Faith's smile faded. "Where'd you get those scars?"

He was talking about the two scars that went down one side of my mouth.

"That was just from an accident...It's nothing." I said, raising my hand to pull my bandanna back up.

Faith stopped me, cupping my cheek and caressing it gently. "You don't have to hide it."

I smiled slightly under Faith's warm gaze. He leaned in and softly pecked my foreskull, then my nose socket, then my teeth. I squeaked with surprise.

"You're cute, you know that?" Faith teased.

I pulled my hoodie over my face. "F-Faith, you're embarrassing m-me."

"I know." he pecked me on the teeth again.

"Why d-do you keep doing that?"

"Because I looove you."

I groaned with embarrassment and he giggled in response.

"Oooh, looks like my brother's got a boyfriend." Sprinkle said, leaning on the back on our seat and looking down at us. "It's about time, too."

"Is that so?" Desire joined Sprinkle in looking down at us with a wide smirk. "Who's more dominate?"

"We're both equal." Faith replied.

"Ah yes, the best kind of relationship."

"Is it offical or no?" Sprinkle asked.

"Well, he hasn't pushed me away yet," Faith snuggled me. "So I assume we are."

I groaned again into Faith's chest. Then I remembered that Westy and Gradient had been infected too. Were they OK? I sat up and Faith whined his disappointment. On my knees, I peered around the truck. Everyone seemed to be relatively fine. Sage and Moon were talking quietly, PJ was leaning against Fresh and sleeping soundly and Blueprint and Raven were both asleep on each other. Gradient hadn't woken up yet, but he wasn't screaming. He was laying down, partly curled up, next to Bluescreen. Bluescreen was lightly holding Gradient's hand, looking lost in thought.

In the very back corner, Westy sat alone. One of his hands had been cuffed to the side on the seat, just incase he turned zombie. He was staring blankly at the floor. I felt sorry for him, but grateful that Westy let us have the cures.

Faith placed his head on my shoulder. "Can I have a kiss? Please?"

I think my blush reached it's limit by this point. But I gave Faith a peck on the cheekbone. He hummed with satisfaction and hugged me from behind. I sighed, placing my hands on his. I hope we get home soon.

Suddenly, the trucks came to a halt. I couldn't see why because there were no windows in this truck. Something big slammed into the roof of the truck, creating a big dent that would soon become a massive whole.

FC's voice shouted from the walkie-talkie in Fresh's pocket. "Everyone get out of the trucks, now!"

Fresh jumped to his feet and raced to the truck's door and kicked it open. As everyone rushed outside, Fresh ran to Westy and quickly undid his handcuffs. Outside, all the children were pouring out of the trucks, panicking and crying. I stared at the threat before us and almost threw up.

Five massive mutants towered over us, attacking and tearing apart the trucks. Surrounding the mutant's feet were more, smaller mutants, about the size of regular zombies. There were long, sharp claws, thousands of glassy eyes, half-skeletal half-fleshy frames, big intimating teeth, thin and thick. It was all stuff from nightmares and it was all grotesque. In a car nearby, I recognised the armoured figures of King's soldiers aiming their guns at us and watching us with caution.

"Call off your mutants!" FC ordered the soldiers.

"We don't take orders from you!" yelled one of the soldiers. "Mutants! Kill these fools! I don't want a single one of them getting out alive!"

The mutants turned their heads, staring at all the terrified children. The children screamed and ran in different directions, pushing and shoving to save their own skin and bones. A tall and thin, hunched over mutant charged at us, it's unnaturally sharp claws open and ready to slice all to pieces. I took Faith's hand and ran as fast as I could.

The mutant swung it's claws. I stopped and turned and threw my hand forward. Sharp bones burst out of the earth and impaled the massive mutant but it wasn't dead yet. Faith swung his hand to the sky and thousands of red-hot knives shot up from directly below the mutant. A loud hiss escaped the mutant's deformed mouth and then it fell limp.

We couldn't celebrate yet. There were smaller mutants approaching us fast, clawed hand stretched out at us. This time it was Faith who took my hand and dragged me onwards. I saw several clouds of coloured power burst into existence. Sage and Moon were back to back, fighting off the mutants they were surrounded by. Sage threw a vile of red power and it smashed on the ground. The power combined with another substance, a green liquid. There was an explosion and from the explosion a great red panther leaped and began ripping the mutants apart.

I saw a jet of black mist fly through the hoards with two knives out to the side, slicing them in half and then circling around to do more damage. More explosions from Fresh's grenades and bombs sent one of the towering mutants to the ground, it's chest open and bleeding massively. The jet of black mist landed next to FC and formed into Hate, who was panting with exhaustion.

"We can't fight and keep an eye on the children at the same time!" he said. "Someone has to lead them away with a flare!"

"I'll do it." FC took a flare out of her pocket. "The rest of you get out of here!"

Just before FC could light the flare, Westy snatched it out of her hands and ran towards the mutant hoard.

"Westy, what are you doing?" Sage shouted.

"I'm the one who's infected! I'll lead the mutants away!" Westy yelled back, lighting the flare.

"No, you idiot, that's suicide!"

Westy smiled. "It'll be OK."

Sage cursed at Westy, trying to run after him, but Moon held him back. Westy's gaze softened, he looked directly into Sage's eye lights and mouthed the words 'I love you'. Then he turned to the mutants and held the flare into the air.

"Come and get me!" he screamed before running into the forest opposite of us.

Sage stared as the mutants snarled and chased Westy, ignoring the desperate commands of King's soldiers. Moon had to drag Sage with the crowd that ran away, abandoning the skeleton who they knew couldn't outrun the mutants.