Alice's POV.
"Are you okay, Miss?" he whispered while we were both catching our breath. This is the longest run I've ever had. I nodded to the unknown man beside me and continued to observe the people who looked like they had rabies in the middle of the open area of the subdivision we'd entered.
We're currently hiding behind the trashcan that was lined up in the corner of the old building. Those creatures... they move like they're lifeless. I grimaced when I noticed some of them had decaying skin and body parts. Even here, I could smell their rotting flesh, along with the garbage piled up not far to my left. I cover my mouth and stop myself from vomiting. They're also like having epilepsy and convulsions, which makes my heart pump faster.
I squint my eyes when I saw closer to the white eyes they have. Even when I was in the hospital, I noticed that too. What's with their eyes? Are they blind, or do they have a problem with their mesh?
I gripped my trembling knees tightly when I remembered that I hadn't called Kuya to ask how he was. I'm sure that I heard the same yells and uproarious sounds on his line. I don't know what to do. Is he okay right now? What happened to him?
"What are you doing here? Do you know that this place is dangerous for people like you?" he asked again in a whisper, which suddenly changed what I was feeling earlier.
I looked at him with a frown. Who is he to tell me where to go?! I pursed my lips and glared at him. "With what's happening now, there's no safe place, so wherever I go, it's still going to be dangerous. Remember that," I whispered to him with emphasis. I held onto the dumpster in front of me for support. We've been hiding here for a while, propping up our knees so they wouldn't notice us. I'm feeling numb already!
He raised his two hands like surrendering and pouted like an idiot. "Woah, easy, I was just asking," he whispered with a frown, then also looked at what I had been watching. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and looked at the scorching sun, which made me even more annoyed.
What am I gonna do now?! I was stuck here with this unfamiliar man who acted like a child and was surrounded by those biters. Wait... biters? They bite humans and spread their virus like wildfire. I look at them again and noticed their familiar actions and what they did to people they encountered. They're familiar... I think I saw their kind before, but the word stuck at the tip of my tongue.
I'm sure I've seen their kind before. I closed my eyes to think carefully about what they're called, which I feel like I heard from my youngest sibling before. "Hey! What are you doi--" Our eyes met with the man next to me, and he suddenly stopped talking when he saw what I was doing. "Wait... don't tell me you're becoming like them too?" he asked in a whisper, with fear evident in his voice, so I glared at him.
"I'm not!" I hissed at him and immediately lowered my voice for fear that the ones waiting for us would hear us. I observed the face of my companion and frowned. He looks like he was in his twenties already and maybe the same as my age, but he acted like a child lost in this area. And he's so noisy.
"Zombie..." I suddenly uttered and widened my eyes when I realized what I'd said. Right! They're called zombies. I already have a glimpse of their kind because my parents with my younger brother like to watch supernatural things and things that didn't exist. My mother even named my two names from one of the movies they've watched, but I can't recall what title it is. I'm not scared of ghosts or horror stories, and those kinds of movies my family watched didn't capture my interest.
But reminiscing those times when I give glimpses of how that kind of creature bites and eats humans' flesh gives me shivers in my spine. Are they like the movie too? Do they also eat and devour human flesh?
"Zombie? Is that what they're called?" the man in front of me asked. His innocent eyes immediately widened when I nodded while remembering what else I remember about them. "So they eat people? That's probably why they're chasing me... but they're also people..." He looks dumb while talking to himself.
"That's called aswang. They're different... I thought," I eventually wondered if zombies and aswangs were the same, since they're both thirsty for human flesh. Having that thought, I quickly grimaced and almost puked.
We both fell silent after a few moments. I immediately looked at the man on my side when I felt his eyes on me. And I was right when I saw how he scanned his eyes on my clothes and pointed to my wrist.
"There's blood on your hand, oh," he noticed, so I quickly wiped my wrist he pointed to my hospital clothes and didn't give a glimpse of them. "And why are you wearing that? Did you escape from the mental hospital?" he noticed again what I was wearing, which he had been looking at earlier. I looked at him sharply and didn't bother with his worthless question.
I need to escape. I need to get out of here and look for Erros because something might have happened to him. But how? Almost all around us, there are zombies that seem to know we're still here and just hiding.
"Sungit..." I heard him whisper. I immediately looked back at the person next to me, and something suddenly came to my mind. I have no choice but to ask this man. There's no one else here that I can ask or ask for help.
"Do you have an idea on how to escape from here?" I asked him in a whisper. I need to lower my voice if I don't want to be devoured by those around us, who seem to be alerted even by my slightest movement.
"I know a way on top of the building..." He didn't continue what he was saying and looked at my clothes again. What the hell is his problem with my clothes?!
"What?" I questioned him and couldn't hide my irritation towards him. I don't like the way he's looking at what I'm wearing, as if he's judging me based solely on my clothes right now.
"I'll take you with me... but tell me first why you're wearing that. Maybe you're just an escapee from the mental hospital and you're just pretending, look, you even have blood on your hand. You probably escaped, right?" He squinted his eyes at me, so I avoided his gaze and tried to calm myself. The heck? Do I look like a mental patient? I admit that what I'm wearing really looks like a mental patient's clothes, but do I look like I have a mental illness?!
This guy is getting on my nerves, and I'm starting to hate it. "I was from the Hospital. You heard it right? Hospital, so I'm a patient and not a psycho," I declared and feel a burning feeling in my chest. I stopped myself from shouting at him because I might be in danger.
"You're not lying? Promise?" I breathe so hard to control myself when he hands his little finger and squints his eyes. I glared at him and sighed deeply. I don't want to surpass my emotions right now. We might be caught here by the darkness and not be able to get out. I still need to find my brother.
"Stop fooling around!" I quietly cast his hand but I make a wrong move when his hand pushed the trashcan sideward that causes the latter to fall to the cemented ground. Sh*t! The collision created noise, so the person I was with and I looked at each other in shock before we looked at those surrounding us.
"Run!" he shouted and quickly pulled my hand, then we both ran inside the building. I let him pull me before quickly glancing at those behind us. I cursed loudly when I saw how many of them were following us into the old building. It's obviously old because of the cracks and cobwebs surrounding the walls.
"Where are we going?!" I asked him while we were still running. I didn't want to go with a stranger like him, but I had no choice. It was my fault that we were being chased now by those so-called zombies.
"To the rooftop!" he answered without looking at me. I frowned and didn't expect that we would go there. I thought he knew a way out of here on the ground.
"Why?!" I questioned him while panting. He didn't answer when we saw a few zombies scattered on the path to the second floor on the first floor. We stopped and immediately followed his hand with our eyes as he suddenly pulled something from behind him. I didn't notice the two guns that were behind him, one was a fire pistol. They were black while he was holding them in both of his hands. I know something about weapons because my older brother is a soldier, and he brings me often to his training area.
I can only see his back, but even with his back turned, I felt the change in his aura. Heavy and creepy. Earlier, he acted like a child, but now he instantly changed into a very intimidating change. I also noticed his black hair waving when there is wind, it's messy and almost covers his eyes with the bridge of his nose that's undeniably sharp.
I suddenly came to my senses when he quickly handed me one of his guns after cocking it. "Use it and don't depend on me," he coldly said before he turned around and aimed the creatures that were now coming our way up on the second floor. I was stunned before facing those behind me. It was like I saw a new stranger again. Is that how he is when he's serious? Does he transform?
"Sh*t!" I cussed when the first zombie attacked me when I turned around. Because of my shock, I suddenly kicked it hard, which caused it to be thrown away from me. My self-defense in martial art trained me well. But hell! Just curse this dress, I can't move properly!
The man I was with quickly turned to my side, so I immediately answered him before he could even speak. "It's called adrenaline rush!" I reasoned out.
"Run!" he yelled. He ran in a hurry to meet the zombies who were also heading toward us, leaving me stunned. This guy must be crazy. There are too many in front of us. I didn't know if we could still climb up to the next floor. I stared at the gun I was holding while running and following him.
We both stopped, and I feel my hand shaking when I pointed my gun at our enemy who was after me. But I immediately closed my eyes when I accidentally pulled its trigger. It felt like there was a force pushing me, but I was still able to fix my stance. When I opened my eyes and saw that I hit one of them, I suddenly felt my heart beating fast and a little relief. I smirked. Not bad for the first user.
"Hurry!" I heard him shout to me. We ran again upstairs. I could clearly hear our noisy steps because of our haste. He's ahead of me in running, and I'm at the end, we're now going up the stairs while I'm panting because of his quick aiming and taking down those who are attacking us. There were still many following us behind me, so I ran faster because I was being left behind by my companion.
His feet are too long! I think his height is about 178cm, whereas I am only 162cm, that's why there's such a big gap between us in running. I noticed him looking in my direction and cocking the gun he was holding again.
"Hurry, Miss!" he shouted to me... again. I glared at his back. I just met him a while ago, but I have this feeling that we will not be on good terms because of his annoying voice, and he acts and dictates me like he's my boss or something!
"Sh*t!" I cursed when I almost stumbled on the floor because of rushing. We're on the second floor now, and if I'm not mistaken, this building only had three floors and a rooftop. I was catching my breath when I caught up with him, who was still shooting those who were chasing us. I immediately passed him and went ahead towards the rooftop.
I take a deep breath again and inhaled some air. "God! What did I've done!?" I suddenly exclaimed while catching my breath. I killed a human! I know they're zombies and don't know what they're doing anymore, but still... I killed them. "Sh*t!" I cursed when I suddenly felt the door closing from behind me. I looked back, thinking it was the zombies, but I was wrong, it was the man from earlier.
He was also panting like me, then holding on to both of his knees when he suddenly lifted his gaze to me. I stepped back when I saw that he wasn't serious anymore, and I felt a light aura again. He stared at me badly, but I just looked at him seriously.
"You're so kind, aren't you!?" he said sarcastically, but I just looked at him sharply. When he straightened up, I raised the gun I was holding and pointed it at him, his face clearly showing shock as he stepped away from me. I just let him think that I was going to shoot him. I was just teasing him.
"What are you planning to do, huh?! Are you planning to kill me? Don't do that, we're the only allies here, and you're going to subtract me?! Have you forgotten that I helped you earlier? Besides, I already told you that you're kind!" he said to me while pouting. This is the man I've met earlier, the man with a childish mind.
I stopped myself from smirking at what he said. His scary aura from earlier suddenly disappeared and became like a child being bullied by his friend. Out of a sudden, I remember someone from him, and I really need to go to him before it's too late. I playfully smirked at him again, and I suddenly pulled the trigger, I saw him closing his eyes tightly.
We didn't hear a bang from my gun. I know that the gun I was holding didn't have any bullets anymore, that's why I was just running, I only managed to shoot once or twice, and the bullets were immediately used up. He's kind too, right? He even gave me a gun, but only two bullets.
"I will not kill you. That's my way of saying thank you," I said to him and continued my last word, "And by the way, I forget to say thanks for the gun. At least I was able to take down two zombies with the two bullets you gave me." I gave him my death glare like imagining him burning by my eyes. He just smiled at me, and I observe his lips turn heart-shaped like mine. He also gives me his bubbly peace sign using his large hands.
"Sorry. How would I know?" he even said. I avoid his stare and ignored his sorry then scanned my surroundings. A quiet rooftop greeted me, and the gentle wind. What now?
"Where's the exit you're talking about?" I impatiently asked him. If I find out that he's just fooling me, I won't hesitate to push him off this rooftop.
"Just wait and see," he said meaningfully and then he winked. I tried to hide the grimace on my face at what he did and just ignored him. I looked around again, waiting for a miracle. I tip-toe my bare foot and look around impatiently. I was about to step forward when I felt a strong wind that caused me to stop.
My short hair, which was only shoulder-length, was blown by the wind, and I looked at the flying helicopter that was heading towards our location. Because of the noise of the flying object, the noise of the zombies at the door we passed through earlier became even more aggressive, it's a good thing the door is sturdy.
The helicopter landed, and a tall man, even taller than me, came out of it. He was smiling, which made his two eyes squint. He has a small and baby face as he gets closer to us, his eyes disappear when he smiles, and have plump lips. I looked down at his hands, which were holding two high-caliber guns on each side, and he even waved at us with them.
"Xavier pandak!" my companion called to the one who had just arrived. He ran towards him, and the two of them even hugged. I frowned as I looked at them. Do they know each other? I approached them a little and just watched them.
"Where's Matt? I miss that idiot!" My companion was drumming like a child while looking inside the helicopter. Suddenly, a man came out of the helicopter window, and the first thing I noticed about his face was his big nose. He was also smiling and even waved at us--I mean to them.
What is this, a reunion? I was just quietly observing them, until the squinty and short man from earlier finally noticed me. If I'm not mistaken, his name is Xavier.
"Uy, who's this chick--" his words were immediately cut off when we heard a loud noise behind my back.