CHAPTER 18
My breathing got heavier with the rising pressure, yet I couldn't see this person. I turned around when I felt like I'd had enough—I wanted to run away from it. It's pathetic, but what else was I supposed to do? I turned around again, but something blocked my way. There was a pitch-black, nearly 7-foot-tall figure taking slow steps toward me. With each step it took, my breathing grew heavier. I could feel myself and my surroundings shaking, and I could hear Nicole's voice... I looked around, but no Nicole.
I gasped, sweating and panting as I looked around.
I woke up to see Christian with his hands firmly on my shoulders. I didn't pay attention to that though—what caught my attention was how panicked he looked. I sat up and wiped the light sweat from my forehead.
"What's wrong?" I asked, looking dead into his eyes. I glanced around and saw the cat now laying comfortably on the driver's seat. But... no Nicole?
"This is bad..." he muttered. He repeated those words two more times before I stopped him.
"Hello? Earth to shitty hair?? Tell me what happened, at least," I said as I brushed his hands off my shoulders.
"And calm down a bit. It can't be that bad, right?" I jinxed it.
"You realize we're in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, and you really have the audacity to say that?" he scowled back. Fair point, I guess.
"Alright... when you put it like that, it sounds bad," I admitted, then paused. "But what's so bad that you're panicking like that?"
"It's... Nicole." He blurted it out. My eyes widened slightly.
"Nicole..?" I repeated, now genuinely concerned.
"W... what happened to Nicole?" I asked.
"He... he was kidnapped. By the same one that kidnapped Ruby," he announced, uncertainty in his voice. I stared at him, my eyes wide. How? Why? This whole situation is such a mess... it's scattered all over the place. I couldn't speak. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
"Though... I found a hint on where they might be. I'm not completely su—"
"Anything. Any hint will help. If I lose you, we'll all be alone. I'd rather stay with your dumb ass than be alone in this situation," I cut him off. I knew it sounded weird considering our current relationship, but what needed to be said was said. He didn't respond, just let out a quiet sigh. Then he showed me a paper with an address.
"This is what the person left behind." He handed it to me. I looked at it. It was... an old abandoned building. I recognized it—I used to live in front of this place for a few years. But something didn't add up. Christian said the person left it behind. And the one who kidnapped Ruby was a murk, not a person. This was suspicious.
"But... didn't Ruby get kidnapped by a murk, not a human?" I asked.
"Yeah, she was. But there was a murk and a human beside it. The man took Nicole and left this address behind," he said, snatching the paper from my hands.
"...Interesting," I muttered, unsure of what else to say. The only choice now was to go to the address.
Then another question popped into my head.
"How did Nicole even get kidnapped? Weren't you guys in the car? And we're in the middle of nowhere." I didn't even look at him, but I could hear him grit his teeth in annoyance. He let out a soft sigh.
"Well, Nicole had an idea, which I stupidly agreed to. There was a shop nearby and we were going to get walkie-talkies, so if we ever got separated, we could stay in touch. But while we were breaking into the shop, some guy walked up to Nicole. He wasn't a zombie, but his skin was oddly pale. Then he injected something into Nicole, who fell unconscious. I only found out after he left. So... yeah." As he explained, I looked at Christian with an upset gaze.
Well, of course Nicole wanted walkie-talkies. I didn't blame him. Not completely.
"Well... did he do anything to you?" I asked, making sure Christian wasn't drugged or something. That guy could've done anything and he wouldn't know. No offense though. I looked at him impatiently, waiting for an answer.
"No," he replied, almost proudly. Then he added, "The guy ran off with Nicole before I could really react to any of it." I nodded slowly.
It fell silent. Both of us just sat in our thoughts. But then, I instinctively turned my head.
I felt a strong, alluring presence.
The same one from that dream... though I still couldn't quite make out what I was looking at as I turned back.