#hallucinationsofapuppet

        Moving quietly, I pushed myself to my feet. I strained to listen for any sound that might mean I wasn't alone, and I heard nothing. I knew my way through the school, so I headed for the stairs. I was only on the fourth floor but something ominous told me it was going to be a lot harder to leave this building than before this, virus, happened.         As I rounded the third corner I nearly bumped into a body. It was standing there covered in blood, the substance dripping down the side of his face. I shoved with my hands and opened my mouth to scream but his hand shot forward, covering the sound.         He grabbed my arm and pulled me the rest of the way around the corner and warned me with a "Shhh," before letting me go again.         My heart pounded in my throat and my legs shook.         I didn't recognize this student but it didn't matter right now. What mattered, as I looked over him assessing, was the large bite mark on his forearm. It looked painful; purple, green, red and oozing something nasty. I didn't say anything, instead I followed his line of sight to a corpse that was walking away from us in the opposite direction. It was missing an entire arm, and my stomach flipped. I held a hand over my own mouth and fought the wave of dizziness and nausea, trying not to consider that she may have lost that limb while she was still alive.         The boy I'd run into nodded his head towards the stairwell.         "Come on," he whispered, casting a glance over my shoulder to check that each hallway was clear.         I followed without hesitation. It was comforting in itself not to be alone in this building with the undead, but he also seemed to have a survival instinct that I really didn't have. We could help each other. Still, I couldn't help but glance at his bite wound.         We were halfway down the stairs of the third floor when we heard a scuffling noise that echoed through the concrete walls. My companion held a finger over his lips as if I needed reminding to be quiet, still I nodded. We leaned over the railing to peer down the stairwell, trying to determine if any undead were in the well with us, but there was no one. As we listened, something dripped onto my shoulder. Once, then twice, making a splattering sound as another wet drop hit the same place a third time.         The boy and I looked at each other and then inclined our heads to look up through the stairwell, meeting the ravenous gaze of an undead teacher. Only one flight above us, she half growled, half groaned, her neck oozing the blood that dripped onto me.         Run!" he whispered loudly, trying not to alert any more of those things to our location. We pushed from the railing and ran, jumping the stairs two by two as the corpse pursued too quickly for a dead creature.         Our shoes against the concrete were much too noisy. Below us on the first level the stairwell door burst open, and the undead poured in, climbing the stairs towards us. There was no time to peer through the window of the third floor door to be sure it was clear. The boy leaped down the last four stairs to the landing and yanked it open, grabbing my hand and pulling me through it before pushing it closed. He grabbed a nearby plastic desk chair and jammed the leg through the door handle, keeping it from being able to be opened from the other side.         Without wasting time we scanned our surroundings. There were more of the undead, and they were coming fast. Quickly the boy pulled me to the window and turned the lock, pushing it open like a door. He shoved me through it onto the metal awning of the first floor below without letting me protest. He hopped through the opening after me and pushed the window closed. Ducking under it he pulled me against the wall where we pressed our bodies into it and waited, hoping the undead would be too stupid to realize where we had gone.         After a long minute we relaxed, briefly as it would be. The boy and I made eye contact. There were so many things to be said and so many questions to be asked, but we both knew the other wouldn't have the answers.         So I opted to ask, "Are you ok?" My blue eyes gazed down at the bite on his arm.         "I'm fine," he lied. He moved to the edge of the awning, avoiding my gaze as I noticed that his face had become concerningly pale. Deep purple bags were forming under his eyes and his breathing was uneven.         "Do you think you could jump down from here?" he asked me, looking to see that the area was clear.         I peered over the edge of the awning at the ground and my head spun.         "There's no way!" I protested. "It has to be at least a fifteen foot drop!"         He frowned deeply, considering the options. "Here," he said, grabbing my wrist. "I'll lower you down so you don't have far to fall."         "What about you?" I asked him.         "I'll be right behind you," he said, turning his head to cough. Blood splattered onto the awning beside him and he wiped at his lips.         "Hurry up!" he hissed, pulling my attention away from it. Shakily I laid onto my stomach, dangling my legs over the side. My heart raced.         "Please don't drop me," I begged in a desperate whisper.         We held tightly to each other's right hands and he slid my body back, catching my weight as I dropped closer to the ground.         "Alright," he said, "I'll lower you a little more, and then you'll be able to land on your feet closer to the ground."         But as he said it, the window behind him swung open and two of the undead leaped from it. One landed on his back and he groaned out in pain and surprise. And before I could stop it, he let me go.         I fell, unprepared and without being much closer to the ground, landing painfully on my back. The air sucked from my lungs and I struggled to get it back through the pain, only softened by the grass I laid on. Simultaneously my eyes scanned the edge of the awning for the boy who'd worked so hard to help me. But I didn't see him. I didn't even know his name, not that I would risk calling to him out here in the open.         Scuffling and banging sounds slowly stopped, and I waited for him to jump down. After a long moment, when I began to think something terrible had happened and that he wasn't coming, he appeared at the edge of the awning. I heaved a huge sigh of relief and pushed myself to my feet, waving that I was here and ok. But he just stood there, staring. After another long moment, he leaned forward. Slowly gravity began to bring his body over the edge and I gasped.         He wasn't jumping down, he was falling! And there was nothing I could do to help. I covered my mouth with both of my hands to keep from screaming. His body flipped forward in the air and he landed on his back. I rushed towards him, scraping up my knees as I slid to his side.         "Hey!" I nearly shouted, "What, what happened!? Are you ok!? Open your eyes!"         I shook him, but he didn't respond. I held my hand in front of his mouth but no breath came. I put my ear to his chest, but there was no beating from his heart. My eyes clouded with tears for this boy who may still be alive if he hadn't been trying to help me, a boy who's name I never got to hear.         I needed to get up. I needed to keep moving and find a safe place but I felt hopeless and sick, and too scared to be alone out here. I hugged my knees to my chest and cried for a long few minutes, wiping at tears and smearing blood across my face. Finally I turned to look at the boy one more time to say my thanks and sorrowful goodbye. But as I turned towards him, his body was already descending over mine. I hadn't heard him move to get up over the sound of my own sobbing, and now I would pay the price for it.         I tried to move out of the way but I hadn't noticed in time. His body fell heavily onto mine and crushed me to the ground. I pushed against his jaw with one hand and his shoulder with the other, barely keeping him at bay as I tried to squirm out from under him. He growled and gurgled and struggled to get his mouth closer to my skin. I choked back another sob, my arms aching. I knew I was too weak to hold him off for much longer. I prayed there would be someone, anyone else to come along and help me.         But as my arms gave out, his body closed the rest of the space between us and his teeth sank into the skin of my shoulder. I screamed in pain and fear, the sound echoing through the school grounds and alerting every undead in the vicinity of my location.

       As I neared the open door to the kitchen I could hear men’s voices. They were faint, deeper in the house, and neither of the two I could make out were my little brother. Slowly I crept forward, straining to hear what the voices were talking about and stood in the open doorway of the living room. Across a skinny hallway was the kitchen, and a back door.         I could easily run from this place, I thought.         But I had to find Jace. I took a step into the hallway and the old wooden floor creaked loudly. My heart skipped a beat and the voices stopped. I held my breath, frozen in place, and waited.        After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime, I took another step out into the hall. I stared down the dark corridor debating which direction might lead me to my brother, when a change in the air had the hair on the back of my neck prickling. Slowly I turned to look behind me, just as a huge hand reached out of the darkness and gripped onto my shoulder. I shrieked and yanked myself away, stumbling and falling onto the floor.        Without thinking I sprang to my feet and ran. I could hear the man’s heavy boots pounding down the hallway behind me, closing the distance fast. I dared to peek over my shoulder just as he swung something heavy at me. I screamed and ducked into the closest room, slamming the door shut and locking it. I pressed my back against it, dragging in sharp jagged breaths of air. My legs shook and my heart thudded violently in my chest. Outside the door my abductor slammed his himself against it so hard that it rattled my entire body.        “There’s nowhere to run!” he shouted, laughing as he continued the beat on the door.         It wouldn’t hold much longer. I scanned the room for a window and spotted a body, laying on the floor just below it. It was my little brother!         “Jace!” I shouted, crossing the room and falling to my knees beside him.         “Jace! Jace!” I cried, lifting his body to my chest.         “Jace, wake up. Wake up, please, we have to leave here,” I begged.        Hot tears stung my eyes and streamed down my face, dripping onto his pale cheeks. He groaned and his blue eyes fluttered open. Outside the man worked at the door, and it was beginning to crack down the middle.         “Jay,” I whispered, happiness lacing the worry and fear my voice held.         “I’m going to lift you out that window, ok? When you’re out, run, and don’t look back alright?”         My little brother weakly nodded, still trying to regain full consciousness.        I stood quickly, moving to open the heavy window, struggling with the old wooden pane. When it was lifted only halfway, the door busted and splinters of chipped wood flew into the room, closely followed by our kidnapper. Without wasting a moment I lifted Jace and shoved him through the half opened window.         “Run Jay! Go!” I screamed.         Just as I leaned through the window to pull myself out, a large hand grabbed onto my hair and yanked me back.        Pain shot through my head and my neck, and then through my side and arm where I landed hard on the splinters of wood. I planned to push myself to my feet and run. If I could just survive long enough for Jace to get help, or escape before then... and I knew I could. I would. But before I could finish pushing myself off the ground, there was a loud thud, and the man crumpled to the ground behind me. Behind him stood Jace, holding a wooden post he’d found outside.        He dropped the post and we rushed to the window, pulling ourselves out of it and onto the ground. We hit the grass running, looking at our surroundings and trying to figure out where we were and where to go. But there was nothing. We were in the middle of nowhere. There wasn’t a light in the distance in any direction. No road. Only minimal moonlight to show us an endless expanse of trees and ground.        Behind me I could hear engines revving up. They were coming for us. My heart sank and I choked back a sob. I wouldn’t give up.         “Keep running Jace!” I shouted, but suddenly he was so far away and my voice was too quiet.         Behind me, headlights lit the ground and I turned to change my direction. Jace had gone the opposite way. Before I could think to circle back for him, the sound of helicopters roared through the air. One flew over, towards the house. It was the police at last.        But then something exploded. So big and near that I couldn’t hear a thing. The ground rumbled and my body hurt and I didn’t realize what had happened until I was pushing myself off the ground. Dirt and metal were falling around and on me and I was bleeding from my forehead and my arms and back. My ears rang and my vision blurred. I blinked hard, trying to focus.         “Jay,” I tried to say, determined to get up and find him.        Another explosion shook the ground from somewhere nearby. The traffickers were fighting back against the police. I could see a huge bolder at the bottom of the hill and just beyond that was a cozy looking cabin with a light on. Somehow I knew that if I could just get there, Jace would be there and we would be safe at last. But as I pushed myself painfully to my feet, one of the traffickers stepped in front of me and swung a long heavy object. As it connected with the side of my face I lost consciousness and everything went dark.

        Coming up fast, a narrow bridge materialized into view and my heart stuttered in my chest. I was terrified of bridges and this one lacked sides and railings, there was nothing to keep a careless driver from careening over the edge.         "Weston," I whispered, knowing he wouldn't slow down even if I asked. His smile widened and he pushed the gas pedal to the floor.         "Weston!" I screeched, just as he jerked the wheel to the side.         The tires slid and we spun until the old red truck was facing the opposite direction on the road, but it didn't stop. The back tires dipped, sliding off the edge of the bridge. Metal groaned and for a moment we were suspended in time, before gravity brought the rest of the truck over the edge. I gripped the side of my door and my seat and braced myself as we fell backwards towards the water below.         The truck smashed bed first into the water, slamming us against our seats and knocking the air from our lungs. Instantly the cabin began to fill and I struggled to catch my breath and push my door open. I began to panic as the frigid water started to climb up my legs at a too-rapid pace. Weston was already out of the truck and I realized I was struggling alone. Quickly, my fingers found the vintage window handle and I fumbled to roll it down as the icy water reached my chin. My jaw tightened, trying not to chatter against chills and the adrenaline that the fear shot through my veins.         I tilted my head up and took a deep breath from the last of the air in the cabin as the roof fully submerged. Gripping the edge of the window I pulled myself through and out the opening as the vehicle faded into the darkness of the deep ship channel. Fighting against the pull of the truck I swam to the surface, breaking through to inhale deep painful breaths of the cold night air. My blonde hair and thick sweater clung to my skin and I was too scared to kick off my shoes that were weighing me down, as if they could help protect me from whatever lurked in these waters.         Desperately I searched for land.         "Weston!" I called again and again.         My voice and my body shook almost violently against the cold. But suddenly, there was no land or bridge in sight. I turned around, wading in the frigid water to see my grandmother, laying on a strange shelf of water. It was as if a block of water protruded up from the sea and she reached her hand out to me. I swam quickly to her and tried to climb onto it but I couldn't. Even though the block of water acted as a solid, it was too slippery to climb up and no matter how hard we tried, my grandmother just didn’t have the strength to help.         Suddenly behind me I could hear Weston scream for help.         I turned to see the water churning and splashing as he yelled, "Sharks!" My heart sank and my classmate was yanked under the water. Frozen in fear, unable to get to my grandma or land, my body trembled and my teeth chattered. My eyes stung with tears as red stained water began to cloud around me. I turned to my grandma and she reached out to hold my hand as she apologized again and again, and I waited for my turn to die.