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Chapter Fourteen


    Another dead. That made, what, four? I no longer felt grief; I felt anger. Why did this have to happen? Why? I kicked the tree. Then started pounding my fists against it, wanting it to go away. Just go away! It was then that I realized I was screaming. There needs to be someone to blame. Someone to blame for all of this! But I know there isn't. It''s no one's fault. No one single person caused this. The scientists were trying to kind a cure, they weren't doing anything wrong. It wasn't their fault. It wasn't Ludwig's fault he was dead. It was mine. It wasn't Ivan's fault he was dead. It was mine. It was the death of another that caused Tallulah to die. So technically my fault too. It was the deaths of others that caused Arthur to snap, and die. All my fault! It was mine! I was the one to blame! I bet if I just decided to end it all, right here and now, no one would miss me. Not a single person. In fact, they would all probably be relieved. No, there was no probably. They would all be relieved because I would finally be gone. Maybe they would actually have a chance if I were to commit suicide. Maybe...

    “Zana, snap out of it!” Dennis gripped my arms and held me back. My hands were bleeding and covered in bits of tree bark. I was pounding that hard...

    A drop of blood dripped from my hand and landed on a Creep's nose. It looked up and started clawing at the tree, trying to climb it. It looked up, and slowly reached for a branch. It held the branch and started pulling itself up, climbing the tree very slowly.

    “Oh my god...” Alfred stared.

    Others started following it's example. The Creeps were climbing the tree...! I looked over and saw that there was branch from another tree just a few feet away, and it looked stable. I ran as fast as I could and jumped.

    “ZANA!” Gilbert yelled.

    I landed on the branch and wobbled a bit, only to regain my balance and stand up straight. I waved to them and climbed father up into the tree.

    The first to jump was Dennis. “This does not look safe...” He landed on the branch and climbed up after me.

    After Dennis, Gilbert jumped and landed perfectly. Then Kiku and Feliciano jumped. After them was Lovino, Yao, and Francis.

    “Come on, Alfred!” I gestured for him to jump. He shook his head violently.

    “I can't! I can't make it!”

    “JUST JUMP!”

    Alfred hesitated, then leaped from the first tree. One of his feet touched the branch, but the other missed. “HELP!” He screamed.

    I dropped down and landed, catching his wrist and pulling him up. “You okay?”

    “Y-yeah. Thanks, man.” He started up the tree to the others, but I paused to look down. None of the Creeps were up to the top of the other tree yet, nor had they seen us go to the other.

    Then after, it was just a matter of jumping from tree to tree, making it all the way to the edge of the forest.

    “Kiku, how far are we from the facility?” I asked.

    He looked down at a piece of paper. “Still a little way, but we can make it.” I breathed in deeply and sighed. Let's get this over with.

    I jumped down from the last tree and surveyed the area before me. It was all grass and wheat. Very dangerous.

    “All right guys. We've traveled about three miles from our last location, so I think we're safe from those last Creeps for a while. Last time I saw, a few of them were wandering off in the opposite direction we are. We can retrace out steps a little bit and set up a camp in the forest, just out of sight range from the field but far enough from the center of the forest, were the Creep attack happened.” I clapped my hands. “Let's get set up.”

    Just then, my cell rang. I checked the I.D. It was Scottie.

    “Yeah?” I answered.

    A scream came through the phone.