System Of The Undead

Chapter 328: Story’s Conclusion PT. 2

Carl was fighting for his life but he only had a chance at life because of Lillian but this was the least of their problems.

Everyone was still shaken up by what had happened but they didn’t lose many people. The comfort that had shielded them from the cruelty of this world was gone.

That safety net was taken from beneath their feet and they would soon experience the world just as it was.

Mariam stayed beside her son, holding his hand as she prayed that God spared him.

She thought this was her punishment for killing her husband but she only did what she thought was right.

Mariam held his hand as Mathias and Lillian made sure he was still alive by occasionally checking up on him so they would do what was necessary should he pass away.

And to keep Mariam safe because they knew she wouldn’t be able to deal the finishing blow.

That would leave her vulnerable and the risk of the infection spreading within their new stronghold was high.

This was something they knew they could prevent and had to, there was no telling if the zombies had followed but even if they did, what difference did it make?

They wouldn’t be here until a couple of days but there was limited information to support this claim. The men in charge of protecting the fallen community immediately went out to scout the surrounding area.

They moved in a net-like circular formation with the safe zone at the epicentre, this way there were no zombies that could slip past them and should they encounter any, everyone would be informed despite their distance due to the break in the formation.

They had to make sure that these creatures weren’t in the vicinity, they had caused enough panic.

They couldn’t let the others come into contact with them as they settled in what could be their new home.

Lillian was showing a side to her that she hadn’t before and that was care, she wouldn’t have been bothered if Carl lived or died.

He was bitten and should be left for dead but she attempted to save his life.

Rachel was the only one who cared enough to show this side but slowly, she was beginning to care about everyone within the community regardless of who they were to her.

She wasn’t going to let anyone else die if she could help it, that was one of the few things that was within her control and she was going to make sure this place stands so her sister has somewhere to return to.

Shantel walked up beside her and noticed that the little girl looked exhausted, it was like she would pass out at any given moment but this was one of the things that came with this world.

That was responsibility, a responsibility that no child should have to carry.

Shantel knew in the absence of her sister, she would need an adult to confide in and that was the role she was willing to play.

She noticed how close she was to Jason until his sudden disappearance and never asked how she coped because assumed that Lillian would hate her if she knew about her situation with Jason.

"Are you okay?" Shantel asked her even though she was nervous as she didn’t know how she would react.

"Tired as shit," Lillian responded, her words had become more foul as she spoke without a censor.

"I can tell," Shantel responded with a giggle but that was when Lillian placed a hand over her mouth.

"I did it again, didn’t I?" Lillian muttered to Shantel, the older lady couldn’t help but giggle at this sight.

"It is fine, you can speak freely with me," Shantel reassured her because she was aware that this was the quickest way to encourage her to let her guard down around her.

"Hahaha! I apologize for my language, I was told that young women shouldn’t cuss so much," Lillian said but Shantel didn’t know how to respond to this so an awkward silence followed.

"Nice weather we are having," Shantel said and Lillian had a look of surprise on her face right before giggling like a maniac.

"WHO SPEAKS LIKE THAT?" Lillian questioned, this felt like something straight out of a movie that not only showed poor communication skills but more importantly, her nervousness.

She was glad she was able to get a laugh from Lillian, even if it came at her expense.

She knew that this was something she needed to get her mind off what was happening around her.

"I have to say, your call on Carl was spot on, how did you know it would work?" Shantel changed the subject, she knew it must have had some sort of effect on her psych.

"I didn’t know, it was a gamble and we are not in the clear yet. We don’t know if he will wake up as the living or the dead," Lillian said, the look on her face showing some worry regarding Carl’s uncertain fate.

"What matters the most is that we tried our best," Shantel responded, knowing that she wouldn’t have made that call in the heat of the moment.

The thought wouldn’t have crossed her mind making this decision all the more impressive.

Shantel had broken the ice with Lillian and didn’t want to push it any further.

"You’re right, I have to make sure I do my best while my sister is away," Lillian responded.

But this was the end of their conversation, they hoped that Carl would pull through because he had lost a lot of blood.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he had gone past the point of no return.

-

Bella was in the room with this man for a few hours and she saw how his health slowly deteriorated but he was still in there as he said those words written down on the piece of paper given to her.

Bella was cautious, she didn’t know why she remained here because she wasn’t even sure what kind of person he would be if that line was crossed.

The glow on his hand had spread throughout his body, he was like a living torch with his nerves glowing pink right beneath his skin.

"Does it hurt?" Bella asked him but he shook his head.

"It feels... good," The Specter responded with a smile on his face, the fact that he rarely smiled made this all the more creepy.

She gripped her gun firmly, ready to put a bullet in his head should the need arise.

"You can leave Bella, I think I will be just fine," The Specter said, the change in his tone evident.

"Are you sure?" Bella asked but she didn’t get a reply, he just stared at her blankly like it was something else he was seeing.

"....Hello?" Bella called out but the man’s eyes took on the pink hue that coursed through his veins.

Bella slowly removed her gun from the holster because she knew that the changes occurring in the man before her weren’t natural.

"ARRRGGGHHH!" He screamed suddenly, forcing Bella to stumble from her seat and by the time she readjusted her gaze, he was nowhere to be seen.

"What the fuck was that!?" Bella thought out loud as she immediately got up to her feet, taking a hasty 360-degree spin to see if she could establish visuals on him but to no avail.

But there was no way he could leave this room that fast, there was no way in hell but she wasn’t one to doubt it.

She had to get the fuck out of there and without hesitation, she dashed towards the door but she bumped into something or would it be more accurate to say someone.

"You should have left when you had the chance," The Specter said but Bella knew there was a chance he was messing around even though he never did so all the time she knew him.

If anything, he was the one who was the most serious out of all of them.

"What is the word?" Bella asked him but all that she saw was a grin across his face.

"Who the fuck cares..." These were the last words from his lips before he lunged at her.

-

The lady that Sam had spared was on her way to the camp, she didn’t know how far she needed to go but it felt like an eternity. She was fortunate to find a vehicle but it didn’t go far before breaking down.

However, she was able to cover a lot of distance during the period the car was up and running even though she was stranded now.

This didn’t bother her, if Sam wanted to get rid of her he wouldn’t use such an elaborate means to do so, he would simply take her life.

It was that easy but why did Sam need help from the military?

If anything, this would explain his combative skills, he was a former soldier and the lady was slowly beginning to catch on.

But she noticed on her way there that all the zombies seemed to be heading in one direction, they usually wandered but mile after mile, they walked in a single direction.

That was West like worker ants being recalled to the hive.

Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.