“Oh, don’t give me that. I found myself a deer and if you perform well, I’ll get you a steak.”
He’s lying. He tries this from time to time, buttering me up when he’s placed a bet. Fuck him. Fuck them all.
“That new guy seems interesting,” my other handler says. I never learned their names. I’m sure if I thought about it long enough, I would remember but I don’t want to remember. They’ve dehumanized me and this is my way of fighting back. They don’t get to have space inside my head. “He’s already doing security sweeps of the camp.”
“Really? Saul doesn’t usually let people do that so soon.”
“Apparently Saul trusts him. He’s got dogtags, maybe he’s military or something.”
“I don’t care as long as he knows his place and doesn’t require us to pull his dead weight around.”
Everyone tries to funnel the zombies towards me so that I can fight them until the sun comes out. The first time I gave up and let a zombie bite me, I thought everything would finally be over. The universe has a sick sense of humor because after excruciating pain and a fever hot enough to burn people when they checked on me, I came out the other side totally fine.
I woke up with a scar on my arm but that’s it, the rest of me was back to normal.
Now, my body is covered in bites and scratches. Every time, these assholes nurse me back to health. I’m their only form of entertainment and they’ll never let anything bad actuallyhappen to me. It’s maddening, a cycle I can’t seem to break on my own.
I smell the blood immediately thanks to my werewolf senses. I pretend not to notice, not wanting to tip off the people around me. I have no idea who’s bleeding, only that someone is. They’re circling the camp, leaving blood behind as they go. Soon enough, the zombies are going to smell it as well. Their blood lust is going to take over and they’ll attack the camp. They’re going to go full-on berserk.
Once I put the pieces together, I realize what’s going on. Hope, that had long ago died, revives itself inside of my chest. That new guy is covering the camp with his blood. That’s his plan. He’s going to use the zombies as a distraction to free me.
I get off the ground, standing up and preparing myself. Now I get why he told me to save my strength. With the silver around my neck, I’ll never be at full strength but I have enough juice to fight my handlers. If I can survive wave after wave of zombies, Iwillsurvive these two.
They start a fire. This is their routine. They try to get this area of the camp well lit. This is where the majority of the noise comes from. This is where they try to bring the zombies. Tonight, that will only lead the zombies to the blood, playing right into the new guy’s hand.
I smell smoke. It’s coming from the very back of the camp, the corner that’s furthest away from me. No one else has noticed but I can smell it even with a campfire right next to me.
My heart is racing inside of my chest. Adrenaline starts to course through me, my muscles practically shaking with anticipation. It’s only a matter of time. One way or another, Iwillbe free of this place. I don’t care what it takes.
People are coming to the area. The sun goes down, the zombies get faster, and people start to place their bets, that’show nights usually go. Tonight will be different. I can smell it in the air, I can feel it in my chest. Tonight is the night.
The crowd grows bigger and bigger. The smell of smoke is thick, yet no one other than me seems to notice, the fire in front of us masking everything else. Already I can see a handful of zombies stumbling in our direction. They come from all sides. These people have become too complacent to even realize they’re in danger. They’re so focused on me and their stupid betting game that they haven’t noticed that zombies are coming from every direction instead of where they try to funnel them. They’re going to hit the camp before these assholes realize they’re under attack.
Chaos. The new guy is causing chaos and using that as a way to hide in plain sight. Everyone will be so freaked out by the zombies they won’t even think to check on me. By the time they do, hopefully I’ll already be gone.
“Do you hear that?”
I stay completely still, waiting.
“What’s all that commotion?”
“What’s going on?”
“Someone go check it out!”
People start to scatter until I’m left with only my two handlers. I can hear people starting to run about, starting to shout. Along with the people inside the camp, I can also hear zombies. Their steps start to pick up speed, no doubt as they get the scent of blood in their nose. The bloodlust will start to take over and they’ll become uncontrollable. They’ll tear this entire place apart.
One of my handlers grabs my collar, holding me tight. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but don’t you fuckingdaredo something stupid, puppy.”
Before I can react, a dagger comes flying over my head. I hear it whistle through the air and a moment later, there’s a wetsquelch as it finds its mark. My handler goes down, a dagger sticking out of his eye.
“What the hell?”
My other handler gets the same exact treatment. If circumstances were different, I think I would find this guy’s competence incredibly sexy. Instead, all I can think about is getting this stupid collar off my throat.
I grab my handler, rummaging through his pockets until I find a key. I bring it to my throat but my hands are shaking and the angle is all wrong. I’m so close to escaping yet, I can’t seem to get myself free. Frustration rises up inside of me until a pitiful murmur escapes me, sounding like a kicked dog.
“Hey,” the new guy says, kneeling down between the two bodies. He pulls out his daggers, sliding them back into his thigh holster. Then he turns his eyes towards me. “Let me unlock you.”
