AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Molev’s steps slowed, and I saw a collapsed opening ahead. He veered in another direction, taking a different route. We found another blocked passage there too.
The dust was growing thicker, and the rumbling from above hadn’t stopped.
“Wait. Put me down for a second,” I said.
He hesitated.
“We can’t keep going like this.” I coughed, and he finally put me down and watched me strip out of my shirt. Once I had my layers on again, I tore the clean shirt in half and tied the pieces around our faces.
“It’ll help a little.”
He picked me up again and ran with me for almost another hour before we found a miracle. A cave that ended in light.
Molev leapt from boulder to boulder, making his way upward until he had to put me down and we climbed together.
Fresh air and sunlight greeted us at the top.
I collapsed on the grass and tore my shirt away from my face as I stared up at the sky. Molev’s uncovered face blocked my view a second later.
He pressed his forehead to mine and closed his eyes.
I tipped my head up and kissed him lightly.
“We did it,” I said.
He pulled back to look down at me.
“But was it enough?”
I reached up and cupped his cheek in my hand.
“It was. I promise. I saw it when I touched the crystal. The hounds and the infected with the red eyes were connected to the crystal in a way that prevented them from dying but also kept them going. Without the crystal, they fell where they stood. The ones not connected to it are still around, though.”
He grunted and pulled me to my feet. “We should keep moving then.”
I looked around the grassy slope and spotted a road in the distance.
“Let’s head for that,” I said.
We walked for a bit before Molev spotted a mailbox on the road. He opened it and handed me the paper.
“Does it say where we are?” he asked.
“It’s a Morehead Kentucky paper,” I said. “Let’s check the house and see if we can find any supplies.”
We found infected, which Molev killed, and an already cleaned out house. However, we were able to wash up and change clothes.
The next house had been cleaned out as well, but we found keys to the car in the driveway. It didn’t have much gas in it, but that turned out not to be a problem. About ten miles down the road, we came across a cluster of abandoned cars. One had gas cans and a siphon tube in it. The decaying bodies around it and the infected inside of it told the tale.
Molev killed the infected and filled our tank. We continued on, weaving our way along, checking homes and cars until we had food and a map. Near sunset, we found a house with heat and running water.
“Go shower,” I said. “You still have stuff in your hair. I’ll have something warm to eat when you’re done.”
He looked around the house and eventually nodded.
“Keep the door open if you’re worried,” I called.
I wasn’t worried. Not that I had Molev’s instincts or anything. I just knew what the crystal had shown me. The world had once again undergone a major change. Without the crystal’s power, the hounds were dead. I was sure of that after seeing the way the evolved infected had dropped. And even though there were still a lot of unevolved infected out there, I was confident we could deal with them if we were smart.
