บท 7: First Encounter
I cleared my throat. I pretended not to hear his reply, " I have successfully spoke with my father and I promised him I'll stay here in school until he comes for me. So right now I have to look for a safe place and enough food to last me until he gets here." I started to tell him my plan.
*Ahem* " This is the gist of my plan. How about you? Are you going to leave the school?"
" For now looking for a safe place is my top priority. It is highly possible that what is happening here in school is also happening everywhere. Staying or leaving the school will be the same."
I can't help but nod at what he said, the situation that I heard when I was speaking with my father was a proof of that. It really was dangerous anywhere.
Biting my lips, I looked at him as he continued to fix his bag. It seems like it was the things he found which he decided to keep.
" Say... Since your plan is similar to mine.... Would you like to stay together?" I bowed my head as I asked him.
My voice grew smaller and smaller as I spoke. Honestly thought I was planing to stay here, I was truly uncomfortable with the idea of being alone so I was actually happy when he said that he will stay here. Thought I was not sure until when, having another companion was reassuring.
" Fei..."
The voice I heard was very near me, astonished looked up. Unexpectedly and unknowingly Dale had walked so near that there were just few inches separating our bodies. I was directly looking at him.
As I gazed into his cold and deep eyes and him to mine, I had a feeling that something unbelievable just happened. However at this moment I didn't know what to call this unfathomable feeling coming from and the cause.
"Then I will be in you care for this duration." Because of my sudden daze, I was only able to hear this last sentence when I came to from my daze.
I feel embarrassed without knowing why but I also can't hide my happiness with his reply. Knowing I have someone with me somehow I feel so safe. I cleared my throat, and smiled at him. "Please take care of me."
We were silent for several minutes before he spoke.
" So what should we do next? Look for a safe place or look for food."
"Um... Actually, I have planned to go to the library after this."
"Library? Why?"
Since he is already my companion I didn't want to hide what I planned so I told him all about the child I spoke with.
"..." Dale seemed to be in deep thought so I decided to wait. I did not even notice how I value his opinion on this matter.
" I understand." After a while, he looked at me silently and said. " We have to go to the library quickly before it gets too dark."
Breathing a sigh of relief, I quickly help Dale look over the things we can bring. Maybe because the things have been already scavenge by my other classmates, we only got few items and no food at all.
Shouldered his backpack, he walked towards the window.
" We will use the window to go out. It is better to use it than to waste time unblocking the door."
It does sound reasonable, since my classmates put effort to blocking both doors of the class room it will take a long time to remove it. So we decided to go to the same room I came from.
Going back to the room where the kid was staying, I decided to check up on him before we leave towards the library. Seeing that he was still sleeping, I felt reassured. During this time, Dale seemed to be too quite but I decided that it was his natural personality – silent and cold.
Dale decided to leave his bag and just brought the most essential items. We decided to make this journey fast as possible. So we left right after our fast preparation.
Just as I was ready and pump-up for this trip, He suddenly stopped after we closed the door.
"We can be considered as companions now however before anything else, I want to make clear about something."
His seriousness was very apparent. I had a feeling that what ever he wanted to say is something important so I earnestly looked at him with the same seriousness.
"In life and death, In order to survive I will not hesitate to abandon you. This, remember well."
The words he said was like a knife that suddenly woke me to reality. I unconsciously bit my lower lip as I closed my eyes. I knew, but I didn't want to acknowledge...
'Companions' This words I said, I knew I was looking at this word as if finding someone that I can depend on and someone who will depend on me. Like a dream I was waving this word as something beautiful and treated it like something that can be established with just few words.
If this word was used before the end of the world, It might not have a heavy meaning however now, where life and death is at stake, it is not easy to just give up your life for someone you barely knew.
I knew this but I decided not to think about it too deeply. However now, I have no way to just brush it aside. His honest and straightforward words was his way of showing his sincerity to our cooperation which I wanted to also (reciprocate).
Stabilizing my inner fillings I opened my eyes and replied, "I understand. I will not demand anything."
He looked a me deeply as I looked at him. The him which was cold and calm that somehow with just his presence gave the grim atmosphere a little bit more acceptable for me.
I wanted to tell him that he did not need to do anything, because for me his mere existence was enough to give me courage. But this was something I will never tell him.
"Good." He said as he turned and moved forward towards the stairs going to the 5th floor.
Looking at his back, I don't why but I suddenly felt that Dale was so different from the one in my memory. He might have been alone and isolated in class before however the feeling I was getting from him was more than before.
He was much more cold with a heavy feeling of desolation. It was like he has been alone for too long that he naturally gave off this detached aura. I don't know if this change was because of his experience at the start of this apocalypse or something else but I wanted to believe that he was still that same boy I have noticed before. Quite and stiff around others but was more kind than anyone else I know.
…....
In accordance to our plan, We decided to retrace the way I came from since during my journey here I have not met with any zombie. It was the safest way I know since I have already been through it.
During our journey towards the library, I noticed that nothing change since I left the clinic.
The smooth travel made me suspicious because of the missing presence of the zombies on our way however he seemed just as puzzled as me. With no idea of the reason, we decided to just put the matter aside.
Before long we were able to reach the library.
In front of the big door going to the library, I can't help but suddenly feel something bad was just beyond this door. It was giving a bad case of goosebumps.
"Dale..."
"Shss..." I was about to talk to him when he suddenly gestured to be silent. I don't know if he feels the same way but decided to believe him, so when he cautiously opened the door and entered with soft steps, I also copied him.
Inside the library the scene that greeted us was the same I usually see when I had spent my time here with my friend.
The whole library had a very classic look which I have really liked. The floor and the ceilings made of dark wood, It also had floor-to-ceiling windows that did not make the place fell stuffy.
The whole library has two floors – where you can see the whole first floor from the second floor, The first floor has many long reading tables for students to read while the walls where adorned many bookshelf filed with books that was of general selection. The second floor was entirely for books which was categorized in sections neatly.
This place was so familiar that I knew it like the back of my hands. However as the crimson sunlight drifted inside the floor-to-ceiling windows and illuminating the wide library room in a dark blood color made great contrast to the dark and gloomy scene at the edge of the room where the sunlight can't reach. It gave an amazing effect that gave the place a very unfamiliar and dangerous felling.
I scanned the room as took note of everything as I followed Dale towards the nearest long reading table.
The row after row of neatly lined up long reading tables was currently empty and doesn't even have any hint of being affected by the chaos outside.
It was then that a hair raising feeling caught my attention. The feeling of someone or something looking at me made me chilled. Like an instinctive response, I evidently looked up to where the second-floor balcony was and through the darkness between the bookshelves came two glowing red color. It was like a small eerily swaying fire.
"D-dale..." I can't help but call out to dale who was still looking around the first floor. Without removing my eyes from that glow, I reached my cold and sweat covered hands to pull Dave's sleeves.
Then before my mind can understand what happened, I was sliding on the smooth wooden floor because of a strong force that pushed me away from where I was.
My vision was spinning and before I can even shout, My body hit something hard and I was only able to let out a muffled groan. The pain nearly got me to faint but I was able to hold on because of my worry of Dale. I slowly sat up and look at the area where I was just standing moments ago.
'What monster Is this?!'
There in the well-lit area where I and Dale was standing moments ago was a monster. There was no other way I can describe this creature but the word monster.
This monster was not a zombie. It was so different from those zombies I saw outside. Usually the zombies will still have the same appearance of the human that died. It was literally walking dead, meaning they were not as large and deformed as this monster in front of me.
It still has some human characteristic like it's head and limbs however its supposedly hands and feet became so long and thin that it looked like skin in bones with claws. This monster was more like a skinny big cat than a human.
As I subconsciously looked at the monster, It must have felt me and looked my way.
I saw a face which was hollowed and was exaggeratedly enlarged with The two eerie light that I saw before in the second floor.
'It seems those red glow was monster's eyes.' This thoughts suddenly flashed and dissipated as quickly and replaced by fear and panic as the monster slowly approached.
'I should do something!' I scream in my mind unfortunately my body was already frozen stiff, unable to move much less to run.
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