We snuck around a large rock that hid me and Chloe well enough that alternates wouldn't be able to find us. In the corner of my eyesight I immediately spotted one of them around a tree and another one… a human?
My body broke out into a cold sweat. I tapped Chloe on the shoulder. "Chloe, we have to help that person." I whispered. Her face turned into unease after I said that.
"We can't marie, it's too risky. We'll both get killed and then what?" Chloe threw back in an airy voice that was brittle as ever. She was right, if we attempted to do anything foolish it could cost us our lives.
The rain was starting to calm down and sunlight was breaking through a few clouds. I had felt a sense of hope. As if someone beyond the clouds might see our dilemma and try and help us out.
I swallowed my pride for a moment and sighed, "You're right." Then a shocking scream sounded from the man who was struggling against the alternates infection.
It was bloodcurdling as if you could hear life and death at the same time. A desperate attempt to not die. My eyes had widened in terror.
"No- no…Please–" The man screamed as the alternate overpowered him and leaked acidic juices from his mouth onto the poor man's skin and hair. He fought back desperately but he wasn't strong enough. I couldn't believe my eyes, I began shaking and looked back at Chloe who couldn't take her eyes away from what was happening.
"We have to go Chloe." I grabbed her arm and got up and moved towards the other direction that was open and didn't allow for us to hide. We were approximately around 1 mile or so from the river that August was.
We kept on moving until we made it to a tree. That was when I thought we were safe only to realise we had been noticed. The alternate growled heavily desperate to find us. It reverberated and echoed for a moment. The sound travelled towards us.
We made enough distance but it wouldn't be enough if it started making it's way here. I pointed my Y bracket at the monster that was gruelling for life and pressed the trigger. There was no hesitation. No thoughts. Just eliminate.
But it suddenly jammed. The alternate approached closer and closer falling over a sunken patch of grass trying to reach us.
"Fuck, fuck fuck." I shook the gun over and over to make it work again. I pointed it once more. It jammed. And again. It jammed again.
I hadn't known what I would do without my gun.
There was steam coming out from the ammo cartridge. I could feel heat wrap around my hands quickly making me break into a sweat unsure of what to do.
Without hesitation I threw the gun as far as I could towards the direction of the alternate.
I waited for a moment to see what would happen. And just as I was watching a little pop of sparks spat out from the gun which distracted the alternate for a moment. In a moment of confusion it looked back at me and then the gun exploded.
Shrapnel flew everywhere. There was hot slime that burst almost everywhere it could land almost reaching me. I quickly shifted around the tree to avoid burns.
The toxicity of it would be fatal if it had touched skin, but luckily enough the tree gave me and Chloe cover.
I could smell the scent of something burning near me. A cedar scent. Then I had noticed, it was the wood of the tree that was burning. I grabbed Chloe's arm again but this time she was struggling to get up.
"We have to go Chloe!" I shouted. "If we don't this tree is going to collapse and kill us both."
Chloe looked out of energy and quite on the verge of death. If she died, she wouldn't be affected by the altnerates or the blips, but they would use her corpse as a way of food which would put me at a disadvantage. They'd have an alot more energy once theyd ate her body and then easily catch up to me.
"O...one second..." She huffed some air out of her lungs. "I think you should just leave me here Marie."
"What?!" I exclaimed, "we have to go and see your son and husband. You can't die now!"
"I can- I can't get up." Chloe struggled to move at all. But I didn't.
I grabbed her whole body and hoisted her onto my back. We were in the open now.
I looked to the burning alternate who's bleeding eye was damaged with pieces of rotten skin peeling off. But it didn't kill it fully. Meaning I had to start moving. The enraged creature would definitely start chasing me.
I kept on moving more and more until I was back into the forest and out of sight from the alternate.
I dropped Chloe onto the floor and collapsed in exhaustion. "Chloe?" I asked. Voice dry as if I had travelled in the Sahara desert.
She turned to me slowly. "Are- are we there?" Chloe whispered. "Are we...."
Her mouth slowly moved. I got up and slapped her over and over to try and wake her up. Her heart was still beating. But if I didn't have a move on, she'd be dead before the time she'd get to see her son. And I couldn't let that happen.
We were on the move again. The stonewalker was no longer sitting at the top of the hill and decided to sleep nearby. It seemed to be hiding within it's shell away from the world. I would too if i had a shell. Well I did have one and decided to leave.
I huffed and heaved along the track back to the rocky terrain where it would lead me back to the river where August and Arlo would possibly be. All this time I spent helping these people could have been used to travel to the border.
I shook of my worries and thought more positively about the situation that I was in right now. Helping people was better than not helping people I suppose.
"T-t-th..." Chloe tried speaking. "Th...ank...you".
"Please rest your voice dear, I don't want you to struggle anymore than you already have to." I replied. Her warm embrace on my back felt truly real. All these years of depression and suicidality had started fading away as I could feel myself become more and more of a better human being by just helping people.
After a while we made it to the river where I could see August and Arlo laying on the grass with their hoods up. The rain had came back again.
Something within my stomach couldn't help but crawl up my throat and out of my mouth. I spat out a chunk of black ink onto the grass violently as if my body couldn't control it self.
'its getting worse.'