Episode 5: Faded

Episode 5

"Faded"

(This Part of the Story is From Jeff's Point of View)

"I think I'm going to go get some fresh air." I said, heading for the front door.

"Whoa man, are you sure about that?" Terrence asked me, walking towards me.

"Yeah, I need to think about some things. I won't go far."

"Alright, but be careful. You could barely stand up earlier."

"I will." I said, and with that I opened the front door and headed out. I looked around, it was pretty cold. There was a whole lot of nothing out there. Just a frozen forest. Everything looked the same, and it was easy to get lost. I need to find Kayla and Brandy. If that means leaving the group, then that's just what I will have to do. I walked over to the window of the cabin. I looked inside the living room and saw everyone. This will probably be the last time I see them. I looked at Ned, he was a big help in us getting this far. He got us to the laboratory, where we now know more about the stranglers. Without him, we wouldn't have had as much as an advantage against them. I then looked at Julie, she was a good leader. She is probably the best choice for one behind Jess and and Mark. She's too young to be one, but someday if she lives that far, she will be a great leader. I then looked at Jess and Mark. The two people holding this group together. Mark was sick, and I was pretty sure he was infected. What is Jess going to do without him? I don't want to be around for it. This group isn't going to last much longer. I can see people going their separate ways, and that's it.

"Well," I said to myself, "Let's go find your daughter Jeff."

I started walking away from the cabin, freezing already. This was going to suck, but this is my only choice. It's only a matter of time before they kick me out of the group themselves. I've gotten to much of a hassle for the group. I went from leading them to victory defeating Derrick, to pretty much destroying them after Gus's attack. My time is over.

The snow was crunching under me, and my feet were numb. I couldn't feel anything. My lips felt blue, which they probably were, and I had only been walking for about twenty minutes. I took a look back, and saw the small figure of a house in the distance. The cabin where everyone else was. I sighed and kept walking forward. I looked at my fingers, which were practically blue. I closed them into fists to warm them up. But that wasn't helping. I shoved them into my pockets, but then pulled them back out thinking if a strangler attacked, I would be helpless. I felt for my pistol in my back pocket, good thing it was still there.

"Jeff." said a voice behind me.

I turned around and saw Jess standing behind me.

"Jess?" I asked.

"Come back, we are all waiting for you. You need to come back and reclaim your spot as leader again. You were the best leader we ever had."

"R-really?" I asked.

"No." said another voice behind me.

I turned around and saw Sabrina standing there.

"You are not a good leader at all," she said, "You ruined the group! Kayla and Brandy are probably dead because of you!"

I turned back around to see Jess was gone. She was never there to begin with. It was all in my mind. I turned back around to see Sabrina gone too. I know that wasn't really Sabrina. She would support me, she knows I didn't break the group. It was all Gus's fault. I know it. I shook it off and started walking again, looking for Kayla.

(This Part of the Story is From Jess's Point of View)

I held onto Mark, and tried keeping tears from falling down my face. But it didn't work, I was crying uncontrollably. Mark can't die, he can't. I looked at his skin, which was turning almost white. He was really pale, and he was cold.

"Feel his heartbeat," Ned suggested, "It goes faster when you turn."

I already knew that, but the truth was I didn't want to. If I felt his heartbeat, and felt it going extremely fast. My world would be over. I was afraid.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" Elise asked.

"No, thank you. I'm fine." I said.

I took a deep breath in and felt his chest. His heartbeat was going at a normal speed. I sighed and started crying of relief at the same time. I wasn't out of the woods yet, he could still very well turn. This was a good sign though.

"So?" Ned asked.

"It's good." I cried.

"That's good," he said, "Just keep tabs on it."

I got up from the couch and headed over to Elise, who was sitting peacefully on her rocking chair.

"I never got a chance to thank you," I said, "For saving us. We would have all been dead if it weren't for you guys."

"It's nothing," she said, "We have saved tons of people in the past. We find survivors in need of help, we help them out and they're on their way. I was a nurse before all of this. I know how to take care of people."

"And I am sorry about Jeff. A lot has happened to him lately, I wouldn't hold it against him. He once was a really strong leader for us. He has just reached his breaking point now." I said.

"I guess I'll let it slide. This world hasn't exactly done nice things to the human race now has it? If you don't mind me asking, what happened to him, to make him so angry?"

"A lot of things," I said, "First, a woman and a group of assassins attacked us. We lost three people because of her. Including my brother. Then, a few weeks later we were attacked by this horrible man. He locked us up and beat Jeff. He then killed his girlfriend, slit her throat right in front of him. We then escaped, and Jeff demanded we went back for revenge. When we did, we were successful, but Jeff's best friend was killed in the war. Stranglers infested our home after that and we were forced out of it, into the cold. Then, after all of that, stranglers attacked us and split our group up. Jeff's daughter is missing."

"Oh my god, how much more can he take?" Elise asked, "I've heard a lot of stories from the survivors we've saved, but nothing like that."

Terrence then ran into the room with Ryan. He looked panicked, they were both wearing their hunting gear, and looked ready to go outside.

"What's wrong?" Elise asked.

"Jeff, he's gone," Terrence said, "He told me he was going outside to get some fresh air, but now he's missing."

"Shit," I said, getting up, "We have to find him. He probably ran off looking for his daughter and Brandy."

"You don't have to come," Terrence said, "We'll find him."

"No, Jeff is like family to me. No matter how many mistakes he's made in the past. It doesn't matter. I am coming with you guys."

"Alright, we can't stop you. Let's just get you some hunting gear, and you'll be set. Ryan, go get Jess some gear."

Ryan nodded and ran off to go get some stuff for me. I hope Jeff is okay, he is not ready to be out there yet. He will freeze up and die soon if a strangler hasn't gotten to him by then. Then, out of nowhere Mark started coughing. He was waking up! I turned around and ran over to him on the couch.

"Mark!" I yelled, "Are you there?"

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at me. He brought his hand out to me and touched my cheek.

"Are you okay?" I asked, tears running down my face.

"I'm fine." he said with a croaky voice.

(This Part of the Story is From Jeff's Point of View)

Everything looked exactly the same, I thought I was going crazy in here. This forest was the same thing, everywhere I looked. I had no idea where I was, I was freezing, and everything was the same. I collapsed into the snow and started crying. I haven't cried in a very long time. This almost felt good to be crying so much. I guess this is where I die, I kept thinking to myself. After everything I've been through, I am going to freeze to death in the middle of a damn forest. Wow. Suddenly, the snow turned red. I must have been hallucinating again. This wasn't right. All the snow all around me turned blood red. I got up and looked around. I was in the mall. I realized that this wasn't snow, this was blood. I looked around, I was alone in a room with Sabrina. She was lying on the ground with her throat cut, blood pouring out and flooding the whole room. I panicked, I needed out of here.

"Let me out!" I yelled, "I don't need this!"

"Jeff." said a voice.

I turned around to see Sabrina, and Gus was behind her. She was smiling and reaching out for me, she didn't see Gus.

"Sabrina behind you!" I yelled.

It was too late, Gus came up behind her and slit her throat. It was all happening over and over again. I freaked out. I attacked Gus and threw him to the ground. I started punching his face over and over again, just like I did last time. I then saw Derrick run up behind me, I kicked him in the stomach. He fell to the ground. I picked him up by his neck and snapped it with one single pull. Timothy came running at me out of nowhere, that demented person who dressed up like a kid at that arcade.

"I remember you." I said.

He ran at me, I punched him across the face. I pinned him down on the ground and punched him over and over again.

I then saw a bunch of soldiers from Gus's squad charge at me. I pulled out my pistol and shot them down one by one. It went on for quite a long time, but I took them all down. I started getting a massive headache, I fell to the ground again. The blood turned back to snow, and I looked around me. I was back in the forest. There were a bunch of dead stranglers lying all around me. I saw them as my enemies, Gus, Derrick, and Timothy. I saw them instead of the actual stranglers. I went on a massive rampage and killed every strangler around me. I got up and looked at my hands, which were completely coated in blood. It was dripping off of me and into the snow. I looked into the sky and started yelling.

"Why can't you just kill me already?" I screamed, "I'm right here! I've got nothing left. Just kill me already! Do it!"

Nothing happened though, I was just sitting in the snow, alone. This is my fate, to be alone forever. At least I can't ruin anymore lives by being alone. I laid down and closed my eyes, I guess I'll just die here. There is nothing more I can do. Kayla is gone, I am never going to find her. I just hope she is doing alright wherever she is. She needs to survive. I took one last shaky breath, and prepared for death.

(This Part of the Story is From Kayla's Point of View)

I ran over to Doug, who was whimpering by the tree he was thrown at.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

He whimpered, I think his ribs were broken or something.

"Come on." I said, while picking him up.

He was pretty heavy, but I did it. I carried him away from the tree and started moving, expecting Brandy to follow me, but he didn't.

"You coming?" I asked him.

He was holding his arm and lying on the ground motionless.

"Brandy?" I asked in a panic.

I placed Doug down gently and ran over to him. His hand was gripping onto his arm and he looked really pale, more than ever. I grabbed his hand and moved it away from his arm. His wound has gotten way worse. It was red all around, and the wound was yellow. It looked really bad.

"A-am I gonna die?" he asked me in a shaky voice.

"No," I said, "It's just an infection. If we can get some antibiotics soon we can save you."

The sad truth was that I don't think we are going to find any antibiotics out in the middle of the forest.