Page 31 of Surviving Her

“You ought to know I’m immune, darlin’,” he continued. “Got bit over a week ago, right when all this shit broke out. Not a damn thing happened. So I reckon I’m special.”

River raised her eyebrows in doubt. He was standing way too close, and he had a grayish tinge to his skin. He certainly looked like one of the undead, and he smelled like one, too. “Are you sure about that?” she asked, her voice low. “Because you look like one. You even move a little like one.”

His face twisted with rage, his eyes turning wild as he shoved his finger in her face. “Zombies don’t talk, bitch! So why don’t you shut the fuck up before you really start to piss me off?”

River’s pulse spiked, but she didn’t back down. “You’re right,” she said, her voice calm but icy. “Zombies don’t talk. But you sure as hell don’t look human.”

The man’s hand shot out, reaching toward her collar. River ducked, narrowly dodging his grasp, but he was fast—too fast for someone who was infected. His fingers grazed her skin and she felt a surge of disgust. Her injured arm flared with pain, but she couldn’t focus on that now. Her mind raced, trying to calculate his next move.

“You think you can just walk away from this?” His voice was laced with venom as he ran toward her again, this time grabbing her injured arm. His grip was firm, crushing her muscles and making her cry out in pain.

With pain radiating up her arm, she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her break. She swung her free arm, her fist connecting hard with his throat. The impact made him choke, a strangled sound escaping his lips as his grip loosened just enough for her to wrench herself free.

She stumbled backward, her foot catching on something sharp. A piece of broken metal sliced through her boot, sending a jolt of pain through her foot, but she couldn’t stop moving. She hobbled back, her eyes locked on the man as he recovered, his face contorted with fury.

“Bitch!” he spat, clutching his throat. “You’re gonna regret that.”

River’s heart pounded in her chest, every instinct screaming at her to run. But she stood her ground, muscles tensing, ready for his next attack. The guy had the unnatural motions of the infected, but his mind was still intact.

He’s probably high…

She could feel his rage simmering, boiling over as he advanced again. But this time, she was ready.

“Get the hell away from me!” she snapped.

As she stumbled to create some distance between them, her foot caught on a shard of broken metal. The sharp edge cut through her boot, slicing into her skin, but she had no time to register the pain. She was already hobbling away, the sound of his protests fading as she picked up her pace.

When she finally slowed, the town had thinned out, giving way to the wild, untamed land that bordered it. Tall grass swayed in the breeze, the only sign of life in this forgotten place. The sky above had deepened into a bruised purple, the last light of day clinging to the horizon like a fading memory. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and the faint tang of metal—a storm was coming.

“Eliza,” River murmured, her voice nearly lost in the growing wind. Panic clawed at her insides. She needed to find Eliza, to hold her, to make sure she was safe. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible had happened to her.

As if in answer to her silent plea, she spotted movement in the distance—a figure stumbling through the tall grass, heading toward the open field beyond. River’s breath caught in her throat. It was Eliza. Her heart surged with both relief and terror as she began to run, the grass whipping at her legs and the ground uneven beneath her feet.

“Eliza!” she screamed, her voice raw as it carried across the field.

As she drew closer, she realized the state Eliza was in—her dark hair messy, her clothes torn and soaked through with mud. The sight sent a jolt of desperate panic through River, but it was the look in Eliza’s eyes that truly scared her. She looked terrified. She looked like she was in pain.

“Eliza!” River shouted desperately. “It’s me! It’s River!”

Eliza hesitated, her steps faltering for just a moment. But then she continued forward, her gaze distant, as if she hadn’t heard River at all. The realization hit River like a punch to the gut—Eliza wasn’t herself. She was lost, trapped inside her own mind.

“No…no. This can’t be happening,” River whispered. She couldn’t lose Eliza, not after everything they’d been through.

“Eliza!” she called again, her voice cracking. “It’s me! I’m here! I found you!”

This time, Eliza stopped. She turned slowly, her eyes searching the air in front of her as if trying to find something solid to hold onto. River saw a flicker of recognition in her face, a faint spark of life.

River moved closer, her hands outstretched. “Eliza, it’s okay,” she said, her voice trembling. “I’m here. Please, come back to me.”

Eliza’s eyes focused on her, the fog lifting slightly as she blinked in confusion. “River?” she said, choking back tears, the word almost lost in the wind.

“Yes! Yes!” River shouted loudly, the sound of Eliza’s voice filling her with a fierce sense of relief. “It’s me! It’s your River! I’m so sorry. I promise I won’t leave you again.”

Eliza’s face crumpled and she took a shaky step toward River. Her movements were slow and deliberate, as if she were afraid she might fall apart if she moved too quickly. River rushed to close the distance, wrapping her arms around Eliza the momentthey were close enough to touch. Eliza’s body was cold, her skin clammy and pale, but she was alive. She washere.

“You’re okay,” River whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she held Eliza tightly. The rapid thud of Eliza’s heartbeat against her chest reminded her of how close they’d come to losing everything. “You’re still here. I thought I’d lost you.”

Eliza’s breath hitched, her voice trembling like a scared child’s. “But I’ve changed, River. I’m a walker. Can’t you see? My face, my skin...it’s like them.” Her voice wavered, thick with fear and disbelief.

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