Apocalypse: The Dead Lives
Chapter 45: The Humanoid Attack

Chapter 45: The Humanoid Attack

"This seems like a good place to rest our heads for the night," Marco uttered.

He walked ahead of me. I followed shortly behind him as we entered an abandoned mall together.

The hallway was pitch black. My flashlight flickered, casting shaky shadows against the walls.

A whisper crawled up your spine. I turned. Nothing was there.

"Stay here," Marco whispered. He opened a door that slowly shut behind him.

Something is off about this place. There’s been an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach since the moment we walked in here.

I wildly looked over my shoulders, fear taking over all of my senses.

"Marco?" I called him, my voice sounding almost pleading. The building suddenly became unnaturally quiet. Marco didn’t respond.

I hesitantly took a step forward, the floor creaking beneath my weight.

I reached for the door, my fingers trembling as the handle turned.

"Marco?" I whispered into the dark. Still, no answer came. I soundlessly stalked forward. My heart thumped wildly in my chest. I nervously bit into my bottom lip before scanning the store with my flashlight.

Realization started to set in and all I wanted to do was cry.

He’s gone. Marco has disappeared.

"Goddammit, Marco, answer me!" I desperately uttered. "This isn’t funny anymore," I added.

But deep down inside I knew that he wasn’t joking or playing a prank on me. God- what if something happened to him?

I exited the store through an opened door that led to a different part of the mall. I heard footsteps coming from behind me and froze up out of fear.

In a swift movement, I grabbed ahold of my axe. I turned around in the same breath and held my axe against someone’s neck.

"Woah, it’s me, August. Please. Don’t kill me." He uttered.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked the kid who was standing in front of me. A sheepish smile rested on his face as he watched me.

"I followed you here from camp. Remember that day you ran away?" He whispered and I curiously nodded at his words.

"Well, I saw you leave and decided to follow you. It was boring back home, nothing exciting ever happens there." He uttered and I frowned at him.

How did I not realize that someone was following me? Where was he sleeping all this time? Did he have food? A weapon?

Ender is going to kill me if anything happens to this kid. I have to look out for him.

"Just stay behind me," I yelled at him in a whispered tone. He nodded before grabbing a machete from its sheathe. He held the weapon up. He seemed alert, his posture wary and defensive.

"Where’s Marco?" He asked in a hushed tone, confusion lacing his words.

"I don’t know, he’s disappeared." I briefly uttered.

The room dawned in silence. I felt a little less scared now. I was actually forcing myself to be strong because I had someone to protect now.

A sign on one of the walls caught my attention. I walked over to it and a deep frown rested on my forehead.

Get out! The building is inhabited by Maws!!

"What’s a maw?" August asked me.

"Nothing good." I pointedly stated before continuing down the dark hallway.

"But it says we have to get out. Let’s leave while we still can." He uttered in fear.

"Be quiet. You don’t want to wake whatever is hiding down here, do you?" I asked him and he instantly kept his mouth shut.

"Marco?" I called but no answer came.

A foul smell slapped me in the face. I immediately held my arm in front of my nose, my jacket stopped the smell from entering my nostrils any further.

"What the fuck?" August uttered in disgust while holding his arm in front of his nose.

It smelled like something died, a thousand times. Over and over again. It was a mix of rotten flesh and blood. Worse than any rotter or hulk I’ve ever smelled.

"Help!" I heard a woman yelling. I turned in the direction of where the scream came from.

"What, did you hear something?" August asked me in confusion.

"You didn’t hear that?" I asked him and he frowned at me.

"Hear what?"

"A woman screaming," I uttered and he shook his head at me.

"No. What are you talking about?" He asked in confusion.

I must’ve heard a rotter. I sometimes forget that I can hear their thoughts.

"Please don’t kill me!" Another person yelled. Loud screams started flooding my mind. A sharp pain shot through my head and I pressed my palms against the sides of my head.

"Let me go!

"What the fuck! What the fuck was that?!"

"Are you okay?" August asked me in concern before placing his hand on my shoulder.

Then.

A shadow figure moved behind him. I channeled all of the energy inside of me and my eyes felt like they caught on fire.

A wild and blue fire. August stumbled back from me as he carefully examined my face.

"Don’t move." I breathed out.

I quietly watched as a twisted, elongated humanoid with no eyes and a gaping mouth that stretched from its chin to its stomach, filled with rows of jagged teeth, crawled against the wall.

Its disjointed limbs were bent in the wrong way. And I realized that every whisper I was hearing came from its stomach. It was the voices of its past victims, begging for help.

"Hailey-Jade! Run!" Marco’s voice rang through my ears. I saw him running in our direction at the speed of light.

"Go!" I yelled at August. His eyes ran over the creature, now watching us from the ceiling.

"What the fuck?" He uttered before running away from me and in the direction of the nearest exit.

"Don’t look back!" Ronan warned us. August stumbled over a mannequin. Marco grabbed him by his collar and continued running with him.

A loud roar filled the room. Loud and sloppy footsteps drummed against the floor as the creature started running after us.

The hairs on the back of my neck raised as I felt it closing in on me.

The exit suddenly came into our line of view. The white snow illuminated our way. Marco and August lunged forward and jumped out of the mall. I followed shortly after, jumping into the air.

A scratch to my back sent me flying forward. I rolled over onto the snow and winced in pain before looking up at the mall entrance.

A screeching sound came from deep within the creature’s throat. The light of day burned his skin. But he seemed persistent on getting out.

"What the fuck is that?" August muttered under his breath.

"That- was a Maw." Marco tiredly uttered once the creature dissipated into the darkness again. His back slumped into the snow and I followed his movement.

My back rested against the snow. I tiredly stared up at the clouds above our heads. I was grateful.

We just survived our first Maw attack.