Chapter 35 Sneak

"Wait!"
Li couldn't keep up with us anymore. He almost stumble to the ground while he was being concerned about pulling up his pants. Jayson stopped a few seconds and gave a strong kick to the Creeper that almost laid its hand on Li's shoulders.
This is bad. Really bad! We have no weapons to use and it's hard to climb up that steep slope towards the highway. It is so hard to look in the dark and only the moon's silver glow was our only guide inside this vast, thick forest. There's a feeling that I just wanted to stop running and accept my fate, curl down and cry but I am not ready yet to be a dinner to these living corpses. I can't let the lives of those soldiers go to nothing.
"Run your *ss off Li! Don't stop running!" Jayson yelled at him in the middle of the howls and snarls of the Creepers.
"I'm trying! It's just I haven't wiped my *ss yet and it's so uncomfortable to run!"
"You never have to wipe that *ss if those Creepers are feasting on your body!" Timothy commented at him, a little annoyed. "Stop complaining!"
Li gave a loud whimper.
There was a log lying in front of us, blocking our way. Jayson leaped over it like a wild wolf. He was so graceful with his moves as if he's been practicing this kind of thing all his life. Mona and Timothy had to climb over the log and I almost stopped my breathing as they reached the other side.
Li was still behind me and I had to pull his hand just to let him take more advanced steps near the log. I helped him climb over it first. My sweat is running down from my forehead down my neck as I watch the Creepers from the corner of my eyes getting nearer and nearer to us. Their misshapen faces were visible under the moonlight and it made me more horrified as seconds passed that Li cannot lift himself the log.
"Come on Li! Lift your d*mb *ass!!!" I grunted as I tried to push him upward. There's a feeling inside me that I have to abandon him right here, right now or I'll die.
But I can't. There is no way I could leave him here hanging on this log like a helpless beaver!
I was startled when Li was pulled upward so fast. I looked up and saw Tim and Jayson on top of the log, stretching their arms for me to hold. I took both their arms and before the Creepers grasp me on my feet, Li and Tim had already pulled me effortlessly as if I weighed like cotton to them.
They both looked at me as if waiting for me to say thank you to them but I smiled at them and said. "What took you guys so long? I almost died down there."
"I'm sorry, we made sure Mona is safe. This log is too high for these Creepers to climb up. I think we're finally safe. For now." Jayson answered me while scratching the back of his head. Timothy looked a little frustrated too because if they were late two seconds before they had pulled me up here, I am good as a dinner for those Creepers already.
All three of us grimaced when we smelled something awful among the Creepers. It's not the rotting smell of a corpse but...
"Ugh! Li! One of the Creepers stepped on your doo-doo! You nasty stinker!" Timothy pinches his nose.
"Ha! Take that as revenge!" Li hissed back to Timothy.
Jayson and I only laughed silently as Li hid again among the bushes to wipe or something. I feel bad for him that he has to experience this embarrassing situation yet, still joke about it.
"Let's go. We have to look for Col. Morgan." Jayson urged us to move and continue walking as the Creepers desperately scratch their nail-less fingers on the bark of the log.
Good thing we lured them on this side of the forest. The right side of the log is a deep fissure that must have been cracked during an earthquake or must be man-made excavated for any purpose and just left there undone. The left side is a steep slope so I think we're fortunate now that we don't even have a single weapon to fight those things.
We continued searching for Col. Morgan and the other soldier until we reached the empty highway. Aside from the distant howling of the Creepers we left on the other side of that giant log, the place is very still and the sounds of the bugs overwhelm the surroundings. I want to shout Col. Morgan's name but I can't. There is no way to communicate with them. We can only walk silently on this empty road and search for them.
We were all alarmed when Mona pointed out in front of our direction and we saw a car parked sideways, a little too far from us. We ran towards it, with new hope that we finally found a vehicle we could use but we were terrified to see a Creeper walk backward, away from it. It was clutching a long organ... an intestine?
"Oh no..." Timothy murmured under his breath as we all hid behind the thick bushes that grew beside the road.
Please, let it be not what we think about. Please...
Jayson took something from his rucksack. He took out a razor-sharp combat knife. It's as long as his forearm, sleek and looking dangerous.
"Hey, where did you get that? We're not supposed to handle any weapons." Li commented on Jayson as we all watched him walk forward.
"Well, I'm glad I snatched one from their armory," Jayson answered him, a little too confident about his blade.
I caught his shirt and pulled him back behind the bushes, upset. My eyes were wide with fear and vexation. He can't possibly survive if there are three or more Creepers behind that vehicle!
"What are you doing?! Are you nuts?! What if there's more of them?" I hissed at him, pulling him closer to us. "Don't be too reckless just because you just have a small knife!"
"We'll never know if I won't go there, Harriet. I am hoping that what I'm thinking is wrong. But If I'm right, then we have no choice but to fight our way to get into that car!"
I am silenced because he's right. We can't wait here until the sun comes up and make things more complicated. If Jayson's right and there is only one or two behind that car, we can kill those Creepers easily and get the hell out of this place.
"But how about Col. Morgan?" Li asked.
I shook my head out of frustration. How are we going to get out of her? For all we know, Col. Morgan must have already searched for us back to that place he left us. What if they had encountered that horde of Creepers while looking for us?
"We have no choice." Jayson hissed, his jaws were stiff. His eyes were glaring when he stood up and walked away from us, slowly and silently sneaking towards the Creepers.
I was about to stand up and follow Jayson but Timothy held me tightly on my arm and didn't let me get away. I tried to shake his hands off because I'm too worried about Jayson facing those Creepers alone but Timothy held me both on my shoulders and forced me to face him.
"Stop it, Harriet. You don't have to always play the hero, ok? Let Jayson deal with them! He's more experienced in things like this!"
"But—"
"Please..."
I couldn't do anything and just helplessly watched Jayson. My heartbeat is so fast and I'm so scared something bad might happen to him. He's alone against those Creepers! And I can't do anything to help him because I have nothing to use against those living corpses.
Please don't die, Jayson.
Don't you dare die!