Born 01 - Born

skin and my throat. I feel something hard against me. A loud growl fills the forest followed by a scream. My back is against a stick. It's stabbing in. It hurts a lot.
    I see something black flash across the canopy.
    "LEAVE HER ALONE!"
    Stars flash in front of my eyes like when my Granny used to take pictures of me. I try to focus but my head hurts. I see things go black, but I can feel his fur and hear his growl. I know he'll kill anything that comes for me.
    Waking from a blackout is a bad experience. The pain is the first thing I feel. Then the alarming sense of confusion takes over. As the light hits my eyes, I wince and lean to the side. I throw up and try not to notice the pain everywhere.
    A cold nose is pressed against my cheek. The weak sickening feeling is everywhere at once. I want to close my eyes again but her scream is locked in my memory. She is caught because of me.
    I hear his voice. "You are not responsible for everyone on the planet. It's us and them. You need to take care of you. That's survival, Em."
    I can't make that my mantra anymore. I cost a life today. I am responsible. Like the women who were taken when I was in the town, Meg's mom and aunt. I am to blame.
    "You know the rules." I hear talking. I open my eyes.
    I can't see much, it's dark. I put a hand out and feel fur. Leo is sitting guarding me.
    "A life for a life, Will. You made the damn rule."
    "I made the rule for reckless loss of life. Muriel might not be dead, firstly, and secondly, Emma never cost her life on purpose."
    "I want her back, goddamn it. I don’t care how you feel about that goddamned kid."
    "Your vision is clouded, Will. This is just like Star. You're risking the good of everyone for a piece of ass. Now that a new piece of ass has come along, you're doing it again."
    "I told you already once, you don’t bring Star up. She's off limits."
    "Yeah, well, you always have had a thing for a pretty face and a tight ass. I vote we take her to Marshall and he chooses. It's fair."
    "You guys want to kill her, you come through me." Will's voice sounds frightening.
    "Marshall is going to be the one to decide. We leave at dawn." A scuffle starts up. I hear branches breaking and a man grunting.
    The light of fire flickers on the trees high up. I look around me. I am on my bedroll. I see my bow and quiver next to me. They are leaning against my backpack. I drag them slowly to me. I pull the backpack on. Leo doesn’t move but I feel his awareness of me. I put a hand on his back and whisper, "Shhh, Leo. Down low, buddy. Down low."
    He knows the command. He stays put. I roll away from the bedroll and slither through the woods. I make no noise. I might not have been born into this world but I have mastered surviving it.
    When I am in the lower part of the hillside they're camped on, I stand but maintain a crouch. I run.
    My head hurts and I want to throw up again, but I hold my breath. I can only breathe short inhales and exhales.
    I stumble and trip. I'm far enough away that they don’t hear me. I can't hear their bickering.
    I hear a crunch behind me and sigh when I see the yellow eyes. I'm sprawled out on the ground. Leo nudges me and helps me stand. We run.
    We reach the bottom of the hill where the road was. I feel the gravel beneath my feet. I don’t know if it’s the same road. I can't see anything. The moon isn’t out.
    I am lost. Leo growls.
    I stop and wait for him. My hand is out. His fur is suddenly in my hand. I grip it lightly and let him pull me. My eyes are still fuzzy from my knockout. I hear something. A scratch on the gravel and a high moan. Shivers tickle up and down my spine. We are on the same road as before. The infected are here.
    The gravel beneath my feet makes a thousand noises I wish could be silenced. I know they can hear me. If they have upper body strength, the infected are dragging themselves to me. Madness could overwhelm me if I had to listen to their scratches on the gravel for any longer than the seconds I am there. Instead, Leo drags me away.
    My knees nearly buckle as the ground slants into the ditch on the other side. My eyes are clearing, and I'm able to focus. I can see a log in front of me. I jump over it with Leo and we start to run again. My back is aching and my neck feels like it's been cracked the wrong way. My throat hurts to swallow. I'm sure I couldn’t scream if I had to.
    I ignore it all and run into the woods. When we reach a place with a high canopy, I climb into a tree. I hug