Free Death Has Fallen: Freedom Rock Chronicles: Book 1 by Kris Beus

moving and I helped Amanda push his body off.  Everyone we had killed thus far died quickly.  The nails must not have hit the right spot because this one gasped with his eyes still wide open and aware.  No longer with fire, but confusion of its inability to move.  Rather than killing him the nails had only caused paralysis.  Blood was spurting from his mouth and nose.  For the first time I saw one of these things as a human.  It had the exact same structure as us and could be wounded just like we could.  The other two stared at the man lying there with the same shock that filled my eyes.  After a minute I could hear Amanda whisper “Kill him.”  Slowly I stepped closer with the beast’s eyes following me the whole time.  The board was still in my hands.  As I raised it above my head the eyes followed almost begging “Please don’t”.  I drove the board deep into the man’s skull and the life those white eyes once held depleted instantly.
                  After pulling the board out I took a couple steps back to absorb what I had just seen and felt.  I sat looking towards the man in a daze.  The thought overtook me “I had just killed someone”.  Never before had I been able to see their humanity until this man sat defenseless and hopeless staring at us.  I thought back at the bullets I let fly realizing they were hitting mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons.  These were people and simply sick.  Still there was the feeling of self-preservation which over powered remorse.  If I had not ended this man’s life he would not have stopped attempting to eat us.
                  After a while we decided to move again.  This time we stayed out of the field and kept to the forest for cover. 
     
    Chapter 9
                  Over an hour we walked before hitting the small creek I had seen from the mountain.  The other two ran for the stream attempting to drink their fill.  I ran toward them pulling them away telling them to stop.  They looked at me with surprise. 
                  “We have to boil it to kill anything that may be living.  Amanda fill the pot with water while I get a small fire going.” I said.
                  They looked very disappointed sitting so close to cool refreshing water and unable to drink.  With the practice I received making fires the last couple days I was able to build one quickly.  Dead leaves, sticks, and branches covered the forest floor.  As the fire began building I placed the pot full of water as close as I could without putting the fire out.  I asked the two to give me anything they had that would hold water.  All together we had the three canteens and two gallon sized zip lock bags.
                  The water took about twenty minutes to boil.  I took the pot off the fire sticking the bottom of it in the creek to cool the inside.  After a few minutes the water was cool enough to drink.  The water was gone very quickly so I repeated the process over and over until everyone’s thirst was satiated and the canteens and bags were full.  We put the fire out then cleaned the blood from the hunter off our skin. 
                  Looking at the other two and looking at myself I joked “We look like three mass murderers.”
                  Right after the last word left my mouth I wanted to take it and shove it back in.  The two looked at me dismally and Amanda simply stated, “We are.”
                  With that, I looked at the compass and we began walking once again.  No longer thirsty and the other two somewhat filled with food we were able to move much faster.  The creek headed north so we were able to stay with it for a couple miles.  The forest seemed to be endless.  It was a mix of pine, spruce, and aspen.  The air seemed so clean and the smell quite pleasant.  The walk had a peacefulness making our trek somewhat enjoyable.  The coolness