Stella

Percy POV

I gasped while flapping my arms in the water.

I was always a good swimmer, but it's hard to stay afloat when you're shot and bleeding. The wound was a through-and-through, meaning that the bullet entered and exited my body. I gasped while resurfacing against the waves for the second time.

My hands and legs projected me towards the Manhatten side of the river. The swim was grueling, and my stomach felt like it was on fire.

I carried a trail of blood as I crawled onto the stones and dirt. It was harder to trek through the semisolid ground than it was the water. The warm breeze only emphasized the heat in my stomach. The blood gurgled out of my wound's entry and exit sites. Considering I'm still alive, I'm assuming that no organs were hit.

"Holy crap," I cursed while laying on my back.

Heavy breathing and coughing spread from my mouth as I closed my eyes. I was still bleeding, but I couldn't think of that right now. I'm too exposed. I have to get to a safer location, preferably inside.

I groaned while standing up. The swim in the river washed away the zombie blood and guts from me. I am no longer in disguise either.

Each stride sent a jarring jolt of pain into my stomach. I clutched my stomach tightly while walking to the thin layer of woods. Manhattan isn't particularly known for trees and foliage. However, the borders of the Penninsula always have a layer of green. I walked into the woods and kept close to the larger trees and bushes.

My eyes were wide open as I looked around. I have to find a place to stay. I'll stay on the outskirts of Manhattan because it's safer than being in the streets of New York. I was near a riverside playground.

The woods opened into a children's playground. Grassy fields had a few spread-out park structures. A sense of nostalgia washed over me as I gazed at the swings and slides. I had visited this park before with my mom. I played outside a lot when I was a kid.

A few stray zombies were walking around lazily. Most of the zombies in the city were probably downtown in the busy streets of the city.

"A few zombies shouldn't be that bad," I muttered.

However, the sun is starting to set. No one should dare try to travel through a horde of zombies at night.

I wouldn't stand a chance.

I walked around the park. I killed any zombie that tried to come close. I repeated a simple 'stab through an eye' maneuver with every zombie. Unfortunately, only using one hand hindered my mobility. I was tightly clutching my stomach with my other hand so that I could limit the amount of bleeding.

My backpack has a crude first-aid kit, but I need to find a place to stay first. Fortunately, I found a small cabin in the thin woods near the park.

It was a wooden cabin.

Two zombies were screeching inside. As soon as I entered, the male zombie pushed at me. I barely had time to react. I ducked before smashing its head with the hilt of my knife. Then, I stabbed his skull. The other zombie was a lot slower, so it was easy to kill it.

I tossed both bodies outside before closing the cabin door. The cabin only had one window, and the shutters were already closed.

I locked the door before looking around the cabin. There was a table, a minifridge, and a bed in the corner.

I groaned while sliding to the floor. I picked through my backpack before pulling out my first aid kit and spare clothes. Two shirts padded the front and back sides of my right-abdominal wound. Then, I used a white wrap to bandage my waist.

A silent scream tore through my lips as I tightened the bandage.

I leaned my head back and took a few deep breaths. The pain burned my stomach and pounded my head. A mild headache was already forming.

For a second, I felt so angry.

I decided to help someone survive, and it came back to bite me in the butt.

I saved her from a zombie, and her friend shot me as a result. Of course, the friend thought I was a zombie, but still. I'm just so freaking mad at the world right now.

The minifridge only had spoiled canned foods. They were inedible. I grabbed some stale bread and jelly from my backpack. I ate as much as I could before collapsing on the stiff bed. As soon as my head landed on the fluffy pillow, I passed out.

I welcomed the dreamless sleep.

***

Screaming interrupted my slumber. It wasn't the screeches of zombies. It was a female human screaming for help.

"HELP." "PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP."

Ignore it, my mind repeated. Go back to sleep, Percy. You've already been stung by trying to help someone. Remember your survival rules.

Rule #6: Put your own survival first. Ignore anyone's cries of help if it means that you're putting your life in danger. A normal human being would be able to be selfish when it comes to life and death situations. But, I simply can't for some reason.

My loyalty to the people around me is a flaw of mine. I tried to ignore the woman's sleeping before shooting out of bed.

"HELP ME. PLEASE," her scream pierced through the night.

I grabbed my knife before running to the door. Whoever was screaming for help isn't being rational right now. Screaming would only attract the zombies. If she lasted this long, shouldn't she know this by now?

I ran towards the screams. Since the night was quiet, it was easy to locate the individual.

I froze behind a tree.

The woman was crying while clutching something to her chest. Blood was spurting from her mouth and slowly drowning her. A bluish-green zombie was lying next to her. At least, she managed to kill the zombie that bit her.

The bite mark was on her chest. From the looks of it, the zombie bit into the woman's ribcage and part of her lung. She only had a few minutes left.

"Please somebody help me," she moaned in pain.

I stepped out of the shadows.

Her arms tightened around the thing she was clutching. It looked like a baby. A baby was wrapped in pink blankets and sleeping in her dying mother's arms.

Tears stung my eyes while I stared at them.

I held my knife out while getting closer to the woman. As soon as she dies, she'd turn into one of the undead. The first thing she would do is bite her baby's head off. There was no doubt about that.

The woman's eyes gazed up at my face before looking at her baby. The baby was starting to wake up. It was a girl. She had green eyes, dark hair, and a light smile. She couldn't be more than 7 or 8 months old based on her size.

"Please," the woman huffed. "Please take her. Save her."

I shook my head and retreated a few steps. I couldn't possibly take her baby. It would be impossible to survive a zombie apocalypse with a burdening baby.

"Please."

A groan came from behind me. The woman winced while staring at the zombie. I easily disposed of the zombie through a quick jab to the skull. Then, my gaze locked on the woman and baby again.

"She deserves to live. She doesn't deserve to die. Please," the woman pleaded. Blood curled from her lips and leaked down. She gasped, and her body shook with violent tremors. The lady had a minute or two maximum.

I crouched next to her and looked at the baby. Her light hand reached out at me. I leaned forward, and her hand wrapped around my pointer finger.

I tried pulling away, but her tight grip didn't let up.

"Her name is Estelle. Please save her before it's too late," the woman said. "Take her away so that I can kill myself. I don't want to become a zombie."

I took Estelle into my arms. The woman had a black baby bag next to her, so I pulled that onto my shoulders as well. I held the baby with both arms. My knife was still in my right hand, but I made sure that it wasn't pointing at the baby. The added weight put more painful pressure on my abdomen.

However, the pain lightened as I stared at the baby's innocent face. Estelle had gone back to sleep without a clue in the world.

I walked a few feet away before turning around again. A group of 5 zombies was running toward us at a distance, and I had to go away soon. Besides, the woman had already made up her mind.

She was bit by a zombie, which meant that she'd turn into one. She'll die in a few minutes and come back to life as a blood-thirsty monster. However, she didn't want that to happen. As such, the lady held a pistol to her head.

"You're her mother now," the woman whispered.

I covered Estelle in my arms before turning away. The gunshot reverberated through the night sky. The woman had killed herself after giving her baby to me. If I wasn't here, then her baby would also be a zombie snack.

Tears flowed down my face as I gazed into Estelle's face.

On my way back, I ran into three zombies. All three were fat and large-bodied. The first zombie grumbled while stumbling toward me. I tightened my grip on Stella before kicking the zombie's leg. It crumbled to the ground.

The second zombie tried to grab me, but I stabbed it in the head quickly. Because my other arm was taken, I failed to retrieve my knife from the zombie's skull. I ran away from the third zombie before ducking behind a tree. At the last moment, my elbow shot out straight and slashed against the zombie's neck.

The attack hurt me more than the zombie. However, it gave me enough time to grab a stick off the ground.

Stella weighed on my left arm, and my right hand jammed the stick through the zombie's eye socket and into its brain. I didn't bother killing the first zombie, which was still writhing on the ground. Instead, I ran away from the site.

It's so much harder to fight with a baby in your arms.

I couldn't believe this day. I was shot in the stomach, I fell off a bridge, and I obtained a baby. Now, I'm fighting for both of us.

The darkness of the woods made it harder to find the cabin. But, once I retraced my steps, the cabin came into view. I rushed into the cabin and locked the door. I barricaded the door with the table. Then, I put the minifridge on the window sill. Both entrances were blocked; I'm not taking any chances right now.

I was tired before, but now, I'm more awake. I'm able to think again.

Gods, what the hell did I do?

I can't take care of a baby. I carefully placed her on the bed so as to not wake her up. Then, I crouched on the floor and dug through the baby bag. There were some extra blankets, tiny clothes, several bottles of milk, and many jars of baby food. I didn't even check the whole bag because I was feeling too anxious.

Oh my god. I rested my elbow on the bed next to the baby. She was sleeping so peacefully while my mind was running rampant. Why did I take her?

My hands pressed together, and my head rested against my enclosed fists. Tears escaped my eyes at what I just witnessed.

After a few minutes, I slid closer to Stella.

I watched her pure face before placing a kiss on her forehead. Ignoring the pain in my stomach, I wrapped my arms around the baby. I pulled her towards my chest and held her tightly.

Then, I slept on the bed quietly with her small body lying on my chest. My hand rested on her back lightly.

"Don't worry, Stella. I'll take care of you. I promise."