The electrified barrier pulsated, warning everyone not to approach it. The body of Travis Nichols lay still, unmoving.

A lone figure crept close and quickly checked his pulse to see if he was alive, only to find none. It was a relief. He needed the bullet in him. He deserved it. Looking at Travis's head, the bullet hole pressed through the front and out the back, making a wide cavern at the back of his skull.

The figure looked at the dome through the pulsating barrier; two figures with binoculars watched, waiting for something to happen. It looked to be a male and a female. One of them was human and the other an alien. Nothing happened. All were afraid to go toward the barrier.

Outside, the group that wasn't trapped inside the barrier circled it, trying to get in. The figure's stomach rumbled from hunger. There was nothing to eat. Only the demented stew that Travis tried to force everyone to eat. Not wanting the flesh, the figure had pretended they didn't consume any meat, saying they were vegan. It was the only excuse Travis would accept.

Scanning the back of the barrier, the figure had an idea. One that might let them go free. Many shouldn't, being that they were as bad as Travis, but those who weren't like him needed to find a way out. Only fear kept them from running with the others that had escaped the previous night.

Finding a small folding shovel in the back of one of the trucks, the figure hid underneath a vehicle at the back of the barrier and dug, making sure the barrier still touched the ground. No one noticed. No one trapped inside noticed, nor those who circled outside.

After hours of tunneling, the figure's muscles became sore. The barrier held in place, and those at the gate entrance into the dome continued to watch. No one noticed the tunnel or that it had been dug all the way under the barrier. Whoever could fit through could be free. They only had to find a way not to be seen as they made their escape. The only safe place was the dome. They had to get out of the barrier and try to reach it before any of Travis's men saw them.

The figure only knew of a handful that were not like Travis, those who were too scared to try to escape his grasp.

The problem now was those outside circling the barrier. Most of them were like Travis. The figure didn't want them to know there was a way for them to escape. Those who needed to run needed to get out before those inside the barrier knew there was a way out. Once out, they had to find a way past the group waiting outside. They didn't want to be seen running toward the dome to be free of those like Travis.

Outside, the sky darkened, and the stars began to shine.

Those outside the barrier set up a campsite; their campfires blazed as they sat around the flames, trying to stay warm. It was a cold night. Those inside the barrier paced, protected by the cold. They couldn't create a campfire inside. Oxygen went easily through the barrier, but they weren't sure about the smoke. There wasn't any wood to burn either, and all the ammunition was inside with them. If the heat of the fire from their campfires sparked one of the trucks filled with bullets, the entire barrier would explode from the ignited gunpowder and explosives.

The group outside began to tire, making a ring of bodies; they slept around the campfire. There was only a team of three to keep watch. They still had to worry about zombies.

Inside the barrier, one by one, they fell asleep. That's when the figure took action. One by one, waking those known to be not like Travis, they pulled them into the tunnel. Once everyone was ready, they filed through the tunnel to safety.

As quietly as they could, they inched their way to the dome's gate, trying not to be heard by those sleeping around the campfire or their three guards. Looking up at the dome's large gate, the two who were watching before were still watching with binoculars.

The click of a rifle sounded, and the figure looked up. A third person, a human female, had a high-powered rifle aimed at them. The sound echoed around them, getting the attention of those around the campfire. The one with the gun had blown their cover.

Realizing that there was a group trying to escape to the dome, the ones around the campfire opened fire.

Without any other choice, they ran closer to the dome. Their choice was those firing at them from behind them or the one in the dome, aiming, preparing to fire at them through the dome.

Looking back at the campfire, the figure made their choice; the others followed suit, trusting their judgement. They ran for the dome as shots rang around them. The darkness worked in their favor, preventing a good aim from those behind them. The person in the dome did not fire, only watched, rifle aimed in their direction.

Movement at the gate of the dome caught the figure's attention. Looking toward the gate, a crowd of guards stood, with their blasters in their hands. Looking again behind them, shots continued to rain around them. Dirt kicked up nearby as the bullets hit the ground. They kept running, more willing to take the chance of meeting their fate with the alien guards surrounding the inside of the entrance of the dome than those behind them, making bullets rain around them.

Pain shot through the figure's shoulder; one of the bullets shot through it, blood pouring from the wound. Grasping the injured shoulder with one hand, the figure continues to run for the gate.

Just as the figure reached the gate, the doors were flung wide as the group ran in. More shots rang, pain shooting through the figure's side, throwing them to the ground. The group kept running, not noticing that one of them was down. No one else was injured.

One of the guards inched out, lifting the figure in his arms, and carried them inside. The gate shut behind them, leaving the shots outside unable to penetrate the dome. With eyes barely open, the figure watched as the entire group was bound and escorted away in a different direction than theirs.

Darkness engulfed them, which felt like hours but was only moments. Light flashed in the figure's eyes. Coldness surrounded the figure as the clothes were removed. Lying naked on a hard surface, a thin sheet was thrown over them.

Pain shot through the figure as a needle was shoved near the bullet holes; One on the shoulder and the other on the side.

The figure's eyes blinked, and the surroundings blurred, barely coherent, and unable to move. The pain was suddenly gone, only coldness from being naked and only covered by a thin sheet.

Warm hands grazed the figure's cheek. The muffled voices sounded, but the ringing in the figure's ears drowned out the sound.

Pain shot through the figure again, then cooled. The ringing stopped. Whatever was done stopped the ringing. The figure listened.

"It saved them," the figure heard. The figure wanted to say they weren't an 'it' but didn't have the strength.

"What do we do with it?" another asked.

Tears fell from the figure's cheeks, not liking being called an 'it.'

Someone wiped the tears from the figure's eyes carefully. "Call Council Leader Vorik; he'll know what to do," a voice spoke.

A comm link buzzed in the distance, and the sound of a voice came through. "We need you in the clinic, sir," someone stated. "We have a situation, sir."

It felt like hours later when the sound of a door sliding open was heard. "What is it?" The voice was identical to the one on the comm link; only he was here in person now.

"Sir, the one who took the bullets for that group trying to escape, it's not human," a voice stated.

The figure felt a shadow above and slowly opened its eyes. Tears fell down the figure's cheeks, unable to speak. The figure lifted the sheet and looked underneath.

"This is a female," a voice stated. It was the same one from the comm link.

"Yes, Council Leader Vorik, female, but not human," a male voice explained.

The man Vorik touched her cheek. "Do not call her an 'it.' This is a female, not an 'it.'"

The figure, the girl, slowly turned her head, looking at the man who spoke for her.

"Did you try taking out the toxins?" the man asked, still watching her closely.

"We can't take the toxins out. This one is different. There is no change in the skin like the others. There is no blackness in her blood or saliva. She is both human and zombie," one of the men explained. "It actually looks like she's been hiding what she is."

"How old do you think she is?" The man Vorik asked.

"She looks like she's in her late teens or early twenties. With humans, it's hard to tell. She isn't that old," a man stated.

Another alien came in, the one Vorik looked relieved. "Kaul, I want to know if she's contagious," Vorik stated.

The man Kaul scanned her. He touched her cheek gently. "She's not contagious," he stated. "She is more human than anything. The toxins in her blood are isolated. Her body is blocking it from doing any damage."

"Is she one of the immune?" the man Vorik asked the man Kaul.

The man Kaul, scanned her again, carefully taking a blood sample, making her wince, renewed tears falling down her cheek. Putting the sample in a machine, it hummed as it worked, then finally stopped. Kaul walked up to the girl. "She isn't immune, but she is the cure. I have tried to make a vaccine with the blood of the immune, and nothing works." He held up a small device showing the screen to the man, Vorik. "She may not be immune, but her blood is the vaccine. I'm sure of it."

Fear shot through the girl, and more tears fell. The one called Kaul looked at her, seeing her fear. Touching her cheek gently, he bent down and whispered. "No one will hurt you. You are safe."

The girl didn't believe him. If they were going to use her blood, then the possibility of them killing her for it was high, making her fear spike. A whimper passed her lips. She wanted to get away, but she couldn't move. She couldn't tell if they had injected her with something or if she was tied down. Her body was completely numb.

Another alien walked in, stopping halfway. He could smell her. His nose flared before he looked at her. She didn't think he could smell the zombie toxins in her blood, but she didn't know. All she knew was that she was at the mercy of them, all of them.

The man walked up to her, looking into her eyes. The blackness shone like the night sky. The sparkle of stars in their depths. She watched as he gritted his teeth, unsure why.

"Keirn, what is it?" Vorik asked him as the others watched.

"This creature is my mate," he stated evenly.

Silence fell all around the room. Vorik spoke. "She saved the lives of that entire group that escaped," he pointed out quietly.

The man, Keirn, turned and left without a second glance at her.

Vorik looked around the room they were in. "Medic Kaul will be the only one dealing with this girl. No one else touches her," he stated.

There were agreements around the room. Tears fell as her mind showed her the worst-case scenario of being a lab rat to save all the full zombies in the world. She was a creature and an 'it.' She was nothing to her mate. She was alone and hated. She saw her future filled with pain and despair. She would not allow that. She would die first if she could only move.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.