Their Rebellion

"I hate these mangy beasts."Paul stepped out his cigarette and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his slacks.

"Ey, that's are horses yer talkin' 'bout, Smecker."Connor pointed out.

"Aye. They ain't mangy."Murphy glared angrily.

"They're our ride, so suck it up and get on, Detective."Maire climbed onto Raza, who huffed and pawed at the ground.

I kept my angry eyes glued to the cocky Marine and hugged my light sweatshirt tighter to my body. I felt a light tug on my elbow and I turned, finding Murphy with a soft smile. He held out his hand for me, as he was already on Thatcher. I took it tightly and climbed over Thatcher's side, shaking back and forth until I was able to catch my balance. I wrapped my arms tightly around Murphy's waist and rested my head in between his shoulder blades.

Connor helped Abby onto the back of Ei, who was more than willing to kneel for the small girl. He shoved Abby onto the back of his stallion before climbing on himself. Instead of allowing Abby the fredome of riding behind him, we all found it best that she ride in front, where Connor would be able to keep his eyes on her at all times. I squeezed my arms tighter around Murphy as Thatcher came to a stand and earned a quiet chuckle from the Irishman.

Paul had taken the reigns to Raza after much debate and snapped them, forcing Raza to grow a little upset. He patted at the ground and shook, forcing Paul's normally cocky expression to grow a little scared. Despite the dangerous situation we would be willingly walking into, I couldn't help but chuckle quietly. Murphy peeked back over his shoulder and gave me a sly grin.

The horses started off toward the exit of the barn, where each of us stopped. I looked over at Connor, who gave me the best comforting smile he could manage. He was just as clueless as Murphy, Paul and I were. Maire had her own secrets leaking through her mind, but no one was able to get through to them. I raked my leg against the saddle bags hugging Thatcher and sighed softly.

We were carrying the guns and ammo, while Connor and Abby had the food and water. Paul and Maire were given the blankets and other supplies, simply because we didn't trust the broad. Murphy looked over at Maire and asked, "Where to, lass?"

"Dublin."Maire looked over to Paul, who's fingers tightened significantly on Raza's reigns."We can't take the roads. Stick to the paths or else the Marines'll find us."

"Aye."Connor nodded his head and turned toward Murphy and I."Ya ready, brother?"

Murphy said nothing, but nodded his head in approval. The brothers simultaneously snapped the reigns to the horses, causing them to trot out of the barn and into the cold wind. I swallowed hard, tightening my grip around Murphy as we road. I could hear Abby's quiet whimpers from Ei and I turned back, finding her wiping tirelessly at her eyes. She was a strong girl, but having to relive this nightmare made everyone upset.

I gave her a warm smile and said, "It's alright, sweetheart. We're goin' to safety."

She nodded her head and Connor gently pulled her head into his chest. He shooshed her as we continued to make our way down the paths. We kept up a steady trot as Maire led the way toward Dublin. I tried to keep my mind at ease by trying to make myself believe I was going for a small trip of Ireland, where no one would question, Paul, Abby's or my citizenship. That I would be traveling the scenic route to get a glimpse of what used to be home.

The continuous hills and trees seemed to blend together after so long. The greenery and lush mountains made me feel dizzy, as if we were going in circles the entire time. Things would be the same as they were in the States, except that we were not only hiding from the dead, but from the living as well. I ran a hand through my hair and watched as the trees opened up to a small town. Abby gasped quietly as she took in our surroundings.

It wasn't one we were expecting, which sent a wave of chills down my spine.A normal town would have lively people walking its streets, groceries in their arms or children by their side. This, however, was the exact opposite. Bodies scattered along the sidewalkers where the Marines had taken out the citizens. Blood caked the stone walls of buildings, as well as the streets.

Pools of dark, red liquid sprawled out to the horses feet, which forced a lump of bile into my throat. I could hear the horses hooves squish into the blood as we continued on, but this time, much slower. Maire clutched onto her weapon tightly as we came across a large amount of tan, unkempt tents. I took in a deep breath and absentmindedly let my fingers brush against the hem of my jeans.

If need be, my pistol was only a few movements away from being held tight in my hands. Murphy slowed Thatcher down, where he quickly came to a stop. All three of the horses were doing well for such a violent place, even though Raza would pat at the ground or have a small temper tantrum, just like Romeo. Ei's head shook roughly as we all came to a complete stand still.

Abby let out a quiet whimper and Connor quickly sheilded her eyes from the sight. She may have seen this multiple times before, but her nightmares were just beginning to end. She didn't deserve anymore. I felt my lips part slowly and my quiet whispers flow through them in seconds; "It spread so fast."

"Too fast."Paul's nose scrunched up in disgust at the bodies and gore.

It was a scene from a horror movie, with the exception that we were living it at this very moment. There were certainly no Marines left here, as it looked like the survivors left in a hurry. The sound of low growling met everyone's ears and we turned, finding a young woman making her way from behind one of the abandoned tents. Raza quickly stomped at the ground before letting out a loud, scared neigh.

Murphy called out to the horse to calm him, but all three horses began to act up at the diseased woman. They weren't dumb animals; they knew what was going on. I quickly stole my forty caliber hand gun from in between my jeans and hip and rose it to the woman. Her lips began to curl back over her pearly whites before she let out a loud screech. Abby cried out as I pulled the trigger, silencing the woman permanently.

Her head recoiled back at the pressure before she collapsed awkwardly onto the dirt road. Ei, Thatcher and Raza seemed to panic at the gun shot and began to shake, pat and neigh loudly. Connor, Murphy and even Paul began to pet their heads, trying their best to quiet their precious animals. The gun shot was enough to attract the unwanted attention. We didn't need the fear of horses calling more.

"S'alright, Ei.'Connor whispered cooly.

The echoe of further growls began to greet us and I pressed my lips tightly to Murphy's ear.

"We gotta get outta here, Murph."The intensity in my voice proved I wasn't holding back my fear.

More wounded began to climb from behind the tents and alleyways, showing us that they weren't afraid of a few bullets. I didn't have much ammunition for this specific hand gun; I couldn't afford to shoot the dozen or so infected that were piling into the street. Even reaching for the saddle bags of weapons would take precious time I didn't have.

"Let's go! Turn 'round!"Connor yanked on Ei's reigns, forcing him to turn back from where we had originally come from.

Murphy and Paul followed his actions, but stopped much quicker than when we had readied to leave. My eyes fell on multiple infected as they stumbled closer toward us. They reached their claws in our direction and groaned, as if telling us that we were a planned dinner. I squeezed my arm around Murphy's chest and let my pistol aim at each of their heads.

"Murph,"I whimpered quietly."I don't have enough ammo for this shit!"