by Cluke, D. L.
“On the other side. Quick, give me a boost.”
“I’ll go first and lift you up after,” he bumped her out of his way, jumping up to grab the railing.
He swung his feet, gaining enough momentum that he could pull himself up. He clambered over the railing, hitting the metal grate with a loud crash. The howls of the horde grew louder as the creatures rounded the corner and filled the alley. She lifted her hands to Josh who leaned over the railing and grabbed them. He lifted her a foot off the ground and then stopped.
He smirked, but didn’t pull her up.
“Josh, what are you doing? Pull me up now!” She screamed at him, kicking her legs, and watching the infected sprinting towards her.
That smirk lingered on his face, turning into a full-fledged smile as terror consumed her body. He was going to let her die. At the front of the horde was a tall man, who had once been handsome. Now, the gaping hole where his nose should have been oozed black blood. Those white orbs focused on her. His next meal. He shrieked and several of the horde shrieked in response.
“Josh, please. Pull me up! Please, Josh!”
He stared at her as the infected reached the dumpster, shoving directly into it in an attempt to reach their prey. Her eyes grew large as she watched them inch closer. The horde filled in around the dumpster. Their rotten stench overpowering her, making her gag.
It was the stench of death.
Would she be one of them soon? Doomed to wander aimlessly, always hungry, always in search of fresh meat? Or would the ending be quick? Would they fight over her body until there was nothing left to reanimate?
A small woman, wearing a torn bedazzled tracksuit with the words juicy across her chest, rounded the dumpster. Her suit was torn, displaying a perfect, but now decaying breast, with a single festering bite mark. She reached for Anna, her manicured nails chipped and bloody. Anna focused on the impressive wedding ring on her finger. Would it be the last thing she saw?
Just as the woman reached her, Anna was jerked upwards. She flung over the railing, landing on top of Josh. The infected screamed their rage from below as their meal moved out of reach.
She laid there with her head on his broad chest, heart thundering as she struggled to regain control of her breathing. She pushed herself up, trying to get as far away from him as possible. He grabbed both wrists, preventing her from moving. Revulsion filled her.
“Let me go, you bastard. What the fuck did you wait for?” She seethed at him, struggling to break free. He tightened his grip until a small whimper escaped her.
“Just needed to remind you which of us is in charge. I own you, my dear Anna. Stop fighting it. Else, Becca might have an unfortunate accident. We wouldn’t want that, now would we?”
She glared at him, refusing to answer. He smiled, an insane and somehow humorless gesture. He lifted his head, pressing his dry and cracked lips against hers. She tried to pull away, but he held her there, shoving his slimy tongue down her throat. She refused to give in. Refused to kiss him back. She wouldn’t give him such satisfaction. He wasn’t going to push her around anymore.
“You can never be rid of me.” He pulled away, shoving her off.
She scrambled to her feet as he turned and walked up the stairs, leaving her on the bottom landing with a horde of infected at her feet. She stood there, terror and anger and revulsion mixing inside her. She tried to control the shaking in her legs as she fought the urge to strike out at him.
“Well, come on now. We have rooftops to traverse if we’re going to make it to the truck before nightfall.”
She sprinted up the stairs. Thoughts of murder swirling in her head.
Chapter Nineteen
Becca located an old piece of tin and a few two by fours. She slid them into place once Anna cleared the stairs, sliding the wood through the railings on either side. It wouldn’t hold for long, but it should give them enough time to get out of sight.
Anna fell her to knees, needing a minute to clear her mind and catch her breath. Becca rushed to her side.
“Are you okay?”
“F-fine,” she managed, throwing a side eye towards Josh.
Becca gave her a small nod, handing her a bottle of water and a granola bar. She offered one to Josh as well. He shook his head, walking to the other side of the building. In the distance, Anna could see that the industrial buildings stopped. Beyond the dull gray of the city lay a browning landscape of tall grass. Now they just had to get across a few dozen buildings and they would be home free.
The first few blocks would be easy. The buildings were close enough together that they could easily jump. The closer to the countryside they got though, the greater the distance between them. They would need to find a way or risk going back to ground level. She could still hear the occasional growl and shriek coming from below as the infected reached for their escaped prey. That was not an option Anna wanted to entertain.
The noises didn’t worry her as much as they did just a few hours earlier. Now, the silence was worrisome. Noises meant you knew those things were there, where they were so you could avoid them. Silence… silence meant death in a city with so many hidden corners and blind spots. Those things became almost invisible when they went into that weird dormant state, blending into the shadows with an ease that terrified her. The smallest noise alerted them to the presence of movement. Movement equaled food. Food was them. She shuddered. Nope, better to remain up high.
Anna struggled to her feet, the wear and tear of the past few days catching up with her. Her head swam, the world tilting as a wave of dizziness washed over her.
When had they last eaten more than a granola?
She couldn’t remember. Was it last night or the night before? Time was moving slowly, twisted and ugly.
Becca nudged her, “Eat it, you will feel better.”
She bit into the granola bar, the chocolate smearing around her pink lips. Becca’s face was pale, washed out from the constant battle to survive. She looked like shit. Anna imagined she looked the same, or worse, if she went by how her body felt.
How much longer could they go on like this? This new world was hostile. Every day presented them with some new horror of the infected. What would tomorrow bring? What new and terrifying mutations could they expect? Her father’s face floated at the front of her mind, his smile reminding her of just what they were fighting for. Each inch gained was an inch closer to home.
And she would make it home. Becca, Remi, and her would make it.
“That’s enough of a break, we need to get moving,” Josh barked, waving them over.
Becca reached out a hand and helped her to her feet. The sugar from the granola bar gave her a bit of energy back. It would have to do. The sun was low in the sky and she estimated they only had a few short hours until darkness set in. There was no time to rest. Not yet.
“Grab a plank,” Josh pointed to a pile in the corner, “tie a length of paracord around each end.”
He handed them some strips, about twenty feet in length, that he pulled out of his backpack. They made quick work of it, making sure the cord was tied tightly. Each plank measuring about 16 feet in length, which would be plenty long enough for most of the buildings.
“We need to move fast, but safe and silent. No lingering at the edges of the building… last thing we need is a giant horde below us once we hit the edge of the city.”
Josh laid his plank across the six foot gap, motioning for the girls to do the same. Side by side, the three planks made a wide and sturdy bridge to walk across. Anna motioned for Becca and Remi to go first, not trusting Josh to take the lead after his last show of dominance on the stairs.
“I should really go first,” he spat at her, “so I can clear the other side of infected.”
“We can’t risk you getting hurt. Becca is expendable. Better to send her first. I need you to protect me,” she whispered, playing the role he expected of her.
She laid her hand on his bicep, squeezing firmly and looking up at him i
n that way he liked. Like a good little housewife, full of obedience. He bought into it, leaning down to kiss her cheek. She had all she could not to jerk away in revulsion.
“I knew you would come back around. Another slip up in attitude and the reminder won’t be so gentle next time,” he gripped her chin, bringing her lips to his. She forced herself to kiss him back. “Next time, it won’t be you who suffers for your insolence.”
Her heart hardened a bit more, watching the predatory look on his face as he eyed her best friend. One thing was for certain. They were not spending another night with this man.
By dusk, he would be dead.
Chapter Twenty
Anna didn’t want to say it out loud for fear of jinxing them, but they were making great time crossing from building to building. Each alley they passed over contained several of the infected. They reached for their prey as they crossed makeshift bridges, well beyond the reach of their grimy hands. She avoided looking at their faces. Those white eyes bored into her, compelling her to step over the edge and let herself fall into their waiting mouths.
She shook her head, shoving away the disturbing thought. A small part of her prayed to whatever god was left that Josh would slip to his death. At least now that she knew the general area of the truck, she was confident that she and Becca could find it. Just so long as they had Remi to guide them and keep them safe. If only she knew where the damn keys were hidden.
Anna realized her prayers would go unanswered. No god would do this to humanity. No matter how far off track humanity had become, they didn’t deserve this. The children didn’t deserve this.
No, they were alone in this and it would be up to her to save them.
“We need to shake these things before we cross over the last few buildings or we’ll never make it down,” Josh stopped them, looking around for some sort of inspiration.
Anna looked at the few remaining rooftops, relishing the excuse to set her plank down. Placing them across the gaps and pulling them with the ropes once safely across hadn’t seemed like much work. After a few dozen times though, her arms were feeling it.
The Apocalypse, the latest fitness craze.
Anna snorted, coughing to cover the sound. She needed a good night’s rest to clear the crazy from her mind. She could feel her wits dulling with each passing hour. They needed rest and food, a real meal. A simple mistake or miscalculation could prove to be deadly in the new world.
“Is that a church steeple?”
Becca pointed several buildings to their left. A tall brick tower stood high above the rest. How had they missed it? They had been so focused on what was below and in front of them, they had failed to see the world outside that scope.
“Becca, don’t you think it’s a bit soon for a wedding?” Josh smirked, pulling Anna to his side.
“God, you are dense. Those things are attracted to noise. What makes so much noise that you can hear it across the city?” She waved frantically in the direction of the steeple. “Church bells!”
Anna peeled herself out of his side, walking towards the steeple. The spacing between the rooftops was minimal in this direction. One of them would need to jump across the buildings, but it looked doable without the added time of setting up the planks.
“One of us will need to run over there, find a way inside and ring them,” Anna added while trying to calculate the distance. “It looks like a minute’s run without the planks getting in the way. It will have to be Josh. Becca and I won’t be strong enough to break through the door if it’s locked.”
“No way in hell are we splitting up,” barked Josh, “not a chance I’m letting you two out of my sight.”
“We don’t have a choice, Josh. One person can sneak back across. Three people and a dog are going to make a lot more noise. We only get one shot at this. Becca and I will stay low and out of sight on the last building. We will wait by the stairs until you return.”
“But, I-.”
“Urghhh. Damn it all, Josh! We don’t have time for this. It will be dark within the hour,” Becca threw her hands up in frustration. “We need to keep moving.”
Anna walked up to him, cupping his chin and looking into his eyes. Eyes that once held love and commitment. Now they were cold and calculating. Perhaps, they had always been that way and she had been too blind to see it.
“Josh, we can’t go on without you.”
“Speak for yourself,” mumbled Becca. Anna ignored her.
“Josh, we won’t survive without you. We have to wait.”
She stretched up onto her tippy toes, pressing her lips against his. She tried to remember the passion she used to feel when kissing him, tried to recreate it so he wouldn’t know she was lying. He kissed her back, deeply, pressing his entire body against her. She fought the urge to push him away, imagining it was anyone but him.
“Fine,” he leaned his forehead against hers,” but if you two pull a fast one, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
She nodded, “We know. We need to get moving.”
“Umm, guys. What’s the backup plan?”
“What?” Josh stepped over to the edge, mentally preparing his path to the steeple.
“What do we do if something goes wrong? What if we get separated? Where do we meet up?”
Becca stood with her back to them as she stared out across the field. She pointed to the closest building, a large warehouse of some sort. It looked abandoned from here with several missing windows, the outside faded from years of neglect and the harsh New England winters.
“What about that place? We should be able to get inside easily.”
“No, too many places of entry for us which means too many to defend against the infected. The fourth building over,” he pointed to a small brick building, “is where the truck is. On the far side is a garage. The door next to the bay is unlocked. We meet in there.”
She nodded, her mind running in a million directions as she realized they were one step closer to being rid of him.
“The keys? In case we need to get inside the truck?”
Act normal. Don’t give it away!
“I left them hanging from the rear shock, above the tire,” Josh stared hard at her, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “I know where you’re headed. I know how to find you.”
“Josh, I already told you. We need you. I need you. We will only head down without you if something goes south.”
He nodded. He took a few steps back and ran towards the edge, easily clearing the six foot gap. Anna and Becca watched as he worked his way across the buildings with ease.
“So, now what?” Becca asked, bending down to hug Remi.
“Now, we wait.”
Wait and hope that the zombies would take care of him for her.
Chapter Twenty-one
Anna watched Josh jump his way over to the final rooftop. He turned, giving them the thumbs up, before proceeding to walk to the base of the bell tower. The rooftop was flat with the tower located dead center.
“The door must be located on the other side,” Becca nodded, watching Josh disappear around the backside of the structure. “How will we know when to make our move?”
“We have to wait, Becca. We can’t make a run for it until we know he’s as good as dead. You know what he will do if he thinks we ran from him.”
“Urgh, I know. It’s just that… after what he did to Brandon, he doesn’t deserve to live.”
Her knuckles were white around Remi’s leash, her face full of hatred as she waited for some sign of Josh. She wanted him dead, more than Anna, but he was still useful.
Listen to me, talking like a mafia boss.
“Shouldn’t he be inside by now?” Anna kept her eyes glued to the rooftop, body tense as she waited for Josh to make his move.
“There he is! And there’s infected chasing him! They must have been inside the tower,” Becca backed away slowly edging towards the stairs, “now’s our chance!”
“No! We need those bells. We won’t make it a hundre
d feet without that diversion. The streets are teeming with those things.”
Becca looked down. Her face crestfallen, as she noticed the silent hordes beneath their feet. “We will die up here,” she whispered.
“No, no matter what, I promise we will make it to the farm. Whatever else Josh might be, he’s as stubborn as they come and a survivor. He will figure out a way to ring them.”
They watched Josh run around the rooftop, three infected in hot pursuit. He ran circles around the tower, trying to put some distance between himself and them. From their position, it looked like four grown men playing chase. Anna knew better. This game of chase had all their lives in the balance.
Josh stopped, pivoting on his back leg and bracing himself as the first infected bore down on him. He squatted down, allowing the infected to run into him. Using the creature’s momentum, he locked his arms around his waist, lifted up, and tossed him over the edge in one fluid movement.
Anna could just hear the thud from here. Cringing, she watched Josh start up the game once more. How many times could he get lucky? Once more, she thought as she saw the second creature go flying. The thud of his body breaking upon the tarmac reached their ears. The creatures below perked up, starting to move towards the commotion.
The biggest of the three creatures remained. A linebacker-sized man stumbled after Josh. There was no chance he would be able to toss him aside so easily. Anna caught the glint of his machete in the fading daylight and watched in fascination as he let the infected close the distance between them. Suddenly, he stopped, turned around, and rammed the knife into the creature’s eye. The momentum of his mammoth size doing most of the work and impaling himself upon the knife. The infected stumbled, falling on top of Josh in the process.
“Ouch, that’s gotta hurt,” Becca was smirking, clearly enjoying watching Josh get beat up a bit.
Anna could see the humor in the situation, but she was too worried about getting out of the city before darkness fell. She needed Josh to ring that damn bell. Now.
