"You hope? And what if it isn't strong enough to hold us?" I looked at the door with panic.
"If it doesn't hold, you won't have to worry about how to get through this."
A loud cracking echoed in the tiny room. My terror-stricken gaze was glued to the now breaking door. The moans grew louder as the undead pounded furiously.
"They're breaking the door? How are they breaking the door?" I screeched.
"The doors aren't that strong. Who knows how many are pounding against it."
"How sure are we that they're completely dead? I mean maybe I'm not right. Maybe they're just biting people."
"Without examining them closely, I'd have to say I'm about ninety-eight percent sure." He furrowed his brow and watched the door splinter.
"Okay." I looked around the small room for anything that I could use as a weapon.
"What are you doing?" Nathan's eyes darted back and forth from me to the breaking door.
"I'm trying to find a weapon. If this floor is over run from one person, imagine what the emergency room looks like after that nurse bit everyone. My single gun won't do shit."
He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it. He took a few deep breaths. "What are you going to do?"
"Me? We, Nathan, we. What are we going to do? And I don't know, but we're going to end up having to fight our way out of here. There is no doubt about that." I kicked at the pipe under the sink until it came off.
"Where is this sudden spurt of confidence coming from?" He watched while I climbed onto the back of the toilet with my pipe.
"I don't know. I don't want to die, and I am a cop. I should be in control. I mean I'm absolutely terrified. I feel like I'm about to puke all over the place. I'm going on adrenaline right now. Let's go," I pulled myself into the ceiling, "before I change my mind."
Nathan climbed on the back of the toilet once I was safely on one of the steel beams and hoisted himself up as the door broke. He looked up at me with terror plastered across his face. I grabbed his hand and pulled on him.
"Don't you dare fall! You're not turning into one of those!"
"I'm not trying to."
My back and shoulders hurt so badly. "Nathan, you can't leave me."
"As long as you don't let me fall I'm not leaving you."
"Come on, Nathan! Use your upper body strength!"
I didn't know this guy from Adam, yet I didn't want to lose him. I couldn't lose him. For all I knew, he could be the only person that would end up left with me. A hoard of undead spilled into the small room. Nathan kicked and thrashed his legs as the zombies grabbed at him.
"Don't let me go!" he screamed, trying to kick one of the zombies off.
"It'd be easier if you weren't a grown man," I grunted, digging my nails into his arm.
"Ouch!" He winced.
"It's my nails or their teeth."
"Nails it is." He kicked his legs harder and pulled up until he was safely in the ceiling with me.
Once on the beam, he collapsed on top of me. We lay there panting and silent. I couldn't help but throw my arms around his neck. Relief and terror gripped my soul.
"I didn't know you cared so much." He smiled.
"For all I know you could be the last man on earth. I can't let you die."
"Does that mean we can repopulate?" He waggled his eyebrows.
"Alright. You ruined it. Get off," I groaned.
"Kidding. I was kidding."
"The zombiepocalypse isn't the place for jokes."
"I think a small joke is okay." He shrugged his shoulders and rolled over.
"Maybe a little one then."
"Did you mean it?" He rolled onto his side.
"Mean what?"
"You don't want me to leave."
I sat up and rubbed my bicep. "I guess. I don't know."
"Yes you do."
"Don't read too much into stuff," I mumbled glancing at him briefly. "We are in a literal life and death situation right now."
"You're right. We are in a life and death struggle. I wouldn't fault you for falling for me."
"What? Are you serious? I just saved your life. If anyone would fall for someone you would fall for me."
"It's alright, Emma."
I rolled my eyes and looked away from the man. He gently touched my back and a rush of unwanted emotions took over. Tears streamed from my eyes and I wrapped my arms around him again. Perhaps he was right. Maybe the fact that we needed each other to survive sparked an apocalyptic love fire deep within. Would it be smart though? A love started simply because of a zombie infection couldn't possibly last. I couldn't bear to see another of my loved ones turned into a mindless flesh eater. My soul would never withstand watching the life leave my lovers eyes.
Why am I behaving like this? Stop it, Emma! Stop it now!
Chapter Seven
Wading Through the Zombie Hoard
"This is unbelievable!" Meaghan fired into the sea of undead.
"Shut up and keep shooting!" I yelled back at her.
"I told you two not to leave!" Arty hollered back as he helped us take down the infected.
"Arty, seriously, shut up!"
The undead seemed to just come from everywhere. I raised my bow and aimed at one of the used-to-be women. She moaned and reached out for me. Her hazy eyes trained on me.
Can they see? Am I just a fleshy blur of food? I couldn't help but wonder if she could see me through the cloudiness. I stopped though. I stood where I was and waited. They were so slow. I signaled to S team to the left and R team to the right. We were outnumbered. They seemed to come from everywhere.
"We can't get them all," I shouted.
"Stop shooting," I called to everyone.
"What? Are you insane?" Meaghan arched her brows at me and fired two more shots into the crowd.
"No, just stop. Watch them. They're slow."
"Yeah, and?"
"We can run past them."
"Why would we do that?" She had a funny look in her eye, crinkled her forehead, and bit her lip. You would have thought I sprouted a second head, turned green, and was dancing a jig in the middle of the zombies.
"To save our ammo. I don't know what it's like in Oakland. It might be worse. Put the guns away, and let's just run." I looked up at the guard tower and saw Arty looking at us. "You keep shooting. If any of them get to close, take 'em out. Okay?"
"Sure thing, Emma." He waved, raised the guns scope back up and took aim at an undead that got a little too close for comfort.
"You're insane!" One of the guys on S team shouted, holding his pistol shoulder height.
I put the bow on my back and ran to him. "Trust me."
He closed his eyes and hesitantly lowered his weapon. "Fine. But if I'm bit, you're the first I'm eating."
"Stop yer gabbin' and start running!" A loud pop echoed off the buildings as Arty shot an undead that was right in front of us.
We listened and ran. The streets were so familiar but looked so different. I hadn't been far out of the city limits in years. The few streets of downtown had really become home unfortunately. The sidewalks were cracked, and trees grew in the middle of the streets. It looked like some crazy movie set had taken over the world. I longed for our farm and the wide-open spaces. I wasn't meant to be cooped up within those few streets. I grabbed Meaghan's arm and pulled her closer to me. I could tell she was trying to act brave, but she was scared shitless. I pulled her down to the ground and we crawled down under a large piece of cement rubble. It was either a part of a building long destroyed or a bridge. It didn't matter now. It was a place to hide. It was a place of safety in a world of dangers. We dug around the edges to gather as much loose dirt as we could to push up to the hole we crawled into; a meager attempt to conceal ourselves. We hid under the massive rubble as a few undead staggered past. They didn't seem to notice us, or they couldn't figure out where we were.
"Can they smell us?" Meaghan's hushed voice was barely audible.
"I don't know,"
I whispered back.
"Maybe they'll keep going."
"Maybe, but let's stay here until they do. I don't want to risk it."
"We're already risking it by being out here," John hissed.
"And we have to find Nathan," I snapped back.
"He's going to be fine. I agree, we should have stayed in the city," Meaghan added.
"I told you to stay in the city."
"Oh please, Emma! I'm not going to let you go on a suicide mission alone. Plus, I was getting bored stuck in the boundary."
I held my finger up to my lips. A few feet paused near us. They seemed to just stand there moaning and groaning. I heard them smack at the concrete slab. Long antagonizing minutes passed by before I heard the shuffling feet move on. The noises grew distant and eventually it was nothing but eerie silence. We still didn't move. Neither of us wanted to breathe. Our eyes flickered from each other to the small crack of light that let a small sliver of sun into our hiding spot. My mind kept going back to Nathan. If he did manage to make it to Oakland, would he still be okay?
Images of his body lying somewhere half-eaten flooded my mind. I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to find him half-eaten and turning into an undead flesh-eater. A sobbing started under our rock. It was an uncontrollable sob. The noise was sure to garner attention from some unsavory guests. It had to stop. I looked at Meaghan. It wasn't her. The horrendous noise that was going to get us eaten was coming from somewhere behind me.
"Who in their right mind is causing that noise?" I asked as loudly as I dare.
"Sorry, ma'am."
"Liz? Knock it off Liz!"
I did my best to maneuver myself around to look at her. The dirt below the woman's face turned into a miniature mud puddle. Her sobs shook her entire body. It was a body wrenching sob. A sob I wanted to let out. That I needed to let out.
"Liz! Liz, you need to stop! One of those things is going to hear you!" Meaghan whispered as loudly as she dared.
"I can't stop. I don't know what's wrong with me! “she cried, burying her face in her arm, trying to stifle the sound as much as possible.
"If I get bit because you turned into a big baby I'm going to bite you!" she threatened, reaching over to pinch her.
"W-we're n-not going t-to get b-bit," Liz cried. "Oh my God. Come on! Do you want to save Nathan?" Liz nodded her head.
I punched the woman in the arm. "Then you need to get your shit together and quit crying. How do you expect to do anything when you're blubbering like a big damned baby?"
"I don't know."
"We will not be successful in our rescue attempt and our only doctor will be an undead. So, knock it off and let's go before we're stuck under here forever." I pushed the dirt away and scrambled out.
I lay still for a moment. Meaghan was right. I was in no state of mind to face the undead and try to save Nathan. Being out in the wild was no time to suddenly get emotional and start crying. I had to find my cold-hearted self again and fast. I followed her out from our temporary sanctuary and crept along a crumbling wall. Vines and weeds broke through the increasing cracks in the sidewalks, cars were left in the streets to rust and succumb to the elements, and buildings slowly fell apart. The one we stood next to looked like it may have been an apartment building at one point. Tattered curtains hung in the windows, a small bike lay on its side on the stoop, and I could hear something moving around inside while we stood outside. I stood on my tip toes and peered in through one of the windows. I didn't see any Undead. There was old furniture and debris lying about. I couldn't but sigh in relief when I didn't see any bodies either.
I hated seeing the bodies. Something glowing did catch my attention. They were eyes.
"Meaghan," I whispered.
"Hmm?"
"Look."
She turned and looked in the window. Her eyes narrowed for a moment then widened. She raised a gun and prepared to fire.
"What are you doing?"
"It's an undead."
"What? No, it's not. It's a cat." I shook my head and walked to the stoop. The house was noiseless. The tiny creature sat in a corner staring at me. I headed in to get the poor, defenseless animal.
I scooped up the scared, tiny, dirty cat and stroked her chin. Her eyes closed, and she began to purr the tiniest little purr. I tucked her into my jacket and waited while she nuzzled against my body. She was so cold and probably starving. Once I was sure she was settled and secure, we continued down the road. We kept low to the ground and hid near the cars. They weren't the greatest of cover, but they would shield us from any Undead that might be lurking about.
I couldn't help but be hopeful that Nathan was still alive. We hadn't found him yet, which meant he could have made it to Oakland in one piece.
Chapter Eight
Zombie infestation
We crept along Fifth Avenue, inching closer to Oakland and hopefully Nathan. There was definitely an increase in Undead the closer we got to ground infestation. I used to love the area. I loved going to the parties and just being there. I only made it to my junior year before the school shut down. Before everything shut down really. Hospitals were nonexistent. Doctors were among the Undead. My former professors were turned, friends, coworkers and my sister.
Meaghan and I ducked behind a PennDOT truck while the others took cover around small cars and debris as a small group of undead lumbered past us. I hated them all so much. That virus that overtook their brains ruined everything. It destroyed my life and this world had gone to shit because of it. An undead straggled behind the rest. His foot was broken. So, broken it faced the wrong way. His arm was missing, and he was quickly decaying. Anger seethed in me as I watched the poor bastard try to keep up with the herd. I felt no pity for it. I did for the man he used to be though. It wasn't human anymore. That man died. He was nothing more than a shell of his former self. Who was he? Did he have a family? Friends? How old was he? I bent over and pulled a hunting knife out of the little sheath around my ankle. I crept to the back of the truck Meaghan and I were behind.
"What the hell are you doing?" she whispered as loudly as she dared.
"Putting the poor bastard out of its misery," I whispered back.
"Leave it be. It's moving on. Don't stir up shit when we don't need it."
"The rest are too far ahead it will never be missed."
"It might not be missed but what if the others hear you?" Taz asked creeping out from his hiding spot.
"They won't if you quit talking."
They both sighed heavily and followed me. "I've got your back."
"Just stay there."
"She's right. They just need to die," one of the other guys said. "I'll do it."
I motioned for them all to shut up. Sneaking up on the struggling Undead was the easy part. My heart pounded, but all I had to do was jam my knife into his head. A quick, swift death for the suffering body. I raised my hand to the side of his head and thrust the knife in.
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