Abby turned backwards and looked at the wall then at the boarded up windows across from the door. She could hear them coming down both ways of the hall. Kevin stepped towards the
metal moving, banging. They were pushing past the barricade Evan had made. They were coming.
“They don’t know we’re here.” Abby whispered as she stepped up to him, “Be quiet.”
Pooch growled and Abby covered her mouth glaring at her.
“Why aren’t they all dead?” Abby whispered angrily.
Kevin looked at her and swallowed, “It will take time.”
Kevin stared behind her with large eyes and Abby looked. Jessie sat up in her bed. Terror in her eyes. She was shaking and holding her blanket close to her. She could sense them too. Abby walked towards her and sat Pooch near her. Jessie pushed herself into Abby’s arms. Abby reached over and shook Evan. She shushed him as he rose startled.
“What is it?” He asked.
“The Undead.” Abby replied as he stood.
all hear them now. Pushing their way through the barricade. Abby stared at the boarded window and listened to the groans. Pooch growled and Abby picked her up to try and calm her. Kevin was looking around with a trapped expression.
“We just stay quiet,” Evan said whispering.
Kevin stared at him.
“Yes,” Kevin whispered, “Yes.”
He walked to Jessie and sat down by her. Jessie leaned into
his chest and closed her eyes. Abby placed Pooch down and she climbed into Jessie’s lap. Abby moved towards the door slowly and placed a hand onto it. She could feel them on the door. Vibrating
removed her hand. She looked at him.
Staring into his deep eyes she then looked at his scars. Evan looked away shyly. Abby moved back from the door, heart racing, blood burning. They would get in. Abby looked at Evan and Kevin. They had been wounded before. Even if it was not badly they still bled. She could smell it even now. They would be able to.
Something pressed onto the door and Pooch let out a low growl. Kevin covered her mouth. Abby stepped back and looked back at her makeshift bed. Evan handed her the pistol she had earlier. Abby stared at it blankly.
“They’re going to get in,” Abby whispered.
“We can wait it out.” Evan replied.
“No,” Abby said, “They already know we’re here.”
Evan eyed her as his lips twitched. Abby turned to look at the door listening to it creak. Then she looked at the boarded windows.
“There are more in the hall than outside.” Abby muttered to herself as she crossed her arms.
Walking around she began to think of a way out. Her wounds ached and her head was buzzing. Abby paused to look at Jessie then at Kevin. Abby closed her eyes and breathed. Looking at Evan she walked up to him and put her gun behind her back in her pants. Then took out her hunting knife and lifted it towards Evan.
“I have an idea,” She whispered, “It is stupid but I think it may work.”
Evan eyed the knife confused and then looked at her. Abby twisted it in her hand and wrinkled her nose. Then Evan stepped back with understanding in his eyes. He raised his hands and smiled nervously.
“Wait,” He said, “What are you planning exactly?”
“They want you and Kevin.” Abby told him, Abby glanced at Kevin, “We can give them what they want without exactly giving them what they want.”
Kevin stood up.
“What are you thinking?” Kevin asked.
“Uh,” She started, “We bloody a shirt up and I take it out into the hall. Distract them so that you three can get out.”
“What? That is a stupid idea.” Evan snapped.
“Hush,” Kevin growled.
Kevin stared at Abby and swallowed hard.
“Okay,” Kevin took the knife from Abby then dug around in one of the makeshift beds, he pulled out a shirt, “Let’s do this then.”
Jessie stood up and walked towards Kevin.
“There has to be another way,” Jessie begged, “Please Daddy don’t.”
“We have to be quick. They will smell the blood.” Abby said. Evan walked towards the door and Kevin followed. “This is a bad idea. They could crush you.” Evan said.
“Maybe.” Abby replied then added, “I’d rather risk that and save you all than do nothing at all.”
“You don’t have to be a hero.” Evan replied.
Abby stared at him blankly. She did not want to be a hero or anything like that.
“I am not trying to be a hero. This is just the only way Evan.”
added quietly, “They will get in.”
Evan looked back at Jessie who was hiding in the corner with
Pooch in her arms crying. Then he looked at the window and
sighed.
“Once I am out there I will lead them away. Once it is clear
“This is a stupid idea.” Evan said. “I know.” Abby replied.
He placed the hunting knife on his arm then looked at Abby. Abby felt tears in her eyes. Her legs were aching and she was shivering even with her coat on. She felt disgusting with how dirty she was. Abby looked down at her ragged clothes and tried to keep herself composed. There were dozens of them outside of the door and it was a stupid plan.
She would be surprised if she made it through the hoard. The door creaked again as they tried to claw at the door and bang. Abby jumped and gasped. A tear rolled down her cheek and she rubbed it away. Evan placed a hand onto her shoulder and made her look at him.
“You don’t have to do this Abby.” Evan told her.
Something banged on the door again and it moved slightly. “Yes I do.” Abby grabbed his hand gently and moved it away. She saw tears in his eyes and stared at his scars. Abby reached the scars and smiled. Kevin cut his arm and blood began to pour as he placed the shirt under it.
“Abby,” He whispered.
Abby walked to him and squeezed his cut so it would bleed more. The shirt became soaked as the banging on the door grew louder. Jessie was crying harder and Pooch began to whine. Abby looked at her little wiry haired dog and smiled sadly. Kevin gave Abby the blood soaked shirt then handed her the knife in her
Kevin ripped another shirt and wrapped it around his wound. Abby stared at the dark bloody shirt and it made her stomach
turn. Kevin moved around her and then put a hand onto the desk.
He looked at Evan.
“Get ready” He said.
Abby slipped to the opening of the door and Evan placed both
hands on the door as she reached for the door handle. She was
breathing hard and each bang on the door made her heart jump.
She stared at Evan and felt her vision blur. Her stomach was
gave Jessie a long look before she opened the door.
The Undead growled and snarled as the door opened. They tried to push their way in but some stumbled backwards when they realized she was not who they wanted. Abby forced her way through. Finding it easier than she thought. They were squishy and rotting. Abby used her hand with the shirt to shove them out of the way. The hoard was thick but somehow she was stronger. In her fear adrenaline rose.
She could hear Evan and Kevin groaning and struggling to shut the door. She looked back as the Undead reached for the bloody shirt she held above her head now. One of the Undead fell into the room and her heart sank.
“Run Abby!” She heard Evan yell.
Abby did not think about it as she started to run pushing herself through the Undead. It was easy. They were light as feathers and
from her hands. She shoved her knife into its skull and it wobbled
they had moved and slipped over them.
Her heart pounded in her chest as dozens of footsteps rushed towards her from all sides. There were more than she had thought. She ran down a hallway and through opened doors then down another hallway until she got to a closed door. The Undead poured around her reaching and snarling. Abby was crying as she fumbled to get th
e doors open.
She knew they would not hurt her but they frightened her more than anything. One pulled at her hair and she screamed.
she tossed the shirt towards some tables. She was in some sort of lunch area. The Undead moved past her some almost stepping on her. She shoved them away until she was able to move towards the wall.
She leaned against the wall as she watched dozens pour in
over it. Abby closed her eyes as they growled and clawed at one another. Some fell to the ground and were stepped on. Abby listened to them as other’s feet pressed through their rotting
turned away.
A shot rang out from the distance and Abby gasped. Looking back towards the door she came from she heard another. Her mind raced with her heart and she began panting. Was the idea even worth it? Where they dying? Abby began crying and slowly stood back up. Her body aching and shaking. Sweat dripped down her forehead. Another shot rang out and Abby dropped her knife. She looked down and reached for it.
As she picked it up she heard a strange sound. It was not a growl or grunt that the Undead made. It was almost the sound of a laugh. Abby felt cold suddenly and her skin began to crawl. The darkness around her was unsettling. Abby slowly looked up as she rose and then froze. Through the thickness of the Undead stood a Husk on top of a table.
It stood with torn clothes, blood across its face, and hair that was falling out. Its skin was gray and badly bruised. Its teeth bloody and rotten. When it looked at her its eyes glassed over. The milky cast in its dying eyes was thick. It looked around shaking,
The Husk put a hand onto his head and pulled a chunk of its own hair out.
Abby stared at the dark blood that came with it. It laughed again then looked at her. Its eyes widened as if he had just noticed
table tossing the Undead to the side. Abby could not help but let out a scream of fear. She stumbled towards the door she came from and ran through the crowd of Undead.
It did not take long to realize the Undead did not notice the Husk. It laughed and screamed as it stormed through the crowd. Abby heard the Undead groan as it shoved them. She ran as fast as she could. Heart pounding in her chest, sweat pouring down into her eyes, her scars were aching. Abby ran into a room and stopped when she thought she was trapped. She then noticed an open door at the end.
It must have been a small lobby or breakroom. Abby ran through the room around dead bodies and chairs. A few Undead
the door. Abby slammed the door she ran through and tripped
pants and she lost her grip on her knife.
head, she looked at what she had fallen over. It was an Undead Abby looked up and around her. The room was dark but moonlight poured in from a large broken window. Abby noticed
upwards and screamed when the Husk slammed on the door in front of her. She looked up frightened as she stared at the door. It hit it again and again. The door creaked and Abby was moving.
Abby panicked as she fumbled to get up. She searched for her
and the door exploded open and Abby stumbled backwards. She
Abby felt a chair behind her and it moved making a loud sound. The Husk looked over at her on its knees and smiled widely at her. It leaped to its feet and ran to her. Abby screamed as she
paused for a moment staring behind it then it looked back at her. Abby pulled the trigger again and hit the Husk in its chest. It screamed and fell to its knees. It clawed at the wound and dug its
as if she could not breath. She was sweating and suddenly her left knee gave out and she fell onto her right leg. She screamed.
The Husk looked at her and seemed to look as if he had never seen her before. It screamed and began running towards her again. Abby’s bite marks were burning and she could feel them bleeding. It made the Husk go mad. It laughed and screamed as it raced towards her. Sweat poured down Abby’s forehead as she aimed. She pulled the trigger as it drew close.
The bullet ripped through the Husk’s head and blood exploded behind it. Its body fell and slammed next to Abby’s. She looked down at it and let out a cry. She allowed her body to fall backwards and she pushed herself towards the wall behind her. Gasping for breath she placed a hand onto her chest and cried. Wind blew behind her through the window and she noticed snow. Abby’s eyes narrowed as she noticed something else in the snow.
brought her hand down and in the moonlight Abby made out ashes on her palms. Abby looked up and slowly rose towards the
windowsill and stared into the cloudy sky. The moon was shining through it. Then she saw the smoke and ash twisting with the snow. Looking down she saw light in the distance from a raging
Abby wondered if it was Kevin and Evan or the Husk. One thing that she knew was that the Husk had set up another trap. They were smarter than she feared. Abby looked back at the one she had killed. That one did not seem so sane and it looked badly worn down. It must have been at the end of its line. Abby eyed it closely and noticed its skin was peeling badly and the tips of its
Abby looked back outside and watched the ash dance with the
shadows outside and knew they were the Undead. She moved herself away from the window anyway. She heard them moving through the brush. Abby peeked around the wall to look outside
Abby’s heart dropped. She froze and feared she would not move. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she stared at the two shadows. They started running towards her and Abby dashed backwards. She screamed and felt stupid about it. Keeping quiet was what she should do. She raced through the lobby and ran down a long hallway. The hallway was very dark and Abby tripped over something.
snarled as they chased her. Abby was almost blind in the hall yet somehow her senses were strong. She was able to make her way through the darkness with minimal stumbling. Turning when the hallway stopped. Abby wondered if it was the infection inside her trying to keep her alive.
Suddenly she ran into something and screamed. It was the Undead. They clogged the hallway in front of her. One growled at her but did nothing. Abby cried and forced her way through.
Husk entered the Undead crowd and violently made their way through. Abby saw a window in a small alcove to her right and
was choking on its own blood. She pushed herself back up. Her knee buckled and she fell again. Cursing she lost her grip on her pistol and gasped. As she reached for it something grabbed her from behind. Abby turned around and saw a Husk. It was a woman with long stringy blond hair and dark milky eyes. Her face was badly bruised, teeth broken, and gums bleeding.
Her clothes were ripped and torn and half of her nails were gone. She hissed and her mad eyes looked straight into Abby’s. Abby screamed and kicked at the Husk’s face. She hit her again and the Husk spat broken teeth at her. Abby smashed her boot once more in her face and the Husk let go out her legs. Abby crawled forward towards her gun and grabbed it.
Turning back around she found the Husk screaming with her eyes closed. The Husk had her hands over her ears and she was crying as she screeched. It made Abby hesitate until the Husk lurched forward at her. Abby pulled the trigger and the Husk collapsed in front of her. Abby scooted backwards and looked at “Just stop!” Something howled in front of her.
Abby sat up and looked toward the thick crowd of Undead being
forced aside as a large Husk pushed through. It was an older man that was somewhat thick. He had no hair and large bruises on his head. The skin on his arms was gray and bleeding. Those milky white eyes stared behind her as he scratched at his face. Its nails were peeled back and the claw marks on his face were deep.
“Why?” It snarled with a raspy voice, “Just stop.”
It mumbled and stepped forward wobbling. Abby stayed quiet as she aimed her pistol. The smell of rot and pus was thick in the air and it was making her stomach turn. The Husk coughed violently and hit its head over and over as it muttered to himself. Abby slowly scooted backwards towards an open door trying to not make any sounds.
“Just stop,” He screamed as he wobbled forward.
It mu
st be the voices in its head. Abby felt somewhat sorry for it. It was not his fault he was this way. He did not do this. Abby looked at the Undead behind him and watched a few fall as they
distance and Abby looked behind her past the door she was trying to get into. Footsteps echoed down the dark hallway and Abby
“No!” The Husk screamed its voice choppy.
The Husk lurched forward and Abby almost forgot how to shoot. She pulled the trigger hitting it in its chest. It fell forward but did not die. It clawed at her and grabbed her scars and squeezed. Abby screamed. Its milky eyes dilated and pain twisted inside of Abby. She pulled the trigger again but the chamber just clicked. She had used all of the bullets.
The Husk looked at her and it seemed to chuckle through a cry. It reached for her face and grabbed around her neck and began to crush her throat. Her throat was already bruised from the last one trying to choke her. Abby slammed the gun across his face as its mouth. Abby looked at it as its eyes seemed to settle some. It
Abby slammed the gun across its face again and again until it fell down. It screeched at her and reached for her face. Abby beat it with the end of the gun. Blood splashed everywhere. Abby shoved it from her and stood up. It was still alive moaning and touching its bloody face. Abby left it there as she hurried down
Abby felt that she was becoming more tired by the second. The dizziness in her mind was causing her to stumble. The adrenalin
wanted to go towards it but feared what it could be. Abby slowly made her way through a dark hallway when she heard a scream. She knew who it was without having to see them.
Abby raced down the hallway and came to an open room that
and noticed the dead Husk all around with the Undead. Abby felt a lump in her throat. She did not think Evan and Kevin had this many rounds.
Down the hall she saw two Husk beating on a door trying to get in. The door was slowly buckling away. Abby could sense Jessie near. She heard Pooch barking from inside the room. The Husk were beating on the door and were getting in. The door cracked and one began to try and force its way in. Abby heard Jessie scream and she hurried towards them. She grabbed a chair that
slammed the chair across its body. She heard the door crack and the other Husk broke through. Jessie screamed and Abby
The Amour series (Book 2): The Ashes of Amour Page 12
