Trying to Survive (Part 1) (11 page)

   Melanie interjected. “Shouldn’t we just leave? What if they come back?”

   I shook my head. “I was out there Melanie… It’s just as dangerous, if not more so. Let’s just get the water jugs and see what happens next. They might be coming back for us.”

   I took a knee in front of Anthony and Clara. “Sit tight and keep each other safe. We’re gonna have plenty of water in a little while and we might even be able to get off this roof soon. Okay?”

   They both fearfully nodded and sat down.

   My injured leg made it take a few seconds for me to catch up to Walt and Melanie. He was already up on the wall and beginning to guide himself down. “If you two just take my hands and lower me another couple of feet, I might not hurt myself.”

   I grabbed onto his left hand, Melanie took his right and we leaned over the wall so we could guide him down even further. I almost lost my grip when the strain set off an explosion of pain in my leg, but I held strong until my elbows locked straight and we let go.

   Walt crashed down on top of the AC unit, rolled off the side and landed on his back. His eyes bulged and he started gasping for air and grabbing at his ankle…
Fuck
… “You okay!?”

   He was clearly disoriented and in pain, but he forced himself up, said “I’m good” and motioned for me to throw him the shotgun. The moment it reached his hands, he limped for a few steps, favoring his right ankle, and then took off running toward the side of the building so he could stand up the ladder.

   I got over to the front of the roof and checked on the situation. The closest one was all the way out in the street. There were only a few dozen stragglers still trying to catch up with the pack. The van was now about a quarter mile away, still revving the engine and leading them even further.

   I called out to Melanie. “Tell Walt he’s good! They’re all leaving. I’m gonna stay here just in case they start coming back. Once he’s inside, stay by the back door so we can warn him if we need to!”

   When Walt slammed the ladder up against the roof, it let out a loud metallic clang that almost resembled an old-style, cast iron bell. For a moment, I was overcome with the fear that it might draw some of them back, but they all seemed intent on following the van. Which to me, further showcased their communication skills and just how dangerous they really were once night fell.

  
We can’t ever underestimate these things…

   The seconds passed like hours as I waited to hear the sound of Walt’s voice come from the back of the building. When I heard him fire the shotgun, I froze and began to feel like I’d just run a mile.

   When it went off a second time, I rushed over to Melanie. When she turned around I could see the panic on her face. “He only had two shots right!?”

   I wanted to stay quiet so I could listen. I just nodded, walked up to the wall and leaned over. The back door was hanging open, so I hoped to hear something from inside that would let me know he’s still alive.

   I didn’t hear a thing… not the sounds of the infected, not footsteps or rummaging… just nothing…

   Melanie said “Do you hear anything?” But I just ignored her and kept listening. I was already preparing myself for the reality that he might not be coming out. My emotions were swirling and I was on the verge of tears. I knew that if there were more than two of them, he was already dead.

   I feared the silence meant they were eating him…
Please… Please… Be okay…

   I jerked myself back up and cried out “No! Fuck!” Then leaned over the wall again and yelled “WALT!” as loudly as I could.

   I paced back and forth for a few seconds, then began trying to climb over the wall and make my way down. Melanie grabbed onto my arm and tried to stop me, but I forcefully yanked it away.

   “If you fall that far you won’t be able to walk at all! STOP!”

   Just then, I heard a loud crash, a door slam and then the sounds of heavy footsteps echoing in the long hall. Walt came flying outside, stumbling as he tried to change direction and head around to the ladder. He had a gallon of water in each hand and I could see that he was forced to ditch the shotgun.

   He yelled up to us. “There’s another one in there, but I locked it in a room! It could get out any second so be ready to shoot the fuckin thing!”

   As Walt made his way towards the ladder, I picked up the rifle and watched the back door. I could hear the pounding and crashing as it struggled to break free from the room. “Melanie! Go hold onto that ladder and make sure it doesn’t fall away from the wall.”

   I turned back to check on Anthony and Clara – suddenly, the sounds stopped. I thinned my eyes and tilted my head so I’d have a better chance of picking up any noise. I slightly jumped as a single metallic bang resonated through the building and made its way outside…

   It came running out so quickly, it surprised me and I almost fumbled the rifle. I truly didn’t expect it to be moving so fast because it wasn’t completely dark out yet…
Walt’s presence and the shade from being inside the building…

   They didn’t run like a normal person, they zigzagged and lunged in random directions without warning. I was struggling to keep the crosshairs on its head, but I was running out of time, so I fired anyway and missed. I seamlessly slid back the bolt, pushed another bullet into the chamber and immediately fired again. I watched as its right shoulder kicked forward from the impact. It staggered for a split-second and then disappeared behind the side of the building.

   I began limping toward the ladder and yelled out “Melanie! One’s coming! Use that rifle!”

   Fuck, fuck, fuck…

   I did my best to move quickly, but I knew I wasn’t going to make it...
If Walt gets killed, it’s my fault. I had two chances to kill it and I fucked up.

   When Walt started to yell, my worst fears were realized – I knew it had caught up to him. Melanie let out a high pitched scream, signaling that she was witnessing something horrible. To my surprise, she instantly gained her composure, leaned over the wall and fired a shot.

   Melanie let the rifle slip from her hands, took a few steps back, collapsed to the ground and let her head fall to the side. As I ran past her, I wasn’t sure if her reaction was due to relief or witnessing his death… My heart felt like it was going to explode.

   I didn’t bother slowing down, I just slammed into the wall and let my body jerk forward. I could see that Melanie had managed to shoot it in the head and kill it, but Walt wasn’t moving. It was lying on top of him and he was covered in blood. His eyes were closed and his arms were sprawled out.

   “WALT!”

   His eyes snapped open, he rolled out from underneath it and started clutching his left shoulder. I was so relieved, and my leg was burning like a thousand suns – I wanted to just collapse like Melanie, but I used to wall to hold myself up.

   Walt gathered the two jugs of water and started climbing the ladder. “Holy shit! That was crazy, man!”

   After I helped him up and over the wall, he dropped the water jugs and fell to his back. He was so out of breath that he was barely able to speak. “Good thing… those have… twist on caps. I would have spilled them.”

   I shook my head and started to laugh, even though I was still on the verge of tears. Walt raised his head, turned to Melanie and put his thumb up in the air. “Awesome
fucking
shot Melanie!”

   Melanie was already on the way over so she could examine his shoulder. “I think most of the blood is from that thing… It isn’t too bad. It didn’t have a chance to pull away after it bit down.”

   Walt coughed a few times and continued trying to catch his breath. It was easy to see he was severely shaken up. “So what the hell happened, James!? I heard you fire two shots.”

   “I’m sorry, man, it was just so fast… I missed the first shot trying to aim at its head, and I was scared I’d miss again, so I aimed for its heart the second time – ended up catchin it in the shoulder… Which barely even phased it, by the way.”

   He stayed on his back and gazed up at the sky, still panting like a dog. “It’s all good. I’m just breakin your balls.” He turned his head just enough to bring me into view and smirked. “It was my turn to get hurt anyway, right? If they keep tearing into you, there won’t be anything left.”

   I briefly laughed and then replied “It’s not funny…”

   Melanie and I helped Walt sit up and then took his shirt off so she could have access to the wound. Walt winced in pain as he said “It only bit me for a second before you shot it… Again… Awesome.”

   She tilted her head, lightly smiled and batted her long lashes, jokingly portraying innocence. “You’re welcome.”

   She soaked the cleanest dirty rag we had in alcohol and started to clean up the series of little holes in Walt’s shoulder. I reached out and touched her arm. “Thank you, Melanie. I wouldn’t have gotten there in time.”

   “I told you two I can hold my own.” She glanced back at Anthony and Clara. “I know you’re in pain too, but can you finish taking care of him? Anthony and Clara need me. I’m sure all the gunshots scared them.”

   I turned back to check on them and saw Anthony slowly approaching. His eyes were fixed on Walt’s shoulder. I could tell that he was scared, but curious at the same time. He came to a stop just a few feet away and nervously said “I wanna help.”

   Melanie handed me the dwindling bottle of alcohol and the rag, then got up and approached him. “He’s going to be fine.” She put her hand on his cheek. “How did you get so brave?”

   He shied away and looked to the ground. “I just wanna help.”

   “I know you do sweetie, but for now, you only need to worry about keeping Clara safe when we’re busy. You can do that, right?”

   He nodded and Melanie took his hand. “Come on, I know a good game we can play while we wait.”

   I took a deep breath through my nose and started unraveling a length of bandaging. Walt snatched it away from me and said. “I got this. Go look and see what happened to those guys. I wonder if they’re coming back or just lent a hand and kept going.”

   “We’ll know soon enough.”

   As I limped away, Walt chuckled and remarked “Gonna have to get you a cane to accompany that old man walk you got goin on.”

   “Shut up.”

  
Actually, that’s not a bad idea… Fucker…

Chapter 13

   It was almost completely dark when Walt walked up and stood next to me, scratching at the bandage around his shoulder. He’d stepped away for a little while to hang his ass over the roof. “Still no sign of the van?”

   “Nope… Hey, that’s not itching is it? That could mean it’s on the way to an infection.”

   He shook his head and momentarily closed his eyes. “Nah, it’s just the bandage. What’s really itching is my asshole.”

   I groaned and scoffed “Oh, man me too. Driving me nuts.”

   Walt sighed and said “I don’t think they’re coming back.”

   “Don’t be so sure… I think at least one of them was in the military. He had on those camo pants and just looked like a soldier. From what I saw, it kinda looked like he was having a good time. Long story short, he seems like the exact type of guy we’d want around.”

   “What do you mean he was having a good time?”

   “When he jumped out of the van and started yelling and shooting to lure them away, I saw a smile on his face. Pretty sure he was laughing too.”

   “Interesting… Well, if they are a group of military guys, maybe they really will come back to help us. I can’t see them feeling okay about abandoning some kids.”

   I put my hands on the wall and leaned forward so I could get some of the weight off of my leg. “Either way, all those things are gone. They saved us… I say we spend the night up here from now on, just in case – but we can stay in the building during the day. For the time being, let’s base our decisions on the assumption that these guys aren’t coming back.”

   “Yeah, you’re right… we’re gonna have to get back out there to find more food and water very soon.”

   “Yep… Alright, your turn to watch for a while. I’m gonna go hang over the roof and then sit down for a little while. Maybe even close my eyes for a few minutes.” I said as I slapped him on the back.

   He flinched and yelled out in pain “What the hell, asshole!?”

   I clenched my teeth and crinkled my brow. “Oh man, I’m so sorry… I forgot.”

   Walt gave me a dirty look and sighed. “Just go, it’s not like I’ll be able to see for much longer anyway… Hey man, don’t hang your ass too far out and fall. You know what you’ll land in right?”

   He snickered and I reached back with my middle finger raised as I walked away…
Looks like Walt’s back to his old self. Must mean he’s not afraid anymore… Wish I could say the same...

   There was literally nothing to clean ourselves with, and I was actually contemplating sacrificing my shirt when Walt called out to us. “I hear the van!” He turned around, glowing with excitement. “I hear the van!”

   Melanie instructed the kids to stay put and we both joined Walt at the edge of the roof. “Do you see them yet?” She said with a hint of optimism.

   “Not yet, but just listen – they’re on the way back.”

   I could clearly hear the roar of the engine, but it wasn’t continuous. I soon released they were frequently slowing down and accelerating for turns, most likely using the maze-like neighborhoods to lose the pack and get back to us.

   Walt figured it out too. “They’re trying to lose them on the side streets.”

   Melanie chimed in. “So, did I hear you say something about them being in the military?”

   “It’s just an assumption. I saw that one of them was wearing camouflage, and he just looked like a soldier. You know what I mean?”

   “Yeah, I guess so.”

   “Oh! And the guy had a badass machine gun. It definitely looked and sounded like military-issue only.”

   Walt interrupted me. “I see headlights. They just pulled onto the main road… Should be here in a minute.”

   We all watched in silence as the headlights moved closer and closer. When they got within a quarter-mile, I heard him let off the gas – seemingly to cut down on engine noise. The van just coasted until it reached the parking lot, still making a frightening amount of noise.

   The driver pulled the van in sideways so his window was facing us. He still hadn’t rolled it down and the tint was so dark that I couldn’t see a thing. We just waited.

   The driver’s side window eventually came about half way down, only to reveal the eyes and gray hair of an older looking man. His voice soon followed. “See the windows in the back!? You’ve got two rifles pointed at you – so if you’re planning on fuckin us over, tell me now and we’ll just part ways!”

   Walt stepped forward as if he were about to speak, but since I was older and more… diplomatic… I purposely beat him to it. “I promise you we have no intention of doing anything! We just needed to get into the building and grab our water. We’ve been stuck up here for days!.. You really did save all of us!”

   Melanie added “Thank you, so much!”

   Walt started to speak, but was interrupted yet again, this time by the man in the driver’s seat. “Let me see those kids you were talkin about! NOW!”

   Walt and I shot each other a quick glance and Melanie suddenly became untrusting. She replied “What are you talking about!?”

   “Relax lady, I just wanna make sure you aren’t luring us in with some bullshit story! Can’t trust people anymore!”

   I turned to Melanie and said “It’s okay, just go get them. I wouldn’t trust us either.”

   She didn’t move for quite some time. Her eyes darted back and forth, and I could see her lips slightly moving – suggesting she was conversing with herself as she thought it over. I just let her be. I knew it was because she cared for Anthony and Clara, just as she would for one of her own children.

   The man in the driver’s seat wasn’t so patient. “Let’s go! I’m startin to think you’re lyin to me!”

   Walt leaned over the wall and yelled down “Give us a minute – it’s not like we can trust you either!”

   To my surprise, the window came down the rest of the way and revealed a man who looked to be in his fifties. Unlike the other man I saw, he was also wearing a camouflage shirt and I could see a name tag and several small medals pinned to his chest.

   The passenger door flung open, and the same man in the camouflage pants and white t-shirt stepped out. He completely ignored us and walked out to the road so he could watch for the infected.

   The driver said “I’m Lieu… Well, at least I used to be, Lieutenant Jessie Rhames… and my sweaty friend over there is Sergeant Brian Everhorn. You can trust us… Now, please, just let me see those kids and we can talk about what happens next.”

   When Melanie saw that they appeared to be genuine, she walked about half way across the roof and then motioned for Anthony and Clara to meet her. “Just go to the edge of the roof for a second. There’s a nice man from the military down there who wants to make sure you’re okay.”

   Once they reached Melanie, she took them each by the hand and led them to the wall. “Just peek over for a second.”

   I laughed when Anthony jumped up and down and started waving. After Clara showed her face, Melanie pulled them back and out of sight.

   I yelled down “So, what happens next?”

   “We’re heading north to look for more survivors. We came from Melbourne, and it’s the same damn story.”

   Walt interjected. “Do you have any idea what’s going on!?”

   Jessie clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “… That’s a long, complicated story, kid. You’ll wanna be sitting down for it – trust me.”

   Walt and I locked eyes…
It really is worse than we thought…

   “You’re welcome to come with us. We have plenty of protection and there’s no reason for you to stay. So, get your asses down here and let’s hit the road… How many guns do you guys have?”

   Walt held up his rifle. “Two of these and an empty shotgun I had to ditch in the building. We have two gallons of water and some food too.”

   The back doors to the van flung open and a young, blonde woman hopped out – also in full uniform. She waved up to us and said “I’m Jenny, nice to meet all of you. I can’t tell you how happy we are to see more people… Now, please hurry, the shredders are sure to be back soon. They’re really good at tracking down noises.”

  
Shredders?.. I guess that’s fitting…