Our Undead (64 page)

Gwen holds Billy and
Margaret close to her. It's hard to tell if she is doing so to
protect them or to create a buffer zone around herself, regardless,
Bernard tries to get in on the action as well. He does his best to
sneak in behind Gwen, but they need not fear. They are in good
hands, that is, if the ammo holds up.

Sharp:
How's it going in there, Matthew!?

Kerrick jumps back out of
the truck with a medium sized satchel-like bag of supplies and
rejoins his gang.

Kerrick:
Not great. It's pretty much been emptied, but we got about
half a bag of mags here!

Sharp:
That'll do! Let's press on to Suhh-Suhh! Stand-by with those
bullets! Let's move!

The group of seven leaves
the truck behind, working their way progressively through the horde
of humans and zombies alike. Kerrick makes sure to hand off
magazines to any of his two teammates that call out for more ammo,
and together the three of them make an impenetrable force, even
without Holden. Again, Billy feels useless. It isn't in his nature
to just stand by when there are zombies to be killed, to be
protected, but his main concern right now is making sure that
Margaret is okay. He feels like if he takes his eye off of her for
one minute, she'll disappear or go off somewhere. She can be so
unpredictable. There isn't much he can do with his bow in here
anyway. Making sure Margaret gets out safely will remain his top
priority, but then, Erika sees something that might alter Billy
resolve.

Erika:
Billy, those are your foster parents, aren't
they?!

The boy had forgotten about
them, truthfully. When he had reunited with them in the cafeteria,
he knew they had expected him to stay with them. They wanted him to
move in with them and start over. All he could think about when
they were telling him this was how he had gotten so used to not
having them around. He had never felt freer in his life. He didn't
plan on trying to start over with them. Actually, he still wanted
to go to California and planned to take the soonest chance he could
to continue that journey. This calamity is that chance. After all,
how could they start over? What kind of life would they have living
underground or on the run? It isn't the sort of life that Billy
wants, and he refuses to be held back.

When Erika calls his
attention to his parents, the whole group comes to a stop. He sees
them far away, flickering on and off as people run in and out of
his view. A zombie has gotten hold of his mother's sweater. She
tries to pull away from it in desperation, but the zombie is an
aggressive one. Even with Mr. Alomar kicking at it, the monster
won't stop its pursuit. After struggling with it for what feels
like forever, Mr. Alomar is able to pull his wife out of the
unrelenting zombie's grip. However, the force of the pull causes
the zombie to fall over, and it finds the opening it was looking
for in the form of Mrs. Alomar's ankle. He clutches it first, and
then sinks his teeth into her. Billy sees his father pounding his
foot over top the zombie’s head again and again, trying to get the
thing off of his wife, but doesn't wait to see the
conclusion.

Billy:
Keep going!

Erika:
What?! Are you sure?! There's no turning back from here,
Billy!

Billy:
I'm
sure! Let's move!

Erika:
(sighs)
Okay… Denver, we're
moving!!

Sharp:
Right! Reload!

Kerrick passes a magazine
off to Sharp, and the group starts moving again, leaving Billy's
foster parents behind forever. Several headshots, close calls and
almost five minutes later, the group makes it to Suhh-Suhh's
intersection. They stand in the middle of the crossing for a moment
to gather themselves.

Sharp:
Professor, which way down Suhh-Suhh?!

Gwen:
Right! That way!

Sharp:
Matty, how we doing on ammo?!

Kerrick:
Uhhh, could be better! About ten mags left!

Erika:
Reload! Path looks pretty clear! I'd say run for it, but the
girl is injured!

Sharp:
I
can carry her! Gwen, how much further is the
lift?!

Gwen:
You
could say, in one block we make a left! There's an unmarked door!
The lift is inside!

Sharp:
Fine then! We're going to make a run for it! Professor, you
have to run in front! Take us
right
to the door! Team, same
drill! Kerrick, take middle with the ammo and Erika, take the rear,
but don't fall behind! Margaret, I'm going to carry you on my back,
so make sure you hang on tight!

She doesn't respond. Sharp
isn't sure if she is even paying attention. He doesn't fully
understand the trauma currently plaguing her mind, but it is most
definitely not the time to stop and try to dig for a deeper
understanding.

Sharp:
Hey! Will she hold on?!

Billy:
She
will! Margaret, hold on to him, all right?
Please.

With everyone on the same
page they get ready to move again. Sharp offers his back to
Margaret, and she solemnly places her arms over his shoulders,
trying to get the best grip she can around his neck with her
forearm crutches still attached. When she's properly sat on is
back, he stands upright again.

Sharp:
Okay! On "go", we run for the door, and we don't stop! Time
is not a luxury we have to spare! This is the home stretch,
people!
Ready?!

Kerrick, Erika, Gwen, Billy
and Bernard all voice that they are ready to go.

Sharp:
GO!!!

On Sharp's word, all six
of them dart down the not as overrun north hall of Suhh-Suhh.
Professor Gavine is in front of the group as Sharp had instructed.
He is right behind her, popping the heads off of any zombies that
get too close. Billy runs along side him, not for the protection,
but to stay close to Margaret. She holds on to Sharp's neck and
gets bumped all around as he runs, as if she's sat atop a mighty
racehorse. His shoulder continuously rams itself into her neck, and
it annoys the hell out of her. She has half a mind to jump off and
let them continue on without her, but she doesn't, possibly for
Billy's sake. Behind them is Kerrick. He helps with covering the
front
and
back of
the group and passes off ammo whenever Sharp or Erika call for it.
Erika is behind him, covering the tail end, and Bernard runs beside
her. One might think a man as tall as him would be able to run
faster, but throughout his entire life, the skinny doctor had never
been athletically talented. Nevertheless, the group is able to
stick together fairly well.

Gwen:
It's
here! This is the left turn!

Sharp:
Guys, we're turning!

Sharp takes a look down the
specified hallway. He is relieved to see that it's even less
occupied than the one they are currently running in, virtually
empty. They take the turn and barrel down it without slowing down.
Unfortunately, they acquire some unwanted attention. A zombie
notices them separating from the carnage and follows them. It
attracts another, and the one it attracts, attracts five more.
Soon, a decent sized mob of about twenty-five zombies is formed and
chasing the group down the hall, and with its seal now broken, more
keep trickling in.

Erika:
We've got goofs on us!!

Sharp:
Gavine, where's the room!!

Gwen:
Just
a little further ahead!!

They all continue running
at full speed. Erika does her best in back to keep picking off
their assailants. The skinny English doctor runs along beside her.
Of everyone, he seems the most fatigued, red in the face and
fighting to catch his breath. With each step he feels his legs
getting heavier. He doesn't want to give up, but he can't help it
when his exhausted right foot trips over his left, and he goes
toppling over. Erika notices him disappear from her side right
away.

Erika:
Guys, hold on!!

Everybody stops running and
looks back to see what the problem is. Doctor Bernard is on the
hallway floor, trying to get to his feet. He might have made it if
he had not been so panicked, but slips up too many times and gets
caught by the shepherd zombie and a few of his followers. They pin
him to the floor and begin feasting, first on his legs, then
working their way up the rest of his body. He cries out to his
group in pain and for help, all the while trying to drag himself
out of their clutches.

Erika tries to help, but no
matter how many zombies she shoots off of him, a replacement
swiftly takes its spot. Kerrick even comes walking back to help her
and provide bullets, but it is of no use. Doctor Bernard is already
completely covered, and the zombies that had arrived too late to
get a taste of him are passing him and continuing pursuit of the
group.

Kerrick:
There's nothing we can do! Let's go!

It's a damn shame to her,
but the English doctor isn't the first person Blaze has lost in
battle, so her and Kerrick start up running again to catch up to
the rest. When they catch up to Sharp, Gwen, Margaret and Billy,
they are all standing (except Margaret who is still on Sharp's
back) in front of a plain looking metal door.

Sharp:
So
this is it?! What are you waiting for?! Open it!

Gwen:
I…
There's no… It's just a knob with a keyhole! There's no number
panel!

Sharp:
You
don't have a key?!

Gwen:
If I
did, we'd be inside!

Kerrick:
Umm, so are we opening the door, or are we gonna keep moving,
cause…

He doesn't need to finish
his sentence. They know exactly why they need to make their
decision with haste. With every second they remain stagnant, the
group of fifty-something zombies gets closer, along with a very
gruesome fate for them all. It pains him to do it with only about
twenty arrows left, but Billy arms himself with his bow and helps
Kerrick and Erika keep cover. Every shot fired is a bull's eye
planted in an undead forehead, but it all just seems
pointless.

Erika:
Reload!

Kerrick:
That was the last mag! What are we doing,
people?!

Sharp:
Aw,
fuck it.

Sharp draws his gun, but
doesn't aim at the zombies. He lets three rounds go into the area
on the door surrounding the knob, and the knob itself.

Sharp:
Matty, kick the goddamn door in!

Kerrick hears him and stops
firing on the fast approaching stampede. With absolutely no
hesitation, he drives his better foot into the door, not once, but
twice.

Sharp:
Wait!

Sharp fires two more rounds
into the knob.

Sharp:
Go!

Kerrick powers another
heavily driven kick right into the doorknob. To their favor, the
knob flies off and the door pops open. Perhaps just in
time.

Sharp:
Get
inside! Erika,
inside!

She is so busy trying to
fruitlessly keep the zombie horde at bay that she doesn't even
notice that Kerrick was able to get the door open, but when she
sees that it is, she runs inside. Sharp and Margaret are the last
to enter, and Sharp slams the door shut behind them, keeping his
weight on it. Margaret slides off of Sharp's back without having to
be told, and limps away from the door. Her eyes widen in a
melancholy awe at the contents of the brightly lit room.

Sharp:
Get
something to block the door with!!

Kerrick and Erika are
already on it. They work together pushing a colossal cabinet over
to where Sharp fights with the rumbling door and the beasts on the
other side.

Sharp:
Ugh! Damn it!
Come on,
guys!

Kerrick:
We're here! We're here! Get ready to move
aside!

Sharp:
One, two,…
THREE!

On three, Sharp moves out
of the way and his partners shove the massive cabinet in his place,
a life-sized Indiana Jones moment. They manage to press the metal
box firmly against the door, then back away to see if it stays.
They can still hear them. Even with the whining of the alarm, they
can still hear the muffled grumblings of the collection of corpses
just outside the room, but the cabinet remains steady and the door
remains sealed.

Sharp:
(relieved)
Shit… Okay, so
where's the lif-