“Are you ready?”
“I’m ready.”
Together, they stepped into the darkness. Velvet blinked as dust floated up and out into the air. Yeah, she’d be sneezing up a storm in no time. She really needed to bring a scarf or a bandana with her when she went on these outings so she could cover her mouth and avoid sneezing.
As they started walking into the room and away from the entrance, the natural light from the doorway began to grow dimmer. Eshe had a flashlight connected to her belt with a carabiner, and she unhooked it to free the light. She swung it around, glancing ahead of them.
“Looks clear,” Velvet said, swinging her own flashlight.
“Yeah,” Eshe nodded.
Velvet was once again surprised with how the first floor of this building looked. Like the other two apartment buildings in town that she’d entered, it was filled with furniture that had been broken, damaged, and spread out.
“I wonder if there are any buildings in town without this same first floor layout,” Velvet mumbled, almost to herself.
“Haven’t you heard? It’s all the rage,” Eshe looked over and winked as they headed over to the staircase, which was strangely in the center of the room.
“It’s definitely efficient. I don’t see anything,” she glanced around.
“Nothing broke in last night,” Eshe agreed.
“Good.”
“Why wouldn’t they have broken in, though?”
“No clue,” Velvet looked around. “It’s not exactly a secure space, is it?” Aside from the boards on the front door and a few casually boarded over windows, there weren’t any traps or any furniture blocking the way inside. If a zombie had really wanted to get inside last night, Velvet thought it probably would have been able to.
“Not so much.”
“Let’s just get this over with,” Velvet started walking up the steps to the second floor. The staircase was in the center of the room and led up to a balcony that spanned the entire second floor. All of the apartments opened onto the balcony, which meant they could all overlook the first floor of the apartment building.
In some ways, it felt more like a hotel than something that had once been a permanent living space. It was nice, though, because it was clear as they reached the second floor of the building that there really weren’t any zombies wandering around.
“Nothing here,” Eshe said when they reached the balcony.
“Where’s the staircase to the next floor, though?”
“What do you mean? Oh, shit,” Eshe paused, looking around.
“Right? Like, where does it go?”
Even though they knew perfectly well that there were other floors attached to the building, it wasn’t exactly clear where they had to go in order to keep moving upward. The staircase that led between the first two floors didn’t continue up at all. It just stopped.
While the second floor opened to the first floor with a big, clear opening, the second floor had a ceiling, so it was impossible to see the third floor.
“There are elevators,” Velvet pointed out, turning around.
“We’re not climbing the elevator shaft,” Eshe shook her head. “So don’t even suggest that.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“We need to get going,” Eshe murmured, once more looking around.
“I’m sure everyone’s got the exterior covered.”
“I know they do, but I don’t want this to take all day,” Eshe said. “I’m asking them to take a risk for someone we don’t even know, and this isn’t exactly cool of us.”
“It’s not cool,” Velvet agreed. “So, normally, the stairs are beside the elevator, right? What if it’s one of those doors?”
There were two unmarked doors by the elevator: one on either side. The doors were covered with dust and grime, as was most of the building. This was the kind of place that didn’t get many visitors, which made Velvet wonder once more: how had the child gotten inside?
These cobwebs weren’t made overnight, and as she pushed a couple aside that tangled in her hair, she stepped toward the door on the left of the elevator.
“Ready?”
Eshe held up her crowbar and nodded, letting Velvet know that it was time.
Velvet opened the door and stepped back, happy that she did because a zombie burst forward from the darkness, rushing toward them. Eshe was ready, and she swung the crowbar, hit in the head, and the zombie went flying over the balcony with a low-pitched growl that probably should have been a screech. If someone had pushed Velvet over the edge of the balcony, she would have screeched.
“Nice teamwork,” Eshe said, looking over the balcony at the zombie’s mangled body.
“Yeah,” Velvet said, but her heart was racing.
Eshe noticed.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just...I didn’t expect that.”
Eshe placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded, letting her know that she understood. She knew what was happening, and she knew that it was a scary situation. They were all scared, and it was normal to be scared. Nothing about what they were going through was “normal,” and that was okay.
“I watched my mom die,” Velvet said, looking over at Eshe.
“What?”
“I watched my mom die,” Velvet repeated.
Why had she said that?
She hadn’t planned on saying that she had seen it happen. That was the type of information you didn’t really share with people you’d just met. Pouring her royal heart out to someone who was practically a stranger felt uncomfortable and terrifying, but Eshe didn’t panic or freak out.
“I’m sorry,” Eshe said, staring at her.
“It was a long time ago.”
“Was it in an apartment building like this?” Eshe asked, standing still, watching her.
“It was in a hotel,” Velvet explained. “It was kind of like this. She fell off a balcony while we were fighting. She didn’t get bit or anything. She just fell.”
Eshe shook her head.
“Vel, that must have been so hard,” she said.
“It was.”
“What did you do?”
It was the first time Velvet had ever actually talked about losing her mom. Most of the time, she kept her emotions buried deep within her heart. She kept everything tucked away within her soul, and she didn’t share things that could reveal any pain she was feeling or experiencing.
In her opinion, life was a journey that was best experienced alone.
Or was it?
She wasn’t sure what she had expected Eshe to say when she blurted out why she was inwardly panicking in the building, but it hadn’t been to ask if she was okay. Out of all of the things Eshe could have said, that was the least expected.
“What?”
“What did you do, Vel? Were you okay? Was anyone with you?”
Eshe seemed genuinely concerned, and Velvet just shook her head.
“It was just me.”
Eshe dropped her crowbar and stepped forward, reaching for Velvet. She pulled her into her arms in a tight, warm hug, and she just held her for a long time.
“I’m so sorry you were through that,” she said. “Nobody should have to go through that alone.”
She was right, Velvet realized. Nobody should have to go through that alone. There were certain things that people shouldn’t have to deal with individually. Death was one of them. Maybe she’d lived her life all wrong.
Being around Eshe was pretty nice, if she was being honest with herself. Apparently, Velvet was an honest person. Whoever would have guessed?
Maybe Velvet should have tried to find a friend years ago. Maybe she should have tried to find someone whom she could be herself around.
“Thanks,” Velvet whispered.
“I’m here now,” Eshe said, and even though it had been years since Mom died, knowing that Eshe understood what she was going through and that she wanted to help her not feel quite so sad meant a lot to Velvet. In fact, it mea
nt the world to her.
“That means so much,” she whispered, and she didn’t pull away. Instead, she just kept hugging Eshe, kept accepting the comfort that her new companion was offering her.
When Eshe pulled away, it was far too soon.
“I’ve lost my mom, too,” Eshe said. “It’s a horrible pain that nobody should ever have to experience.”
“Yeah,” Velvet nodded, trying not to cry. It was a completely inappropriate time to be thinking about her mom.
“I know that it’s not fine, and I know that it’s not okay, but do you think you’ll be able to keep going?”
Velvet stared at Eshe, blinking. It took a moment for her mind to register what was happening. Eshe was giving her an out, she realized. Eshe was letting her know that it was okay to not be okay. And if she wasn’t okay, Eshe was giving her the chance to back out of what was happening.
If Velvet needed to go outside and wait there, Eshe was giving her that opportunity.
But Velvet was tougher than that. She was tougher than she gave herself credit for, and she could do this, she knew.
She could do this.
“I’m fine,” Velvet said. “Let’s keep going.”
Chapter 20
The door to the right of the elevator proved to be the one that they needed. It was the staircase they’d be able to take to the next few floors. Hopefully, they’d hurry up, grab the kid, and come back down. In and out and home before lunch.
“Let’s go,” Eshe said. She opened the door but walked through it first. It was sort of a protection act. She didn’t want to force Velvet to face any zombies first. Not after what she’d revealed.
Eshe could tell that Velvet was just as surprised as she was at what she’d said. Velvet wasn’t the type of person who opened up easily. Then again, neither was Eshe. In a world like this, you couldn’t be. You never knew who you could trust, so keeping secrets was one of the best ways to stay safe.
“Dusty,” Velvet whispered.
She was right. Nobody had been through here in quite some time. If Eshe had to guess, it was at least a month, but it could have been longer, which didn’t get them any closer to answers as to what they were going to find when they got to the top of the building.
Not for the first time, a sense of doubt started to spin in Eshe’s stomach.
What if they were wrong?
What if this entire thing was wrong?
What if coming here and trying to save a kid they didn’t know was going to get them all killed?
What then?
It was something that had bothered Eshe for some time. The idea that they might give up everything for someone who either wouldn’t appreciate it or who couldn’t appreciate it kind of hurt. It was difficult because Eshe really was the leader. She was the one in charge.
Eshe had to make sure that she did whatever it took to keep her people safe, and sometimes that meant saying no.
Sometimes, that meant not standing up and trying to save someone.
Was this one of those moments?
“Velvet?” Eshe looked over at her new friend as they carefully climbed the stairs to the third floor. They walked slowly, not wanting to start coughing because of the dust. Eshe had discovered that if she tried to run up dusty stairs, she would feel sick.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think this is the right call?”
Velvet stopped and turned to her.
“What?”
“Do you think this is right?”
“What? Walking up stairs?”
“Trying to rescue someone we don’t know.”
Velvet looked at her. Eshe didn’t mind. She liked when Velvet looked at her, especially because Velvet didn’t seem to think she was crazy or horrible for asking the question.
In fact, Velvet just seemed thoughtful and pensive about the entire thing.
“I don’t think it’s the wrong call.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s dangerous,” Velvet shrugged.
“Not all danger is bad, though,” Eshe pointed out.
“True, true. Not all danger is bad, and not all people are bad, either,” Velvet reminded her. “Some are, though. If we get up there and the kid is actually infected or there are bad people with her, we’re going to have to make a tough call.”
That was something Eshe was always worried about.
Killing zombies wasn’t particularly challenging. Not emotionally, anyway. When you killed a zombie, you were just killing a monster. They were dead. They weren’t themselves anymore. They weren’t normal.
With zombies, you could kill one and not feel bad, but people?
Eshe had killed people before. She’d killed non-infected humans, and it made her sick. She didn’t like to think about it because killing a person was different.
Once upon a time, she’d been a dancer, and dancers didn’t worry about things like “was it self-defense or murder?” Dancers worried about getting their complete warm-up before a class. They worried about fitting into their costumes. They worried about their shoes. They didn’t worry about things like whether or not they’d made a bad choice by killing someone who wanted to kill them first.
“I know,” Eshe said.
“Are you ready for that?”
“Are you?” Eshe countered.
“Yeah,” Velvet nodded. “Sorry about my little break-down. I don’t talk about that. Ever.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not,” Velvet pointed out.
“It’s fine,” Eshe repeated. “We all need to let things out sometimes. It’s better than bottling things up.”
“Maybe you’re right, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was a really personal thing to share.”
Eshe looked at her for a moment.
“You know, I think we’re a lot alike.”
“Two girls hanging out in a zombie apartment?”
“Something like that,” Eshe shook her head.
“But it’s more than that.”
“What?”
“I feel like we’ve both lost a lot.”
“True,” Eshe said. “Sometimes, it feels like I don’t have anything left to lose.”
“That’s the weird thing about the world today,” Velvet looked at Eshe as she started walking again. “There’s always something left to lose.”
Eshe’s stomach twisted. Velvet was right, and it reminded her that they really did need to hurry. They continued walking, making their way up floor after floor. The staircases were strangely open and unblocked until they got to the fifth floor. That was the first time they saw any sort of barricade. There were huge bits of furniture stacked and piled on each other, blocking the way to either the fifth floor or the sixth floor.
And they needed to get to the sixth floor.
Eshe thought that was most likely the top floor of the building, which meant that unless the kid was tucked away in an attic room of some kind, that was where they needed to be.
“What the hell is up with this barricade?” Velvet reached for a chair and tossed it back behind them. It hit the stairs loudly.
“Shh,” Eshe told her reflexively.
“We’ve been loud this whole time,” Velvet said.
Eshe paused. She was right. They hadn’t been quiet at all, which meant that if anything really was lurking in the building, it was going to find them easily and without any trouble. It wouldn’t take much at all for a zombie to realize that they were there, they were present in the building, and they weren’t exactly the most armed of fighters.
“You’re right,” Eshe whispered.
“Let’s just get this cleared,” Velvet told her. She seemed to be steeling herself. Eshe knew Velvet was probably trying not to think about her dead mom, just like Eshe was trying not to think about hers.
“Yeah,” Eshe hopped up to the next step and reached for a little end table. She gripped it, lifting it up, and then tossed it down behind them. “Let’s get this cleared.”
Chap
ter 21
Clearing the entrance took both more and less time than Velvet anticipated. Despite the fact that she hadn’t considered herself particularly sporty or physically fit before the apocalypse, she’d gotten strong over the years. She’d had to.
Boredom coupled with necessity meant that she’d learned how to be strong, how to be fast, and how to think on her feet. She was the type of person who enjoyed things like climbing and running now. She liked exploring, and she liked getting sweaty.
That was what was happening now.
By the time she and Eshe finished moving the furniture out of the way, they were both drenched in sweat. Velvet would have done just about anything for a hot shower at that moment. She couldn’t even remember what hot water felt like, but she remembered that it was incredible. She’d happily accept either a hot shower or an ice-cold bottle of water at that moment, but she’d have to settle for taking a breather with her companion.
“How do you think the guys and Ambrose are doing?” Velvet asked, looking at her new buddy.
Eshe was leaning against the wall, and she shook her head. She looked just as tired as Velvet felt.
“I’m sure they’re fine. They live for this shit.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Like how?”
“They like fighting. They like getting out that aggression, you know?”
“Yeah, I know,” Velvet nodded. “That’s how I’ve always been, too.”
“You have a lot of aggression?”
“Before the apocalypse, I’d take that aggression out in aerobics classes or in the bedroom,” Velvet shrugged. Those days were long over. “Now, running or climbing or killing things has the same effect.”
“Do you think you’re angrier now?”
“Sometimes.”
“Sometimes I think I’m angrier now, too,” Eshe admitted. “It’s kind of a scary thing, isn’t it?”
“What? Being upset?”
“Being angry...being irritated...it’s scary to know just how much that really impacts us.”
“I try to stay focused during the day,” Velvet said. “Usually, it’s just me and Dennis walking around, so I feel like I always have to be on guard.”
Beautifully Undead | Book 1 | The Chasing of Zombies Page 9