by Adams, Taeya
Day Two: March 28th, 2020; 10:19 am
Jackus carried Parker as Eleanor shot at the zombies chasing them.
They all ran into a room. Jackus sat Parker down, noticing that he was pale and a bit green. “We can’t stop,” Parker groaned, trying to get up.
“Take a break,” Eleanor suggested, not looking at Parker. Her red, puffy eyes stared at all the televisions in the room while Jackus pulled out a water bottle out of her bag for Parker. “Is this the security room?”
“What else would it be?” Jackus scowled. Parker took the bottle from Jackus’s hands and started to chug some down.
“I know but I didn’t think this mall had one,” She spoke. Eleanor bit her lip as she reached over and pressed the rewind button to the time of Ben’s death.
“What are you doing?” Jackus took a step to her, watching.
“Just trying to see something,” Eleanor carefully watching the screen. She watched as Rayne, backwardly, entered the men’s bathroom, cleaning off her hands with a rag. When she went into the bathroom, two flashes went off, then Beatrice and Rayne came out, backwards. Rayne had a pistol in her hand. Then the two girls disappear out of the frame.
Jackus gasped in shock.
Eleanor scowled at the screen, knowing that her gut was right about Rayne. She never liked her and knew she should listen to her gut more often.
Parker looked them, confused.
*****
Day Two: March 28th, 2020; 10:25 am
Forres shot up; gasping for air like it wasn’t there.
Air left Forres’ body and pain replaced it.
Zander put his hands on her sweaty, warm cheeks. “We got to go. We got to get out of here, Forres,” She wanted a second to process things but Zander wouldn’t slow down. He wrapped his big hands around her thick forearm and pulled her to her feet. Forres felt dizzy on her feet as he led her to the back off the bed store. Pistol in hand, bag on back, he led her to a door marked: “Employees only.” The door led them into a long hall wall.
Behind them, Forres heard a huge crash as the exit door closed behind them. “T-The o-others?” Forres gasped and tried to stop.
Zander wouldn’t let her. “We are meeting up with them. We need to keep going!” He tried to keep pulling Forres
“Z-Zander… I c-can’t…,” She gasping, trying to get air into her lungs but it didn’t work. She started to wheeze. She couldn’t breathe from her dream and she wasn’t that fit for running.
Without question or missing a beat, Zander swooped her into his arms: his left arm around her back and his right arm under her legs. She wrapped her free arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest. Even with Forres, Zander ram as fast as he could, not stopping. Forres began to wonder if he’d get tired and just drop her to her death.
But he never did. He kept running, not looking back. She can feel his heart burning itself into her cheek as her wheezing slowly stopped.
*****
Day Two: March 28th, 2020; 10:29 am
“Son of a…,” Eleanor muttered as zombies started to bang on the security room door. “She did it… why didn’t I listen to my gut?”
“We need to go,” Jackus spoke and scanned the room they were in.
“Security rooms don’t have exits beside that door,” Parker stated as he threw the empty bottle to the side. He jerked his chin over to the door that had zombies banging at the door.
“So we are stuck?” Jackus threw her hand up in the arms up in the air then let them fall to her side. Eleanor just kept staring at the screen.
“There’s a vent,” Parker left his hand over to the corner of the room.
Jackus did a full turn to the corner of the room where there was a vent.
“It’ll lead to the outside, one way or another,” he continued.
Jackus goes to the vent and took off the top piece. She looked through the hole, feeling a warm breeze. “You’re not going to fit through this without getting hurt again,” she stated. Behind her, she heard the reloading of a gun. At the sound of it, she did a full circle.
“Who said I was going?” Parker questioned.
Eleanor half-way looked over her shoulder to Parker’s directions.
“I’m not leaving you,” Jackus stated and stepped closer to him.
He stopped her by putting up his hand that didn’t have the gun in it. “You have to go. Like you said, I can’t fit through that vent and who know how long I’ll live in this condition. I am basically dead.”
“Do not say that,” She started but doesn’t go to him. “We’ll find a way out.”
“That is the only way out!” Parker yelled at her. His voice cracked a bit when he yelled that. “You need to go!”
The door started to break.
“Go, leave!”
“We could help you!” Jackus yelled back. Eleanor’s eyes moved from the televisions screens and from the now broken door.
“I don’t need or want your help. Get out of here or I’ll…,” Parker screamed and raised his gun after thinking. “Or I’ll shoot you!”
Jackus was hurt. Her green eyes searched Parker’s pale baby face. She realized that the old nice kid she knew was gone. His always lively eyes were filled with pain and warm tears. She didn’t want to leave him but deep down she knew she had to. Jackus shook her head slowly and turned to the vent.
Jackus gave Eleanor a small boost so she could get to the vent. Eleanor climbed into the vent and turned around to help Jackus.
Jackus grabbed one of Eleanor’s hands and looked back at Parker. Their eyes meet for a moment – for a split second. She saluted at him and started to climb up to the vent with Eleanor helping her. She starts to crawl behind Eleanor, not looking back.
Behind them, the door gave way and the room started to get flooded with the undead. Parker started to shoot at the closest one then put the gun to his head.
Bang!
Chapter Twenty-Four
Day Two: March 28th, 2020; 10:36 am
The group – Austin, Chyler, Sargent, Bex, and Rayne – were out of breath when they got to the meeting point.
They all bent over, trying to breath. Rayne spoke up but in weird puffs, “Let’s just leave. They’re dead,” everyone looked over at her.
Bex narrowed her eyes on Rayne.
“We’re wasting time. We could be out of here. Outside of the dome,” Rayne made her point by pointing at the dome above them. The sun was out, like always, but now it was hot, really hot. “We need to go. They’re dead!”
“Shut up!” Bex snapped. “Why don’t you just shut your trap for once, Rayne? We are going to wait for them and that’s final.”
“No, we are not,” Rayne yelled back. “I have survived this long. I am not going to die now because of some idiots that are dead.”
Bex fell over the edge. She turned quickly, grabbing Rayne by the waist and taking her down to the ground. Bex sat on her so she couldn’t move as she put a knife to Rayne’s throat. “You really need to learn to shut up sometime. We are going to wait for them because we know that they aren’t dead. You are welcome to leave but know that you are only alive because of us,” Bex climbed off of Rayne and put her knife away. She resisted the urge to punch Rayne’s teeth down her throat.
Rayne got up, just as Bex turned her back to her. Rayne thought of hitting Bex from the back but Austin was close. Too close. So she just pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.
Minutes felt like hours to all of them but they waited under the hot sun.
They all see something in the distance. “Is that…?” Sargent started and saw four people running to them. Behind the four people were a large army of zombies.
“We are so dead…,” Rayne muttered under her breath.
Austin looked around and saw an apartment building nearby. “Let’s go. In there!” Austin guided them to the building.
*****
Day Two: March 28th, 2020; 10:42 am
Zander ran fast with Forres now on his back. E
leanor and Jackus ram side by side. Their legs and lungs burned and their body glistened with sweat. Zander wanted to stop; they all wanted to stop, but they knew they couldn’t. So they kept going on.
As soon as they got into the building, Austin locked the glass doors behind them.
“Top floor?” Sargent questioned.
“Elevator?” Eleanor gasped as zombies ran into the doors, making some of them jump.
“No, we don’t know what’s on the other side of that door,” Austin justified.
Forres was still as a statue. She scowls at her smaller group. “Where’s Ben?” Everyone looked away, not daring to look at her. She looked at Zander who was looking at the ground. Forres’s heart fluttered as she realizes what was going on.
Ben was dead.
Her face was already pale but it became paler, losing every trace of color.
“Parker?” Chyler asked, trying to change the subject.
Jackus looked down and shook her head.
“Where were you, Rayne, during Ben’s killing?” Eleanor questioned, narrowing her dark blue eyes on Rayne.
“Ben is dead?” Forres asked. She began to feel numb. Ben couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t. He was in my dr-… my nightmare. He isn’t dead. He can’t be. Ben can’t die…
Rayne put her hands on her hip and raised a brow. “Are you implying something?”
“Yes, that you killed Ben and blamed Beatrice,” Eleanor explained. She took some steps to Rayne.
Forres wasn’t listening. She slid to the ground, rocking back and front a bit. Ben can’t be dead. He isn’t dead. He isn’t dead. Ben isn’t dead!
“This is neither the time nor place to discuss this!” Zander yelled at them. “We need to go.”
“Not with a murderer,” Eleanor protested.
The glass on the glass door started to crack from a zombie’s fist and the weight of the pack of zombies. The crack and bang scared Rayne. She ran to the door marks: “Stairs”. She opened the door and closed it, leaning against it and not letting anyone else in.
Chyler banged on the door, and yelled for her to open it.
The glass door started to crack more.
“Elevator!” Austin suggested, going to the elevator. Zander gave him a look. “Those doors are about to break. The elevator is our only option because of that selfish girl! Now help me pry this thing open or sit there and die!” Sargent went over and helps and Zander gave in. “Girls you block us and watch Forres over there.”
“He can’t be dead,” Forres whispered to herself, now. She was playing with her hands.
The guys tried to pry the elevator’s doors open as Chyler tried to comfort Forres.
Chyler knelt beside Forres. “You remember our agreement?” Forres looked over at her with confusion but not on the agreement. “The necklace: ‘Must be magic’?”
Forres reached up and touched the two necklaces that she forgot was on her. She wrapped her hands around both as if she doesn’t want to let go of them.
“You can keep it but you need to let Ben go,” Chyler started.
Forres scowled at those words that just came out of Chyler’s mouth. Forget Ben? The voice in Forres’s head questioned. How could you just forget the first guy – you remember – liking?
“I accept that my mother might be dead. I have to let her go and live on. I am alive and I need to make the most of it. Zombies or no zombies,” Chyler ended.
The glass door broke but not all the way off.
“Hurry up!” Eleanor yelled to the guys.
They started to pull harder. “It won’t open!” Zander explained, muscles straining from the heavy doors. Jackus jumped in to help them.
“Come on. Let’s help” Chyler held out her hand.
I need to let Ben go… Forres thought as she bit her lip and took Chyler’s hand. Chyler helped her up and they go over to help.
You know you can’t. The voice snarled.
The glass broke and Eleanor started to shoot at the closest ones but more and more kept coming.
Zander, Sargent and Austin grunted as the elevators doors open. The elevator doors were in between this level and the next one above.
A walker crawled out and Jackus shot it.
“Get in!” Austin groaned in pain.
They all climb in as quickly as possible. Sargent and Zander held the door from the inside as Austin climbed in. A zombie quickly grabbed Austin leg. Forres grabbed Eleanor’s gun and shot the zombie in the head. Austin crawled in as Sargent and Zander closed the doors.
I will have to try to let go of Ben…
Chapter Twenty-Five
Day Two: March 28th, 2020; 10:55 am
Their ears rang from the gun’s bang being so close.
Their eyes to adjust to the darkness that surrounded them. The gun slipped from Forres’ shaking fingers.
I can’t do this. I can’t kill. Forres thought shaking with fear.
“Don’t worry, lovelies. I came well prepared,” Bex said, shrugging off her bag and digging through it to find a flashlight. When she found one, she flashed the light around the elevator. Most of the group covered their eyes.
“Where to now?” Eleanor questioned, covering her eyes from the harmful rays
“Up and out,” Austin suggested, pushing Bex’s flashlight up to the ceiling where a vent was. “Help me get Chyler up there.” Austin and Zander cupped their hands together and Chyler put her foot in the hand basket. She got boost up and pops the vent out so she could get through it. She shimmies herself up on to the roof of the elevator.
“Next. Forres?” Zander spoke
Forres looked up from her shaking hands.
“You okay?”
She gave a small nod and his softly jerks his hand to motion to go next. She walked over and put her foot in the basket of hand. She got up pretty easily. She seemed to have arm strength that she never knew about. Yet again, she didn’t know much about herself only the stubborn voice in her head did.
Chyler helped her to her feet then gave a small smile.
Eleanor was next then Jackus who seems to need no help. Next was Bex then Sargent.
Sargent started to climb up from the boost but the elevator jerked. His hand slipped and his jaw hit the bottom of the elevator roof pretty hard.
Forres grabbed his hand before he could fall back down and hurt his legs. He panicked a bit. Forres pulled him up with no help. “I got you,” she reassured.
He looked at her with fear then reached up and pulled something out of his mouth.
Bex gasped. “Is that his…?”
Sargent had bitten off his tongue.
“WE NEED TO GO!” Eleanor shouted to Zander and Austin. She pushed Sargent to the ladder on the side of the elevator shaft.
“Why?” Austin climbs up then helps Zander.
“He bit off his tongue and is in shock,” Eleanor took the flash from Bex. She shined it in Sargent’s blank eyes.
“Start to climb gang!” Zander ordered and started on the ladder. Austin pushed Sargent ahead of him and helped him climb. The girls followed close behind.
Half way to their destination, Jackus’s bag slipped from her shoulder and started to hurtle to the ground.
Forres reached out and grabbed it because she was the last one. She gave the bag from Jackus but not before she saw the words: “Lady Liberty” written on the bag.
“Thanks,” Jackus muttered and started to climb again after putting on the bag.
Do you think…? Forres thought before getting interrupted by Austin yelling, “Keep up ladies!” She started to climb again.
When they reached to their destination – a few levels from where they were –, Zander tried to pry open the door. He couldn’t do it by himself. Austin had shocked Sargent to hold up. Before Zander could yell to one of the girls to help, the door open quickly.
A boy stood there with two others. He pulled out a walkie-talkie and says into it: “Got them, Felix. Meet at base.”
Zander put on a smirk.
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“Roger that, Dean,” The other guy said on the other line. “Over and out.”
*****
Day Two: March 28th, 2020; 11:01 am
Forres didn’t know whether to trust them or just kill them.
She didn’t want to trust the three boys that were running in front of them. They lead the way to the top floor. Once reaching the top, out of breath, the boy named Dean gave a secret knock that wasn’t a secret anymore. They then again were let in then lead to a suite. Again Dean did the “secret knock” and was let in by an oddly familiar looking guy.
As soon as they got in, Eleanor started on Sargent’s mouth with another boy.
The guy, who let them in, smirked at Forres.
Forres glared and felt the urge to wipe the smirk off his face.
And she did.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Day Two: March 28th, 2020; 11:04 am
Max stumbled back from the head-butt that Forres gave.
Forres didn’t care about the guns that were now to her head. That smirk was off of his face.
“You okay, Max?” Felix asked. His pistol was closest to her head. His keen eyes on Forres and Forres only.
“I’m fine. Put the guns down,” Max ordered, touching his lip that was bleeding now. The guys slowly put down their guns and Felix hesitated before giving in. “She just needs to be tamed… I can do that,” Max reached up and brushes a piece of her black pixie cut hair behind her left ear. He leaned in putting his mouth next to her ear. She tried not to shutter when she felt his hot breath on her neck. “I can and will hurt you, Princess. Do not mess with me. Okay?” Max saw a small birth mark behind her left ear. He paused, scowled a bit then leaves.
“Intense,” A familiar voice came and Forres didn’t need to look to see who it was.
Rayne…
“Need some help in here,” Eleanor yelled out from the kitchen. People started to go in and help.
“Help with what?” Rayne asks as Forres sat down next to Bex.
“You okay?” Bex whispered to her. Forres shook her head slowly. She was feeling hot and still dizzy but also numb. Not a lot but still numb enough that she could feel it. “Come. Let’s go to the bathroom and get you cleaned up. Maybe you’ll feel better,” Bex guided her to the bathroom and as soon as they got into it, Forres gagged over the toilet. Forres couldn’t even remember the last time she ate.