by Lora Powell
I stepped aside to make room for her to look out. "I don't see-wait," she looked intently out the window for several seconds before bolting for the door.
Glancing at Shawn, I saw he looked as confused as I felt, I followed her through the dark house. I stepped into the hallway just in time to see Maggie swinging open the front door.
My mouth fell open. Standing in the pre dawn light, was Colton. He swayed on his feet a little before coming inside and shutting the door. Snapping my mouth closed, I joined the rapidly growing group at the other end of the hall.
"Colton!"
"You're alive!"
"What happened to you?"
Everyone talking at once was to loud and Maggie shushed the group.
"You need to sit down," Alex took control of the situation, steering Colton toward a chair.
It was still too dark to see detail, but it was clear that Colton was injured. Blood had flowed freely from a cut to the side of his head, soaking his shirt. The whole mess was dry now, so at least the bleeding had stopped. As he sat down in the offered chair, he winced and listed sideways.
"Other than your head, does anything hurt?" Alex was already pulling on a pair of latex gloves.
"No. It's just my head. That orange haired a**hole hit me with a bat," he looked miserable, but to his credit, Colton stayed upright.
Alex had to tell everyone to back up. We had all unconsciously crowded closer, shocked and relieved to see someone we had thought was probably dead. Watching from behind Charlie's back, I cringed as Alex began cleaning the dried blood from the side of his head.
The wound was ugly, swollen and bruised, with a long gash. There was no way Colton had escaped a hit to the head like that without a concussion. It was probably some sort of miracle that he'd survived at all.
Alex must have agreed with me. I noticed that he kept asking Colton seemingly random questions. To my relief, as far as I could tell, he was getting the answers right. I didn't know a lot about treating a person with a bad concussion, but I knew enough to know that he was going to have to be careful for a while.
"Ok, all finished." Alex sat back and removed his now bloodied gloves.
"Colton, do you think you can answer a few questions?" Maggie moved in closer.
"Yeah, but first, how many of us made it here?" He had let his eyes close but was alert for the answer.
Maggie hesitated, "Um, there's Charlie, Dante, Luna, Alex, Bri, Shawn, Maya, and Bill. And you and me."
His eyes popped open, "That's it?"
Maggie nodded.
He closed them again and slumped further in his seat.
"What happened out there?"
Colton sighed, "I was watching and radioing you updates, like we planned. When the first truck got too close to the stand, I ducked down and hid. I was afraid the zombies would hear me and surround the tree. But they didn't, just kept on going toward the mall. I thought I was about clear to radio you again."
He stopped for a second. His head had to be killing him, and he looked a little green, "Then this other truck came flying down the exit. I didn't even know it was coming until it was already there. It drove right up to the stand and the guy in the back pointed his gun right at me. They already knew I was there."
I cringed again. Mack's group had been watching us, all along. They had spent the past few days learning about us. I felt guilty. If Shawn and I hadn't been recognized that day at the store, maybe none of this would have happened.
"They ordered me to come down, and there were three of them, so I did. The big one took my rifle and knife, and then he wanted me to radio you. What he wanted me to say, I wouldn't do it. That's when he hit me. I don't really know after that. The truck and men must have left me there, because the next thing I knew, I was sitting in the grass and my head was killing me. There was a zombie coming, and all I knew was that I had to get away from it, so I went back up in the tree."
His voice got quieter, "I, um, I couldn't remember where I was for a while. By the time I could, the mall was completely in flames and I knew that there was no way anyone was still in there. And then I remembered this place, so I climbed down and started running."
There was silence when Colton finished his story. Maggie rested her hand lightly on his shoulder. No one knew what to say. We had all lost so much in the past hours.
Beside me, Rex had been sitting alertly, his nose working overtime as he scented the air. The hair raised on the back of my arms when he let out a low, threatening growl.
SIXTY-TWO-DAY 29
The radio that had somehow made it to the rendezvous with us crackled to life. Maggie had kept it close in the off chance that anyone from the group that couldn't make it to us, could use it to make contact.
Swinging around, she grabbed for the plastic device. Pressing the button, she raised it nearer to her face, and then hesitated. A sudden expression of concern crossed her face. Maggie lowered the radio without saying anything.
"Maggie? What if it's someone from the group?" Charlie questioned her.
"What if it isn't?" She looked dead serious.
Her look of concern was contagious, it spread around to everyone else as her words sunk in.
We didn't have to wait for an answer, as the voice that came through was loud and clear, and sent a cold shiver down my spine. They were somewhere nearby. "I've been searching rubble and rolling over bodies for the past hour. Now, admittedly, it's hard to be sure what some of them used to look like. You know, the fire and the zombies can do a lot of damage but much to my surprise, I have not found any of the faces I was looking for. Except one," Mack paused dramatically, giving me enough time to wonder who he was talking about.
I was looking right at Shawn, Bill, and Maya. Devon was dead. My eyes popped wide with horror when I figured out who he had to mean. Fallon was the only one unaccounted for, but as far as I knew, she had not been in the mall when we were attacked. At least, none of us had seen her after she left Devon's burial. I knew we all had been holding on to the hope that she had ran and hid when the mall was attacked.
"Thing is, this particular body is still alive and kicking. And after you letting me burn down your cozy little home instead of just giving me what I wanted, I'm guessing you want to keep her that way. Do you see my problem?"
The radio fell silent as we all stared at each other with expressions varying from horror, to anger, to confusion.
Shaking myself, I rushed to the front of the house. The sun had broken over the horizon and it was becoming easier to see with every passing second. Reaching a window that had a view of the overgrown front lawn and street, I carefully moved the edge of the curtain just enough to see out.
Standing just in front of the abandoned vehicle sitting on the curb, bright morning sun lighting up that almost unnaturally orange hair, stood the man I had last seen when I attempted to chop off his arm with a machete. He was looking right at our hideout. My breath caught in my throat when he raised the radio in his hand in a mock salute.
By now, I could feel other bodies pressing close behind me. "How did he know where we would be?" Charlie was peering out the other side of the window.
No one answered. While everyone else seemed to be thinking over her question, or trying to figure out how we were going to escape this time, I studied the man on the street.
I noticed dispassionately that the arm I'd hacked was actually gone mid way between the shoulder and elbow. While I knew that I had cut him badly, I was fairly sure that arm had still been attached, so they must have had to take it the rest of the way off for some reason. I fervently hoped that he had suffered.
That seemed to be the case, as the once large man had lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. His face appeared almost gaunt.
"There's at least three of them around the back of the house," Dante slipped back into the room. I hadn't noticed he was gone until he came back.
"Ok, that's not a surprise." Maggie scrubbed her face hard with her hands, "Um, ok. We have the weapo
ns that were left here. That's a rifle and three handguns, plus some ammo. There's also about a dozen knives. We need to plan carefully what our move is going to be."
"We can't leave Fallon with him," Maya spoke up for the first time.
Maggie turned to look at her, "We are all getting out of here. Including Fallon."
I backed away from the window. I didn't want to look outside anymore. Drawn by the confusion, Luna had woken up from where she had been sound asleep curled up on a chair. She stood with one hand buried in Rex's hair, the other hanging on to Shawn's shirt. Big eyes watched the adults around her solemnly. Taking the few steps needed to reach her, I brushed her riot of hair out of her face.
The little girl wasn't the only one who was scared and confused.
From outside Mack shouted, no longer bothering to use the radio. "You have five minutes to send out the people I want. Do that, and I'll consider letting the rest of you walk. Don't send them out, and I'm gonna start taking pieces off of the one I do have. Think I'll start with her arm. If my shouting doesn't bring the zombies, I'll bet her screaming will."
"We can't let them do that to Fallon," Shawn shifted uneasily next to me.
"No one else is going to die," Maggie repeated her earlier statement.
"Well, if any of them show themselves, I'm thinking that's what's going to happen." Dante gestured towards us.
Maggie thought for a second, "What if we pretend to comply, buy some time and get them to show themselves? Charlie, if you can see them, I know you could get at least some of them before they knew what was happening."
Charlie frowned but nodded. "Get me a good vantage point and a rifle. I'll get it done," she sighed.
"What do you mean when you say pretend to comply?" Bill sounded a bit suspicious.
"We send two people out, but not any of you. I'm thinking that may throw them off for just long enough for them to mess up. I'm sure it would be the last thing they expected." She looked around in my direction. "He's looking for two people specifically, so we need a man and a woman that aren't from your group."
"Tick tock," the booming voice from outside carried into the house.
"We don't have time to argue this. Charlie, get that gun and find your spot. That leaves me as the woman. Does anyone want to volunteer to be the guy?"
"I'll do it," wobbling unsteadily into the room, Colton volunteered. "It's my fault they found us. It has to be. They must have followed me, it was stupid of me to come here. I should have known."
"Colton, no." Maggie shook her head at him. "They've seen you before. Besides, whoever goes out there is likely going to have to run from crossfire. You aren't in any shape for that."
She had a point. Colton looked progressively worse as it got light enough to really see him. He'd taken a serious beating. With a defeated expression, he conceded that she was right.
"I'll go. I'll do it," Dante spoke up.
SIXTY-THREE-DAY 29
"Who knows how to handle a gun?" Charlie swept back into the room as fast as her limp allowed. A rifle hung from a strap over her shoulder and I presumed the lumpy looking duffel bag contained the rest of the weapons.
"I do," Bill raised his hand slightly.
"Alright." She hastily handed him a small gun from the bag. "None of the rest of you?" Frowning, Charlie looked over everyone else. I felt like a kid getting a good scolding when she muttered, "Gonna have to fix that if we survive this."
"Here," she continued. "I know you two know which end the bullets come out of." She thrust the remaining guns at both Maggie and Colton. Still muttering, she pulled a box of ammunition from the bag and stalked towards the stairs.
"Here, you take it." Maggie's words interrupted my watching Charlie's exit. She was handing her gun to Dante.
"You sure?" He looked reluctant to take the weapon.
"Yeah." She looked away from him and to the rest of us. "Is everyone clear on what to do?"
I nodded. The plan was probably completely foolhardy, and we were likely all going to die. I couldn't help feeling relieved that they weren't simply handing Shawn and I over to save themselves, but I also felt guilty for that relief.
If I was really a good person, I wouldn't let others risk their lives for mine.
"Ok. We are out of time. Go."
Maggie's order galvanized me into action. Luna was being left in my dubious protection, and I pulled the frightened girl toward the stairs. It felt wrong to hide when everyone else was going to fight, but someone had to try to keep the kid safe, and I'd been elected. I'd scowled at Shawn when he made the suggestion.
The upstairs bathroom seemed like the best place, and I ushered Luna in as I heard the front door open. The window in a room just down the hall slid open. Charlie must have found her perch.
I wished that I wasn't blind to what was happening outside. Shooing Rex inside after Luna, I followed but didn't close the door all of the way. In the unnatural quiet of the abandoned neighborhood, it wasn't hard to pick up the conversation from outside.
"Who the fuck are you?" Mack's voice rang out in the silence.
"Look, we don't know who you are. We just wanted to be with a group, but we'll go. We don't want any trouble."
That was Maggie, but she had pitched her voice higher than it was usually. The sound was startling, as was her apparent ability to act. If I hadn't known better, I'd have bought the nervous tremble behind those words completely. Then again, those nerves were probably real.
"Is this some kind of a joke?" A long pause had me holding my breath in anticipation of what was going to happen next. "You two are not who I want. Who else is in there?" Now a hint of anger was entering his voice.
Any reply that Maggie may have been going to make was cut off by a loud shot coming from down the hall. My already pounding heart leapt into my throat when Charlie's gruff voice started cursing colorfully. Another shot followed the first.
Outside, chaos had erupted. Someone was returning our fire. Bullets made a dull thwack as they hit the sturdy house, and glass shattered somewhere downstairs. Men's voices were yelling, and I picked out Maggie's voice too. Tires screeched to a stop somewhere nearby. And then I heard the inhuman shriek of a zombie.
Stuffed into the dark bathroom behind me, Luna whimpered, reminding me that I was supposed to be watching out for her. "Luna, get in the tub. Get down and hide." With bullets flying, I hoped the tub would be enough to protect the girl.
More glass shattered downstairs and someone began shooting from down there, too. Shouts and expletives filled the air. Looking back and forth between the cracked door and Luna huddled in the tub, I didn't know what to do. I was supposed to stay with the girl, but what good would that do if everyone on our side was killed while I hid upstairs?
"Zombie!" Maya's warning shout from downstairs made up my mind. A handful of bad men weren't the only dangerous things coming for us. We were making a whole lot of noise.
"Luna, I'm going to go help our people. You stay in this bathroom. Lock the door behind me and don't open it until someone you know tells you to. Do you understand?"
I waited until her wide eyes met mine before swinging the door open. "It's going to be ok. Just stay here," Charlie cussed again as I stepped back into the hallway.
The door pushed open again just as I was about to close it. "Rex!" I yelled after him, but his tail was already streaking around the corner toward the stairs. There wasn't time to try to get him back. I closed the door firmly and hoped Luna remembered to lock it behind me.
A strange sort of resolve settled around me as I ran for the steps. People were dying, I wasn't stupid enough to think that everyone was going to come out of this alive. Maybe I would be one of them. But I couldn't just hide and wait to find out which side won.
I gripped my machete as I bounded down the stairs. I'd already used it on a living person once before, and in defense of family, I'd do it again.
I hit the first floor running and plowed headlong into a complete stranger who had just bolted i
nto the room. The two of us crashed to the floor. I somehow managed to keep a hold of my weapon, and I flipped over and jumped to my feet, turning to face the threat.
I stopped dead in my tracks. The man had kept possession of his weapon too, and it was aimed directly at me as he sprawled where I'd knocked him. His lips quirked up in a cold half smile as he cocked the gun.
A shot from so close that it made my ears ring made me jump. I cringed and waited for the pain, but it didn't come. Disbelieving my own eyes, I watched the man slump back onto the floor.
Bill stepped through the door behind the body, gun in hand. "You ok?" When I nodded he kept going towards the back of the house.
The fight was still raging and I tried to shake off my close call as I ran after Bill. Skidding into the kitchen, I found where the worst of the noise was coming from.
The back door was hanging from broken hinges. Two zombies were already inside and Shawn and Colton were trying to keep them from getting any further into the house. Barking wildly, Rex circled the zombies, confusing the creatures, but also adding to the noise and chaos.
Bill had stopped next to the kitchen window and was shooting at someone outside before ducking back to avoid return fire. A picture hung on the wall not far from my head shattered as a bullet hit it. I ducked away from the window and tried to angle my way to help with the zombies.
Someone started screaming outside just as I swung the machete at the first zombie. I jumped, and nearly missed my target. Luckily, a hard enough blow to the neck with a machete did enough damage to take a zombie off of it's feet. The other one was easier to deal with once it was three against one.
"Bri, where's Luna?" Colton swayed unsteadily. The activity wasn't good for him in his condition.
"She's ok. She's locked in the bathroom upstairs."
He nodded. None of them commented on my sudden appearance, which I was grateful for. I'd expected Shawn to yell. Instead, he pulled me close for a quick hug, before darting across the room to stand next to Bill.