He recovered quickly, spinning her around. Before she could attack again, he wrapped her hands in his and shook her, rattling her teeth. “Please! Listen to me. You can’t just run away. There’s nowhere to go. There’s nothing left out there!” Pausing, Jeff caught his breath in an effort to calm down. Getting worked up was doing neither of them any good. “They’re coming for us, yes. I know that. But if you run now, you will die. You’ll become one of them…”
He moved one of his hands up to her face slowly and carefully, even as she flinched away. When he gently caressed her cheek and gave her a small, sad smile, she relaxed slightly.
“I can’t fight them and you. If you run now, they’ll follow you. I’ll live and you’ll die. It’s that simple.” He stared into her eyes, loosening his grip on her hands. She was still angry and terrified, but at least she was listening. “I plan on surviving, with or without you.”
Jeff let her hands go. The door was wide open, and they could both hear the moans getting closer. “Together we can make it, but you have to trust me.” The last words were barely above a whisper.
She glowered at him and did not respond immediately, forcing him to bite his tongue and wait as the cries of hunger grew louder behind them.
“Okay.” Seeing the doubt in Jeff’s eyes, she repeated herself. “OKAY!” It was clear she was still angry with him, but that anger would take a back seat to survival for now. That would have to be good enough.
“So what are we doing?” She shivered, and goose bumps stood out on her arms. It was a thick, humid summer day, and Jeff knew she wasn’t cold, just afraid. That was something he could handle.
His eyes sparkled as he answered her. “I have an idea.”
Chapter 8
The retaining wall at the back of the cul-de-sac dropped off to a field dense with wild grasses riding in clumps and spreading off into the distance. A small wooded area surrounded the field in a fifty-foot semicircle that swept around until it met the walls on both sides. It was a dried-out hunk of hard top with clumps of weeds and a wealth of mosquitoes. Trees surrounded the area, and the soil was elevated at the tree line, giving it a scooped-out, bowl-like appearance. The wall ran the length of three properties and tapered off at the edges as the soil and trees merged with the top of the wall. There was a barbed wire fence across the top of it with a few “Danger” signs attached.
Jeff spied the drop-off in the distance behind the middle house. The backyard was overgrown but essentially pristine. No trees, and a nice flat expanse that ended abruptly. He could see trees off in the distance, beyond the property line, but not the sudden drop-off that had nothing more than a raised concrete lip to indicate its demarcation point. The metal posts driven into the concrete along with the barbed wire attached to them were virtually invisible from in front of the property. The houses to the left and right had fences surrounding the back of their lots—big square barriers stretching all the way to the wall.
He reached for the glove box and pulled something out, jamming it into his pocket before stepping out of the van. As he leaned in for his bat, he motioned for his passenger to join him. She hesitated, biting her lip nervously before realizing that Jeff was leaving with or without her. She slipped out and followed him toward the side of the house with no fence.
He moved toward the door leading to the garage, motioning for her to stay back as he raised the baseball bat and peered through the window.
She stood with her arms crossed and rubbed them continuously as she bounced on her heels, searching the area for movement. Her eyes gravitated back up the street, where she could hear more than see the mob coming for them. There were no immediate signs of danger elsewhere. With the thick trees and drop-off surrounding the dead end, it seemed as if they were sheltered on several sides from the approach of more infected. But she was beginning to think “boxed in” was a more accurate description of their situation.
The sound of shattering glass made her turn, and she saw that Jeff had broken one of the window panes on the door. He was already reaching in, twisting the deadbolt. He slid inside quickly, taking the bat with him. She followed as he slipped into the darkness of the garage.
“Perfect.”
She heard the single word as her eyes adjusted to the gloom. Jeff was taking an extension ladder off one of the walls.
“Can you give me a hand with this?” She hesitated, her eyes wide with confusion.
“Come on!” Jeff gestured with his head, encouraging her to grab the front end. “Let’s get it outside, and then let me take the lead.”
They moved carefully from the garage, the ladder barely clearing the ground on the side she carried. Grunting with the effort, the sickly woman held on tightly.
“Good. Just keep up with me.” He swung his end around and headed toward the backyard.
A puzzled look crossed her face. All she could see was a yard surrounded by fences, with the drop-off beyond. She tried to slow down and nearly tripped as Jeff kept going. “Could you tell me what the hell we’re doing, please?”
He stopped and carefully set down his end of the ladder. She hissed in relief and followed suit. The sweat was pouring off of her in the mid-afternoon heat, and her breathing was heavy.
“I am going to take a pair of wire cutters and cut that barbed-wire fence. Then we’re going to drop this ladder down the retaining wall.”
The slight woman looked at Jeff as if he were speaking in tongues. He made a pretty educated guess as to what was going through her mind and could almost see the gears whirring behind her eyes. He decided to explain before she drew her own conclusions.
“We’re not striking out on foot. We’re just going to lure them down there,” he said, pointing past the retaining wall to the pit beyond. “And once they’re down there, we can circle back to the neighborhood...without them following.”
Jeff watched her eyes widen. They had a mesmerizing quality to them. He was prepared for her to erupt again, so he was surprised at how calm she was when she finally spoke.
“And then what?”
He’d been expecting more of a protest. He could detect an almost morbid curiosity in her voice and had to resist smiling, knowing it would probably freak her out.
“Then we get the hell out of Dodge.”
The sudden elevation of her eyebrow made it clear that the answer didn’t satisfy her. Her hands were on her hips, and Jeff was reminded of the look his wife would give him whenever he came up with a half-baked idea.
The background noise was increasing, and he tore his eyes away from the woman to look past the houses, toward the street. He could see them coming. They were progressing faster than he had expected. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
“Listen!” he shouted as he stepped toward her. She stepped back, and he halted. This time it was not skittishness, but skepticism that kept her from allowing him to get any closer.
“I told you that you needed to trust me.” He sighed and looked at the ground, unable to endure her judgmental glare any longer. He had no idea what he was trying to do or if it would work, but he couldn’t let her see the doubt in his eyes, or they would both be lost. He shook his head. “Look, this may be crazy, but it’s all we’ve got. If we don’t get these...these diseased monsters out of our way, we won’t make it.” He lifted his head and stole a glance at her, then cast his eyes back down to the ground as he fumbled for something else to say.
“Fine.”
Jeff paused when he heard the word. His mouth slammed shut and he raised his head again, the uncertainty on his face apparent. She smiled at him, which was a first. It looked sickly on her face, as if she were nauseated rather than pleased, but that was good enough.
He nodded down at the ladder. “Help me with this?” Rubbing her arms one last time, she nodded and picked up her end. Together they maneuvered it toward the wall, the woman continuing to struggle with its weight.
Taking from his pocket the pair of wire snips he had grabbed out of the glove box, Jeff be
gan clipping the wires on the fence.
“Could you go grab my bat?” he asked without looking up. He could see her bouncing nervously from foot to foot out of the corner of his eye and hoped the minor chore would keep her occupied until he was finished.
He could see her hesitate before turning and stopping again. He did his best to focus on the fence. She would go, or she would stay and fidget. Either way, he had a job to do.
He did not hear her leave, but as he cut through the last piece of barbed wire, he could no longer see her shadow hovering directly behind him.
Jeff grabbed the ladder, dragging it forward. Tipping it over the wall, he let it slide down inch by inch, careful to avoid letting it slip through his fingers.
When he heard the satisfying thump of the legs landing on the hard surface below, he tested it for stability. He adjusted the top, and put one foot on it, jiggling it. Nodding in satisfaction, he relaxed. They were cutting it close, but they’d make it.
“You ready to climb down?” he asked and patted the ladder, smiling. When he didn’t hear a response, the smile faded.
Jeff turned and scanned the lawn, and his blood ran cold.
The mob had finally caught up with them and was streaming around the minivan toward the backyard. In front of them stood the other survivor, clutching the baseball bat as she slowly backpedaled. The first of the horde were only about fifteen feet from her and closing fast.
“Run!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. His words were swallowed by the screams and squeals, the growls of rage and hunger. He knew she didn’t hear him, and he doubted it would have made much difference if she had. She was paralyzed with fear.
Jeff watched as the scene unfolded in front of him. The ladder was directly behind him, offering a quick escape. There was nothing he could do for the woman except get himself killed trying to save her. It was just like it had been at his house with his wife and kids. He would be too late.
All he could do was watch her die.
Jeff felt his pulse race as a low, crazed noise that was not quite a growl escaped his lips. Before he even realized it, he was running, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Chapter 9
There were five closing on her. All Jeff could see through the raw hatred that hammered through him were their blood-red outlines. Passing the woman, he threw his body sideways, blasting into the bodies as though they were bowling pins, felling three of them. He thought he heard bones snap like kindling, but was already rolling out of the way, avoiding jagged fingernails and snapping jaws as he popped up and faced the rotten monsters still coming at him.
“Get down the ladder NOW!” he yelled, dodging the two still standing that were almost on top of him. He had no time to see if his command had been followed as he darted to the left, his foot lashing out at the midsection of the closest fiend.
It doubled over, but the other surged forward and lunged, its eyes wild as it grabbed hold of his arm. Jeff squealed in surprise at the vice-like grip and yanked backwards, avoiding the creature’s teeth as it bent to take a bite out of his exposed forearm.
His feet tangled underneath him, and he began to fall, pulling his attacker with him. Tensing, he waited for the crush of weight to fall on him. When it did, he was surprised at how light she was (the long, blood-encrusted hair was his only hint as to its sex). He quickly sent an elbow rocketing under her snapping jaw.
“Get the hell off of me!”
That was what Jeff heard inside his head, but what came out of his mouth was a garbled mess as he kicked, punched, and scratched at his assailant. She barely weighed anything, but her hand was locked on his arm with tenacious determination. Immune to the pain he was trying to inflict, she continued to snap her shattered teeth at him.
He took a handful of her hair and used it to pull her head back, then rolled sideways. When he moved away from the others and toward the wall, Jeff could feel something hard jamming into his back as he worked to keep the hungry jaws at bay. Sliding off the object that had jabbed him, he saw it was his baseball bat.
Driving his head forward, he slammed it into the woman’s forehead. There was no time to marvel at how easily the bone gave way. Her grip loosened, and Jeff reached for his bat, scrambling farther back to avoid the tangle of bodies coming for him.
He was about to attempt to spring to his feet with the wild hope of making it to the ladder when he felt the teeth biting at his shoulder. Swinging the bat in a wide arc, he turned and was able to get to his feet, but he missed the arm making a broad swipe for him.
He lifted the bat again, preparing for the next attack. The three misshapen forms he had knocked down were almost back on their feet. The one that had bitten his shoulder was the one he had kicked in the gut. It had over-committed on its attack and fallen to one knee but was already lunging for him again.
Behind his assailants, just a few feet back, was a second and much larger wave of infected bodies. Jeff turned and fled as a flood of rotters converged on the spot he had just vacated.
He felt warm relief as he saw a head peeping over the concrete lip of the retaining wall. His scrawny neighbor was still alive.
“Move it, move it!” he yelled as he waved at her furiously with the bat. Her head dipped below the edge, and as he reached the ladder, he saw her rapidly descending it. Jeff turned and kneeled, feeling his way over the edge to the top of the ladder. Tossing the bat over the side, he began his descent, staring into the backyard. They were still pouring in. It looked like every last one of the infected in the world was coming for him. Jeff hesitated, glancing at his shoulder where he had been bitten. A strange sound whistled between his clenched teeth as he saw the rip where his sweatshirt had been torn and soiled by the creature’s teeth. The residue from its mouth was slimy, black, and the smell coming off of it was foul. Jeff slid his finger into the tear in the material and felt a surge of relief. There was no blood, no break in the skin. The ghoul didn’t have the chance to sink its teeth in, and had only ripped his shirt a bit.
“Come on! Hurry up!” he heard beneath him. He ignored the voice. The crowd still had quite a bit of lawn to cover before they got close to the edge.
The ladder shook as the woman below grew hysterical.
“Please!” she cried out.
Jeff looked down. She was clinging to the bottom of the ladder like a child clinging to a security blanket. He could see it in her eyes: she would lose it if he didn’t get down there right away.
“I’m coming. Move back a bit,” he grumbled and began climbing down. Her expression showed profound relief as she stepped away, wringing her hands.
Jeff hit the ground in a rush. He grabbed his bat and turned, snatching up the woman’s hand, and they ran toward the center of the flat, dry field.
Suddenly, Jeff smiled and gave her a quick hug. She was taken off guard by it, but when he went to release her, she wrapped her arms around him in return, squeezing tight as a single tear rolled down her face.
“What’s your name?” he asked. His words were quiet, barely above a whisper, his lips next to her ear.
She pulled back until she could look him in the eyes. With her head cocked to the side, it looked as if she didn’t understand the question.
Jeff touched his chest. “My name’s Jeff.” He smiled, hoping to encourage a response. He had told her his name earlier, but he doubted she remembered.
She looked up at the wall and then back at her savior again, her face still painted with confusion. “Don’t you think we should be getting out of here? Can’t introductions wait until we’re safe?”
Jeff’s grin widened as he tried to ignore the tension tattooed on her face. He looked over at the wall and could see the first shadow of movement above. Nodding toward the ladder, he said, “I think we’re safe for the moment.”
She looked back up in time to see the first of the creatures reach the break in the barbed-wire fence. It stopped, looking down at the humans and moaned, its arms reaching for them. It remained stationary
as others joined in. Jeff felt a sudden twinge of doubt in his gut.
Stepping closer, he tried to keep the nervousness out of his words. “Stay back. I might have to get them interested enough to take the plunge.”
He could feel a tug on his arm and ignored it. His eyes were glued on his former neighbors as they growled and gnashed their teeth.
“Can’t we just go?”
Jeff barely registered her words as he willed the monsters up above to take one more step forward, just one.
Suddenly the woman was in front of him, grabbing his arm and tugging on it.
“You know, you’re one lucky son of a bitch to still be alive. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
Jeff’s face evinced blank surprise as he stared at her. Lucky? How in the hell was he lucky?
“Megan.”
“Huh?” Jeff squinted in confusion.
She rolled her eyes. “You asked me my name, remember? It’s Megan. Megan LeValley.”
Jeff looked down and saw that her hand was out for a handshake. Again, he was flummoxed, unable to say or do anything as he stared at her hand like it was a live wire.
A hiss of exasperation escaped her lips. Dropping her hand, the woman named Megan glared at him. “So, now that we’ve introduced ourselves, can we stop screwing around and get the hell out of here?”
Jeff tried to adjust to her sudden change of temperament. She seemed to go from one extreme to the other. From docile and timid to angry, and now she was trying sarcasm on for size. It seemed to fit just fine.
Jeff broke eye contact with her and looked back at the wall. Before Megan could continue her harangue, he pointed with the bat at the ghoulish figures congregating above.
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