Chris took a look over the front of the building for himself. The view below left a lot to be desired. The mass of the dead was gathered near the entrance. They pressed in on one another trying to get in the undersized doorway. The sound of them was lost on the wind. The sun was going down, and with it, went the temperature. Chris mentally added freezing to death to his list of things to be concerned about. There didn’t appear to be any other way to get on the roof, but that would have to be verified. He caught Jake’s attention and huddled up close to the boy.
“We need to clear this place out and make sure we know what we’re up against,” he said eyeing an assortment of ventilation shafts and other equipment. “We’ll start here and work around in opposite directions. We’ll have a better idea of where we stand once we’re done.”
The boy nodded and started off. Chris thought about talking to Jenn, but then decided against it. She would have to grieve and there was no good way around it. He hoped she hadn’t seen too much of what happened to Tom. The recon took half an hour, and Chris and Jake settled in around the girls to go over what they found. Jenn was sitting up, her knees pulled to her chest, staring out at the city.
“There’s one other way down,” Chris began, “but we were able to block it off with a piece of pipe.” He waited for a response, but he didn’t get one. “I think we should have someone standing near each way up here at all times.”
“What’s the point?” The question crept from Jenn’s lips barely loud enough for the others to hear. “So we just die up here?”
“We wait them out,” Jake said. “They need to feed and if they can’t get to us, maybe they’ll-”
“Maybe?” Jenn interrupted. “Maybe what? Maybe they’ll wander off and we’ll be free to look for a safer place?”
Jake shook under the barrage. Jenn had been the biggest supporter of his and Alicen’s search. If she turned on them, Chris wasn’t sure how the kids would respond. He tried to cut to the point.
“That’s exactly what we’ll do,” he said. “When they leave, we’ll work our way down and follow the map. We’ll wait until morning, not that it seems to matter much anymore to the infected. But if it’s all the same, I don’t want to be running for my life in the dark.”
Jenn’s head dropped and her gaze fell between her legs. Chris motioned for Jake to go back the other entrance they found. Chris settled on top of the hatchway they came up and the roar from his stomach reminded him of another growing problem. He zipped up his jacket and then settled in for what he figured would be a long, cold, and hungry night.
It was a single thump that changed his focus. His eyes slowly slid down to the hatch that he was sitting on. A loud clang of metal followed the thump. Chris lifted his head and found the girls’ eyes on him. The dread on their faces said they’d heard it too. A wave of noise followed and Chris would swear he felt the pressure of it push up against him from underneath.
He got up and pressed his finger to his lips. They moved with quick, but quiet steps toward the second hatch, only to find Jake heading towards them from the other direction. The boy nearly slammed into them as he kept his eyes trained in the direction he was coming from.
“I think I hear them,” he said.
Chris answered with a nod. He scanned the roof, searching for anything of use. He ran out to the far side of the building in a panic. He eyed the distance between the edge of the building and one adjacent to it. Chris guessed the narrow section couldn’t be more than ten feet across.
“We have to get off the roof,” Chris said when he spun around. “That’s the closest choice.” He pointed toward the building across the alleyway.
Jake gaped at the open space, and then peered down at the alley. “You’re kidding, right?” he asked loud enough to cause his sister to shake. “You’d be lucky to make it and there’s no way Alicen or I can do it.”
“What happened to waiting them out?” Alicen asked. “You said we could wait up here and we’d be safe.”
“I never said we’d be safe,” Chris corrected her.
They stood frozen, as the sounds increased from the floor below. There was no way to be sure what was happening, but each of them had their own terrible guesses. A moment later, the noise grew beyond measure. Their eyes snapped towards the hatch as something pounded against it from underneath.
“We don’t have many choices here, folks,” Chris said.
“Hold on.”
Jake took off before anyone could stop him. He headed toward the hatchway he was guarding and disappeared for a brief moment. Jake re-emerged with a long plank of wood, rushing forward with it held out front like a lance. He headed straight for the edge of the building as the others gathered around. Another strike on the hatch produced a dent in the metal cover. Chris guessed they didn’t have more than a few minutes before the hatch gave way. Jake laid the plank of wood down on the edge of the building, and then slowly slid it out. Once it reached half the distance, he waved Chris over.
“You stand here on the board and Jenn can stand in front of you,” Jake explained. “Alicen will go out first.”
The little girl eyeballed the wood, but didn’t move. Chris waved her over once he finally understood the plan.
“All you have to do is walk out,” Chris said. “Then jump the rest of the way.” He tried to reassure her with a fake smile. “There’s nothing to it.”
Alicen shook her head and backed away. She made it three steps before a loud crash into the underside of the hatch caused her to scream. The shriek only encouraged the assault.
“Come on, Alicen,” Jake said as he started after her. “We have to go.”
The girl backed away as she yelled.
“I’m not walking the plank.”
“You have to go first,” Chris said as he considered trying to get across with her over his shoulder. He wasn’t sure Jenn and Jake’s combined weight would hold them. “Jake go.”
The boy’s head spun around.
“I’m not leaving her.”
“Go,” Chris ordered.
The hatch took another strike and the hand behind it pushed through. Gnarled fingers covered in bloody cuts flailed about, searching for something to grab hold of. Jake’s stare pierced Chris’ heart. He knew the boy thought he was forcing him to choose, but he didn’t have time to explain.
“Go now.”
Jake considered it for another second. Then he started for edge of the roof. He was trembling as he stepped out on the plank and moved to the end. “I’m going to jump,” he said, looking back for his sister. She took a step towards him, and as she did, Jake bent his knees then pushed off.
The boy made the distance with plenty of room to spare. His jump was good, but his landing left a lot to be desired. He tried to roll out of the impact, but instead, managed to smack his head as he came to a sliding stop. Chris looked back for Alicen and found her already on the move. She punched him in the hip, as she tentatively stepped out onto the board.
Another clang from the hatch produced two arms, both trying to bend back the thin metal sheet. The sounds of the infected poured out in waves and washed over the rooftop. Alicen reached the edge of the board and looked down at the alleyway far below before Chris could warn against it. She started back towards him and he couldn’t take it any longer.
“Get the hell over there,” he shouted.
The words smacked her in the face. Her cheeks turned cherry red before she spun back towards her brother. Jake was up with a line of blood running down from his forehead. He was near the edge of the building trying to wave his sister over.
“You have to go now,” he said. “You can do this.”
Chris risked a look at the hatch and saw the first of the infected pushing itself through an opening.
“Jump.”
“Don’t rush me,” Alicen screamed. “I can’t do-”
“You have to do it now,” Jake said, his eyes sliding over to the hatchway.
Alicen bent down and readied herself. H
er legs shook so badly that the end of the board vibrated up and down. Chris was about to yell again when she leaned out in a diving form. At the last second, she pushed off and flung herself forward. Jake rushed toward her and the two collided over the edge of the adjacent building. The result was a well-timed catch, leaving the siblings lying safely on the rooftop.
“Step off,” Chris said, backing away. Jenn had her arms around his waist. They walked off together and the board fell. “You jump first.”
Jenn looked at him, then over at a naked man pulling himself up through the hatch. The view was enough to spur her forward. She took off running toward the edge of the building as the first of the infected got to his feet. She was midair between the buildings when Chris started running. He couldn’t see the infected, but he could hear them sprinting up behind him.
His boot hit the edge of the building and he pushed off with all his strength. He was airborne and the sight of the adjacent roof and the kids filled his view. He watched Jenn come down hard before he landed. Chris felt the impact in his knees and the shock radiated through his entire body. He came to a sudden stop, and he fell forward as the pain caught up with his brain.
He rolled out of the way, got to his feet, and wobbled as he tried to steady himself. The landing had done some damage to his knees and hips, but there wasn’t time to think about it. He started moving before the full effect set in. A look over his shoulder revealed a mass of gnarly figures pouring out onto the rooftop behind them. He helped Jenn up, and started yelling out orders.
“Look for a way down. We have to get to the street before we get trapped again.”
Jake was already running, pulling his sister with him. He found an entrance on the far side of the roof. Alicen was yelling about something, but she wasn’t making sense. The little girl stumbled as her brother drug her along. Her focus was on the building behind them.
Chris spun around, expecting the worst. He was stunned to find the infected leaping out after them. They wailed in fury as they fell to their deaths in the alleyway. One after the other, they jumped, some slamming into one another mid air in a desperate attempt to get at the living blood racing away from them.
Jake reached the door first and grabbed the handle. He thought the better of it and waited until Chris and Jenn caught up. Chris came to a stop and trained his weapon on their escape route. Jenn produced a handgun from her pocket and firmly clasped her fingers around the grip.
“Open it.”
Jake turned and pulled. The dark platform beyond was motionless. Chris poked his head through and looked over the banister. A moment of silence was enough clearance to move. Everyone pushed in around him and he let the door close. Jake had enough presence of mind to turn the lock before he started down.
Light from small windows on each floor provided enough illumination to see where they were going, but little else could be seen. It was near dark and the shadows beyond the windows were long and deep. Chris stopped at each landing. Everyone held their breath as they listened for signs of danger. They reached the bottom floor and they were left considering the emergency exit that pushed out onto the street or a door leading back into the building.
“It will be dark soon,” Jenn said, as Chris stood frozen with indecision. “You said yourself that we didn’t want to be out on the streets at night.”
“We can’t stay here,” Alicen pleaded. “They know we’re here.”
Chris wasn’t so sure. The display of the infected leaping to their deaths off the adjacent building gave him doubts. “I think we might be giving them too much credit.” He looked back and forth between the choices of doors. In truth, he had no idea. Perhaps it was the sight of fresh meat that drove them to try the jump. He couldn’t be sure some of them wouldn’t eventually make the leap.
“We don’t want to get stuck in here,” Jake said.
In the end, it was the twelve year old’s sound advice that helped make up Chris’ mind.
“He’s right, we don’t want to get stuck anywhere. There’s too many of them in and around these buildings.” He focused on the emergency exit. “We need to get away while we have the chance. Then we can find somewhere to hide for the night.”
He didn’t look at Jenn. He already knew she wanted to hold tight, but he’d convinced himself that wasn’t the safest play anymore. They’d stumbled into some kind of nest of infected and in his mind, getting as far away as possible was the first course of action. He pressed on the slap bar and eased open the emergency door. It took him a second to realize they were on the opposite side of the building, farthest away from the rooftop they started on.
There was sporadic movement on the sidewalk across the two-lane street. The slow slumbering walk told him they were zombies. He counted a handful before reporting back to the others. He’d already made up his mind that they were going to make a run for it.
“Keep your heads down and stay close.” Chris focused on Alicen. “No talking unless someone’s trying to eat you.”
She nodded.
Chris pushed open the door and kept moving. He was down behind a car before he looked back. Jake and Alicen were heading toward him and Jenn followed close behind them. He started off again, doing his best to keep anything between them and the scattered undead across the street. He reached the last car along the row and took a peek inside for a lucky shot at a set of keys.
“Damn,” he mumbled, as their luck didn’t change. “We’re going to be in the open from here on out,” he whispered as the others caught up. He pulled the tattered map from his back pocket and laid it on the sidewalk. A quick comparison with the street signs at the corner told him they were facing the right direction. “It’s a hike,” he admitted, “but not impossible.”
Jake offered him one of the water bottles he had managed to hold onto. Chris took a big swig then passed it around. He gave them a few seconds to ready themselves. There was one last nod for reassurance, and then Chris hopped up and began to jog. They were near the intersection before the moaning told them they were spotted. The sound that followed told them something different altogether.
A swell of clamor rose to monstrous proportions. The screams and howls were instantly recognizable, but the sheer volume was more than any of them had heard before. It wasn’t until Chris was halfway across the intersection that he realized the darkening shadows had nothing to do with the setting sun. A swarm of infected pushed between the buildings and its entire ferocity was focused on one single thing.
24.
Chris ran until his legs burnt. He was moving slowly enough that it made more sense to walk. They moved in and around office buildings trying to lose the host of infected trailing them. The tall buildings eventually gave way to storefronts, and then to homes.
The smell of the ocean was thick in the air and Chris knew they were getting close. He’d been forced to carry Alicen on his back for several miles and the weight was now more than he could bear. They hadn’t heard the chorus of death for over half an hour, but he didn’t dare to hope that they’d gotten away. He pushed into a backyard, letting Jenn and Jake pass him. Then he gingerly closed and locked the gate.
The roads were cloaked in random patches of darkness. The moon was hidden behind a thick cover of clouds and it provided little assistance. Some streets were lined with fully functional lights. Chris wasn’t sure if the light was a blessing or a curse. He let Alicen down and tried to catch his breath.
“Are you sure we’re still going the right way?” Jake asked between gulps of air.
Chris laid the map out on the badly over grown lawn and tried to figure out where they were. “I know we passed Bixby road,” he pointed it out. “I think we’ll get to 37th street if we keep heading in that direction.” He motioned toward the adjacent yard. “We need to head west to reach Long Beach Boulevard.” He looked up at them. “We can follow it all the way to the docks.”
“How far is it?” Alicen asked.
“Not as far as we’ve already come,” Chris said. “
I can’t carry you the rest of the way. I need you to keep up. Can you do that?”
She looked up at her brother for a reassuring nod.
“I think so,” she said.
Chris folded the map and slid it back in his pocket. “Let’s get going. I don’t want to stay anywhere too long. We’ll go slow. Keep your eyes open and your mouths shut.”
They were up and moving again. Chris gave up the relative cover of backyards for a view of the boulevard that would guide them to their destination. Most of the street lights along the major strip were out, some of the poles lying on the ground. Abandoned vehicles littered the road highlighted here and there by lifeless bodies. Nothing moved, but a horrific anticipation kept everyone on edge.
Chris stayed at a slow trot so Jenn and the kids could keep pace with him. They crossed under the 405 overpass as the first sign of dawn showed itself. Darkness was still in firm control of the sky, but along the horizon behind them, a faint line of violet ran the length of the distant cityscape. The sight of the coming daybreak brought with it hope, but that feeling was quickly interrupted.
Chris saw something moving behind them. It was a good distance away, but it was there for sure. Figures moved along the six-lane road, most of them twitching erratically. He slowed down enough to get behind Jenn and the kids.
“What is it?” Jenn asked.
“It’s not important. We need to keep moving.” He didn’t try to hide what was coming, but he didn’t see why it mattered. “We can make it. We can reach the docks before they catch up with us.”
The fear was thick in Jenn’s eyes. Alicen stumbled as she tried to get a good look behind them and keep moving forward at the same time.
“Then what?” Jenn asked in a terrified tone.
Chris didn’t answer. He’d been so focused on reaching the docks that he didn’t consider what they were going to do when they got there.
“We get on a boat and we go,” he said.
The Last Infection: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller Page 20