They Walk (33 page)

I know I should probably push or kick it off me, but I can’t get my body to obey my commands like it should.

His body is large and his weight is pushing the ax down and causing it to get its dripping jaw closer to me. I turn my head away and close my eyes as it snaps its teeth, and before I can contemplate my death I hear the others still fighting. This sends a shockwave of courage through me.

My eyes snap open I push the dead up with my now shaking arms.

Once it’s at arm’s length I manage to wedge my feet between us, and with all the strength I can get I kick out at it. The dead guy falls back from me, and I get to my feet before he does, and I rush at him swinging at his head. He was just getting to his feet, so I catch the side of his neck easily and the blade of my ax slides through like butter. I turn away as his head and body falls to the ground, and I see that Eva is now one of the dead already.

Mason is just putting her knife through her chin as I’m moving, and I notice that my mother is sitting in the now running car a couple feet away. Brooke and Rose are climbing into the back, when Mason and I approach at the same time. He gets into the back with the girls, and my mother quickly scoots over so that I can get in the driver’s seat. I’m only just closing the car door, when there is more dead coming for us fast, but I ignore them, as I peel off the curb and spin the car into an illegal U-turn so that we are facing the opposite direction. I push the gas pedal down to the floor so that we are flying down the road, and we leave the dead in our dust trying to catch up.

I’m barely driving the car past the side street where we left the guys, when I see a car pulling out behind us in the rearview mirror. I’m filled with a relief so great; I’m surprised I don’t crash the car from the shock. All I hope though is that my dad and Gabe are both alive in the car.

We are just pulling off of College Street and back to the home stretch to the Collisee, when my mom breaks the stunned silence of the car.

“
You were unbelievable back there Maggie. I had no idea you could do all that.” She says in wonder.

I don’t take my eyes off of the crowed road and I grip the steering wheel tight until my fingers hurt. I now she is probably proud of me or something, but it’s not something I want to hear. The ax is at my feet, and I want so bad to clutch it to me like a security blanket. Instead, I lie to my mother for almost the first time ever.

“
Neither did I, it must have been the adrenaline.”

My voice comes out a little more coldly than I’d like, but there isn’t anything I can do about it.

For some reason I’m angry and I can’t really explain why, maybe it’s the injustice of this all. Or maybe I’m getting tired of fighting already and not knowing when I’m going to die or someone that I care about dies. It’s too much for one person to handle. My mom turns in the seat and reaches for my arm, and out of reflex, I flinch away from her.

“
You’re bleeding.” She tells me, as she sits back in her seat.

Shaking my tense arms, I say, “It’s fine, I’ve been scratched like this before. It won’t trigger the infection or anything.”

“
I know Maggie. I was just worried.”

Sighing, I feel bad instantly. I just got her back and already I’m hurting her feelings for no reason.

“
I’m sorry mom I’m just a little revved up from the fight.”

I glance towards her and try to give her a normal smile, but she is already watching me and just looks so sad. Not from my hurting her feelings, but like she lost her baby girl or something. I suppose she did though, since I’m pretty certain I’m not the same girl as I was before all this started. The rest of the ride is in silence, except for the occasional shocked gasping from the others as they take in the surrounding homes and business of the street. It’s all old news to me though, and I just drive right by everything and don’t feel bothered by it now.

I keep catching myself checking the car behind us in the rearview mirror and wish I could see inside it.

When we are about a street away from the Collisee, we actually run into traffic, as in there are other moving cars on the road now. Among them are the rushing feet of the dead as they try to catch them, and I have to slow us down so that I can get by. They all seem to be heading in the opposite direction, and when I reach Birch Street that’s when I hear it.

The roaring sounds of constant gunfire.

My first thought is that the stadium was breached, but that soon changes the closer we get to it. And it’s not because the place isn’t in chaos, because it most certainly is. There are hundreds of people pilling out of the doors and running to the vehicles in the lot. Most of them are either tearing out of the parking lot, fighting with one another, or being attacked by the dead. That’s not the only unsettling thing either. In the front of the building, there is a lineup of soldiers firing into the masses of the dead and trying to give the people getting away a chance.

Most of the larger vehicles are already gone, and I easily pull into the lot and park the car to a stop just a couple feet from the entrance and the running bodies. As I quickly take everything in, I wonder what the heck happened in there so suddenly.

We weren’t gone that long were we?

“
Maggie what is going on?” My mom asks as she watches out of the car like the rest of us.

I shake my head, and know the only way to find out is to get out and ask.

“
You guys stay in here and keep the car running for me. And don’t let anyone inside, got it?” I try to sound commanding, but it just comes out like I’m scared, which I am.

I’m reaching for the ax at my feet, when my mom stops me with a hand on my back, so I turn to her.

“
Be careful will you.” She tells me earnestly.

My throat closes up on itself and I just nod to her as I latch onto the ax and grip it in one hand, as I open the car door with the other. The sounds of guns firing are louder now, and taking a deep breath.

I get out of the car and slam the door behind me.

Chapter Fifty Seven

No sooner am I out of the car and running, do I wish I stayed inside.

It’s a mass of bodies and bullets out here and I have to dodge a young couple that are holding a baby and running in my direction. Keeping the ax at my side, I practically bump into Gabe as he materializes in front of me. He’s with Noah and the three of us make for the front of the building. I glance behind me not being able to help it, and see that my dad is getting out of a car that is a couple paces from Noah’s and headed for my mother. That makes me feel better for some reason, and I turn my attention back to where I am going.

We approach the front of the building and have to go around in a wide sweep.

There is a firing squad out front.

They don’t pay us any attention though, as they are busy with the endless supply of the dead.

We reach the doors with no problem.

Noah goes inside first with his gun pointed out in aim in case of a threat, and Gabe and I huddle close and follow behind. The doors close behind us, and it’s so empty and quiet that it seems so surreal. Just yesterday, this place was busy with activity and life, and now it’s been abandoned and the life is outside. Chills go down my spine as we take in the destruction the lobby is in, belongings and such are discarded without care. At least there is no sign that the dead got inside, but that makes me fear what is really going on. That’s when we hear voices, familiar ones too.

And they are coming from the rec area down the hallway off to the left.

“
Stay close.” Noah says in a hushed voice as he starts for the source of the voices.

Shaking now, I let Gabe go ahead and I trail close behind.

He is brandishing a handgun like Noah, and I have a thought to where the machine guns went too. Then I remember that the ammo for them is in Noah’s car, and they probably ran out. Shaking my head to clear it, I focus on where we are heading and I notice that the voices are getting louder and much clearer to me. Noah is just reaching the double doors leading into the rec area, when I place who’s voices are coming from inside.

It’s Claire and Hanna.

Noah figures this out at the same time, and he pushes through the half opened doors with a bang, causing them to jump in surprise. I notice they aren’t alone either, when Gabe and I walk into the room after Noah. Claire’s mother Barb, and Hanna’s boyfriend Logan are with them and it seems that they were all arguing over something. It’s not hard to imagine over what, given the state of the entire place.

They stare in shock at seeing us.

It’s not long before they instantly rush at us and are shouting out questions at the same time that Noah literally whistles and makes them stop. “One at a time please, and first of all what is going on here?” Noah demands.

Claire and Hanna are shocked into silence, and glance at each other before turning to Logan and Barb for confirmation before turning back to us. The whole thing is really making me uncomfortable, and I’m not sure I want to know what happened.

“
You guys were gone longer than we thought. Did you find your parents though?” Claire asks me hesitantly and softly.

Glancing between Noah and Gabe, I feel like we are two different teams and are about to fight the battle of our lives against each other. Which shouldn’t be like that at all, but why does it feel that way?

I nod my head slowly anyway, and watch them in confusion.

“
Oh thank goodness, we wouldn’t have to time to look anywhere else for them.” Claire rushes out.

Before I can ask her what she means, Gabe interrupts me.

“
Claire, why wouldn’t we have enough time and what happened after we left?”

She looks at him with wide eyes before turning back to Hanna for help, and Noah throws up his hands and sighs.

“
Are you serious right now? Just spit it out all ready the suspense is really grating on me nerves.”

The girls still look worried over something, and Barb comes over and takes a shaking Claire in her arms to calm her down, and now I’m really starting to freak out. I’m shaking so bad myself, I surprised I’m even still standing. Logan had been inching towards Hanna this whole time, and finally steps up so he is in front of them and facing us, like we are bullying them or something.

“
It’s not good Noah, not at all, and you’re not going to like it.”

“
I don’t know that unless you tell us what is going on. So I say AGAIN, what the hell happened?” Noah practically shouts, as he steps up close to Logan and in front of us.

“
After you left, the soldiers picked up a transmission from Washington. The dead are growing too rapidly and will consume the whole United States unless it’s stopped.”

Logan pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing, and I swear I hold my breath while I wait to hear the rest, and I sure so do Noah and Gabe.

“
Any survivors are urged to head for the nearest borders and take cover, because in forty-eight hours, the entire continent is going to be air bombed.”

“
Shut the front door.” Gabe says in a hushed voice from beside me.

At least I think what he says is quiet, because my ears are roaring so loud now.

A pulsing throbbing pain is back behind my eyes, making me feel lightheaded.

There is no way that the whole US is going to be bombed.

That can’t just happen, can it?

“
That explains why everyone is tearing out of here faster than the Kentucky derby.” Noah says as he bends over and leans on his knees.

“
What the hell are you guys still doing here though?” Gabe asks.

“
That’s what we were arguing about when you got here. Some of us wanted to wait and others wanted to leave.” Claire says heatedly while fixing Logan with a severe look at the last part.

Logan turns on her and his face gets red with anger.

“
I have to look out for my family, so don’t you judge me.”

Glaring back at him, Claire steps out of the safety of her mother’s arms and advances on him, but Noah gets between them.

“
There will be none of that, got it? What’s done is done, and we’re here now. We can all leave together, sound good?” He asks glancing between the two of them.

Everything is happening to fast and I don’t know how to process it.

Noah is still trying to talk to Logan and Claire, but the sounds fade to a distant hum, and black spots dance before my eyes making me wobble on my feet. The argument seems to be getting heated now, and Gabe walks over to them to intervene and leaves me alone off to the side. I want to reach out for him not to go, but my limbs feel so heavy and I can’t make them move.

My stomach rolls on me.

I feel bile rise up into my throat and I have to hold my breath so nothing comes up. But that only makes me so dizzy, that I feel like I’m being tossed around in a funnel. I reach out for anything to grasp onto, but nothing is there so I stumble forward a step before regaining my shaky balance.

“…
Gabe.” I whisper so softly, that I’m not sure it even comes out as words.

But it must have though.