They Walk (36 page)

“
Maggie, there isn’t enough time. I’m sorry, but we have to get out of here as fast as we can, and we really shouldn’t make any stops…right?” Claire tells me.

Chapter Sixty One

She glances up at Noah, and now they share a look that I can’t read. And let me tell you, I’m really getting tired of that. I’m not the pathetic sick girl who needs protecting. Damn it, I’ve killed as much of the dead as they have, I know the risks we’d take going back. But I also know when I’m in a losing battle, and clearly Noah and Claire won’t go along with what I want. So I turn away from them and stare up at Gabe, while I squeeze his hand like it’s my only lifeline.

“
We can’t leave Dan to die, Gabe. Please, he’s your friend too and I can’t lose my brother, not when I just found my parents.”

I can feel the others practically take in a collective breath, as we wait for Gabe to respond.

He looks so sad for a moment, and I have to wonder what is running through his mind. But then he looks serious and without looking or saying anything to the others, he nods his head at me. Sighing, I rush into his arms again and thank God for giving him to me. Who knows where I’d be without him?

Probably one of the dead still at Austin’s I’m sure.

“
Right then, can we go now?” Hanna says impatiently from behind me still near the door.

Gabe releases me and I step back out of the protection of his arms, and face the others knowing this might be the last time we ever see them. I can tell they are thinking the same thing, or at least Noah and Claire are, and who knows what Hanna and Logan think. Claire inches closer to me then, and her mother looks worried for a second, like she is afraid Claire will change her mind and leave with me.

But I know she won’t though, and I can’t be mad at her for it either.

“
Maggie, I’m so sorry. I’d go with you if I could, but….” Claire says softly while looking down at her feet.

Stepping directly in front of her, I place my hands on her shoulders and she finally looks up at me with haunted eyes.

“
I know Claire, and don’t worry about it. If our roles were reversed, I’d make the same decision as you. Just be careful alright? We’ll meet you guys at the border, I promise.” I tell her, and hope I’m not lying just to make us feel better.

Nodding, she shrugs of the pack around her shoulder and holds it out to me. Only then do I realize that it’s my messenger bag. It feels like a lifetime since I last saw it, and when I take it from her and peer inside. I find that some of my clothes and the pain pills I lost are packed within. Gripping it tightly to myself, I stare in awe at Claire.

I left it here when we left for Bates, and never thought I’d see it again.

“
I grabbed it for you, when things went crazy. Figured you might need it, am I right?”

Giving her the first real smile I’ve ever made in a while, I pull her into a hug. When she puts her arms around me, I feel my eyes fill with tears and we squeeze one another like this is the final goodbye. I suppose it kind of is, if you think about it. We pull apart, and I notice that she too has tears in her eyes and we’re both trying our best not to let them fall.

With a heavy sigh, she lets her mother guide her away from me and towards Hanna and Logan.

When I turn back around to face the doors and watch her walk away, I notice that Gabe and Noah aren’t there anymore. Quickly I spin around and search the lobby, almost thinking they went outside already and didn’t wait. But they are still in the room, just on the other side of towards the hallways entrances. They are talking heatedly to one another, and I see something in Gabe’s arms.

It takes me a moment to realize what it is and when I do, I’m rushing over to them to take it from him.

“
I want you to hang onto the luggage in the trunk of my car, alright? You’ll need it more than us, and it’s the least I can do.” Noah says.

Reaching their side, I figure out what they are talking about so intently. And by luggage, he means all the guns and ammo we still have. He is right, we’ll need them sooner rather than later. Who knows what state the apartment building will be in when we get there, or how many of the dead returned?

I can see these thoughts practically forming behind Gabe’s eyes and he nods his head at Noah.

“
I owe you one Noah, and I pray that I get to return the favor one day.” Gabe says.

Noah takes a step back and holds out a hand to Gabe.

“
I know we will, until we meet again brother.” Noah says.

They shake hands, and only then do I really comprehend how each of them has been relying on one another. Like back up or wingmen of something, two people bonded by all this crazy. It makes me see that Gabe doesn’t really have any family around anymore. Knowing this, I vow to myself that I’ll make sure Gabe is never alone in the future. No matter the cost. They turn at the same time and start to make way for the doors again, and they see me there for the first time.

I smile sheepishly at them, like I wasn’t eves dropping or anything.

Noah grins and shakes his head, and as he goes to walk by me, he stops just at my shoulder. I turn to look at him and we are eye to eye.

“
Words can’t express how sorry I am, and I want you to be careful, alright?” He tells me.

“
You don’t have to be sorry Noah, you’ve done enough. It’s time for you to look after your own family, and Gabe is right, we’ll see each other again.”

He nods his head, and I can see he doesn’t really believe me, but in the end he walks away from me. He joins the others at the door, and as Hanna pushes the doors open fully, only then does Gabe walk over to me finally. He holds up the weapon in his arms, and with a sense of relief I take the ax from him. Having it in my hands again, it feels like home, and I swear to myself we’ll get through this.

Juggling the ax in one hand, I take hold of one of Gabe’s and we quickly catch up to the others, who are already stepping outside. As soon as we cross the threshold, I find that nothing has changed out here and still everything in in an upheaval. Clinging to Gabe, we pace right behind Noah’s group and we make our way across the parking lot and to the cars that are still waiting, thank goodness. There is still gunfire everywhere as the dead are still running about, and we constantly have to dodge being hit ourselves. Just as we are reaching the cars, I see my mother and father both getting out meeting us, and am already shouting at us.

“
What is going on Maggie, where is everyone going? Is it not safe here anymore?” My mother shouts in alarm.

Chapter Sixty Two

She takes me in her arms as soon as we are close enough to touch. And as I cling to her, I’m at a loss as what to tell her. Luckily for me, Gabe and Noah both are not. As Noah leans into the open door of his car, he tells the others inside to go for the other car and that we are splitting up. My father looks even more alarmed than my mother now, and grabs Gabe’s arm as he makes for the driver’s side.

“
Where is everyone going Gabriel?” He asks.

“
There isn’t enough time to explain, Sir. But, there are going to be bombs air dropped in less than 48 hours and we need to get out of here before that happens.”

Gabe jerks his arm out of my father’s grip and ignores his shocked expression and makes his way to the driver’s side door again. My parents share a look, and I can see them thinking about what I did just a little while ago.

“
What about Daniel, we can leave him.” My mother says in my hair and she now clings to me.

Pulling away from her, I face both of my parents and try to think when I became the parent and them the child. Somewhere between all the killing and rushing into the rescue, our roles have been reversed.

Feeling older than I am suddenly, I tell them what is going to happen.

“
That’s why we are splitting up Mom, Gabe and I have already decided to go back for Dan and the rest. You should hurry to catch up to the others, or they’ll leave without you.”

Hearing my mother’s gasp of surprise and feeling like a bully, I try to side step my parents and head for the passenger side door, but my father now grabs ahold of me and pulls me to a stop.

“
Maggie, the two of you shouldn’t go alone.”

I open my mouth to tell him we’ll be fine, when my mother beats me to it.

“
Your father is right, and we’ll go with you. It shouldn’t be left to you to find your brother. We are a family after all, and we left you alone once and look how that turned out.”

My father releases me and nods his head agreeably as he says, “That’s right we’re not losing you or your brother.”

Stepping back, I stare at the both of them and think that maybe I was wrong and that I can rely on them. Maybe it’s the headache talking, but I feel tears in my eyes as I realize they really are the best parents ever. And even more so, when they both walk up to me and take me in their arms. Over their shoulders, I find Gabe watching me on the other side of the car.

Smiling sadly at me, he taps the hood of the car and slides inside away from my view.

“
Thanks you guys, really. But we should go, now.” I say.

Pulling myself free from the clutches of my parents, I urge them to get into the car and wiping their eyes they both climb in the backseat together and join Gabe inside. Before I force myself to climb inside with them, I take hold of the car door and lean on it while I search out for Claire. First though, I see that the former occupants of Noah’s car are already safe inside the car we took from Bates. They are already following the other cars that are leaving, and I notice there is a long line of them. That’s a comforting sight, knowing a lot of the people are making it out of here. The same can’t be said for the soldiers.

They are all back to back still shooting into the never ending mass of the dead.

All the activity our here must be drawing them in, and I’m grateful that most of the dead seem to be taken out on the ground. If only the men doing the shooting were able to leave with us, but I can tell they have their work cut out for them, and who knows if they will make it. Across from their station and a ways on the other side of the parking lot, I finally catch a glimpse of Noah. He is just opening the door of a large blue ford pickup, that I deduct must be Logan’s.

As he climbs inside, a double image of him forms before my eyes and this one is cleaner and running straight back to me. He has more urgency than he did earlier, as if he is afraid of something worse than the dead around us. He is almost in front of me now, and strangely he skids to a kneeling stop in slow motion; like he sees something on the ground that I do not. I turn away to call to anyone to see if they can see him to, but in a blink the image of Noah is gone.

Feeling shaky and confused, I lift my hands and rub at my throbbing temple.

I glance back over to the real Noah. He is closing the truck door after getting inside; I realize that Claire and her mother are already safe inside. Glad that they are alright still, I can’t help feeling sad as I watch the truck pulling out of the parking lot. I’ll never get to see her again, and I feel a deep loss of losing my best friend.

From inside the car, I can hear my parents and Gabe calling to me, but it is quiet over the sounds of feet running and guns going off simultaneously. Only when I feel Gabe brush his fingertips across my back, do I pull myself away from the chaos that is now the Collisee. I’m just sliding down into the seat, when something catches my attention from the corner of my eye. My mind does that funny thing again, where it feels like time slows down when I know it really doesn’t. But I have just seconds to turn myself around and see what is coming straight for me.

It’s a dead girl.

Getting to my feet with the others yelling in alarm, I take in her state of appearance. She is a small girl, maybe around four or five and I know she must have died a horrible death. There are large bites taken out of her all over, and she is covered in dried old blood. As she runs to me, her arms are outstretched and I can see that her fingers are all broken at unnatural angles. Even as she snaps her teeth at me when she is almost within reach, I feel guilty for what I’m about to do.

Gripping the ax in my arms, I pull it back like you would a baseball bat before a swing.

She about a yard from me I swing the ax at her.

I have to aim low because of how short she is, and I manage to catch the side of her neck easily. She must have been dead a lot longer than I thought, because the ax slides through her skin with no resistance. Her head comes free from her body with a spray of cold blood and I have to close my eyes and turn my head away to avoid it, it does manage to catch my arms and clothes though.

But what is one more drop to join the many others already littering me?

I can hear my parents disgusted reactions, and I open my eyes again just in time to watch the girls now dead body fall to the ground in a heap. Ignoring the fact that her head is at my feet, I shake dipping blood off the ax and resume getting inside the car.

As soon as I’m seated and my legs are safe inside, I quickly slam the door behind me. It’s quieter in here than outside, and I glace to my left and find Gabe watching me with a smirk on his face.