took off his
eyelashes.
I took a step forward and grabbed the
infected by the hair, but the scraggly strands tore from its skull too easily
and sent the infected’s face closer to Justin.
“Hold it up,” I said.
The infected snarled and gnashed its
teeth. Justin let out a grunt, and with all his strength he held the infected’s
head toward me. I gave one short, strong stab with my knife and pierced its
skull, sending the metal deep into its brain.
I took a deep breath and let my heartbeat
settle.
“You can put it down now,” I said.
Justin let the infected’s body drop to
one side. His eyes were wide with shock and he was panting.
“Deep breaths kid,” I said.
I looked around me. I couldn’t see any
more of them, nor could I hear the tell-tale moans that said they were near.
That didn’t mean we were alone, though. I looked up at the shelf next to me,
and suddenly my eyes were as wide as Justin’s.
“Think we got lucky,” I said.
Justin followed my gaze and saw what I
was looking at. The shelf next to the tent was empty, all save one row at the
top, on which were several boxes full of tins. I couldn’t see what they were
and I didn’t care; they could be tinned fruit, beans, chili or spaghetti, it
didn’t matter. It was food, that’s all we needed. That would be enough.
“Okay monkey boy, time to climb again.”
Justin put his hand on the shelf and
shakily pulled himself up. I put my hand on his shoulder. “Think you can do
this?” I said.
He nodded. His breaths were steadying
and his eyes came into focus.
“Good. I’ll let a little light in here,”
I said. I didn’t want him climbing twenty feet up the shelf in the dark,
because the last thing we needed was him falling and breaking his leg.
I walked past a row of shelves and to
the back of the warehouse. There were two enormous metal shutters, which as I
suspected, were used for trucks when they made deliveries. If I could open them
and let a little light in, it might just give enough visibility to let Justin
to climb safely to the top of the shelf. Then we would get the hell out of
here.
I unhooked the bolt, took hold of the
door handle and put my weight behind it. Slowly, the shutter started to move
open and cracks of daylight seeped in. I strained against it and slid the door
all the way to the end, then stood to admire the afternoon sun. When my eyes
adjusted to the light, I stopped dead. My breath choked in my mouth, and I my
throat was tight.
In the yard outside, a mere twenty feet
away, there were over fifty infected walking around. They all saw me and then
turned in my direction, their arms outstretched and their teeth clamping
together. They starting moving in my direction, toward the warehouse.
I turned and ran over to Justin. He had
started his climb onto the shelf, and he was about halfway up.
“Jump down, we need to get the hell
out,” I said.
“What’s wrong, we need to –“
“Just get down!” I shouted.
My heart was pounding and my body was
covered in sweat. From the other end of the warehouse I could hear the infected
moaning. It didn’t matter how dark it was in here; their hunger was so powerful
a drive that they would find their way to us eventually. If we stayed, we would
die.
Justin looked back toward the shelf, but
I grabbed his arm and pulled him along with me. I wasn’t taking any chances. We
just had to get out, and we’d figure out what to do later.
“Kyle!” Justin said, and he stopped. I
tugged at him again, but he wouldn’t budge.
“What is it?” I said
“Listen.”
Despite the blood throbbing in my
eardrums, I listened. That’s when I realised how screwed we truly were. From
the front entrance, our only way out of the building, I could hear laughing and
voices. One voice was louder than all the rest.
It was Torben’s.
Chapter
12
The vice around
eyelashes.
I took a step forward and grabbed the
infected by the hair, but the scraggly strands tore from its skull too easily
and sent the infected’s face closer to Justin.
“Hold it up,” I said.
The infected snarled and gnashed its
teeth. Justin let out a grunt, and with all his strength he held the infected’s
head toward me. I gave one short, strong stab with my knife and pierced its
skull, sending the metal deep into its brain.
I took a deep breath and let my heartbeat
settle.
“You can put it down now,” I said.
Justin let the infected’s body drop to
one side. His eyes were wide with shock and he was panting.
“Deep breaths kid,” I said.
I looked around me. I couldn’t see any
more of them, nor could I hear the tell-tale moans that said they were near.
That didn’t mean we were alone, though. I looked up at the shelf next to me,
and suddenly my eyes were as wide as Justin’s.
“Think we got lucky,” I said.
Justin followed my gaze and saw what I
was looking at. The shelf next to the tent was empty, all save one row at the
top, on which were several boxes full of tins. I couldn’t see what they were
and I didn’t care; they could be tinned fruit, beans, chili or spaghetti, it
didn’t matter. It was food, that’s all we needed. That would be enough.
“Okay monkey boy, time to climb again.”
Justin put his hand on the shelf and
shakily pulled himself up. I put my hand on his shoulder. “Think you can do
this?” I said.
He nodded. His breaths were steadying
and his eyes came into focus.
“Good. I’ll let a little light in here,”
I said. I didn’t want him climbing twenty feet up the shelf in the dark,
because the last thing we needed was him falling and breaking his leg.
I walked past a row of shelves and to
the back of the warehouse. There were two enormous metal shutters, which as I
suspected, were used for trucks when they made deliveries. If I could open them
and let a little light in, it might just give enough visibility to let Justin
to climb safely to the top of the shelf. Then we would get the hell out of
here.
I unhooked the bolt, took hold of the
door handle and put my weight behind it. Slowly, the shutter started to move
open and cracks of daylight seeped in. I strained against it and slid the door
all the way to the end, then stood to admire the afternoon sun. When my eyes
adjusted to the light, I stopped dead. My breath choked in my mouth, and I my
throat was tight.
In the yard outside, a mere twenty feet
away, there were over fifty infected walking around. They all saw me and then
turned in my direction, their arms outstretched and their teeth clamping
together. They starting moving in my direction, toward the warehouse.
I turned and ran over to Justin. He had
started his climb onto the shelf, and he was about halfway up.
“Jump down, we need to get the hell
out,” I said.
“What’s wrong, we need to –“
“Just get down!” I shouted.
My heart was pounding and my body was
covered in sweat. From the other end of the warehouse I could hear the infected
moaning. It didn’t matter how dark it was in here; their hunger was so powerful
a drive that they would find their way to us eventually. If we stayed, we would
die.
Justin looked back toward the shelf, but
I grabbed his arm and pulled him along with me. I wasn’t taking any chances. We
just had to get out, and we’d figure out what to do later.
“Kyle!” Justin said, and he stopped. I
tugged at him again, but he wouldn’t budge.
“What is it?” I said
“Listen.”
Despite the blood throbbing in my
eardrums, I listened. That’s when I realised how screwed we truly were. From
the front entrance, our only way out of the building, I could hear laughing and
voices. One voice was louder than all the rest.
It was Torben’s.
Chapter
12
The vice around
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