they’ll kill us too.”
Brenda watched the carrier in the lead; he was closing the gap quickly.
“C’mon!” Tammy pleaded. “Move your ass!”
Brenda stood, motionless, contemplating. If she left this stranger here she was complicit in his death. Could she live with that? She wasn’t sure she could trust him, but she felt confident that he wasn’t himself. He was still a human being, after all.
And hadn't she been left behind when the virus hit?
“I’m going back for him,” she said. She ran toward the stranger.
“Shit!” Tammy yelled. She knew once Brenda had made up her mind it was virtually impossible to change. She raised the rifle, sighting it in on the carrier in the lead. It was moving fast.
Brenda continued running toward the stranger. When she reached him she grabbed his arm, just under the armpit, then yanked him upward. “Get up!” she yelled.
He just sat there.
“Get up!” she yelled again, hitting him twice in the side of the head as hard as she could. That seemed to snap him out of his fog. He stood up. She looked up to find the two slower carriers still in the distance while the faster one bore down upon her. It was less than forty yards away.
“Run, you idiot!” she yelled.
Then Brenda heard the report of the rifle shot. Tammy fired at the running carrier, but missed. It was moving quickly, closing the forty, third, and twenty-yard gap with ease.
Brenda saw this and reached for her pistol. Just then another crack sounded and the deadwalker in the lead dropped in its tracks like a stone. It lay on the ground, blood running out onto the street from an exit wound in the thing’s back.
Brenda yanked on Dave’s arm again. He resisted her efforts. “Do you want me to hit you again?” she yelled at him. She yanked harder, feeling him budge a little.
She yanked one more time, harder than ever, and then he began to run. They quickly caught up to Tammy.
“You know you're batshit crazy, right?” Tammy said.
“Yeah,” she said, breaking a slight smile. “I do.”
She looked toward the two remaining carriers in the distance. They were slow, but were still closing in. Then, from behind one of the houses a hundred yards or so away, another carrier appeared. It was then followed by another.
“They heard the shots...I didn’t want to have to use it,” Tammy said. “You didn’t leave me much choice.”
“I know,” Brenda replied. “Just run.”
CHAPTER 9
Ed remembered a time before cellular phones. At one point in his past he could have simply walked to a random phone booth and looked up the address of a Walgreens. Cell phones had rendered these paper books useless relics. It wasn’t without irony that he noticed the Walking Death had rendered cell phones useless relics now too.
Being that as it was, he still needed to find a pharmacy. They had exactly one day’s worth of daylight to find one and hopefully get the antibiotics to the young girl they’d found. If they failed then they’d have to hole up somewhere during the night and wait it out until dawn. Ed wasn't sure if the girl would make it through the night without care and water.
He and boys set out at the break of dawn, right on schedule. They were able to get some water down the girl, but she didn't regain consciousness before they left. They left a full jug of water by her bedside, along with a glass in case she awoke while they were gone and was too weak to pick up the pitcher.
Without a phone book, or a map more detailed than the one they carried, they were on their own searching for a drugstore. Ed figured the place to start would be the exit where they'd found the girl. He didn't remember a drugstore there, but he figured he could at least get his hands on a phone book he could use to track one down.
They walked the mile or so it took to get back to the exit, covering the distance with little difficulty. The empty road bore no ill-mannered travelers, nor did it host any rabid carriers. Aside from a
Brenda watched the carrier in the lead; he was closing the gap quickly.
“C’mon!” Tammy pleaded. “Move your ass!”
Brenda stood, motionless, contemplating. If she left this stranger here she was complicit in his death. Could she live with that? She wasn’t sure she could trust him, but she felt confident that he wasn’t himself. He was still a human being, after all.
And hadn't she been left behind when the virus hit?
“I’m going back for him,” she said. She ran toward the stranger.
“Shit!” Tammy yelled. She knew once Brenda had made up her mind it was virtually impossible to change. She raised the rifle, sighting it in on the carrier in the lead. It was moving fast.
Brenda continued running toward the stranger. When she reached him she grabbed his arm, just under the armpit, then yanked him upward. “Get up!” she yelled.
He just sat there.
“Get up!” she yelled again, hitting him twice in the side of the head as hard as she could. That seemed to snap him out of his fog. He stood up. She looked up to find the two slower carriers still in the distance while the faster one bore down upon her. It was less than forty yards away.
“Run, you idiot!” she yelled.
Then Brenda heard the report of the rifle shot. Tammy fired at the running carrier, but missed. It was moving quickly, closing the forty, third, and twenty-yard gap with ease.
Brenda saw this and reached for her pistol. Just then another crack sounded and the deadwalker in the lead dropped in its tracks like a stone. It lay on the ground, blood running out onto the street from an exit wound in the thing’s back.
Brenda yanked on Dave’s arm again. He resisted her efforts. “Do you want me to hit you again?” she yelled at him. She yanked harder, feeling him budge a little.
She yanked one more time, harder than ever, and then he began to run. They quickly caught up to Tammy.
“You know you're batshit crazy, right?” Tammy said.
“Yeah,” she said, breaking a slight smile. “I do.”
She looked toward the two remaining carriers in the distance. They were slow, but were still closing in. Then, from behind one of the houses a hundred yards or so away, another carrier appeared. It was then followed by another.
“They heard the shots...I didn’t want to have to use it,” Tammy said. “You didn’t leave me much choice.”
“I know,” Brenda replied. “Just run.”
CHAPTER 9
Ed remembered a time before cellular phones. At one point in his past he could have simply walked to a random phone booth and looked up the address of a Walgreens. Cell phones had rendered these paper books useless relics. It wasn’t without irony that he noticed the Walking Death had rendered cell phones useless relics now too.
Being that as it was, he still needed to find a pharmacy. They had exactly one day’s worth of daylight to find one and hopefully get the antibiotics to the young girl they’d found. If they failed then they’d have to hole up somewhere during the night and wait it out until dawn. Ed wasn't sure if the girl would make it through the night without care and water.
He and boys set out at the break of dawn, right on schedule. They were able to get some water down the girl, but she didn't regain consciousness before they left. They left a full jug of water by her bedside, along with a glass in case she awoke while they were gone and was too weak to pick up the pitcher.
Without a phone book, or a map more detailed than the one they carried, they were on their own searching for a drugstore. Ed figured the place to start would be the exit where they'd found the girl. He didn't remember a drugstore there, but he figured he could at least get his hands on a phone book he could use to track one down.
They walked the mile or so it took to get back to the exit, covering the distance with little difficulty. The empty road bore no ill-mannered travelers, nor did it host any rabid carriers. Aside from a
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