Jade: Earth's Last Hope Against the Undead by Kenneth W. Cain Page B

a
crutch while they ran.
    Jade could smell the rot behind her, the
staleness of people having gone too long without a bath. The stench
of death hung heavy in the air. If not for this man she would have
been their next meal. She was grateful.
    They sped across the rough terrain and
eventually came to a dead end. Their only escape was a back alley
and as they took it they heard the horde behind them collapsing
into the destruction that blocked their path. It served as a moment
of delay that would aid in their escape.
    The elder woman was the first to reach the
gate at the end of the alley. She leapt onto it and tried to climb.
She was failing by the time Jade and her male companion caught up.
Both of them were young and fit, scurrying over the gate with ease.
Once they were on the other side, they tried to help the woman
over.
    The zombies had changed their path and were
now pouring into the alleyway. They clawed and crawled over one
another like starving animals looking for the first available meal.
It was like opening the doors to a store on Black Friday, only with
zombies instead of penny-pinching shoppers.
    “ Help me!” She screamed, her eyes wide
with panic.
    The man remained calm, trying to assist her.
“Concentrate, Charlotte.”
    “ Who are you? Who—?” Her eyes eased,
as she seemed to recognize him. “Help me, Trent.”
    Trent’s eyes were transfixed on the
approaching horde, keen but troubled. “I will. Now calm yourself
and climb onto my hands. Use them as footholds.”
    Charlotte climbed onto one hand, but had
difficulty with the next. Jade seized her waist and tried to help
her. Charlotte managed Trent’s other hand and grasped the top of
the gate. She tried to pull herself upward to get over the top, but
she struggled. Jade pushed with all of her might. Then she felt
herself being drawn away from Charlotte and the resulting pain in
her shin forced her to cringe.
    Jade flailed her arms out in one last
attempt to help the woman. It was too late. Trent had made the
right call in leaving Charlotte behind. Realizing this, Jade began
to run with Trent, instead of trying to pull him back to Charlotte.
They put distance between them and the horde. The gate bulged
outward as the zombies collapsed against Charlotte, her screams
sickening as the horde devoured her.
    Turning to look at Trent, Jade saw
determination on his face. They had one chance and they both knew
it. They would need to find shelter fast and hope for the best. If
they found cover maybe the zombies would pass. Maybe they would
even find suitable housing for the night. It would be good to have
the company of another human, to share warmth. She missed the days
of another’s touch.
    His eyes spun as he scanned the land. They
centered on a structure in the distance and he pulled Jade toward
it. She knew what he was thinking and didn’t hesitate to
follow.
    When they reached the structure they
instantly ascended the rusty ladder, with her going first. It
wasn’t an enclosed space as she'd hoped, but it would do. The old
water tower looked as though something had torn right thru the
middle of it. Half the top stood erect, an awful reminder of the
devastation that had occurred here.
    It seemed enough shelter to protect them
from the elements. But above all else the height would protect them
from the pack of zombies steadfastly approaching. Even if the horde
discovered them and managed the ladder, they would be able to fend
them off one at a time or in two’s until they no longer came.
    She climbed ahead of him, his face close to
her butt as they managed the ladder. Flakes of worn paint coated
their dirty, callused hands. By the time they reached the top, they
were both struggling for air and only able to stumble to the
corroded floor of the tower.
    A thin puddle wet her cheek. It was red from
rust and she made sure not to ingest it. She knew doing so could
cause a nasty urinary tract infection. He breathed heavy next to
her, lying on a dry section of