Samantha. He hefted the gun up and
pointed it up to the sky as he peered within; he’d never held or
fired a gun in his life, and he didn’t want to accidentally fire
off a round when he couldn’t see. The light level outside was still
shockingly brighter than it was inside, and he blinked furiously,
trying to force his eyes to adjust quickly.
“ Samantha!” he yelled. When she did not appear right away he
turned his head to look for potential escape routes off of whatever
surface he’d landed on. He appeared to be on top of the kitchen,
the ceiling of which was two or three feet lower than the part of
the building he’d just leaped from. There looked to be a parking
lot on the other side, eight or ten feet down. He steeled himself
to jump down, and looked behind himself. He was frantic for
Samantha to come. He could hear fearful exclamations coming from
inside; the party had been rudely, jaggedly interrupted. Ronnie was
shouting something down the stairs inside and then, like a bell in
the distance, he heard Samantha pleading with one of the women to
come with her. Richard gritted his teeth and prepared to jump to
the parking lot.
Samantha came
leaping through the window and Richard caught her eyes for the
briefest of seconds before taking the jump down to the parking lot.
He crunched into the ground with a painful creak in his knees and
pitched forward, slamming his face into the rough pavement. His
face and palms felt as though they were on fire but he forced
himself to his knees. Samantha landed beside him, wavering but
staying on her feet. She reached down quickly to pull him to his
feet and they began to run across the parking lot with urgent
speed.
There was an
alley leading out of the parking lot to their left and they took
it, their feet grinding and crunching on the grit and debris that
littered the ground. From behind them there were angry shouts,
issuing from near the hole that they’d just come through.
“ What the hell is going on?” Samantha panted, resting against
the wall of the alley. Richard ground to a halt reluctantly and
eyed the other side of the street with some trepidation. There was
a furniture store and another parking lot, one that lead back a
very long way into some trees. He very badly wanted to be off
across the street and into those far-off trees and their
life-giving camouflage. His knees were shaking and he felt like he
might throw up at any moment. The messenger bag around his neck
felt like a millstone, and he seriously fought an urge to rip it
off of his arm and throw it against the wall.
“ Bunch of guys with guns, Mark was texting them,” Richard
replied, panting as well. His heart was heaving and he regretted
skipping the gym as much as he had before the plague hit. “They
weren’t looking to play friendly, that’s for sure”.
“ Mark had a gun to your head,” she noted, sounding confused.
Richard hefted the gun again and grinned weakly. The thing was a
lot heavier than he had expected. “He was planning on killing you,”
she continued. “Just like that. Do you think...”
Richard began
to edge towards the mouth of the alley, trying to listen for
footsteps coming from nearby. He wondered if they would give chase
directly, or if they would try to flank them. There were so many
factors he didn’t know, he realized.
“ Do I think what?” he asked, distracted.
“ Do you think those women are all falling into a trap right
now?”
“ Probably”
“ They’re going to...” she trailed off, not wanting to vocalize
her suspicions. Richard nodded impatiently.
“ Yes they are,” he said decisively, “and if you don’t want them
to do it to you, too, we should go now”.
Samantha shook
her head and Richard looked at her incredulously.
“ No, we have to go help them”. Her voice was urgent,
passionate. Richard felt a sharp upward thrust of fear come out of
his stomach.
“ No way,” he disagreed, vehemently. He pointed across the
street to the line of
pointed it up to the sky as he peered within; he’d never held or
fired a gun in his life, and he didn’t want to accidentally fire
off a round when he couldn’t see. The light level outside was still
shockingly brighter than it was inside, and he blinked furiously,
trying to force his eyes to adjust quickly.
“ Samantha!” he yelled. When she did not appear right away he
turned his head to look for potential escape routes off of whatever
surface he’d landed on. He appeared to be on top of the kitchen,
the ceiling of which was two or three feet lower than the part of
the building he’d just leaped from. There looked to be a parking
lot on the other side, eight or ten feet down. He steeled himself
to jump down, and looked behind himself. He was frantic for
Samantha to come. He could hear fearful exclamations coming from
inside; the party had been rudely, jaggedly interrupted. Ronnie was
shouting something down the stairs inside and then, like a bell in
the distance, he heard Samantha pleading with one of the women to
come with her. Richard gritted his teeth and prepared to jump to
the parking lot.
Samantha came
leaping through the window and Richard caught her eyes for the
briefest of seconds before taking the jump down to the parking lot.
He crunched into the ground with a painful creak in his knees and
pitched forward, slamming his face into the rough pavement. His
face and palms felt as though they were on fire but he forced
himself to his knees. Samantha landed beside him, wavering but
staying on her feet. She reached down quickly to pull him to his
feet and they began to run across the parking lot with urgent
speed.
There was an
alley leading out of the parking lot to their left and they took
it, their feet grinding and crunching on the grit and debris that
littered the ground. From behind them there were angry shouts,
issuing from near the hole that they’d just come through.
“ What the hell is going on?” Samantha panted, resting against
the wall of the alley. Richard ground to a halt reluctantly and
eyed the other side of the street with some trepidation. There was
a furniture store and another parking lot, one that lead back a
very long way into some trees. He very badly wanted to be off
across the street and into those far-off trees and their
life-giving camouflage. His knees were shaking and he felt like he
might throw up at any moment. The messenger bag around his neck
felt like a millstone, and he seriously fought an urge to rip it
off of his arm and throw it against the wall.
“ Bunch of guys with guns, Mark was texting them,” Richard
replied, panting as well. His heart was heaving and he regretted
skipping the gym as much as he had before the plague hit. “They
weren’t looking to play friendly, that’s for sure”.
“ Mark had a gun to your head,” she noted, sounding confused.
Richard hefted the gun again and grinned weakly. The thing was a
lot heavier than he had expected. “He was planning on killing you,”
she continued. “Just like that. Do you think...”
Richard began
to edge towards the mouth of the alley, trying to listen for
footsteps coming from nearby. He wondered if they would give chase
directly, or if they would try to flank them. There were so many
factors he didn’t know, he realized.
“ Do I think what?” he asked, distracted.
“ Do you think those women are all falling into a trap right
now?”
“ Probably”
“ They’re going to...” she trailed off, not wanting to vocalize
her suspicions. Richard nodded impatiently.
“ Yes they are,” he said decisively, “and if you don’t want them
to do it to you, too, we should go now”.
Samantha shook
her head and Richard looked at her incredulously.
“ No, we have to go help them”. Her voice was urgent,
passionate. Richard felt a sharp upward thrust of fear come out of
his stomach.
“ No way,” he disagreed, vehemently. He pointed across the
street to the line of
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