room. It was a small damp basement. In one corner
sat a workbench, in the other a washer and dryer set with a slop
sink. On one side of the basement was a line of Rubbermaid storage
cabinets.
“ Is it clear?”
“ Yeah, yeah, come on down.
Bring the bags.”
They opened the storage cabinets and
emptied what little was in there. Jeff grabbed a case of water and
they headed back up stairs.
They went through the rest of the
house and found little else aside from some health aids in the
upstairs bathroom and linen closet.
After loading up the truck they moved
on to the next house, and then the next. Walter felt a growing
anxiety in his stomach the further away their home looked in the
rearview mirror, but at least when they got back they would be
better equipped to whether the storm.
18 HOLD ON
(back to
top)
Alexis watched in terror, staring out
the back window as the van tipped over.
“ Oh, my God! Abdul, we have
to do something!”
Chris started crying and Stacey yelled
at him to shut up.
“ Stay here with the
children. Carrie, be ready to drive away if need be. I’ll do what I
can.”
“ How about I drive away
now?”
Abdul grabbed a tire-iron, “Enough,
Carrie, or so help me I will use this on you when I get back,” he
yelled, then hurried over to the van. Scott and Judy followed
behind, each brandishing a similar melee weapon.
The dead shambled slowly down the
hill. Some toppled over and rolled down the hill. It would be
comical if they were removed from the reality of the
situation.
Inside the van Eddie bled profusely
from his nose. He opened the side door and started helping everyone
out. Jon-Jon and Dawn were both unconscious in the front, and Eddie
feared one if not both were dead. Frankie crawled out of the van,
dizzy and disoriented. Abdul ran over to him and pointed him toward
his truck.
“ Go!” He yelled, but
Frankie stood there, hoping he could be of help.
Chuck, and Chung-Hee were next out of
the van.
The dead were now
approaching.
Scott went on the offensive and
attacked the closest one, cracking its head open on the first swing
and sending it reeling backwards.
Eddie stepped out of the van, pulling
his mother out. Janice clutched her head and a thin sliver of
crimson ran down her face. Joseph followed, looking only frazzled
and angry.
Abdul opened the passenger side door
and shook Dawn to consciousness. She was disoriented and her vision
was blurry. She began to scream and smack Abdul away. He calmed her
down, reassuring her that he wasn’t going to hurt her as the sounds
of the dead began to buzz in his ears like a swarm of flies around
road kill.
Scott took down another. Then Judy
took one down. Frankie attacked another. Yet still more came and
Dawn was just getting out of the van.
“ What the hell is taking so
long?” Carrie whined.
“ It looks like some of them
are hurt,” Alexis replied.
“ Hurt bad? Should we
go?”
“ I want to go,” Nick
pleaded.
“ We have to wait,” Stacey
told him.
“ We’re not going anywhere,”
Alexis yelled.
Alexis continued to look out the
window. Eddie was walking his mother to the other car. She couldn’t
see Joseph, and hoped he wasn’t hurt.
Judy was checking Jon-Jon for a pulse.
A surge of relief washed over her when she found one. He wasn’t
waking up and she couldn’t lift him by herself. She looked around
and Joseph met her eyes. He ran over instinctively and she yelled
for him to hurry.
“ He’s alive!”
“ Thank Christ,” Joseph
replied. “Let’s get him out of there.”
Joseph was a strong young guy and had
no trouble pulling Jon-Jon out of the van and hoisting him over his
shoulder.
“ Follow me,” Judy said as
she started jogging away.
“ Everyone’s out of the
van.” Abdul said, pulling Frankie back from the onslaught of
dead.
“ Let’s go!” Abdul
yelled.
Scott turned and ran, surveying the
area for his wife.
They converged at the two vehicles,
the dead not far
sat a workbench, in the other a washer and dryer set with a slop
sink. On one side of the basement was a line of Rubbermaid storage
cabinets.
“ Is it clear?”
“ Yeah, yeah, come on down.
Bring the bags.”
They opened the storage cabinets and
emptied what little was in there. Jeff grabbed a case of water and
they headed back up stairs.
They went through the rest of the
house and found little else aside from some health aids in the
upstairs bathroom and linen closet.
After loading up the truck they moved
on to the next house, and then the next. Walter felt a growing
anxiety in his stomach the further away their home looked in the
rearview mirror, but at least when they got back they would be
better equipped to whether the storm.
18 HOLD ON
(back to
top)
Alexis watched in terror, staring out
the back window as the van tipped over.
“ Oh, my God! Abdul, we have
to do something!”
Chris started crying and Stacey yelled
at him to shut up.
“ Stay here with the
children. Carrie, be ready to drive away if need be. I’ll do what I
can.”
“ How about I drive away
now?”
Abdul grabbed a tire-iron, “Enough,
Carrie, or so help me I will use this on you when I get back,” he
yelled, then hurried over to the van. Scott and Judy followed
behind, each brandishing a similar melee weapon.
The dead shambled slowly down the
hill. Some toppled over and rolled down the hill. It would be
comical if they were removed from the reality of the
situation.
Inside the van Eddie bled profusely
from his nose. He opened the side door and started helping everyone
out. Jon-Jon and Dawn were both unconscious in the front, and Eddie
feared one if not both were dead. Frankie crawled out of the van,
dizzy and disoriented. Abdul ran over to him and pointed him toward
his truck.
“ Go!” He yelled, but
Frankie stood there, hoping he could be of help.
Chuck, and Chung-Hee were next out of
the van.
The dead were now
approaching.
Scott went on the offensive and
attacked the closest one, cracking its head open on the first swing
and sending it reeling backwards.
Eddie stepped out of the van, pulling
his mother out. Janice clutched her head and a thin sliver of
crimson ran down her face. Joseph followed, looking only frazzled
and angry.
Abdul opened the passenger side door
and shook Dawn to consciousness. She was disoriented and her vision
was blurry. She began to scream and smack Abdul away. He calmed her
down, reassuring her that he wasn’t going to hurt her as the sounds
of the dead began to buzz in his ears like a swarm of flies around
road kill.
Scott took down another. Then Judy
took one down. Frankie attacked another. Yet still more came and
Dawn was just getting out of the van.
“ What the hell is taking so
long?” Carrie whined.
“ It looks like some of them
are hurt,” Alexis replied.
“ Hurt bad? Should we
go?”
“ I want to go,” Nick
pleaded.
“ We have to wait,” Stacey
told him.
“ We’re not going anywhere,”
Alexis yelled.
Alexis continued to look out the
window. Eddie was walking his mother to the other car. She couldn’t
see Joseph, and hoped he wasn’t hurt.
Judy was checking Jon-Jon for a pulse.
A surge of relief washed over her when she found one. He wasn’t
waking up and she couldn’t lift him by herself. She looked around
and Joseph met her eyes. He ran over instinctively and she yelled
for him to hurry.
“ He’s alive!”
“ Thank Christ,” Joseph
replied. “Let’s get him out of there.”
Joseph was a strong young guy and had
no trouble pulling Jon-Jon out of the van and hoisting him over his
shoulder.
“ Follow me,” Judy said as
she started jogging away.
“ Everyone’s out of the
van.” Abdul said, pulling Frankie back from the onslaught of
dead.
“ Let’s go!” Abdul
yelled.
Scott turned and ran, surveying the
area for his wife.
They converged at the two vehicles,
the dead not far
Similar Books
