Survival (15 page)

He wiped the blood from his eyes, smearing it across his forehead. His head was wet with sweat; he could smell the scent of his own blood in the air. The odor hit him with a new fear—even if his attacker were to be overtaken, the creatures would smell him.

Where was Caddy? He clenched his hands, feeling powerless. More than anything, he wanted to help her, but he couldn’t reveal himself, not without condemning himself to death.

The bed had become his shield, a temporary respite from the chaos around him. Sooner or later he’d be discovered, but for now all he could was wait and pray.

For both himself and Caddy.

T
he gunshots were never ending. Cries and commotion filled the air, overloading Caddy’s senses, threatening her focus.

The young man with the rifle continued to crawl toward her.

Every few seconds she caught a glimpse of his face, an emotionless mask with eyes, a nose, and a mouth. The person coming toward her seemed oblivious to the chaos around him, a shell of a man whose sole purpose was to rend her limb from limb. In truth, she wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but one thing was for certain: she couldn’t wait around to find out.

Caddy broke free of her trance and scurried across the beams, veering to avoid his path. After a few feet of crawling, she realized the blade in her hand was hampering her movement, and she transferred it to her mouth. The taste of metal was cold and bitter, but she bit down as hard as she could, terrified she’d drop it.

The young man scrambled forward on his knees.

She feinted left, then right, but in each case he compensated, doing his best to get in the way. Finally, with ten feet between them, he stopped and pointed his rifle.

“Enough!” he shouted.

She retrieved the knife from her mouth, holding it up with a shaking hand.

“Let me go,” she whispered. “I’ve done nothing to you.”

The young man didn’t answer; he only grinned. She stared into his eyes, barely more than pupils in the dim lighting. She wondered if he’d gone insane. Perhaps the violence and bloodshed of the past week had permanently scarred him, stripping away his emotion.

Perhaps he’d never had any to begin with.

The young man held his rifle on her as he balanced on one of the beams. In his other hand he held the flashlight.

“Drop the knife or I’ll shoot,” he said.

Although he had her outmatched, she couldn’t give up.

Rather than casting the knife aside, she placed it on the beam in front of her, still within reach. The young man watched her with intensity. He motioned with his rifle for her to come to him.

A loud gunshot broke their concentration. Caddy heard thumping on the stairs, a parade of bodies stampeding through the house. What was going on? Were there more of these men below? It wasn’t until she heard a chorus of groans that she realized what was going on.

The house had been breached by the undead.

The young man across from her glanced at the entrance. This was her chance, her only chance.

If she didn’t react now, she’d never have another one.

Caddy scooped up the knife and ran across the beams, lunging at the boy before she lost her balance. At the last second he raised his rifle, but he was too late. She knocked him from his perch, plunging the two of them into the insulation.

The young man sank through the fibers. His weapon discharged. The flashlight pitched into the darkness, clattering into a distant corner.

All that Caddy could see was the boy’s writhing silhouette, and she stuck the knife into the mass, hoping to incapacitate him. The young man cried out in pain and struck her with his fist, catching her in the nose. She tasted blood in her mouth, but she kept on. Stabbed him again. The blade stuck in his side.

The floor caved.

The young man disappeared from beneath her, plummeting through the insulation and into the hallway below. Caddy flung her arms out for a handhold—somewhere,
anywhere
—and found purchase on a beam. She dangled in the air, legs kicking beneath her, and struggled to pull herself back up.

She heard shrieks of pain below her. Hands grabbed at her shoes and ankles.
The infected.
Caddy kicked them away, their fingers sliding across her skin. She strained and pulled with all her might, working against the weight of her body, knowing if she fell it would be over.

The creatures let go of her. Apparently, they’d found something else to occupy their time. She listened as they ripped and tore at the young man who’d been threatening her.

If she didn’t pull herself up, she’d be next.

Come on, Caddy. Just like gym class.

She’d never been much of a gymnast, but she could certainly do a pull-up. Right? She had to try. There was no other way. She kicked and flailed until finally her feet caught hold of the wall, and she used the momentum to force herself upwards.

The creatures groaned.

Caddy boosted herself over the beam and out of reach of the infected, flopping onto one of the beams. The landing knocked the wind out of her. She crawled away from the opening, doing her best to distance herself from the grisly scene below.

Her knife was gone. The rifle was gone.

But so was her attacker.

She expelled a short breath. Even with the man dead, she knew she wasn’t safe. The things had overtaken the house. She was still trapped.

And on top of that, she had no idea where Noah had gone. Caddy held still, listening for her companion, but all she could hear was the slapping of bloodied gums below her.

N
oah lay under the bed, listening to the pounding of feet on the floor and the ululations of hungry creatures. The gunshots had ceased, and the infected were in a frenzy. Had they overtaken the man? It certainly appeared that way. In fact, it looked like they were gorging on two figures. The sounds of ripping and tearing reverberated through the house, filling his stomach with dread. It was a sound he’d heard too many times over the past week.

It would be the sound of his demise, too, unless he could find a way out.

Noah peered out from underneath the bed skirt. By the looks of it, the creatures were occupied with their meal; he didn’t see any in the room. He emerged from underneath the bed, fearing something would take hold of him the second he was in the open, but he made it out unhindered.

He forced himself to his feet.

The hallway was filled with the things. There’d be no going out the way he came in. Where was Caddy? He needed to find her, but he couldn’t compromise his position. The last thing he needed was for the creatures to notice him.

He glanced left and right, assessing his situation. Next to the open door was Caddy’s bureau. He needed to secure the room. He darted to the door, slammed it shut. The wooden center was filled with bullet holes. It wouldn’t hold for long. He dashed over to the end of the bureau and pushed.

Something crashed against the door. The creatures must’ve heard him. He heaved with all his strength, sliding the piece of furniture in place just as a hand burst through the fractured door. The creature clawed at the opening, trying to tear into him, but Noah was already out of reach.

The barricade wouldn’t last long. He needed to reinforce it somehow.

He also needed to find his companion.

“Caddy!” he yelled.

His voice wavered, drowned out by the increasing moans of the creatures. One by one, they were gathering by the other side of the door.

The flashlight was still on the floor. He scooped it up and looked around the dark room. The only other piece of furniture was the bed. Could he remove the mattress? He tore at the sheets, trying to get ahold of it. He located a handle on the side of the mattress and tugged until he’d slid it off the box spring.

Once the mattress was on the floor, he slid it across the hardwood with his feet, then shoved his fingers underneath and hefted it onto the bureau. The mattress wobbled.

Even if he were able to stand it up, it would topple over easily.

This isn’t going to work.
The creatures pounded on the other side of the door; another hand wedged its way through the crack.

The wood was splintering. It was only a matter of time before it caved.

“Caddy!” Noah screamed.

Was she still in the attic? Had she gotten out? He ran to the window and peered outside. The yard was dark and ominous, though he could see several creatures trudging across the lawn. There was no sign of Caddy.

The door creaked under the weight of the creatures.
Dammit. No.
Noah raced to the closet and threw it open, hoping to find something he could use to brace the door. He was probably too late already. In seconds the creatures would be inside the room, and then he’d be overtaken, eaten, and killed.

He rummaged through the closet. There was nothing but clothes and shoeboxes inside, nothing large enough to make a difference. Nothing that could—

“Noah!”

A voice screamed his name.

“Caddy?”

The sound was coming from directly above him, in the ceiling.

“Is that you?” he cried.

“Yes! I’m still in the attic!”

“Are you OK?”

“I’m fine!”

“I need help! They’re almost through the door!”

Noah waited for a response, but Caddy had gone silent. He heard a series of thumps above him, then nothing. Where had she gone? He sifted through the clothing, frantically searching for a weapon. All the objects he came across were small; none could provide him any help.

He was about to turn away when he heard a crash above him. He looked up to see a hole in the ceiling and a beam of light shining down on him.

“Watch your head!” Caddy yelled.

Noah stepped back as Caddy kicked through the plaster. A second later, her shoes disappeared and he saw her hands snake through the opening.

“Come on! Hurry!”

He jumped up but fell short. Behind him, the door finally gave way, and he heard the creatures crawling over the bureau.

“Dammit!” he cried.

“Use the shelf!”

He grabbed the edge of the closet shelf and pulled himself upward. This time, he was able to grab Caddy’s fingers.

The girl’s strength was barely enough to hold him, and he immediately switched his grip to one of the beams. He kicked off the wall and made it into the attic just as the creatures careened across the bedroom.

Having reached the attic, he stomped the shelf below him, intending to break it. The last thing he wanted was for the things to follow him up. After a few kicks, he felt the shelf cave, tumbling to the floor below, taking the clothes down with it.

Noah scrambled away from the opening just as several creatures entered the closet. He lay on his back, bracing himself on a beam. His breathing was fast and hard.

“Are you OK?” Caddy hissed.

“Never better.”

He attempted a smile, but his heart was racing. They sat in the darkness, listening to the sounds of the creatures trying to get to them.

Hours passed.

In the meantime, Caddy had covered the attic entrance, but the creatures still gathered at the other two holes in the ceiling.

The two survivors sat trapped and weaponless, surrounded by the groans of the infected and the sound of nails scratching at the walls. A few times it sounded like the creatures had gained a handhold, but each time they slid back down, unable to gain traction.

Noah wasn’t sure how long their luck would last.

Through the vents, he could see daylight emerging. The world seemed miles away. Given their situation, the outside world might as well be another country, another planet.

There was no way to reach it and no way to get out.

Noah’s tailbone ached from sitting on the hard beams. His muscles were stiff; his head throbbed from where he’d been struck. He could only imagine what he looked like. Over the past few days he’d been beaten and abused, hunted and attacked. What he needed more than anything was medical attention, though he doubted he’d ever receive it.

Caddy remained next to him, her knees drawn up to her chest.

“How many do you think are down there?” she asked.

Noah shook his head. “A dozen? Maybe more? There’s no telling how many have wandered in.”

“Maybe they’ll leave eventually.”

Caddy’s comment hung in the air. Neither one wanted to admit it, but there was little chance the things would forget about them. Now that they’d been spotted, the things would station themselves there indefinitely.

“I’m sorry, Noah. For everything.”

Noah glanced over at his companion. Her eyes were wet with tears; her shirt was wet with blood. Through the emerging rays of the sun, he was able to make out the thin lines of her face, which seemed to sag in defeat.

“What for?”

“For blowing up at you.”

“It’s OK. You don’t have to apologize.”

“It’s just that…I can’t believe it. I can’t believe she’s dead.”

“I know. It doesn’t seem real. None of this does.”

Caddy wiped her face and stared through the vent.

“Do you think the checkpoint is still out there? Do you think it’s for real?”