Disclaimer: Only Liesel and other OC's are mine, nothing else!
Chapter 1: The Last One Standing
The runner stood with it's back to her as she hid inside the old wardrobe. Jagged holes in the wood allowed her to watch as it lumbered away, its agonizing groans and wails echoing eerily in the abandoned building. She waited until it's shuffling footsteps were no longer detectable, before slowly easing the wardrobe door open. Pulling back the slide on her Glock after checking the ammo in the magazine, she began to cautiously head for the fire escape outside the bedroom's window.
She shoved her gun into the worn holster hanging off the old utility belt around her waist. She opened the jammed window, trying to keep the amount of noise down. It didn't work. There was a loud crunch as the frame snapped and the aged glass shattered. Screeching started up in all parts of the building. All the infected knew she was there now. Making a split second decision, Liesel climbed through the chards of wood and glass and sprinted up the fire escape to the roof, another 12 floors up.
Liesel felt her heart hammering into her ribs. She didn't take the time to gasp for air, as the symphony of fungal zombies closing in was crescendoing. How the hell they were keeping up she had no idea. She grabbed a length of old pipe and disconnected the old fire escape ladder from the roof top, and sprinted to the door and jammed it shut with the same. She glanced around with frantic grey eyes or a way out. A near by roof top laid out invitingly to the left across a meter gap between the buildings. It would be a gamble, as it could've been even more overrun with infected, meaning she'd be putting a bullet in her head rather than get ripped apart or changed.
She took a running start and launched across, just as the door burst open, Infected spilling out. She rolled to absorb the impact of her landing, but still hit an old chimney stack. Their noise was deafening and she heaved for air from the momentarily safe gravel covered roof, recovering from her collision. The infected wailed and shrieked, some trying to jump after her, one managing to grip the edge, only to have the weakened tissue of it's arm separate form the hand, sending it plummeting to the pavement 30 stories down. It was only a matter of time before one managed to make it across. She had to move.
"Time's up." she wheezed, and started jumping from building to building, heading in the direction of the bridge that would lead her back out of the city.
2 hours later, Liesel had out run the infected and managed to find a secure abandoned apartment nearby the bridge.
Her younger sister Lindy had been killed by Hunters right when they'd first stumbled into the city. Liesel had barely managed to escape, and now that she was safe, she finally felt that reality begin sinking in. There hadn't been a quiet moment for the past 6 days since their arrival. She'd had to plan an escape route, dodge infected, and play hide & hide some more with Hunters. But now it was over for the time being, and she could come up for air. Tears fell and she shook with silent agonized sobs. A locket with the faded photographs of her deceased parents and siblings, now including Lindy, hung from her neck on a solid leather chord. She clutched the dinged metal like a lifeline, and curled up hugging her knees on an old mattress. She cried herself to sleep.
Tomorrow night she would try escaping again by the bridge they'd used to enter the city. She had to live; it was what Lindy would've wanted her to do.