He paused, thinking about what the man had said his mind quickening."Wait! You're infected? I thought you were like an insane homeless guy or something!" as Kane said this he cocked his shot gun making a clicking sound.
Rush shrugged clearly not amused about being thought of as a homeless guy."How could you not think I'm infected! I climb like a spider monkey and I'm carrying around a half arm! I mean shit! Are you daft?" He asked his voice in a tone of almost disbelieve and annoyance. Kane looked around in the blackness trying to find rush."Well excuse me if I'm a little slow I had to kill my whole family today you insensitive prick!" Kane yelled in to the blackness the tone of his voice angry.
Rush's comment had struck a nerve in Kane his family was a touchy subject. As Kane listened for the hooded man he began thinking was it really the right choice. As these thoughts swirled around in his head Kane felt a cold wind blow through the window."Wow… I'm sorry about that anyway we got to find Tracey some clothes this weather isn't doing her any favors" Rush said his voice both serious and remorseful about bringing up the subject of Kane's family.
"Don't worry about it rush also my name is Kane your probably right let's get her some clothes and a shower" Kane said as he scratched his 5 o'clock shadow."Hmm Kane that's exotic I like it alright if we are going to get Tracey a shower and clothes we will need to get to the mall about a mile from here it has a nice shower". Rush said as he stood in front of Kane with glee clearly enjoying the darkness."We can take my Harley Davidson it should seat three" Kane said his voice confident."Hmm to be honest I'd rather go by foot. I can leap just as fast as you can ride" Rush said sounding rather uninterested in taking a ride on Kane's Harley.
"Well okay lets g-"Kane's speech cut off as the street outside the office building filled with red light. It was a large tow truck but covered in barbed wire and spot lights and men with guns in the truck's bed. Rush hissed slightly as he crept near the window."Hey anybody out there?" one man yelled as he hoped off the trucks bed.
Kane hesitated to respond. He wasn't sure of what the men were doing in the wreck of his home town."Go ahead respond" rush said his voice in a hushed whisper with some hesitation Kane responded."Yea me I'm Kane!" he yelled as he popped his head out the window.
"Jesus Christ! Someone's actually alive! Are you infected are you bitten!" he yelled back. After a moment Kane responded."No but I've got some friends who are you guys anyway?" Kane yelled after a moment the man responded his voice tough."We are the angels of death nice to meet you Kane!" he yelled back. As Kane looked at the man he had a jean vest and pants on with fingerless gloves on his hands and a shotgun. "You to you got any room for me and my friends?" he asked his voice becoming excited."Ya! We got plenty room in the bed you alright Kane?" he asked as he gestured for one of the men on the truck bed to hop down next to him."Yea I'm fine got attacked by those damn infected and my friend is covered in blood!" Kane said as he checked to make sure his weapon as loaded."I would have assumed that we heard em you need some of the boys to come getcha?" he asked as a man stood next to him in front of the trucks back left tire he was also dressed in jean.
"No we can make it down" he said. Rush grabbed Kane his coat collar his face twisting in to a look of rage." Do you have any idea who you are talking to? You idiot!" he said his voice furious."Yea it's our rescue!" Kane replied as he ripped rush's hand off his collar.
"No you idiot! Those men are the angels of death the entire smart infected know meeting them means death! Or torture". Rush said as Tracey hid behind him clearly she hated arguments. "Well like it or not we can't stay here that's our best chance at surviving now you and her can stay here or come with me your choice". Kane said his voice was strong like a leader commanding his forces. After a moment of thinking Rush turned his head to Tracey then Kane.
"Alright Kane I'll trust your judgment of these men down there but if worse comes to worse I'm taking Tracey to safety" rush said as he layed his clawed hand on Tracey's hand."Okay we are going to need a way to make sure they don't see her eyes and claws, if their as dangerous as you say we wouldn't stand a chance do we have anything that might work?" Kane asked as he scratched his chin.
As rush thought he put his finger to his lips after a moment his lips curled into a grin. He heaved a lifeless corpse away and under it was a grey tarp."We can use this" he said as he held up the Tarp."That'll do fine help me wrap it around her" Kane said as he and rush each grabbed an end of the tarp. And placed it around Tracey's slender body making sure her monstrous claws were well hidden."Kane! You alright?" the man yelled as he took a step closer as Kane heard this he moved back towards the window Laying both hands on its frame."Yea just getting ready!" he replied as he backed away from the window."Hey what about me? Wont they think I look strange?" rush asked as steam rose from his breath."It's an apocalypse they will just think you've been through a lot also put your hands in your pockets" Kane assured the hooded man before him. Rush moved his neck from side to side with a grizzly cracking sound.
"alright I'll Carry her you watch my back" he said as he picked up Tracey in his arms. Letting her legs hang down she looked like a tarp covered corpse the only thing visible was her feet and mouth which was curled in to a pleased grin like the grin of a child as their parent picks them up. "Alright just acted cool let's roll" Kane said as he and rush made their way through the wreckage of the office building.
Kane held his shotgun in front of him aiming carefully in case an infected attacked. As they made their way through the door way in the front rush broke out in a cold sweat adrenaline pumping through him he fought the urge to leap away."Well hells bells my friend I'm glad we finally found some survivors" the jean clad man said as he shook Kane's hand."Yea its hell out here" Kane said as a man in the truck bed pulled down the tailgate he eagerly climbed aboard his heavy boots making a clunking sound against the steel. A man also jean clad approached rush as he held Tracey."You're friend okay there my friend? She doesn't look so good" he said as he lit up a cigarette rush cleared his throat trying to sound at least a little normal.
"Well she's fine just tired is all…" he said as his adrenaline mounted."Well you want me to get her in the bed? Also what are those on your draw strings?" He asked as he took a deep inhale of the cigarettes smoke as he did so the end of the smoke that was burning lit up and inched its way down the cigarette itself. Rush thought a moment before responding in a confident voice.
"Dinner and no thank you I prefer to keep her within arm's reach" Rush said as he walked past the big gutted man. And on to the truck bed he sat down at the corner of the tailgate as it was slammed shut Tracey made a very slight squeak sound which no one but Kane and rush seemed to notice. As the man who had first yelled into the darkness sat down next to him Kane noticed the man's arms were covered in tattoos Kane turned to the man next to him."So how far you guys heading?" he asked his voice content but still with an edge of seriousness.
"well we are heading anywhere but here but the mall down the road is our next stop" he said as his gazed turned to rush and Tracey."Say you said your friend was covered in blood whys she wrapped in a tarp?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Kane's body suddenly became hot then after a moment returned to normal."Well its really cold and we had no blankets and she hates the smell of my coat" he said calmly confident that the explanation would satisfy the man to his left."Well that makes sense you want the doctor we got on aboard to take a look at her?" he asked as he smiled pleasantly."Well it's not her blood she fought off the horde" he said as he layed his shot gun on his lap. As he did so a man to his right looked at the woman wrapped in a tarp "Holy shit! With her bare hands!" he asked his voice in a tone of disbelieve.
Kane grinned ever so slightly "that's right" he said with pride the man turned to Tracey as rush gently set her down next to him."Damn princess you're alright" he said as he grinned.
Tracey moved her head just enough to take a look at the man before her but still making sure he couldn't see her eyes. He had a small beard and muscled arms in his hands was a AK 47 with a flash light duck taped to the barrel his face was grizzled and small bags had begun to form under his eyes. As Tracey looked at him she let out a faint giggle she was happy someone was paying attention to her the giggle was still eerie chilling one could say
."Hey Kane the fellow in the hood in the corner looks a little sickly he okay?" the man next to Kane asked in a hushed tone as the truck engine fired up and sped up the wind flowing through his hair Kane turned to him."He's fine he just doesn't eat enough" he said as he smiled slightly making sure rush saw it the hooded man merely rolled his eyes at Kane's grin.
"Oh I'm sorry to hear that" he said he then pulled a bag from behind him .Kane watched the man began rummaging through the bag which was an army style camo the edges of it were ragged with small bits of thread hanging off it."Hey friend Kane here tells me you don't eat right here's some beef jerky we found take it" the man said as he extended a hand filled with beef jerky to rush. He was hesitant to accept the food but as he drooled slightly he slowly grabbed the food from the man.
As he spotted rush's long dirty nails his face turned from a smile to a look of interest."Hmm you got some long fingernails there… you ever think about cutting them?" he asked as one of the men next to him looked at rush with suspicion. As he held a gun in one hand and the other hand firmly planted on the truck's cab. His face eliminated by the trucks spot lights towering above them.
Rush thought a moment as he looked at the jerky in his hands."Well I thought if I grew them long I would stand a better chance of fighting those monsters off y'know like id have claws" rush said calmly. But on the inside he was full of adrenaline his heart was thumping and his forehead covered in sweat.
The man next to Kane smiled his face once again returning to its welcoming charm."Hmm I guess that makes sense a word of advice friend I wouldn't go running around looking like a hunter it'll getcha kill around these parts" he said as he checked his gun loading a shell into the chamber.
A look of confusion gripped rush's face as he looked at the man. "hunter?" he asked as he took a big bite of jerky.
The man turned his gaze back to rush his face full of sadness."Yea we call em that their these hooded infected can launch themselves at you and claw your eyes out one of those monsters killed my dear wife… it was then and there I swore to kill every single one of them with my bare hands if I had to their stealthy too, smarter than the average infected" he said as he pulled the pump back on his gun.
Rush quietly gulped hard he didn't like the idea of being on a truck bed with the man. As he regained his composure he turned to the man."Well I'm sorry to hear that" he said as he finished the jerky.
"Ah don't worry about it not your fault I'm going to get some sleep make yourselves at home" he said as he leaned back and closed his eyes and fell asleep.
As rush looked around the back of the cab the men above him looked at him and Tracey eyeing them carefully. It was clear that they were not as welcoming as the bearded man next to Kane.
The men's eyes were full of suspicion which was warranted to a degree.
After a while they reached the mall down the road. The parking lot was completely empty only a few lights lit it giving it an eerie glow the mall however was a completely different story it was well lit and the doors were barricaded with furniture."Alright Kane lets go" Rush said as he turned to the men hanging off the cab of the truck."Gentle men I thank you but we will be taking our leave" he said as he went from sitting to standing.
"Now hold up hoodie we need supplies from that mall to" a man said as he hopped down from the cab. "You're welcome to come with us. If not, you can walk Outta this hell hole" he said as he gave rush a glare. "Now C'mon let's not fight" the man that was next to Kane said his face a warm smile however even though his smile was warm one could tell he was a very serious man. "Alright let's go get this over with" rush said as he opened the truck tailgate."Now hang on their hoodie let me open the doors for you, smash the doors!" a man yelled to the driver."Hey you might want to pull the tailgate up..." the man next to Kane said with a grin.
Rush closed the tailgate reluctantly he really hated being stuck in a truck bed with infected hating jean wearing idiots. As he closed the tailgate a man in the cab turned to the driver."Floor it!" he said and the truck engine roared as the driver put the pedal to the metal the truck charged forward as it hit the speed bumps it bounced rush and Kane up and down.
"I would hold onto something if I was you" Kane said. Rush heeded his advice and held on tightly to the tailgate as the truck smashed through a fridge that was blocking the main door the sound of glass shattering filled Kane's ears. He was violently thrown from his sitting position to on his side as he slammed in to Tracey the tailgate opened with a loud slam.
"Oh god was that really needed?" He said as he sat back down his arm aching. The man that was hanging off the cab laughed a grin forming across his face."Yes it was now then we have looting to do in the other side of the mall if ya-"his speech cut off as his grin turned to a frown his gaze landing on Tracey Still wrapped in a tarp."Say you okay there princess?" he asked as he noticed a tear running down her cheek she said nothing but merely nodded as the truck drove through the wreckage of the door. The man knocked on the cab."Doc get out here we got a hurt lady on our hands!" he yelled as the truck moved past the busted glass.
As it came to a stop the engine turned off and a pudgy white bearded man stepped out of the cab on his head was a john deer tractor baseball cap on his chest was a pair of jean pants heavy army boots on his feet.
As he walked to the open tailgate he looked at Rush then turned to Tracey then the man who had tapped on the cab window."What's all this I hear about a hurt young lady?" he asked his voice kind of like a hillbilly but slightly refined.
The man turned to him."The girl in the Tarp she took a hit when Kane here was thrown to the tailgate he slammed her good" he said as he scratched his chin. The white bearded man turned to Tracey as he did so he climbed on to the truck bed and sat down."Alright young lady I just need you to remove to Tarp and I'll look ya over" he said as he smiled warmly."That won't be uh required my friend she's alright and uh she's naked under their" rush said as he smiled nervously it was obvious he wasn't fooling anyone.
The bearded man merely smiled he saw through rush's ruse like a hawk in the sky seeing almost everything.
"Well it's not anything I haven't seen before. Hun I suggest you take off the Tarp something could be seriously wrong it's for the best "He said as he reached in to his shirt pocket pulling out a stethoscope. Kane's mind raced his calmness shattered."OH hell! If she takes off that Tarp we are screwed…" he thought.
