Chapter 4

"Down the fire escape, into the alley, we'll take the side road alongside the river towards the bridge. This is, of course, granted that it isn't swarmed with those things." Bill instructed, the others listened in, and nodded as they broke their huddled planning and started walking towards the fire escape that went down the back side of the apartment. Bill lead the way, testing the sturdiness, it seemed fine. They quietly made their way down, looking about at scattered pockets of the infected that resided in various distances, though about halfway down everything seemed clear for the most part. Bill hopped down, followed by Francis, then came Louis and Zoey. No infected in sight, at least for five hundred feet till their vision was obscured by another fallen pile of vehicles and rubble. They started down the side street that would lead them towards river side, taking the sidewalk as the sun continued to rise and actually began to pierce a few clouds. The group took this as a good omen, though they dared not speak, not when the slightest noise could echo off the buildings and send the whole city into an uproar.

They came up to the pile of rubble in the middle of the street, is was formed from the wall of a nearby building falling completely out in a fire and landing on multiple vehicles, so they had a bunch of rubble, concrete, and metal to climb over if they hoped to continue along down their quiet path. Bill crept up, getting his footing as he peered over, then back down to the others awaiting his scouting results. "No good." He said with a grim tone, the others crawled up and looked over, spotting several dozen infected lounging in the middle of the road. "Shit." Louis exclaimed, having gotten his hopes up, and Zoey as always just began to look despondent. "I hate my life." Francis cursed as he started to climb back down, shotgun in his right hand as the barrel struck a rock out from under a larger piece of rubble, causing a chain reaction of falling debris that resulted in a toppled car falling over the robble onto its roof. The air stilled, everyone's eyes were wide and fearful and everything was tight. The noise of grinding metal and falling concrete was horrendous, but that wasn't the worst part as soon the car began to beep insistently, it's burglar alarm haplessly still in tact as it began to bark into the air. The infected took notice, getting up and running towards the source of their disturbance.

The four slid down, backs against the rubble that had remained upright as they each held their weapon to their chest, which was heaving heavily for all of them. Bill's cigarette fell from his mouth, and rolled under the rubble as he stared straight forwards, listening to the horde as did the others in their fear. Zoey closed her eyes, bit her lower lip as she held both of her pistols tightly, head pointed down into her lap as she whimpered quietly. Louis was in a cold sweat, looking from left to right at the rest of the group, looking for more optimism than he had himself for a more hopeful prediction. He found none, as Bill was as cold as death in his look, which was weary. Francis, even beyond his angry expression, had a hint of the end in his eyes. The infected hadn't noticed them yet, they had begun ravaging the car with their fists and kicks, infuriated by the alarm until it finally ceased. There was nothing now for a moment, the sound of their heartbeats in their chest and the groaning of the infected as they dragged about, just a dozen feet from them on the other side of the concrete pile. The footsteps and groans were getting closer, the putrid, rabid humans once again aimlessly walking about. Bill's heart stopped, he heard several infected beginning to step up the pile, he didn't know if it was curiosity or just their enigmatic paths that lead them closer. His finger rested on the trigger of his rifle, he looked to his side to Francis, the old man's dusky blue eyes creased with a plan. Francis back, studying and trying to figure out what it seemed Bill was trying to tell him wordlessly.

Soon Francis got the message, and moved his hand to tap Louis on the shoulder to get his attention and motioned with his head to just follow soon. Louis nodded and tapped Zoey, he was buried in her knees as she looked up, wiping her eyes with the wrist of her dirtied jacket and nodding as well. Bill crouched up silently, hunkered over as he started to move to a nearby alleyway that was just a dozen or so feet from where they were, but with the infected right behind their necks it was the only path available to them. Francis began following behind and then Louis and Zoey, stepping from the pile as the infected began to act oddly, as if they were onto something moving just ahead of them. Everyone was biting their tongue and holding their breath, the air was hot and terrified despite the cool air breathing in from the river. Just as Zoey was stepping down, a piece of rubble she was using for footing slipped out from the pile causing her to slip, toppling down onto her side as her pistols fell from her hands, bouncing across the pavement. This was all it took to send the infected back into their frenzy. The other three looked at Zoey in horror, and then up at the rubble as several infected came jumping over it, looking right at them as Zoey, still on the ground, put up her hands in terror as one was falling right towards her with a macabre grin, his entire lower jaw missing and bile and pus dribbled from it. Then came the sound of gunfire once more, Zoey was washed in a rain of blood and necrotic chunks as Francis unloaded his shotgun on the infected aiming for Zoey at the last moment and at close range, ripping them tortured soul in half with the force of the shot. The sound deafened Zoey for a moment, her skin was slick with entrails as she looked about in a desperate panic. As if distant came the sound of shouting and screaming, she was on her knees crawling for her pistols as she felt something wrap around her waist, then suddenly being pulled backwards as one of the infected who had underwent a more serious mutation had developed an absurdly long and prehensile tongue, which was now wrapped around Zoey and tugging her backwards towards the pile of rubble. Everything was silent to her, still recovering from the loud gunshot that rang in her ears as she tugged at the coil around her waist. There was distant gunfire, and the sound of Louis shouting her name, and more gunfire, and more screaming from the infected. She felt herself being pulled away, and deafened and defenseless as she was, seeing more and more infected pour over the pile, obscuring the sight of her friends who were quickly being lost in a sea of bodies and bullets, Zoey closed her eyes, and quit struggling.