Chapter 4

Darren emitted an audible sigh, he was still scruffy, which annoyed him. He always wanted to look presentable. Time to go. He nodded to himself and turned around, to take one last glance at his dead companion. "André!" he exclaimed as he struggled with him to the ground, the corpse of his friend now trying to devour him. "Get away!" he cried, as he pushed André away, or attempted to. It was futile. The zombie was pushing all his weight down on Darren. He shielded his face and neck with his arms, André lunged once more.

"Arrrghhh!" he screamed, as the zombie sunk it's teeth into his forearm and it pulled it's head back, ripping his flesh and muscle in a spray of crimson blood. Darren cringed and tried to push, but the pain was too much, his own blood squirted over himself and André. The creature moved downwards for another mouthful. Bang!

"Nooo!" Darren squealed as the zombie slumped over him, the contents of it's brain pouring over him. It took him a few seconds to realise it wasn't tearing into his chest. He pushed it off him in a hurry and crawled back, looking at his now bloodied attire, his hands dripping of blood, his own and Andre's. "You were lucky I turned up…" said a defiant female voice. Darren looked up with a start, he was still dazed and confused. High heels clicked across the ground, over the broken glass and blood, "Are you hurt?" the voice asked. Darren didn't answer. She shook him. He blinked several times and looked up to a woman with shoulder length red hair, dyed red it would seem, and tied into a ponytail. Her own dark eyes looked into his baffled ones. "Well answer me, damn it!" she said frustratingly. Darren's eyes opened wider as he 'woke up' and gripped his bleeding arm.

"Arghhh, my god!" he shrieked, "My arm!". Blood was pouring out of it. "Let me see…" she 'asked', while she held it in her own silky hands. "It's pretty deep" she said to herself more than anybody, Darren was in a lot of pain. "Don't worry, I'll stop the bleeding…" she assured, and reached into a small pocket of what seemed to be a utility belt. Out came some bandages and antiseptic, she began to tend to his wounds.

A while later, Darren seemed to calm down, she'd done a good job for just a survivor, although he didn't know anything about her. He looked at her clothes, a pale green raincoat, dark blue tank top, grey camo trousers and boots. "You're certainly suited to the job." he commented as she treated him, nodding to her utility belt and general attire. She smiled slightly, "I was training in the army, I guess that's to blame for my dress sense, and this…" she tapped the belt with a bloodied finger, "I found it in the back of an R.P.D. S.W.A.T. Van". He nodded, "Thanks…if it weren't for you I'd be dead." He stood to his own feet. "It's not a problem." she replied
"So, you live here?" Darren asked.
"Yeah, here all my life, and you?"
"Same. So what's the plan?" he asked, being a little ambitious to invite himself to tag along with this woman.
"I heard on a police radio that there's gonna be an evac chopper on the library roof, it's not terribly far, and we could make it if we hurry.."
Darren arched an eyebrow, "An Evac chopper huh?" he felt some hope growing. "How could we make it to there?"
"I got my gun." The woman held up her 9mm pistol, "Like I said, if we hurry it'll be a doddle. Let's go." She said confidently.
"What about me? How am I supposed to protect myself?" Darren protested.
"Well…" she began, "Your arm's pretty fucked, I'm assuming you're right handed as you used it to protect yourself, even if I did have a gun, you'd have to use your left hand, and when under pressure, considering your build and your response to that bite you've got, you'd have trouble even shooting with your good arm. Best idea is to let me go first." she smiled and walked on ahead.
Darren felt slightly put out, but she was right, he followed after her, "You certainly know your stuff…" he complimented.
"I just speak my mind.", she replied somewhat passively while she kept a look out as they carried on with much haste. "Can I know your name now?" he asked with a smile. He pulled at his bandage slightly.
"Don't fidget!" she said, noticing his irritation. "The name's Ruth, you are?" she said, moving her glance back to the nearby shadows.
"Darren…pleased to meet you." he said with a grin.
"Mhm"
The night was now getting bitterly cold. Darren looked at his bloodied watch, he scraped the dried blood off the glass face with disgust using his nails, only to see it had stopped. "Perfect.". He sighed again and looked upwards at the sky, smoke from the devastation which had befallen the city shielded the full moon. Periodically some of the pale light shone through to illuminate their dull and dank surroundings. The creature's moans grew fainter and fainter as they proceeded.

She stopped. Her head slowly turned, arching up and down, left and right. Darren looked at her bemusedly and crept closer to her, and whispered in her ear, "What is it?"
"Shh!" she replied viciously. Click Click Click. Now Darren looked around nervously at the shadows, "C'mon, let's go, this is freaking me out…" he pleaded. She didn't move. Click. Her eyes widened and her grip tightened as something swooped from above.