Hey guys. How many times can I apologize for not following up? Short chapter, As i've been busy.
Harley woke up to the sound of gunfire. Nick was nowhere to be found, and the shattering of glass caused her to panic. She scrambled to pick up her katana and sniper from the corner, her wounds protesting. The adrenaline coursing through her veins made the pain subdued, a blessing. Running down the stairs, she found the infected in the kitchen, screaming in rage. She grasped the katana, ready to slice. They charged. Harley sliced the first one's throat, before stabbing another one in the kidney. One of them grabbed at her ankle trying to trip her, earning a kick in the face.
Bullets peppered around her, buckshot spraying her. She covered her face, crouching down. Ellis had jumped through the backdoor, his shotty mowing down the rest of the infected inside. Harley peeped her head over the island counter to check if everything was safe. She then stood up, sighing a breath of relief.
"What happened?" Harley sighed, out of breath.
"We're too close to a town 'er somethin. We gotta get our stuff and get out."
Coach and Nick walked in through the front door, blood and guts splattered against their clothes. She only glanced at Nick before running up the stairs to collect her possessions. She first threw her backpack on, her wounds only slightly protesting. They were surely healing well now. She then slung her rifle around her body, finally sheathing the katana around her waist. Her side pistols were clipped onto her belt, and finally she pulled her hair into a tight ponytail.
The house was completely destroyed. Blood stained the once pristine white couches, and glass was everywhere.
The four were waiting in the foyer, mumbling about the plan.
"You okay?" Rochelle asked, rushing over to check her wounds.
"Yeah, the stitches are staying in. For now."
Nick caught her eye, who was staring. She cocked her head slightly before turning away. Now was not the time to address what happened last night. The five headed out to the race car. Their plan was the same, drive to New Orleans to find a CEDA camp. She chose to sit shotgun, purposefully avoiding Nick. The awkwardness was lost on the rest of the group, thankfully. Coach was driving, and humming to the CD playing. They had found a couple intact disks in the house. Right now, Dave Grohl crooned promising to stop, which lulled Harley into sleep.
She woke up to the gentle shaking of her shoulders. Her immediate habit was to reach for her magnum and shoot. Instead, she was pointing her weapon at Nick. She gasped in relief, before taking in her surroundings. They stopped at an offramp, where cars were piled up in every direction. It was impossible to drive any farther. She got up, nodding to Nick. It was a silent plead to drop it, they would talk about the kiss later.
"We stopped 'cuz the cars were too thick. Thank god there's some lights o'er there. Someone's gotta be there." Ellis pointed with his chin.
"Whisperin' Oaks! Man, I used to go there as a kid!" Coach bellowed, as he shot his rifle at a few infected.
"Great! Now we're gonna die there as adults!" Nick snipped out, aiming down his sights.
Harley shoved him. "Shut up, Nick."
Rochelle laughed. "Someone put you into place."
Nick growled, almost stalking like a hunter as he took cover. Harley followed, peering inside a Toyota Camry's back window. She noticed something shining from the cupholder. Taking the butt of her rifle, she smashed the window. Inside, she found an Iphone with a solar panel case. Somehow, it had seemed to still be working. Shoving it in her pocket, she promised to check it out later. Screams and moans alerted her to the current situation. Infected roamed like cattle, hundreds loitering around the abandoned car lot. Harley shivered at the thought of what happened here.
"Maybe we could find a survivor hereā¦" Rochelle trailed off.
"I doubt it." Harley said.
Apparently it was too loud, as it alerted the hordes. They howled in rage, charging towards the group.
"Fuck! Take cover guys!" Coach bellowed. He pulled out something from his pocket.
Harley remembered seeing that girl Zoey with something similar. She called it a 'Pipe Bomb'. Coach lit the fuse, which reminded her of the fuses that shot off fireworks. The red light began to beep, putting the zombies in a trance. They threw themselves at the bomb, scratching and clawing each other to get to it. It blew up, body parts raining down. Harley had to shield her face with her olive jacket.
"Looks like that got rid of most've them." Coach muttered, peeping his head above a car.
He was right. They made their way through the cars, weaving through them. Harley rifled through the unlocked cars, finding a lot of uneaten food and a few other trinkets. They found the offramp, turning their flashlights on to see in the dark. It was quickly turning from twilight to night. Clouds threatened to dump rain. A military grade truck was parked at the bottom of the ramp, as well as a pile of ammunition and a lone shotty. Ellis traded his rusty gun for it, grabbing as many shells as he could. Harley rifled through it, and found a few magazines worth using. Coach and Nick were picking off the few zombies that took shelter under the freeway. It led them to an abandoned motel.
Harley propped up her sniper through the chain link fence, aiming down her sights at the zombies in an emptied pool. She shot delicately, not even flinching at the sight of blood. She felt a light hand on her shoulder, and turned around to see Nick.
"We need to get up there. You think you can make it?" Nick pointed upwards.
They had to climb a billboard pole and then hop down onto the top of the motel roof, about 15 feet up. Her wounds felt sticky and sore, but Harley was conflicted. She nodded. Harley refused to show her fear, fear was weakness. She shakily grabbed the first rungs, hoisting her body up. Her torso screamed in annoyance, but Harley trudged on. Nick and Coach rounded up the back, with Ellis and Rochelle on top scanning the rooftops.
"We can get behind this here motel to get to Whisperin' Oaks, see?" Ellis pointed off into the distance.
"Sure, Ellis." Nick snickered.
Harley leaned on the support beam, puffing with effort. While she was still healing, Harley felt like her endurance had taken a major blow. She wiped her brow, putting the excess sweat on her jeans. It was overcast and on the verge of chilly, but Harley was hot. She pulled her sniper off her back, eyeing zombies through her scope. Every pull of the trigger rewarded her with a spray of blood.
"Charger in the pool!" Rochelle hollered.
Harley whipped her scope into the dirty pool, seeing the mass of greenish grey flesh trying to charge them. She pepper bullets into the Charger's massive arm, while Rochelle shot it also. The infected fell down with an agonized yowl. Harley pondered that as they trudged on. Do they feel pain? Were you still, you? She shook off the thought as they were rummaging through hotel rooms.
Harley found a Snickers bar and a box of Trojans in a nighstand, as well as a headlamp and an unopened bottle of brandy. She kept everything, shoving it into her backpack. She tied her jacket around her waist, exposing her sweaty arms to the open air. She would be cold soon as her sweat would cool her down too much.
"What the fuck?!" She heard Nick howl.
She rushed out of the room without a hesitation.
Hopefully I'll update sooner. I got distracted. If you guys review or subscribe I get emails about it which reminds me to write more.
