Warning: Gore, blood. The warnings…they don't change much do they?
As Alfred's fist connected with his attacker with a sickening crunch, falling back he felt blood pour down around his fingers, heard a yowl of agony and felt the hand wrapped around his form fall away as swiftly as it had come.
Landing with a thud against a row of bleachers Alfred howled in pain as his skull struck against the wooden pews. Rolling with a groan of pain he was startled to find the infected he had just socked in nose was already standing, and instead of leaping towards Alfred hungrily, was pulling a steel grate shut against the flow of zombies.
"Hijo de puta." The man Alfred once thought to be infected swore as he blasted a few of the undead in the skull with a hand gun, and with a final roar shoved the steel grate shut. "Don't just sit there like an idiot! Help me shut this!" The man ordered harshly, waving at Matthew who was already staggering to his feet. Matthew was as quick to come to the man's aid as Alfred was slow to take in the situation. Soon enough, the doors were shut, leaving the three men panting in the main room of the church.
Regaining his senses, Alfred stood shakily, extending his hand out with a grateful smile. He was answered with the barrel of a gun. Gulping in a startled breath of air, Alfred stared around the barrel of the gun, horrified to see the emerald eyes of the guns owner flashing angrily. From where he was standing, Alfred could see blood pouring from the man's nose from where he struck him, the blood creating a demonic image in the dim lighting.
"What the hell are you doing?" Matthew cried, only to face a gun of his own as the man pulled out a second gun faster than they could react.
"Are you bit?" The man demanded his finger steady on the trigger, blood dripping from his chin onto the ground below him.
"What?" Alfred yelped, holding his hands up defensively. Had he seriously just been saved only to be killed by a psycho in a church?
"It's a simple question, cabrón." The man snapped, the gun pressing dangerously close to Alfred's skull. "Did one of those demonios bite you?"
"No! No they didn't! Put that thing away! We didn't get bit I swear. Right, Mattie?" Alfred stammered out, his eyes bulging behind his glasses. The man's eyes flicked to Matthew who nodded feverishly. Hesitating for a moment, Alfred thought perhaps the man would still blow their brains out, but slowly the man lowered his guns to his side.
"Bien, I'm sorry for the roughness, but I've had one too many close calls in the past few weeks." The man sighed, holding a hand up to his bleeding nose and wincing as he moved back towards the alter of the church, away from the straining door behind him.
"That's…understood." Alfred gasped, following after the man slowly, cautiously. "I'm sorry…about the nose, I mean." The man shrugged, smiling slightly as he dabbed at the injury with his sleeve.
"I've had worse." He chuckled, pulling back a wooden panel while the boys watched him curiously. Beneath it lay a door, cleverly concealed behind the alter. "We don't have time for introductions I fear, those demonioswill be in here any moment." He pointed out; turning a rusting doorknob and shoving the door open with a grunt.
"Where does that go?" Matthew demanded, straining to see over the strange man's shoulder, but only seeing a row of stairs leading down into the darkness below the church. The man grinned excitedly over his shoulder.
"It goes down."
~X~
"Gilbert!" Elizabeta hissed when the man began to doze off on her shoulder, exhausted from their eventful escape. "Gilbert, they are in the staircase!" She whispered frantically, shaking him vigorously.
"What? Already?" He demanded sitting up and rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. His eyes were blurry as gazed up her dazedly and squinted at her in the dark.
The sun set hour ago. Meanwhile the infected outside had created their own barrier with the dead bodies of their fellows, unfortunately the infected already inside had been working their way through the heavy door of the back room for hours, their screeches and wails radiating up the hall. It had been the squeal of the door finally caving in that sent Elizabeta from any attempt at dozing.
"We need to get out of here!" She explained again and pulled herself off of the floor. Gilbert nodded and stood beside her, peeking out the window through the blinds and wincing when he spotted the growing pile of infected beneath them
"Well we won't be using the road that's for sure. The damned things have pretty much blocked that means of escape." His discovery was met with a disgusted groan from Elizabeta.
"Then where do we go? I do not want to die in here Gilbert!" She growled. He sighed as above them snow from the roof tumbled to the ground below, shaken loose by the infected's violent actions below.
There has to be another way across town…another way to avoid the infected completely. He contemplated, staring out the window calculatingly.
Elizabeta was grumbling in frustration behind him, reaching out and she slammed her fist against the wall, the strike sending piles of snow tumbling down onto the infected who responded with roars of irritation to match Elizabeta's. Gilbert's eyes flicked to the window once again as the infected began pounding on the door to the room they had barricaded themselves in.
These things are coming from every angle! Jesus Christ…I swear the only direction they're not coming from is…
"Up…" He whispered. Elizabeta paused her furious ranting. "Elizabeta…we need to go up!" He cried in realization.
"Up? Gilbert what on Earth are you talking about?" She demanded as he threw open the window and peered upwards towards where the icicles were hanging from the snow coated roof. It would be slippery, and potentially lethal, but it was their only shot.
"We need to get up onto the roof!" He explained excitedly as the door creaked and the furniture they had pressed up against the door began to shift noticeably. "There's a row of these spikes that are meant to keep snow from avalanching off the roofs, we need to grab onto there and haul ourselves up." She stared back at him blankly, her eyes full of apprehension.
"That's suicidal…" She pointed out.
"Hell yes it is." He grinned.
"If we fall…or miss at all…" Her face was crinkled into a calculating frown.
"We fall to our deaths." Gilbert nodded his tone understanding.
"It's our only shot isn't it?"
"Awesome am I right?" Gilbert chuckled, rubbing the bridge of his nose as she contemplated the situation.
"There won't be any zombies on the roofs…if this works… we can get back to the Humvee over the roofs." She realized, walking towards the window, attempting to avoid looking at the sea of hands and teeth below. Gilbert sighed and joined her, leaning an arm against the wall beside her, his eyes flicking towards the straining door.
"Wait, what about Mattie and Al? We can't just leave them here." Elizabeta didn't turn to look at him as she spoke softly.
"Liza, you saw how many zombies went after them. They're probably dead." Gilbert shook his head.
"Gil, we got out just fine, how should we expect any different?"
"Elizabeta have you heard any gun shots from them?" She crossed her arms over her chest and turned to face him angrily, but he continued unfazed "Face it; we can only worry about ourselves right now, ok? If they're alive we can come back with more people and save them. But WE are alive, Elizabeta. Now we just have to stay that way until we get to a safe place."
"No where's safe anymore." Elizabeta whispered under her breath, he responded by kissing her softly.
"Everything is going to be fine." He insisted, running a finger across her cheek. She wished she could believe him.
"Let's just get out of here." She chuckled, punching him on the shoulder. "But you better keep that promise from earlier."
Gilbert nodded. Wasting no further time he grabbed ahold of the window and with a grunt, popped it out of its frame and threw it bodily at the crowd beneath, gaining sick satisfaction when it sent three infected sprawling to the ground with a splatter of crimson against the pure white streets bellow.
"Pop." He whispered quietly.
"It sure is a big drop down." Elizabeta whispered, feeling trepidation swell up in her chest. She held her breath as Gilbert moved onto the thin window ledge, holding onto the now empty window frame from the inside as he strained to reach the roof.
"I can reach it!" He laughed as they stretched upwards and managed to cling to one of the spikes on the edge of the roof.
"Yes!" Elizabeta cheered feeling relieved for the first time in hours.
"Now, let me go first and I'll get you up after I make sure it's safe!" As he spoke a loud crack rang through the building.
"Make it quick." She called as the door groaned hopelessly behind her. "Gilbert! Hurry up!" She hissed as he slunk out of the window completely and clung onto the ledge. The entire roof shook when he gripped onto the spikes and Elizabeta lurched forward to grab his legs as he stood on the window ledge, the fragile wood groaning beneath him. "Damn it!" She cursed as the wood strained under his weight. "Hurry!"
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Gilbert called back to her. He was nearly ready to swing up onto the roof when suddenly his snow-slicked boots slipped on the ledge and he began to fall backwards with a yelp. Elizabeta gasped out as he lurched out to snagged onto the side of the roof once again, groaning as the cut on his hand dug deeply into the spike and stars blossomed before his eyes.
"Are you ok?" She called up to him as he swore, blood dribbling down his hand splattering onto the frenzied crowd below.
"Yep…I'm awesome." He spat through his teeth. With a final push he swore and leapt onto the roof, disappearing from Elizabeta's line of sight for a moment.
"Gilbert?" She called up.
"COME ON!" He screamed back at her his hand reappearing in front of her face, his coat now wrapped around a T.V. antenna for support. Elizabeta grinned in triumph, reaching out to accept the hand.
A large chunk of door came flying from its frame and smacked against the back wall next to her the moment she reached out to grab onto his hand. Instantly, a slender infected woman began pushing herself through the hole that had been made and Elizabeta gagged in fear. She scrambled for Gilbert's hand as the woman sprinted forward and swung herself around. Infected from the ground were attempting to scramble up the walls in order to reach her, only to fall back down and be used as a stepping stone for the others behind them. Elizabeta swung out on the ledge.
"Gilbert pull…."
She was nearly out of reach when the infected woman from before snagged onto her leg and threw herself out the window. Elizabeta yelped as she lost her footing on the ledge and clung onto Gilbert's hand. She heard him cry out in agony as he was suddenly supporting the weight of the two women with his injured hand. She flailed at the woman, who was attempting to bite through her heavy winter coat with her viciously sharp teeth.
"GET OFF!" Elizabeta roared angrily, kicking the woman squarely in the chest and forcing the woman off. With a final shriek the woman fell, taking nearly half of Elizabeta's coat with her and crashing into the dead below. Panting, Elizabeta turned back towards the ledge where the infected were reaching for her desperately. Swallowing, she looked back up towards Gilbert's frantic ruby eyes as he pulled her to safety.
She landed on the roof with a thud, shooting her legs out to create footing on the spikes, panting heavily.
"Too close." She nearly sobbed, shuddering violently "Way too close."
"We're good." Gilbert panted, binding his hand with a strip of his shirt. "We got this. You're okay." He laughed nervously, displaying his bandaged wound proudly, "It's probably gonna scar huh?" He grinned toothily, teasing a nervous laugh from her as she struggled to stand up on the steep roof.
"Let's go, we have until sunrise to get back to the others and the sun is nearly up." She explained, scrabbling for a handhold on the slick roof. Slowly trailing along the roof to the edge, and peering down at the neighboring building. "I can see them over there, oh! Oh God Gilbert, the infected got out!" Gilbert, pulling on his ragged coat, slid over to see what she was looking at.
The Infected where flowing through a narrow gap in the wall after the Humvee which sped around the fence frantically.
"Quick, Eliza! This way!" He prodded pulling her in a good direction for them to meet up with the Humvee. "We can get their attention from over here!" He told her and motioned for her to follow him. Obliging, Elizabeta turned and shadowed after him.
~X~
"Now, that grate won't hold them for long." The church man informed Alfred and Matthew, as they jogged down the stairwell quickly. "Jesus, you watch the door, and let us know when they get through, okay?" He called out to no one.
"Jesus?" Matthew whispered, "Like, Christ?" The tan brunette that had saved them turned around and nodded,
"You know him too?" He laughed, looking cheerful suddenly over the rag he was holding up to his nose. Matthew nodded slowly, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah." He said.
"Oh good then I don't have to introduce you! Do you know Mary too? She was the one who said I had to save you!" He sighed again pointing an accusing figure at a statue of the Virgin Mary, placed decoratively on a shelf in the stairwell. "Okay, I know it was for the better good…alright alright!" he protested
"Dude, this guy's kinda loose in the head." Alfred whispered to Matthew. The man peered over his shoulder at Alfred, who froze instantly.
"Si, just a bit." He laughed back at them quickly, "But when these two are your only company other than a couple of Saints in the other room, you kinda start bickering, don't get me wrong, they're nice, honestly." He winked, "Righteous, one might say." Slowly he turned back to the stair well and began moving downwards once again.
"So, umm who are you?" Alfred demanded, "Oh and…thank you for saving us and all." He put in.
"Antonio Carriedo." He grinned, "I lived a couple of blocks away, just me and mi hermano, but you know... this happened and everyone was evacuated to the church. Everyone eventually died out or went to the school for safety; I'm guessing it was more of the people who didn't believe in the dear Lord anymore, they didn't feel safe here. Even mi hermano left…" He said sadly, "Said it would be safer at the school…Eventually it was just me and the priest and he died of a heart attack a few days ago
"So I've been hanging with Jesus here." He pointed to a painting up on the wall, "But there is no time for those stories now… come on!" He insisted ushering Alfred and Matthew further down.
"Antonio, those doors are sounding kind of…creaky…" Alfred, who took up the rear, muttered shooting a look over his shoulder.
"They'll break soon. That grate is okay for holding out one or two of those things, who knows maybe even five, But the twenty or forty that you brought, no way. I give it about five more minutes before-" the doors busted open, with a horrendous crunch "Or not." He shrugged and began running down the remainder of the stair.
Once everyone was in the room at the bottom of the church Antonio shoved the massive oak door shut just as infected began slamming into it.
"This is a Holy place! You aren't allowed here!" Antonio yelled back at the raging infected behind them.
"We'll have to go out the back window." Matthew pointed to a small stain glass window that was placed in the corner of one of the room, allowing colored light to flood into the space. "Antonio you go first," He prodded, "You saved us. You deserve to get out."
"Are you sure you aren't just sacrificing me to go and make sure it's clear?" Antonio demanded with a distrusting scowl on his face, the blood caked on his face testament enough to reasons for his distrust.
"No, honestly!" Matthew pleaded as the doors whined and shuddered. Still looking unsure, Antonio finally grabbed Matthew's extended hockey stick and with a quick prayer busted out the window.
"I'm probably going to Hell for that." He muttered, "Breaking windows in a church..." He tutted slithering through the opening nimbly. He climbed through without a problem, Alfred following closely after him.
With a final groan, the door busted open then, allowing the infected access into the room. Matthew gasped at the sudden onslaught of infected and clambered for the window. Alfred grabbed his hand and began to tug him up. Matthew felt boney hands rake against his legs. Glass from the window pressed into his abdomen, breaking the skin and causing the blood to drip out. The infected snagging onto his legs frenzied at the spilt blood and Matthew felt a sudden immense pain on his ankle.
He winced and Alfred finally lifted him up and onto the ground out of the reach of the infected.
"Here!" Antonio staggered over with a massive headstone large enough to block the exit and placed it over the window. "Senor Evans will have to forgive me for desiccating his grave…" He muttered, before shaking his head to clear it. "They're coming from around front, let's go!" He called, Matthew fell against Alfred with a huff holding his wounded stomach and trying to assess the damage done to his leg.
"I think I'm bit." He whispered to Alfred only.
"No dude…" The blonde denied quietly, his voice a frantic squeak in his own ears.
"My ankle, I'm not sure though, I couldn't see anything. Besides, the infected are coming." He shook his head, "I can't out run them. Give me your gun and run. Take Antonio and find the group. Use the top of the fence and get out. Go to the edge of town and if I'm not there by sun-rise, I was bit or I'm dead. Go Alfred."
"No bro, I can't leave you here!" Matthew shook his head,
"Damn it! Go!" Alfred cursed, and unbuckled his pistol, handing it to Matthew.
"Come back, Mattie." He whispered and wrapped Matthew in a quick hug before kissing him on both cheeks.
"I'll do my best ok? You get out of here, and tell my papa that…that it isn't his fault. Tell him not to give up and that I'll be happy with mama. Tell him, Je l'aime." Matthew squeezed Alfred's arm and nodded, shoving him back towards Antonio and turning to face the oncoming horde. "Get out of here Alfred!" He bellowed over his shoulder. Alfred felt himself choking on his grief as he wiped his eyes with his snow coated sleeve and rushed back to the frantic looking Antonio.
"Come on Antonio." He barked, grabbing the man by the sleeve and pulling him into a sprint.
"Wait! Why is the other muchacho not coming?" He demanded, his emerald eyes sending glances back to Matthew as the boy limped away from them, leading the infected away.
"He can't." Alfred croaked, bashing a stray infected in the skull and shoving Antonio towards the fence. Antonio blinked in confusion, but knew better than to say anything as he sighed sympathetically and pulled Alfred towards the fence.
Alfred's eyes trailed after Matthew, despondent at the knowledge he had just lost the closest thing he had ever had to a brother, and it was his fault.
Waaaaah! Panic! Will Matthew make it out alive? Will any of them get out alive? Will the groups meet up again?
All these questions answered and more in the next chapter.
Thanks for all the reviews guys! It really does make me move faster.
Review…it's good for your soul.