Well, a year later and here I'am posting chapter 21. I never thought I would actually get this far and yet every time I sit down and write the plot gets bigger and better in my head which results in more writing. I know when I first started to write this I told my self I would be happy with 10 reviews and 56 reviews later I'm happy as ever about how this story was recepted. I hope this chapter is a good one for a one year Anneversary and I hope you all enjoy.
Merritt- lol, yes I'm a guy.
Ralph pressed hard against the gas peddle trying to urge the almost brand new looking truck forward. Fear was quick to emerge on his face as he noticed the truck start going to a slow halt. The truck though able to provide a massive amount of energy was simply to weak to go against the horde that awaited them between the gates. Looking around Vince could tell that the bodies were starting to lessen from the constant barrages that the inhabitants of the hotel were putting out. It seemed like every couple of days that they would start to unload and trim the numbers.
Feeling the shakes of nervousness come on he pounded the truck in a full on halt, petrifying Vince, Kale and James of the impending danger that lurked from behind the thin door of the pickup. Ralph then once again punched the truck in reverse putting some distance between them and the predators that awaited them. Finally when enough space was granted, he twisted the stick to drive and kicked hard against the peddle and once again rammed into the bodies, causing a few more to there deaths as others were spat out wounded.
For the first time since this epidemic Vince and his two good friends Kale and James were completely content on going back to being the kids, to letting the adult take command. It was quite odd to try and gather exactly how many days have passed since this god awful disease ran ramped on the world. He couldn't remember if it had been only a couple of weeks or a few months. Who exactly would be so vile to the daily occurrence of what life had become to actually bother to keep track? They all sat there nervously as Ralph was doing his best rocking back and forth the truck trying to punch a hole in the army of the undead. Gun fire started to rain down, they were desperately doing there best to pave a way for them to get by.
Through the sheer will of the persistence of the snipers that stood amok a few stories high and Ralph's god given talent of stubbornness, the hole was punched like the defense of a hooker guarding her flower. The gates opened up almost immaculately peering the way for them to pull up in uninterrupted stride. For a split second all four of them gasped in the military likeness that it was being pulled off. How a bunch of strangers with little military experience or none for that matter was able to provide safe passage to almost any type of vehicle in the worse possible imagined riot.
The doors were shut in a quickness unseen in Vince's eyes, perhaps it was because of the danger lurking outside and the recent events that caused him to be more of a humble soul. Truth be told he did not know or care for that matter. Getting out of the truck as quickly as he could, quite tired of being pressed up against the door as the bloodied James was pressed up in between him and Kale. Vince practically threw himself outside of the now beaten truck, pulling out his pistol he aimed as the closest of the undead was running towards a gates men and fired blowing the chunks of his brains amidst the wind.
The snipers from the roof grew even more accurate with there keen eye as they aimed at the creatures among the living. One by one they were being picked off, Vince aimed his pistol while daring not to take another step savored every shot, each one finding there mark. Kale in a nerve of almost anxiety like behavior threw his wounded brother out of the truck and sluggishly but hurried manner yanked the rifle from the truck and started to take aim.
Kale remembered the days of growing up when the movie Saving Private Ryan came out. How the sniper would start to pray and the wreck of death would follow with his prayers, how his enemies worst nightmare was twisted with the mans relationship of god. Even living in these horrid times, he often wished that he himself would go down, maybe not in a painful way like being eaten alive but perhaps bullet sent a miss finding him instead of its target. Then other times he would wish that perhaps he was born Catholic he would remember these awesome chants to god as the man did before sending the Germans to hell. He wished all these things, and yet they never happened. Now, now he wished this shit would just end, that he could go back to the god damn hotel and fucking take a nap. Breathing deep he raised his rifle and took aim as the snip at the end of the barrel lined up with a head of one of the creatures.
"Fuck you." He whispered to himself as he pulled the trigger killing another one.
"You god damn." Again, he pulled on the trigger cutting ones horrific like scream short.
"Ugly." Quickly turning around he saw one heading for Vince and nailed the zombie before it even had a chance.
"Sons of a bitches." The yard was empty, empty save for one which was standing by the gates. It looked directly in Kales eyes and screamed with a shrill of a deep rumbling hunger, its blood caked the gates as its prey ended its life.
The door opened to the hotel as a few people rushed out side, Nicole being one of them but unlike the others walked in a daze like state. She was unsure on how to react, happy of course but Vince was dead and yet he is here alive and well. Vince looked over and saw James curled up against the truck, holding a pistol shaking, he wasn't even to sure if he could fire it properly with his wound and all. Reaching out a hand James grabbed it and pulled himself upwards, grimacing slightly for irritating the bullet wound but soon found himself jogging back towards the hotel.
Vince was behind his friend and found himself urging to do the same but yet his legs resisted the call. He walked slowly, taking in the musk full air of the dead and approached Nicole. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were well flushed. He could tell she had been crying, holding his arms up, he gently wrapped them around her as she let her head be enveloped by his torso.
"I thought you were dead." She cried weakly, letting her self the luxury of enjoying his grasps. Vince stood there and just tightened his grip. He had missed her, but was sure he had a place to go back to, he didn't want to imagine of the thoughts that she was thinking.
"You know, it would take a lot more than a few zombies to kill me." He spoke in the amidst of a chuckle. She didn't reply instead she inched herself up wards and gave a long soft kiss on his neck.
"God I hope that is what I think it is."
"Why not we go into the room and find out?" Still holding on to her he reached down and kissed her on the forehead.
"Lead the way beautiful."
Something was wrong, he searched the lobby she was not there. He searched the room in a frantic like state and only to be disappointed by the emptiness. He rushed downstairs and looked around once more, doing his best one handed to keep his balance as he ran up and down the steps. He almost in his rush tackled both Vince and Nicole that were going up the stairs.
"Jesus dude, whats the rush?"
"Ashely, have you seen her?"
"No." Vince responded automatically
"The last I saw her James she checked herself into a new room. Um, 312 I believe." Not even bothering to say thanks he rushed up the stairs past the second story, then up to the third and opened the door in a rush. Charging down the hall way he could feel his heart start to pound, he didn't know what exactly but he did know something was wrong. Vince and Nicole both decided to follow suit in case something was happening, James was acting all out of place.
James was the first to get to the door and started to knock.
"Ashely open up." He spoke loud but not in a yelling manner, there was no answer.
"Ashely, its James open up!" He yelled this time and still as he lied his head against the door he heard no rumbling, no sign that anyone was in. It was almost as if a 6th sense kicked in that he knew for a fact that someone was inside. He also knew that no matter what he had to get there. Finally growing tired he took a few steps back and side kicked the door. It did not even budge, trying from a different angle he stood a few feet back and rushed forward slamming the sole of his feet into the door, once, twice a third time.
"James hold on, I got a key card." Nicole spoke and rushed in front of him for a split moment unlocking the door. As soon as the door swished opened he charged in and noticed the room was like every other. It was smaller than the one they had but it was still in a plain and simple design. There was a kitchen that was no more than a few feet wide and about 7 feet in length. The bed was in the living room and it seemed untouched, still folded neatly and perfectly. His eyes trailed to the bath room and he could feel his heart come to a shuddering stop. Blood had covered the floors, Ashely laid on the floor pale as her dirty blond hair covered slightly of her face. Her left wrist was gashed opened, beside it there was a large kitchen knife that in its earlier days was used to cut up different types of vegetables for meals.
"Fuck! fuck, fuck,fuck, fuck!" He started to scream outrageously rushing to her side. His first response was to check her pulse, as he felt one barely press against his finger tips.
"Shes alive, but barely." James spoke out loud, not daring himself to tear away from Ashely. Vince knew they had to stop the bleeding if she was going to survive. Looking around he noticed a small hotel towel folded neatly in the bathroom closet. Folding and twirling it to have a shape that resembling a string than a towel he started to tie it tightly around her wrist, making sure there was plenty of enough pressure to stop the bleeding.
"Lets get her back to your room bro." Vince spoke softly as he reached his arms down from under neath her back and lifted her up. James just looked on in worry, he felt a small pang of jealousy as Vince was able to lift her and not him. He knew dreading over it though was futile since at the moment he only had one arm, and they did need to bring her back to a room so she can rest.
After reaching the room he lied her down gently on the bed and then turned towards the kitchen and took out a small plastic cup.
"We need her to wake up and drink, shes lost a lot of blood that her body will need to replace." James shook her gently, afraid to being any rougher than what he was, her eyes opened up for a moment.
"Am I dead?" She asked measly with her eyes barely open.
"No." James let out softly, he felt rage swelling in his chest but awkwardly enough was able to suppress it knowing that was the last thing she needed.
"Come on Ashely I need you to drink." He urged on, Vince and Nicole both just standing there watching.
"I'm tired." She muttered and started to close her eyes.
"No, no cant sleep. Come on I need you to drink this then you can sleep." James begged, she lifted her hands up weakly and grasped the cup bringing it towards her mouth. After a moment or two she was done and gave it back to James.
Both Vince and Nicole started to walk out of the room, James leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.
"Don't ever scare me like that again."
Vince and Nicole were both walking up towards there room, they both were soon wrapped up in each others arms. After they were done they both lied in bed enjoying there embrace. Vince looked at Nicole and started to wonder where exactly was this New Haven. If there was a chance, even a small one that they could repopulate this town, could they thrive as a society? How would they ensure a balance that would provide security, food, electricity, water.
"There is something I need to talk with you about." Vince spoke up, knowing full well that only the four earlier knew anything about New Haven.
"Round two?" She cooed, looking up lustfully at her lover.
"I cant believe I'm saying this, hear me out first." Vince responded in a wounded tone.
"Something more important to you than a round two, this I have to hear."
"Very funny." He responded sarcastically. Gracing the edges of his lips with her finger tips she lied and bed and looked softly in his eyes.
"So?" She asked after the moment of silence.
"Well, if you would stop distracting me."
"How am I distracting you?" She bit her lip long and lustfully looking deep into his soul.
"You know how! This!"
"Oh I doubt that little o'l me could distract you." She mumbled out, letting her lips go from his neck down to his torso. He pulled his hands up and rested them on top of her head and started to guide it down, only to stop himself half way there.
"I really hate my self right now."
"Okay, I know something important is going on inside your head, whats wrong Vince?" Nicole started to speak up, pulling her self upwards to reach his eye level.
"James found a town." He spoke out in revelation.
"Um, okay its Florida theres towns everywhere."
"No, thats not what I meant. Recently Ive asked James to search for a town that we could relocate too. Build a wall, purge the town of the infected, start living our lives like normal again. I don't know, I cant really say I expected him to, but he actually found one. Its completely isolated, has its own power plant we can reactivate, water system, animal life we can reproduce to eat. Its almost perfect, we just have to go."
"You realize how dangerous that is? We could possibly face an army out there looking for us for food."
"We deal with that everyday outside of the hotel. I think the main problem would be the transition."
Nicole sat there and thought about it for a moment, they didn't really have that many vehicles, they would be pretty crammed trying to bring everyone from the hotel to New Haven. The fuel was another downside, they maybe had enough for one round trip and even that was pushing it. They could go and raid a convenience store and fill up on gas, at the same token it was a hit or miss by the other survivors that was out there doing the same as they were.
"I don't know exactly how were going to bring everyone." She finally spoke out, seeing the problem that Vince had.
"Theres is a solution to it, but needless to say it could deadly."
"What?"
"Bring everyone, cram them on the bus and RV. Put everyone on the roofs of the buildings and build that wall as fast as we can."
"Do you think its worth the risk?" Nicole asked, Vince lied there and thought deep about the question, he was almost certain some were going to die. At the same time, so were they if nothing was done, they could not keep raiding grocery stores as they were running low on food to loot.
"Damned if we do, damned if we don't. I'm going to let everyone know what exactly is happening. Those that want to come can, those that don't can stay. I'm not going to force anyone's hand." He revealed. Sitting up a loud gunshot echoed through the hotel sending shivers down Vince's spine.
"That came from right above us." Nicole said, getting up her self putting on her clothes, Vince looked over and immediately did the same. Both of them charged up stairs as Nicole slid her key card through the doors around the general area of sound of the gun shot. Finally after 6 doors they found the one where the sound came from. Adam was sitting on the floor, laying slanted against the bed with a gunshot wound from the lower part of his jaw to the top of his head. Right in between his legs was a small revolver still touching his hand. Others had ran up stairs to noticed the commotion, some seeing the dead body turned them selves away unable to view the gore of live flesh being blown away.
"Every one go ahead, I'll take care of it." Vince spoke out and started towards the body, everyone seemed to leave until there was only Ralph and Vince left.
"Here, let me help you with that." Vince just gave him a nod after opening a window he struggled to get the body upwards, with Ralph helping him pick up the man it seemed to go easier.
"Hey Vince." He spoke, looking up at the teenager who seemed beyond his years.
"Yeah?" He asked as they both threw the body out of the window down below the hungry waves waiting for new food to feed on.
"Green Bret my ass." With that they both shared a laugh and started to walk down stairs.