Disclaimer: I do not own the 2004 film Dawn of the Dead and this story has no official ties with the film; this is a work of fan fiction. I do not receive any payment or any other type of gain from this fan fiction. All rights belong to Strike Entertainment and New Amsterdam Entertainment, as well as Universal Pictures.
Chapter Eighteen
"We have 12 of these shotgun shells, 26 of those pussy 9-mils," Tucker paused, a smile appearing on his face, "and 16 of the 357 magnums."
Stood around the bar at Hallowed Grounds, Angela, Ana, and Tucker had gathered all the ammo left for their weapons. With fifteen days to go until leaving the mall through the hordes of undead, they began preparing their supplies, including how much ammo they had to defend themselves in case of trouble.
"Yeah? That's still not very much," Ana said uncertainly, staring at the pile.
"So, hopefully there won't be too many of them at the dock," he replied cheerfully.
Angela couldn't help but laugh, despite the flicker of worry crossing her face; the ideal outcome of the plan would be to make it safely to the boat without coming into close encounters with the infected, although that seemed doubtful – they were relying on the buses for their protection.
The large vehicles were nearly complete, save for some minor adjustments, but the group had worked hard reinforcing them. Heavy steel doors replaced the old back ones, a security bar fitted on the inside. Barbed wire lined the roofs, aluminium panels covering the floors and walls on the inside. They had layered metal grates and chain link fencing over the glassless windows, making sure nothing could break though. The snow plough on the first bus was their main defence, hoping to push through the crowds without too much trouble, while solid iron bars lined the front of the second bus. CJ had even shown Angela his and Michael's 'secret weapon'; small gaps running alongside the buses for them to push a chainsaw through them to slice anything that clung on in half. Gory, but hopefully effective.
"Maybe we could get Andy to prepare a bag with some weapons and ammo," Angela suggested, Tucker nodding in agreement.
Sauntering over to the trio in another pair of silk pyjamas and a robe, Steve whistled happily to himself while he began making himself a coffee, not acknowledging anyone's presence. They watched him for a moment, Angela and Ana rolling their eyes, Tucker shaking his head. After a few seconds of silence, the blonde cleared her throat.
"Nice to see you busting your ass."
"Oh, that's sarcasm. That is awesome," he said, a sickly-sweet smile forming on his face, "you know, I would love to help but a captain never works alongside his men." Pulling his keys out from his pocket, he dangled them in front of their faces teasingly before walking away with his drink. "You guys have a good 'un."
"What a total dick," Ana said, the distain clear on their faces as they watched him leave.
If it wasn't for the fact they needed Steve and his boat, Angela was certain the man would be sporting a black eye and a couple missing teeth, or possibly thrown off the roof down to the ravenous crowd, like CJ had previously threatened.
"Guys, where did Chips go?" Nicole suddenly asked, pacing in circles.
"Chips?" Terry shouted, dropping a box of food to help his worried girlfriend
"Where'd you go, Chips?" she shouted, her panic rising, looking at everyone with fearful eyes. "I can't find him! Chips? Come here!"
"Probably hiding, away from her," Monica muttered when she walked past the coffee bar, Ana concealing her smile behind her hand.
Angela knew it was wrong to find amusement in the girl's distress, but the situation was very over-dramatic since it was impossible for Chips to get out, and the young girl had gotten on everyone's last nerve recently. Instead of putting in the gruelling work of fixing up the buses, she occupied herself with unimportant jobs, however most of her time was spent babying the dog.
"Nicole, he won't have gone far," Angela sighed, watching the girl cry out even louder.
"Come on, Chips!"
"Come on, Chips. Come on, Chips," Monica quietly mimicked in a high-pitched, whiny voice, dropping another box on the floor.
With a fed-up expression, Tucker gave the group a hard look before sticking his fingers in his mouth, blowing a sharp but loud whistle. In the distance, a bark echoed through the mall, a running patter of paws hitting the tiled floor coming closer until the black and white dog appeared. Spreading her arms out, Nicole crouched to the floor, embracing the dog like it was a child, squeezing it so hard Angela was sure Chips regretted reappearing.
"There you are, there's my boy!" she said in a childish voice, tightened her grip and planting a kiss on it's head, "don't you ever leave me again, Okay? Ever, ever."
While the young girl continued to cuddle the dog, complimenting how much of a good worker he was with his tactical doggy coat – Monica again making a hushed comment on how he does more work than the girl herself – Angela quietly excused herself from the coffee bar. Dealing with Steve's usual asshole-self and Nicole's 'dramatic ordeal' had given her a headache, so she needed some relief, and she knew exactly where to find the right person.
Making her way to the familiar corridor, she entered the security office, finding CJ sat in front of the dozen monitors. Before Steve had made an appearance earlier, Michael had passed by Hallowed Grounds on his way to the garage, mentioning CJ would in the office – they had been checking the camera's everyday recently to keep tabs on the growing hordes of undead. Walking up behind him, eyes quickly glancing to the open cell, she placed her hands on his shoulders, fingers massaging his tight muscles.
"How's it goin'?"
Placing a hand on top of hers, his thumb rubbing circles into her skin, he sighed, "fine, I guess, just doing the usual checks."
"And?"
"I'd say fifty or so more today, they've nearly filled the parking lot," he said, "half the city has surrounded us, and more keep coming by the day."
Stomach coiling uncomfortably, Angela frowned at the black and white screens, watching the hundreds of moving figures on the outside. "Will they ever stop?"
"I don't know," he said, spinning around in the chair to face her. "On the plus side, maybe it means the city will be deserted."
"If we even make it to the-"
Hands wrapped around her waist, forcibly pulling her down on the chair, cutting her sentence off as she gasped. Gripping the head rest to steady herself, her legs spread either side of CJ, she glared at him though with hinted surprise.
"Don't start that shit again," he said seriously, his hands squeezing her hips, "we're going to be fine."
Scowl disappearing, she smiled down at him, feeling reassured by his words. "Do you always look on the bright side of things?" she asked, her arms slinking around his neck.
"Honestly, no," he said, a hand creeping up beneath her shirt, "especially when I was trapped in that cell."
Ducking her head close to his, their lips barely touching, she whispered, "I can probably guess why you're more positive, now you're free from it."
"Always a tease," he said, closing the gap.
Lips connecting, the kiss was slow and deep, the back of the chair leaning when their bodies pushed against it. Angela's fingers dragged through his hair, knocking his hat off, her thighs tightening around his. CJ's hands slid up her bare back, fingers following her spine till they reached the metal clasp of her bra.
The door flung open, Terry appearing in the doorway, not even batting an eyelid at the couple's compromising position. Pulling away from each other, Angela fumbling to pull her shirt down with a startled squeal, CJ flung his head back with a rough groan, his hands rubbing down his face.
"Jesus Christ, Terry, couldn't you have fucking knocked first?"
"I've been trying to find you guys," Terry said, Angela suddenly noticing the quickened pant of his breath, "Kenneth's called a meeting for everyone."
"Can't it wait like ten minutes?" CJ asked.
"He said it's urgent," Terry explained, a worried look crossing his face, "it's about Andy."
The couple paused, the heat between them disappearing at Terry's words. Looking at each other, they shared a look of concern before turning to the young man by the door; they knew something was amiss. Angela sighed while CJ picked his hat up from the floor, shaking his head.
"Shit."
Terry leading the way, they found the rest of the group huddled by Hallowed Grounds, loud voices bouncing off each other; Angela noticed Steve was amongst the few who were arguing. Stood away from the commotion with his arms crossed, Kenneth seemed perplexed, silent and eyes distant.
"What's going on?" Angela asked when they joined them.
"Andy," Michael said, nodding his head towards the cop, "Kenneth said he might not make it."
"He's starving," Steve idly added, resting against the counter, "ran out of food."
"It's not just about him starving, Steve," Ana said, stepping in front of him, "if we go to pick him up and he doesn't have his strength, we're going to be carrying him."
"She's right. He's a hell of a shot too," Tucker added, "we're gonna' need him."
Steve leaned forward, rubbing his temples frustratedly. "Tucker, I'm not saying we don't need him."
"Look, there's no point in arguing about this, alright," Michael said, stepping in between everyone with his hands out, "we need a solution. We need to get some food over there."
"Okay, I've got an idea. We draw straws and the loser runs across the lot with a ham sandwich."
A chorus of sarcastic laugher passed though the group at Steve's unfunny suggestion. However, Angela's eyes narrowed, her hands resting on her hips.
"Could you be a bigger prick?" she asked him.
"Yes, but that's irrelevant."
A body stepped in front of her, CJ leaning dangerously close to the obnoxious man. "My question is, what's your plan?"
Throwing his hands in the air like he enjoyed riling everyone up in the group, Steve laughed, "oh, come on!"
"Shut up!"
Everyone immediately fell silent, eyes landing on Kenneth, who's deep voice echoed in the heart of the mall. He looked around at everyone before turning towards Nicole, who was on the floor a few feet away play with Chips, having no interest in the current conversation. They all watched as she threw a toy, clapping and praising the dog when he fetched and returned the stuffed teddy.
"I have an idea."
"Stop, it's hurting him!" Nicole cried, thrashing against Terry, who restrained her by the arms. "No, it's not safe!"
When Kenneth revealed his plan to send Chips with his doggie coat full of supplies to Andy's store, Nicole instantly protested, going as far as trying to run away from the group to hide the dog. Once they had successfully captured Chips, they filled the pockets of his coat with as much food and water that could fit and created a makeshift hook and rope to slowly lower the dog into the parking lot.
"Nicole, they're not interested in him, I promise," Ana said, feeding the rope through the hook.
Peeking over the edge, Angela looked at the dog in question. Chips seemed far from distressed, looking like he was having the time of his life as dangled in the air. He paid no attention to the undead crowd beneath him, wagging his tail and barking occasionally.
"He's totally fine, Nicole," she said.
Cupping the anxious girl's face, Terry pressed their foreheads together, trying to calm her fears. "Look at me, they want us, okay? Chips is gonna' be fine."
When Angela looked over again, Chips had been lowered enough for the infected to reach and touch him. Raising their arms up curiously, their decaying hands brushed and patted against him, though none went to grab or bite him. Chips didn't sense any danger and thankfully kept calm.
"They're not harming him, and Chips is doing great."
Once his paws touched the ground, Michael tugged the hook, unclasping Chips' coat from the rope. Both Kenneth and Angela raised their set of binoculars, Angela using hers to keep an eye on the sheep dog while Kenneth looked at Andy. With Chips safe on the ground, she raised her hand in the air, giving the signal to the gunman on the roof of his store. A second later, a high-pitched whistle could be heard, Chips cocking his head and immediately following the noise. Angela smiled, watching the dog trot through the crowd toward the gun store, none of them taking notice.
"See," Terry pointed out to Nicole, who watched in anticipation, "look, he's just walkin' right by them, they're not paying attention to him."
"Walkie's in the bag, right?" Kenneth asked, eyes still on his friend.
"Yeah," CJ replied.
Andy blew the whistle again, making sure to keep Chips on the right track. Angela continued following him with her binoculars, nodded when he made it out the parking lot.
"He's almost there," she said when he made it to the street.
"Let me see!" Nicole suddenly ordered, pushing through the group to snatch the binoculars from Kenneth, smiling when she found the dog. "Ah, there he his! Good boy, good boy, Chips!"
Chips made it to the small hatch of the door at the gun store, sitting patiently next to it. Quickly raising her binoculars up, she just caught Andy as he disappeared from the roof to go downstairs. Moments later the small door opened, a hand appearing to coax Chips inside.
"Yes, he's done it," Angela said.
"What is it?" CJ asked, trying to squint through the crowds of dead people.
"He's in! Good boy, Chips!" Nicole replied, body rattling with joy.
"Give me those," Kenneth said, quickly taking back the binoculars from her to look for himself.
To their relief, Chips wagged his tail at the sight of Andy, jumping through the hatch. Just before Angela was going to drop her binoculars in celebration as Andy closed the door, an infected surged forward and stuck its fingers in the closing gap. The smile's dropped from Angela and Kenneth's faces as a struggle began, the monster trying to pull the door up while Andy fought against it. The gunman lost, the infected ragging the hatch open, letting one of those things scramble inside.
"Oh no," Kenneth whispered in disbelief.
"Oh shit," Angela said, throat becoming tight when another one crawled through, "oh, God, no!"
"What?" Nicole asked worriedly, concerned at their reactions, "what is it?"
The concerned group huddled close, trying to see what she and Kenneth were witnessing, the tension growing stronger.
"No, they got him!" Kenneth shouted, voice filled with panic, "they got him!"
Two gunshots echoed in the distance, Angela watching intently when the hatch door finally closed, blocking anymore getting in. However, the commotion had alerted all the nearby undead beings, groups of them now clawing and banging on the boarded-up windows of the store.
"He closed it, but I don't know whether..." she trailed off, not daring to finish her sentence and dropped the binoculars from her eyes.
With fear present in her wet eyes, she turned to CJ, who tugged her close with an arm over her shoulders. Michael pulled out the walkie-talkie, trying to get Andy to talk to them. They waited for several moments, worried faces staring at the talkie, only hearing static on the other end.
"Andy!" Michael repeated.
The walkie crackled before a voice could be heard, relief overcoming everyone when Andy talked. "Can you hear me? Hello? Listen, I'm dinged up pretty bad, but I think I'm gonna' be okay."
"Where you hurt, Andy?" Michael asked.
"Damn, those bastards bite hard!"
Just as quick as it came, relief vanished from the group. Silence followed, everyone looking at each other with the same horrified expression, the realisation hitting them all; Andy didn't know a bite eventually turned you into a monster. Michael squeezed his eyes shut, grasping the walkie tight in his hand with frustration. Kenneth closed his eyes, his head bowing and face unreadable. Angela cursed under her breath, letting her head fall against CJ's shoulder, who shook his head sorrowfully.
"I just have to stop the bleeding, it's really going." Barking came through the line, Andy shushing Chips. "Easy, boy, easy... Is this Ken? Is that you, man?"
Taking the walkie, Kenneth took a deep breath before answering. "Yeah, it's me, brother."
"Hey, man, good to hear your voice. I guess we're gonna' meet up close pretty soon, huh?" Andy chuckled, unaware of the danger he was in. "Ah shit, hang on."
"Now, you just hang in there," Kenneth said firmly, trying to hide his sadness, "you got the food, right?"
Feeling tears brim her eyes, Angela lifting her head away from CJ, furiously trying to blink them away. Blurry vision focusing on Terry, she noticed Nicole missing from his side. Looking around the group, she realised the young girl had disappeared. A glimpse of bright copper hair across the roof caught Angela's eye, Nicole running behind the stairwell.
A horrible feeling bubbled in her stomach when she realised the girl was heading towards the truck.
Too concerned with Andy's situation at hand, no one noticed Angela separating herself from the group, quickly following Nicole's trail. Upon making it to the opposite rooftop edge, her green eyes widened in utter shock at what she found. The red head sat perched on the roof of the BP truck, looking down at the undead that swarmed around it, who remained unaware of her presence.
"Nicole!" Angela whispered, loud enough to attract her attention but low enough for rotting creatures not to hear.
Looking at Angela with startled eyes, resembling a spooked cat, she began crawling backwards to the cab. Angela crouched by the ladder, gesturing for the girl to stop.
"Nicole!" she repeated more sternly. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I need to save Chips," Nicole said, glancing over the edge of the truck again.
Feeling her brows crease together, Angela let the words sink before her jaw dropped, not quite believing what the girl had just said.
"Are you fucking serious?" she spat, voice raising slightly. "You're going to risk your life for a dog?"
Ignoring the older woman, she slowly lowered her legs off the edge of the truck, swinging them through the window of the truck door just before any of the things noticed. Eyes widening once again, Angela felt the blood rushing through her veins, her anger diminishing and panic settling in when she realised the girl was deadly serious.
"Nicole don't do this," she said, climbing down the ladder and crouching on the roof of the truck.
"I have to!"
"Nicole!" Angela yelled, crawling forward when she heard the engine trying to start. "You can't drive off with me on here and I won't move until you get out the goddamn truck!"
The dead beings nearby heard Angela, looking up at the truck. Snarling, they ran up to it, beginning to throw themselves at it, doing anything for a chance to taste her flesh. Beneath her, the truck suddenly roared to life, Angela freezing halfway towards the cab. Coming to the realisation that Nicole was set on moving the truck whether she was on it or not, she hastily turned around. Breathing heavy as her hands and knees slapped against the metal roof hurriedly, she crawled back to the ladder. Fingertips barely grazing it, the truck stuttered forward, Angela crying out when she nearly lost her balance.
"Nicole, stop!" she shouted, laying her palms flat when the truck started to move.
Words falling on deaf ears, Nicole drove out of the loading bay and smashed through the chain link fencing, avoiding the crowded parking lot. However, she drove into the street filled with undead, all of them following close. Slamming her hands on the truck, Angela's heart pounding against her chest and in her ear, her stomach coiling heavily as fear engulfed her; she tried focusing staying on the truck instead of the horde below her.
"Nicole!"
Coming to the end of the street, the truck took a sharp turn, Angela sliding across the roof and off the edge. A terrified scream ripped from her throat, her hands gripping the raised edge at the last second, keeping her from falling off to her death. Dangling from the truck, her feet were just inches from the crowd beneath her.
"NICOLE!" she screamed, managing to pull herself up so her elbows rested on the roof, giving her more leverage.
Struggling to keep her grip, she could hear howls and moans below her over the thumping in her ears. Speeding along the street, Nicole swerved for the gun store, breaks screeching and the truck halted to a crashing stop against the building, the force of it causing Angela to slip down again. Feeling a hand wrap around her foot, she struggled against it to pull herself up again.
"Fuck!" she yelled, kicking the zombie twice in the face, freeing herself from its grasp.
Nails scratching against the metal, she pulled herself up again with aching arms, avoiding the other rotting hands that tried to grab her. Once safely up, she let herself have a moment to catch her breath, the shock of how close she came to being dinner for the horde hitting her. Crawling over to the cab, she looked down between the gap where the hatch to Andy's store was. The driver's door was open, blocking off the undead as Nicole opened the hatch.
"Nicole, you nearly fucking killed me!" Angela seethed through gritted teeth, glaring down at the girl with rage.
The girl didn't even glance up at her, slamming the wooden door up and crawling through the opening, already calling out to Chips. Remembering Nicole didn't know Andy had been bitten, Angela leant forward, trying to warn her.
"Wait! You're going to get yourself killed, Andy's been bit!" The hatch door slammed shut, Angela letting her head drop against the truck before slamming her fists. "Stupid fucking…"
Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply and just hoped Andy stayed alive long enough to help Angela and Nicole. Letting her heartrate settle, she sat up and looked up to the roof of the gun store; it wasn't too high for her, probably able to climb up. If she was quick enough, she could get to Nicole before Andy turned, depending how injured he was.
Standing on the tips of her toes, her fingers latching on the coarse roof of the gun store, Angela eyes peeked over, nerves jumping when a figure appeared directly in front of her. Crouched over the whiteboard he used, she realised it was Andy, though something was wrong with him. As he wrote something down, his body jerked harshly with every little movement, hands slapping against the board. It was only when he stood up, the crimson smeared whiteboard over his head, she saw the fresh blood staining his clothing and white eyes staring blankly ahead.
Dropping down low again, Angela clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling her cries when Andy snarled ferociously, teeth snapping together. Hearing his feet shuffle closer to the roof edge, she pushed herself against the rough brick wall, trying to make herself as small as possible, praying he wouldn't see her. He had stopped at the very edge, Angela concluded, judging from the drops of blood landing near her feet. Focusing on not moving a muscle in her body, she daren't look up in case he noticed her.
"Angela!"
The blood drained from her face, her heart stuttering when she heard Nicole call her name, her chest suddenly heaving. Hearing footsteps hurry up the staircase, a zombified Andy hissed in the direction.
"There you are, Andy," Nicole said, voice much louder when she entered the rooftop.
Hearing Andy's boots skid across the concrete, letting out an inhumane screech, Angela jumped up from her hidden position and began climbing up.
"Nicole, run!"
Seeing an infected Andy charge towards her, Nicole screamed when she realised what he had become, running back down the stairwell with the monster only a few steps behind her. Pulling her body over the wall, Angela yelled for Andy's attention, hoping to distract him in a bid to save the young girl. Stumbling over her feet to reach the stairwell, Chips bounding up the steps, whimpering as he ran past Angela. Glancing at the scared dog, she hesitated before hearing a loud crash below, taking the steps in two's, her entire body pounding.
"Nico-" Angela's voice broke, halting at the foot of the stairs, her core becoming cold as she froze to the spot.
On the floor in the middle of the store, Andy crouched on top of Nicole, his teeth tearing into her throat. Tears brimming her eyes, Angela could only watch when Andy ripped a piece of flesh from her neck, tendons and muscles pulling and tearing. To her complete horror, Nicole's head turned towards her, eyes pleading and a hoarse, gurgling sound came from the gaping hole in her neck, trying to gasp for breath. She weakly raised a trembling hand to her, blood spluttering from her opening mouth.
A sob hiccupped from Angela when she realised the girl tried to say 'help me', wishing she could end her tremendous suffering. Instead, she only alerted Andy of her presence, his head snapping up, bloodied mouth snarling when white eyes landing on Angela. Letting go of Nicole, her body landing in the pool of her own blood, Andy jumped like an animal for Angela, who began sprinting back up the stairs. Using all four extremities, the newly infected climbed the staircase with a wild hunger, Angela slamming the door a second before he hurled himself at it. Sliding the lock across, she forced her body against the door while he pounded his fists on the other side, furiously screaming.
Tears cascading down her face, she silently wept, arms splayed across the door, which jutted out with every bang from Andy. Slowly, Angela slid down to the floor, keeping her back firm against the door. Hitting the ground, she brought her knees up to her chin, letting her cries become muffled when she buried her face in her lap. A fury body joined her side, Chips nuzzling his head into her, whining along with her cries.
"Angela," a static voice crackled.
Looking down at the dog next to her, she heard her name again coming from Chips' coat. Shaking hand reaching into one of the side pockets, Angela felt a hard object and pulled out the walkie-talkie.
"Angela, answer me!"
Taking a jittery breath, she held the device up to her lips, pressing the button. "CJ?"
"You okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm okay," she croaked out, voice just above a whisper, trying to calm herself.
"Angela, where's Nicole?" Michael's voice asked.
Feeling her throat tighten and face scrunch up, she let go of the button and cried out once more, the door rattling against her. Breathing becoming ragged, she brought the radio to her lips and tried to clearly form her words.
"Andy had turned into one – one of those… and Nicole – she tried to... he got her!" She broke out into fresh sobs, her body curling in on itself as the banging continued. On the other end on the line, she heard Terry crying out, his shouts of anguish causing more tears to fall from Angela's eyes. "I couldn't save her, I was too late – I'm so sorry!"
"I know, Angela, I know," Michael sighed after a moment, Terry's pained voice still present in the background. "Can you get back to the truck?"
Wiping her wet face, she shook her head, thinking how she had nearly been pulled down into the crowd. "No, no, I can't go back down there, there's too many of them down there."
The silenced for several seconds. Waiting for a reply, Angela dug the heels of her sneakers into the ground when Andy gave a particularly hard shove, the door vibrating against her body.
"Angela, listen to me," the radio said, this time CJ back on the line, "just stay put, we're gonna' think of a plan. You hear me?"
The pounding and snarling from the other side of the door ceased, footsteps fading down the staircase. Thinking of what that monster was going to do back downstairs, the thought of Nicole still alive down there, dying an excruciating death and Angela could do nothing, another sob escaped her mouth.
Slapping her hand over her eyes, willing those horrible thoughts to leave her mind, she took a deep breath before answering. "Yeah, I hear you."
"We're coming to get you, Angela, don't you worry."
