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.
So glad people seem to be enjoying the fic. Seriously, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited, and followed the story so far! We've still got a few chapters left till the end!
Chapter Nineteen
The sun had set half an hour ago, the sky a deep black as the night settled in. Angela had been stuck on the roof for what she estimated was an hour and a half, listening to the constant sounds of the undead below, keeping her alert. Numbness spread through her legs long ago, feet planted firmly to the concrete; she hadn't moved from her place by the door, too scared to even move an inch with visions of Andy bursting through it invading her thoughts every minute, even though she hadn't heard him since he disappeared downstairs. Chips laid in her lap, her fingers running through his silky fur, the only comfort for Angela. A slight chill lingered in the air and the canine was the only thing providing her warmth.
The walkie-talkie next to her crackled, a voice coming through. "Angela?"
Slowly untucking her arm from underneath Chips, she grabbed the radio, keeping her voice low as she answered, "CJ?"
"How are you hangin'?" he asked.
A small smile broke her lips; CJ had checked in on her every twenty minutes to make sure she was okay, or still alive. It was nice to hear his voice regularly, distracting her from the constant moaning and keeping her sane.
"Same as before," she sighed, "although my ass is asleep from sitting on this goddamn floor."
A picture of his amused smile flashed in her mind and he asked, "is it still quiet over there?"
Turning her head, Angela pressed her ear against the door, listening for any movement downstairs. When she couldn't hear anything but silence, she rested her head again and brought the talkie up to her mouth, "yeah, still quiet."
"Alright, well, we've got a plan. We're coming to get you."
"What, now?" she questioned, hunching forward, Chips suddenly alert in her lap. "How? The mall is completely surrounded by them things."
"There's an underground maintenance unit in the mall that leads to the sewers," he explained, "according to the map, the end sewer grate is just outside the gun store. We'll sneak through and get in through the hatch."
"Shit, CJ, you're out in the wide open down there, you're gonna' be totally exposed," she said, running a worried hand through Chips fur.
"I don't care, as long as I can get you out."
Angela couldn't help but smile, a fuzzy feeling warming her stomach. However, the inhumane screeches from below brought her back to reality and her face dropped.
"But what if they all attack you?"
The line was silent for a few moments. "It's a risk we're gonna' have to take."
Angela sighed, closing her eyes in frustration. "But-"
"Angela, listen to me," CJ said, cutting her off, "don't worry about us, we'll be fine; we've got it figured out. Just be ready, okay?"
Hesitating, Angela pushed the horrible thoughts from her mind, a hand rubbing across her face. "Okay."
"Okay," he repeated, "see you in about fifteen minutes, sweet cheeks."
"See ya'," Angela said, letting go of the button, "shit…"
Slipping the radio back in Chips' pocket, she once again pressed her ear against the door. Still hearing no movement from in the store, Angela pushed herself away from the door, ignoring how heavy her legs felt from not moving them. Slinking across the roof, her neck and shoulders ached terribly while she kept low to ground.
Peering over the brick edge, she looked down at the street, scoping at least a hundred shambling around the area of the gun store, some still clawing at the boarded windows. She spotted the sewer grid CJ had mentioned, which remained clear of those things for the time being.
When Chips sat next to her, licking her cheek, she scratched the top of his head. "Don't worry, boy, they're coming for us."
After agonisingly waiting for what felt like hours, keeping her eyes on the sewer grid, Angela tensed when she saw it lift slightly. Slowly sitting up, feeling her fingertips tingle and the hairs on her neck stand, she watched the grid slide over, Michael's head appearing from the manhole. Resting on her knees, her knuckles turned white and throat heavy when CJ climbed out next.
Eyes quickly darting to the undead, they were unaware of the group's presence – for now.
A hand appeared from the hole, CJ pulling Terry out, Kenneth soon following with his shotgun ready. Angela concluded it was only the four attempting the dangerous mission to the store, since the they started to move away from the manhole. Taking lead, Michael crept close to the truck with his gun aimed ready, the others following in a line, Kenneth coming up the rear. Staying behind underground, Tucker slid the metal cover back over.
It dropped with an audible thud.
"Oh, shit," Angela said when the nearby infected snapped their white eyes to the men.
Instantly raising his shotgun, Kenneth shot the first one that ran towards them, the four of them breaking into a sprint towards the cab of the truck. Michael stunned one in the knee, smashing its head with the truck door when he swung it open. Fingers digging painfully into the rough brickwork, Angela could only watch from above the dead swarming them, all four of them shooting at the crowd.
"Get in!" Angela yelled when CJ, who stood shooting while Michael crawled through the truck.
Heart thumping rapidly against her ribs, she watched CJ kill one more before jumping in, Terry scrambling in close behind. Kenneth remained shooting while he backed in, firing his last shot before an infected grabbed his gun, wrestling with it before finally pushing it away, losing his weapon in the process.
Looking down in the gap between the truck and the store, Angela seen CJ pushing Terry through the hatch, crawling in afterwards himself. Kenneth tumbled out the truck soon after, rushing to get through the hatch. Following him, a zombie grabbed his foot, trying to pull its mouth to his leg before Kenneth delivered a harsh boot to the face. Hearing the hatch door slam shut, Angela's muscles turned to jelly, finally letting her lungs take in air again and she collapsed against the roof edge, her heartbeat rattling through her body.
After several seconds to let her nerves settle, she managed to stand, taking in another deep breath. Taking a few steps towards the door, a shot rang out from inside the store, Angela halting. When another shot followed, she squeezed her eyes shut, the image of Nicole laying in her blood invading Angela's mind.
"Angela!"
Hearing her name broke her out of her stance, unlocking the bolt and pulling the door open, running down the stairs as quick as she could. At the bottom stood CJ, arms stretching out when he saw her, and Angela flung herself into him. Squeezing each other tightly like they hadn't seen each other in years, CJ lifted her off the ground and pressed his lips hard against her cheek. With his strong arms holding her and his musky scent comforting her, she began crying into his shoulder.
"Don't ever fucking do that again," he whispered, his hands cupping her face when he finally set her down, their foreheads pressing together, "ever."
"I'm sorry," she said, looking up at him, "I tried to stop her, but I couldn't save…"
"I know," he said, pressing his lips against hers when her voice quivered, wiping the tears trickling down her face, "I know."
After the couple shared their tender reunion, Michael appeared next Angela, resting a firm hand on her shoulder with a sorrowful expression. Wiping her eyes, she returned a thankful nod. Over his shoulder however, she noticed Kenneth laying a tarp on the ground over two bodies. Walking towards him, she found Terry knelt on the floor, presumably over Nicole's covered remains.
"I'm so sorry, Terry," she whispered, voice wavering; she wanted to say more but was frightened that she would just start sobbing again.
Terry silently nodded, though his eyes didn't move from the form under the tarp. Letting the young man grieve for his girlfriend, CJ ushered Angela to one of the counters where Kenneth and Michael were filling up a duffel bag with various weapons. Revealing her handgun, Angela gladly took it from his hands, feeling reassured to have the weapon back, sliding it in her holster.
"Thanks," she said, taking the extra clips he offered to her, "I'm never leaving this around again."
The group took advantage of the store, arming themselves with better weapons and replenishing their ammo, ready for venturing back outside. Peeking out the window through the cracks of the boards, Angela could only see groups of those things, the store and truck surrounded.
"There's too many out there and they know we're in here," she said, turning back to the others.
"You got a plan?" Kenneth asked Michael.
"Uh-uh, you?" he asked, Kenneth giving the same response.
Placing a gas canister on the counter, a slight grin appeared on CJ's face. "How 'bout a barbeque?"
After briefly explaining his plan, CJ disappeared to the roof while the others waited patiently by the hatch, peering through the windows. Terry had waited till the last second to get ready, struggling to part with Nicole. Gripping her gun tightly, the seconds dragging by, Angela looking nervously at Michael.
"How will we know if it's worked?"
When the words left her mouth, the sound of a deafening explosion roared through the air. A fiery red illuminated the inside of the store, Angela shielding her eyes from the blinding light, the building shaking violently around them. When the orange glow dimmed and the ground stopped moving, Kenneth didn't hesitate as he pulled open the hatch door, gesturing for them to leave.
"Go, go, go!"
Michael was the first to crawl through, putting a bullet through the infected that screamed in his face on the other side. Angela followed suit, pushing past the dead body and climbing in the cab of the truck. Jumping down, Chips at her feet, she looked at the aftermath of the explosion; all the undead in the street were knocked down, the shockwave taking them out, most burnt to a crisp. Sparing only a second to look, Terry pulled her towards the sewer grid, Tucker appearing when he uncovered the manhole.
"Jesus Christ, what did you do?" he asked, looking around at the multiple bodies on the ground.
"No time, start firing!" Michael said, shooting a figure that began moving and Tucker lifted himself out. "Angela, down now!"
"Wait, CJ!" she said, taking a shot at a corpse that sat up, though Michael forced her down the manhole anyway.
"We'll cover him, just go!"
Hands gripping the cold metal of the ladder, she shimmied down it, feet splashing in the inches of water. Ignoring the foul smell that tinged her nostrils, she moved aside for Michael, who slid down the ladder instead of using its steps.
"CJ, over here!" she heard Terry yell over a shotgun blast, "hurry up!"
Kenneth appeared next, disregarding the ladder and jumping straight down, landing with a tucked roll. Wanting to wait for CJ to come down, Michael instead ushered Angela away and towards a narrow passage, forcing her to duck under a pipe. Looking back towards the ladder, Terry safely down and following them, she saw CJ beginning to climb down, a momentary relief washing over her.
However, a scream came from above ground, CJ moving to the side when a body fell straight through, Angela hearing an audible crack of bones.
"My leg!" Tucker screamed, CJ jumping down next to him.
"The grid, we need to cover the manhole!" Angela yelled, but it was too late.
Before CJ could attempt to pull it back over, another body fell in, its screeches echoing through the tunnel before Kenneth shot it. The grid a lost cause, CJ jumped down, a second rotting corpse coming down with him.
"CJ!" Angela shrieked, Michael restraining her.
"Just run!" he replied, shooting it dead.
"What about Tucker?" Kenneth asked, shooting another infected that fell in.
"I've got him," CJ yelled, handing Tucker a pair of handguns and dragging him by the scruff of his shirt, "just go!"
When more bodies began falling, Michael started running, Terry and Angela close behind him. Glancing behind Kenneth, she could see CJ pulling Tucker along the ground as quick as he could, Tucker's cries of terrors mixing with the howls of the undead following, shooting them. They ran through the narrow tunnels of the sewer, Angela's body vibrating with gut-wrenching fear, her breathing loud and ragged, the blood pulsating through her veins.
Tucker released a sudden cry of pain, a single gunshot ceasing them before she heard CJ sprinting up behind Kenneth, the two of them firing more shots behind.
"Move it!" Terry yelled when they exited the sewers, running up a single set of metal steps before coming up to a concrete stairwell, indicating they were back in the mall.
"Hurry, hurry!"
"Goddamn, Steve Markus!" Michael said when he reached the top, banging his fist on the locked door.
Angela joined him, her palm smacking the door. "Steve, come on!"
"Open the door! Open the door!" Terry yelled frantically, looking over the railing, hearing multiple footsteps coming closer.
"Steve!" CJ said through gritted teeth, he and Kenneth bounding up the stairs. "I'll fucking kill him!"
Angela continued banging on the door with her aching fist along with Terry, hearing the cries of the undead enter the stairwell. Realising they were trapped, the group huddled close at the top of the stairs, Chips barking madly while Michael, CJ, and Kenneth aimed their shotguns down the stairwell. The first of the undead appeared, stopping halfway up the stairs, more piling up behind it. Angela looked down at them, horrified at the multiple pairs of blank eyes staring back.
After weeks of outside under the scorching sun, the infected looked more like walking corpses straight from a graveyard. Their skin had turned black, thick, green liquids oozing from their dried-up wounds. Bone began showing through where their flesh had rotted away, teeth brown and decaying. After an initial stand-off, as if sizing their meal, the first one lunged forward, Kenneth blowing its liquified brains out.
"Steve, open up!" Angela screamed, pounding the door with new resilience, "open the fucking door!"
For every monster they shot, another one took its place, the crowd inching further up the stairs. The horde so overwhelming, Angela began to lose hope, and for the first time in her life, prayed to God; praying for a quick death.
The door suddenly swung open, Michael swivelling his gun to its direction. Ana stood on the other side, expression switching from confused to panicked when she saw the crowd of infected making its way up.
"Let's go!" Michael yelled, grabbing her and running down the hallway.
Terry and Chips followed, Angela hurling herself through the door while CJ and Kenneth backed out, continuing to shoot into the stairwell.
"Come on!"
Backing all the way out, the two men tried to shut the door, but skeletal hands blocked them, pulling the door open. Whipping her gun out, Angela fired wildly through the open crack, trying to stop them from forcing the door. More hands appeared, CJ and Kenneth losing the battle as the door slowly forced open. CJ looked back at Angela, who was still shooting past the door.
"Angela, go!" he said, straining to close the door.
"Not without you," she said, her hand reaching out to pull on the door as well.
After seconds of struggling, Kenneth stood back, cocking his shotgun. "Move!"
The couple let go, letting the door fling open and he fired his shotgun into the horde. Strong arms wrapped around Angela, CJ hauling her away from the door as Kenneth shouted.
"RUN!"
With the adrenaline coursing through her body, the moans and footsteps of the undead close behind them, Angela pushed her legs, her glutes and calves straining with every step. Sprinting through the dim hallways, they followed each other until they could see the entry arch for the mall, the escalators to the first floor up ahead.
"Keep moving," Michael called, running up them, "we're going to have to take the buses!"
Angela panted, her lungs like ice as she sucked in deep breaths. "We've got no supplies on them!"
"It's the only way!"
Making it to the top, Angela dared to look behind at the horde as they rushed to the escalators, climbing over each other like animals, desperate for their warm flesh. Keeping her gaze forward, she focused on running when they rounded the corner, Hallowed Grounds coming into view. Sat at one of the tables, Glen and Monica suddenly stood hearing the commotion, panicking when they saw they're group running towards them.
"Come on, guys, let's move it!" CJ yelled.
"What's going on?" Monica asked.
"Just run!" Angela said, grabbing Monica's arm and forcing her to run.
"Go, go, go!"
When the infected bodies appeared, Glen hastily fell into a sprint along with the group, knocking over the table in his hurry. Leading everyone to the elevators, Michael slammed his fingers on the button, the doors sliding open. Everyone piled in, calling for CJ and Angela, who had fallen behind, to run faster.
Hearing the monsters so close behind her, Angela gritted her teeth as she and CJ dived into the elevator just before the doors closed, CJ hitting the wall while she landed against his chest. The doors sliding closed, one infected slammed against them, snapping his teeth through the gap when the doors sealed together, the elevator rumbling as it went down. Heavy and panic-ridden breathing filled the elevator over the low buzz of peaceful music, the anxiety thick in the air.
A smile appeared on CJ's face and he looked up at the speakers, idly announcing, "I like this song."
Everyone looked at him, clearly unamused while Angela buried her head in his chest, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Always on the bright side."
When the doors opened in the garage, they continued running, not stopping since they didn't know how long it would be until the infected finally found their way down. Chips, who had managed to keep with the group the entire time, led the way, barking loudly. Coming down the last slope, Angela saw the two buses in the distance, a tall figure casually leaning against one with a cigarette in hand.
"Son of a bitch," she muttered, feeling the anger bubble inside of her.
"Everybody in!" Michael said, opening the door to the first bus.
"Hey, there you are," Steve said, a bewildered smile on his face. "What the hell happened to you guys?"
Angela squared up to him, shoving him harshly in the chest. "This is your fault!"
"Prick," Ana spat hatefully, climbed past him into the first bus.
CJ marched up behind Angela, hitting Steve roughly in the shoulder. "I'll deal with you later, motherfucker."
Still glaring at the confused man, Angela accepted Ana's helping hand, letting her pull her up in the bus. Michael slid in the driving seat, sticking the keys in the ignition as Chips jumped in, CJ closing and locking the door after the dog. Angela peered through the gaps into the second bus, Kenneth driving while Terry, Monica, Glen, and Steve prepared themselves in the back. Monica also looked out the bus, the two women sharing reassuring but scared smiles.
"Everybody ready?" Michael asked.
"We're all good in the back," CJ replied, reloading his gun.
The bus roared to life when Michael turned the engine on, reversing out and leading the way with the snow plough on its front, the second bus following close behind. Feeling floor beneath her feet vibrate as they picked up speed, Angela held on to the overhead bar, staring ahead as they drove towards the parking shutters.
"Hold on!"
CJ wrapped an arm around Angela, also holding on the steel bar above them, both bracing themselves. The bus crashed through the metal shutters, Angela's back hitting the side when they all jolted on impact. Opening her eyes however, she gaped with horror as they drove towards the sea of undead, hundreds of them running towards the buses. It felt like hitting a wall when they drove into the crowd, the bus slowing down considerably, completely submerged amongst the bodies. Bony fingers poked in through the grids, Angela aiming her gun, though the bus started swaying from side to side.
"We need to do something," she said, shooting one that tried to scale the bus, "now!"
"CJ, now! Go!" Ana said, holding on when the bus tilted dangerously to one side.
Pulling a ladder out from under the storage bench, CJ stood it up, Angela holding it steady for him to climb up. Popping the hatch on the roof, he retrieved a gas canister and flare, taking them up with him. Angela looked up through the hole, watching him light the flare and attach it to the canister before throwing it into the crowd.
"Pass me the shotgun!"
Angela passed him the weapon, CJ quickly grabbing it before climbing up further to get a better shot. Feeling something brush her shoulder, Angela glanced behind her to find a hand reaching in towards her, the metal mesh on the windows flaying its skin. Trying to avoid the hand, she curved her back inwards, screaming up to CJ.
"Shoot, CJ, shoot!"
Hearing the shotgun blast, the gas tank exploded outside. The bus rocked back as the bright colours of yellow and red illuminated everything, CJ sliding down the ladder just in time, missing the ball of fiery heat invading through the roof hatch. Through the harsh light, Angela watched a tidal-wave effect take place, the crowds knocked down around the buses.
"Holy shit," CJ whispered, Angela nodding in agreement, watching the amazing effect take place outside.
The tires squealed when Michael slammed on the gas pedal, the bus speeding away much easily through the cleared path. CJ put the ladder safe out the way while Angela continued to look outside, the Crossroads Mall becoming smaller the further they drove away.
Unexpectedly, her heart sank deep in her chest and her stomach ached. Tears welled in her eyes when the mall finally disappeared from her vision, the truck turning down a side street. Angela suddenly felt weird and she realised she had experienced this feeling a few times before; she was homesick.
The mall hadn't just been a refuge for the past month, it had been Angela's home. In just a short amount of time, a lot had happened that changed her life forever; she had made friends and countless memories, finding the love of her life, as well as losing many good people along the way.
"You okay?" CJ asked her, noticing her solemn expression.
"I just can't believe we're leaving like this, it doesn't feel real," she said, wiping her eyes before looking at him. "No one else was supposed to die; Nicole, Tucker, Andy, they should be on these buses with us right now."
Taking in her words, he gently sighed and squeezed her shoulder, their heads resting together. "We can't do anything about that now, we just have to focus on getting to that boat."
Nodding her head, she looked back outside, the night sky fading to an early morning blue. They were currently driving through the back roads of the city, the streets eerily empty since they had outdriven the crowd back at the mall. Nothing was in sight, alive or dead. CJ was right, most of the city's population had been gathered at the mall.
"Hard left! Hard left here!" Ana suddenly called out to Michael, pointing at the map.
Angela and CJ held on as the bus took a sharp turn, watching the second bus behind do the same behind them. However, it swerved too far too fast and smashed an abandoned car in the road. It lost control, the truck somehow mounting another car and drove it live a ramp, flipping on its side mid-air before crashing into an alleyway off the street.
"Holy fuck!" Angela exclaimed, watching the bus disappear from her sight.
"WHOA! Stop!" CJ yelled to Michael up front, banging his hand on the door, "stop, guys!"
The bus slowed down, Ana looking back with a confused frown. "What?"
"We lost them!"
