Chapter 16

They came from everywhere around the entire area.

As Juliet had predicted, the shot she fired to save Brooke, would be her downfall since hundreds of additional Screamers were now storming the fire station. Lucky for her, they somehow hadn't found the entrance to the staircase and therefore the access to the roof…yet.

Not leaving anything to chances, the young brunette descended the tower, the rifle flung over her shoulder. She had seen how Brooke had brought herself to safety for now. So, all she had to do now was to get her out of this messy situation.

But how?

Leaving the station by foot was – if even possible – very risky. And shooting your way out merely suicide. No, she had to be cautious and quiet and simply lucky enough to escape this more than fucked-up situation.

'Why the fuck did I help her?' she asked herself as she bridged the way between the tower and the roof entrance in a fast pace, stopping at the door and listening into the staircase as she wanted to sneak further. She knew inside that this thought was wrong and that every life was worth it.

For now, it was quiet. Nothing could be heard, not the faintest sound.

Slowly, Juliet descended the stairs, her .22 pistol ready for use. She passed the second floor. Nothing. Then the first floor. Again, nothing. She almost had hoped that she would indeed be able to escape this unscathed. However, as she had reached the exit, she stopped immediately in her tracks with a gasp, because the other side of the glassy door was roaming with Screamers.

The creature closest to the entrance shared a short glimpse with her, before it opened its mouth to emit a scream. But Juliet was faster, shooting with the silenced .22 through the glass and right into the Screamer's skull, silencing it instantly.

Unfortunately, the faint cracking of the glass caught the attention of another infected, which then became aware of her as well, screamed and bolted against the door, cracking the now weakened glass even more.

Knowing that the door wouldn't hold them back for long, Juliet backed away and up the stairs again. She hadn't even reached the first floor as it shattered below and the Screamers flooded the staircase. Barely, the young girl reached the glassy door of the first floor and shut it close before her perpetrators had gotten a hold of her.

But there was no time to rest. Sooner or later even this obstacle would be obliterated and then she would be trapped.

Even more screams chimed from downstairs and with shock the slight brunette realized the main staircase in the center of the station that was now filled with murderous infected, too.

Yes, she was officially trapped. No way out. And it got even worse as the next door gave in to the onslaught.

Hastily, she looked around, trying to find an escape. A tiny loophole. A hole!

'The sliding pole!' she thought, sprinting along the main corridor, the furious creatures being right on her heels. Her body was filled with adrenaline, letting her run faster than ever before. Actually so fast, that she had almost missed the pole.

Without thinking, she jumped and slid down the metal pole, landing on the soft matt of the next story. Above her, all the creatures tried to follow her, stuffing the hole with their bodies as they all wanted to squeeze through it at the same time. But there was still no time for joy or to catch a breath.

Now being in the garage of the station, Juliet tried to find a vehicle, but, sadly, everything was gone. Everything, except an ATV that was standing on a rag for maintenance.

So far, no Screamer had followed her and she had time enough to inspect the vehicle.

The keys were still in the ignition and it seemed like that the firefighters were called to aid the public before disassembling and cleaning it.

Still not believing her luck and seeing that one gate was still open, probably the spot where the Screamers had entered the station, she mounted the ATV and was just about to start the engine as – out of nowhere – a creature silently attacked and tackled her off the vehicle.

She hit the ground hard, landing directly on the rifle on her back, which caused her to groan out as a stinging pain went through her back. For a moment she felt dizzy and confused, which got only broken as another hot sting on the side of her belly send an intense pain, paired with a surge of even more adrenaline through her body and steeled her focus.

With horror she had to witness how the creature had buried its teeth into the flesh of her partly exposed belly. It looked different. More like a four-legged animal, its formerly human features deformed by bumps that were caused from additional grown bone extensions.

She reacted without any hesitation and sent several .22 rounds into the attacker's skull at point blank, killing it instantly.

The wound was bleeding and there was no time to treat it right now, so she simply covered it with her shirt and moved on. Her friends had definitely looted some medical supplies, so she could take care of that later. Now, she had to escape before she got attacked again.

The ATV started with a roar, inducing some more screams from above. But before some Screamers had reached the bottom of the stairs again, Juliet was out of the gate and gone.

Her sight was blurry. She felt that her strength was leaving her with every passing second.

It was maybe just one or two minutes ago that Juliet had soothed Brooke and had helped her coming down from her mental breakdown. But until the Asian girl had mentioned her wound again, she had totally forgotten about it. All the adrenaline had simply suppressed the pain. But now she began to feel it again, and damn, it hurt like hell. Not to mention the side effects. And then it hit her out of nowhere!

Dana!

Dana had been bitten, too and had turned a few hours later into a Screamer.

Was this how this decease was spreading? Did a simple bite do the trick to doom you? Was it really like in those stupid Zombie movies? One scratch or bite and done?

Becoming aware of her fate and the danger she now represented, a bunch of tears strolled down her face, getting carried away by the wind.

'Oh Max, I'm so sorry!'

Her state became worse, letting her almost lose control over the ATV. But luckily they reached the group in time and she could stop the vehicle.

Brooke immediately jumped off, dropped her newfound set of swords and sprinted towards the waiting and in awe staring group of fellow survivors.

"You fucking bitch!" the raven haired girl yelled in anger, tackling Victoria Chase against the RV and smacking her right in the face.

Right away, the others reacted and separated the two fighting young women. An argument followed. Accusation. Insults.

Juliet just watched this scene from a distance, still sitting on the ATV. She felt exhausted. Her breath was labored and sweat was running down her forehead. Staying awake became a hard task and almost impossible. She was even so absent that she hadn't even realized that Max had approached her and took her into a tight hug.

"God, I'm so glad that you're okay!" she said with relief and immediately filled Juliet's heart with a ton of joy, before reality hit her hard again.

One last time she pressed her beloved Max closer, planted a soft kiss on her head and whiffed "I'll always love you!" before pushing her away.

Entirely befuddled and frowning, Max said "Jules, what the…?"

"I got bitten, Max" she answered with a weak, soothing smile and showed her oozing wound, hoping that Max would understand. But she didn't.

"That's no problem. We got medical supplies and…"

Was it denial? Was it the unwillingness to accept the inevitable? Or did she simply not know what a bite meant nowadays?

Her condition got worse. Her head was spinning and a distant voice told her to rip her girlfriend's guts out.

Her pistol! She could just kill herself and spare them all the trouble. She just needed to…

But before she could even draw the weapon out of the holster, she fell off the vehicle with a groan, loosing the much needed gun.

"Jules!" Max called out, now drawing the other's attention towards them.

"Go away!" yelled Juliet angrily as her girlfriend and the rest closed in on her. Well, everyone except one person: Kate.

The petite blonde was the only one who looked at her in fear and not with worry. Their eyes connected and the slight brunette realized that Kate understood. That she was aware of the danger. All it needed was a slight yet adamant nod from Juliet to set a chain reaction in motion that would save her friends.

Kate reacted right away, shoved her way through the crowd, stealing Frank's pistol as she passed him. And before anybody realized what was going on, Kate had already aimed and pulled the trigger.

One last tear emerged from her closed eyes and strolled down her cheek as Juliet welcomed the everlasting darkness.