"Just for the record," Chad said, as he helped his best friend reach the roof of the school bus, as several dozen of the insane creatures pounded on the bus, trying to get at the six current occupants inside of said vehicle, "This is the most insane fuckin' plan ever."
"Noted." Nick replied tensely. He looked over at Mike, as he popped open the small hatch in the ceiling of the bus, "How we doing, Mike?"
"We're alright. They're just hitting it. Not body slamming it or anything. They're basically just making a bunch of noise.", The big teen responded, as he held the bus door shut easily with only a single muscular arm, and leaning some of his weight against it to top it off. His other hand, the right one, clutching the Colt 1911 in a firm, white-knuckled grip.
"Not making me feel any better..." Ashley muttered as she clutched her Ithica shotgun tightly. It was aimed at one of the outside attackers. The blond girl wasn't at all happy with the group's current predicament.
"Me either." Tracy seconded, obviously not very satisfied either, "You think they can get in?"
"I hope not.", Nick said simply, as he finished opening the top hatch. It hit the top of the bus as it opened fully with a 'clang' as light shone through the opening the door's absence created.
Without any further words, Nick, with a bit of help from Chad, using the tops of the seats of the bus, and Chad himself as a boosting platform, Nick lifted himself through the hatch, making sure his vest and M4 didn't catch on the bus on the way out. It took several moments to complete the task.
"Okay, Im good." Nick notified Chad, who looked up in suspense, waiting to see what Nick would do next, but already knowing the plan.
Nick stood up on top of the bus, and surveyed the whole neighborhood. It was a mess. Overturned cars, some fires here and there, blood-stained portions of grass and asphalt were the markers where the obvious attacks had taken place. But who said the apocalypse would be pretty?
"Nick looked up at the closest second floor window of Molly's house, and a very-terrified Molly who sat framed in it like a picture, still clutching her cell phone to her ear.
Nick unslung the M4, as Molly opened the window. The creatures still pounding like all hell on the bus, making zero headway whatsoever.
"What now?" Molly asked weakly, finally realizing the pointlessness of still having her cellphone in her hand, then pocketing the small device.
"You jump it." Nick said flatly, looking at the good six foot drop from the second floor of Molly's house onto the slight semi-circular bus roof.
"Oh, fuck no." Molly muttered, also surveying the jump. It looked a lot higher from her perspective.
"You got a better plan, Id love to hear it." Nick wasn't in the mood for small talk. "The faster we do this the better. More of those things show up every moment."
This was entirely true. Every creature within earshot of the rumbling bus was either already present, and beating on the large yellow vehicle, or they were well on their way.
"Just throw your backpack down here, and Ill coach you from there, alright?" Nick asked, losing patience very quickly. It wasn't game time, it was "get the hell outta there" time.
"Okay..." Molly muttered as she tossed her empty blue backpack right at Nick, who caught it easily in his left hand, as he held his M4 in his right.
"Here, take this.", He said, as he tossed the backpack through the open hatch into Chad's waiting arms.
"How we doing?", Nick spoke through the hatchway.
"We're alright. Just hurry the fuck up, would ya?" Mike reported from his position as door guard.
"Fuckin' A.", Chad seconded, as he pushed Molly's empty backpack under one of the bus seats, and out of the way, the creatures still making a lot of noise as they hit the bus with their arms and hands.
"Right." Nick replied, standing up to his full height. "I need a volunteer to come out here."
"Alright, man." Chad responded, getting ready to make the semi-difficult ascension through the top hatch.
"No, man. You need to stay down there to drive. I need one of the girls." Nick said.
There was a pause.
"Ill do it." Tracy said, looking up at Nick, who nodded.
"Okay Chad, help her up here."
It took a few moments to follow through with the order, as Chad hefted Tracy through the hatch. She was much lighter then Nick.
"Hey." Tracy said, as Nick pulled her through the hatch, "What do you need me to do?"
"Just cover us." Nick responded, as he checked to make sure the M4 was secure on his back, "Alright, Molly," he said, "You need to jump about four or five feet out at least. Get as close as you can to me, and Ill help you with the impact, okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Molly said in a small voice, as Tracy pulled her Beretta M92 from it's hip holster, and surveyed the surrounding area with a precision that was surprising. Under the right circumstances, people can learn pretty quickly on they're feet.
Molly readied herself, as she climbed onto the windowsill, using anything she could as a handhold. She told herself to not look down, and was pretty obedient. Nick looked on with a barely-contained anxiety.
"Oh my God, look!" Tracy exclaimed as she looked across the street.
Molly made sure her grip would hold, and looked up. Nick spun around and did the same.
A man and woman, presumably a married couple, where making a run from there house, a house right across the street. to a car, a small dark green sedan, that was parked in the driveway. They were trying to take advantage of the distraction caused by the bus, and all of the creatures preoccupation with it, to leave.
"They'll be killed!", Tracy nearly screamed.
The couple were maybe halfway to their car, when on of the creatures, one of the ones not actually to the bus yet, changed it's mind, and went after the smaller prey, which smelled more of flesh then the bus. The creatures seemed to respond like birds" When one changes direction, the whole group seemed to, and one by one, the creatures began abandoning they're futile attack on the bus, and run after the couple, who had made it to their car.
The couple only sealed they're fate as the tried to start the vehicle, the noise really getting the attention of the surrounding undead horde.
Molly, Nick and Tracy watched in complete and absolute horror, as the dozen or so crazed people made it to the small sedan, and began beating it. The sedan wasn't high enough, like the bus was, and the creatures had an easy time busting into it, especially when one of the couple, in a panic-attack, opened the door to try to make a run for it. The teens would never figure out why the person would ever do that.
The couple were plucked, kicking and screaming from the car, and literally torn apart right there. Every one of the creatures in the vicinity were now drawn to the bloodied and screaming mess, either responding to the smell of fresh blood, or the couple's screams, which were more like gurgles at this point.
Nick tore his look from the couple, and turned his attention back to Molly, a very distressed expression plastered on his face. "Molly, now!"
Molly put on an intense expression, and shut her eyes for a moment, trying to forget what she'd just seen, though she knew she'd remember it for the rest of her life. Her eyes snapped open, and found Nick, who locked his eyes with hers, "Now." he mouthed the words, a look of pure desperation in his eyes.
Now or never.
Molly put some power into her legs, and lept the chasm between her house and the bus. She fell the six-odd feet, and hit the roof of the bus hard, as Nick latched onto her and tried his best to help her land as softly as she could, and balance her as well. Truth be told, even with all the measures taken, the impact still hurt like hell.
"Get back in, now!" Nick nearly yelled at Tracy, who immediately holstered her weapon and nearly dived through the hatch in her rush to get back inside. She dove through and landed nimbly in the aisle. She wasn't hurt by the drop, which was something of a small miracle considering how fast she executed to move.
There were at least fifty or sixty of the creatures in the near vicinity, and at least thirty-five or forty of them were clustered around the green sedan, and the bodies of the couple.
Nick rushed Molly through the small door, and lowered her inside, where Tracy helped her to the floor of the bus.
Then one of the twenty or so of the creatures around the bus scored a lucky hit to one of the small windows that lined both sides of the bus, and the small rectangular window popped completely out under the stress of the impact.
Ashley spun around, and aimed the Ithica.
"Don't fire!" Mike yelled, looking up from his position of holding the door closed.
Ashley restrained herself, but still aimed her shotgun at the space where the window used to be, one of the creature's hands visible as it pounded incessantly and pointlessly on the side of the bus.
Chad saw Molly get to the floor of the bus safely, "Nick!", he yelled, jumping back into the bus's driver's seat.
Nick dove in feet first, catching the top of the bus, and slowly lowering himself down as far as he could go, before free-falling the last few inches to the floor.
"Go!", he shouted as he pushed Molly and Tracy into a bus seat.
Chad floored it, running over the four or five creatures who were in front of the bus. He smiled. "And the wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round." He said grinning, before putting on a more serious face. "Is everyone okay?", he asked, pulling the large vehicle off of the grass and back onto the main road, as several dozen of the creatures followed pointlessly.
Nick stood up. He had crouched as low as he could, as he cradled Ali as close to him as he could. The small girl hadn't been able to make it to a seat before the bus had started moving.
Nick stared at Mike, who hadn't left his spot, and was still holding the door shut. "Mike, it's alright. Get back here."
Mike looked back, and locked eyes with Molly.
"Hey, Molly", he said softly.
Molly stared back, tears starting to run down her face.
"Hey, Mike."
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It's been awhile. Iv'e actually been gone the last couple of days, so here's the update. Hope y'all enjoyed it!