Night Fall
Living and the Dead
The sun was setting on a group of men standing on a rooftop, arguing in hushed voices. One man was standing near the access door to the roof. The sound of moans and shuffling feet echoed from the sidewalk under them.
"No...NO, not a chance in hell. Have ya'll lost your damn minds? I ain't doing it,"
"Gavin, we have no choice. We have to do this. There's no other way,"
"Find somebody else,"
"There is nobody else. You're a pharmacist; you know what to get. Besides, you're the fastest,"
Gavin ran his hand through his hair as he peeked over the roof's edge. He saw about a dozen flesh eaters moving slowly around the store's front door. Some were hitting the glass with their hands. Others pressed their faces to the glass, smearing blood all over the surface.
"Why can't we get what we need from this store? Why do I have to make a run for the one across the street? "
"Because Gavin, the strongest meds they have here is aspirin. And we need antibiotics... Listen we'll clear the street. Derrick and Kyle offered to use themselves as bait to lure them away. You climb down the fire escape and get in the store. Jackson's going with you just in case the store's not empty. Grab as much stuff you can fit in the bag and run like hell back here."
Gavin shook his head. He made his way to the ladder on the side of the building that led to a small ally near the side walk.
"Fine let's get this over with. If I die I'm eating you first, Maxwell,"
"Not if I shoot you first."
Duo tossed the bag at Gavin, who caught it with one hand. Derrick and Kyle walked past Gavin and began to climb down the ladder. Once they were at the bottom, they moved to the corner and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Kyle let out a loud whistle and every zombie's head whipped to their left.
Kyle and Derrick bolted down the sidewalk towards a corner then turned out of sight. The zombies began to follow, some moving faster than others. Once the last one turned the corner Jackson started down the ladder slapping Gavin on the back as he went.
They got the go ahead that the street was clear and ran head first for the pharmacy.
Jackson slowly pulled the door open. It looked like it would if it were a normal day, aside from a few shelves on their sides.
With his crossbow held up at the ready, his eyes scanned the room; it looked clear. He waved Gavin in.
Gavin rushed to the counter and started grabbing anything his hands touched and shoved it into the bag. As he did this, Jackson walked behind the counter and cleared the back; where the medicine was kept. Gavin jumped over the counter and scanned the shelves. He grabbed painkillers, antibiotics, and birth control pills; a request by the females in their small group.
Next to find was childrens medication. He spun on his heels and went for the ace bandages and First aid kits and shoved them in with the rest of his loot. He waved at Jackson when he could no longer fit anything else in the bag.
Jackson peeked out the door and only saw one flesh eater. He pulled his bow up, took aim, and fired.
He hit the flesh eater right in the eye. Its body slumped to the ground like a sack of flour. Jackson walked over to it, pulled his arrow out and both men ran back across the street. Gavin went first, then Jackson.
When they were both back on the roof, Gavin dropped the bag at Duo's feet and bent over, resting his hand' on his knees. His breathing was ragged from running.
"I hate you guys," He huffed, taking another lungful of air.
"You did great Gavin."
Duo reached down, picked up the bulging bag and slung it over his shoulder. The group headed for a makeshift bridge connecting the roof to the building next door. One by one, they waited until everyone was across then pulled it over and took it to the other side of the roof. They crossed to the next building.
It was the safest way to travel in the city. Most of the roof tops were locked and not likely to have, what could only be called, 'Zombies'.
A few more roof tops later they climbed down a fire escape into an above ground parking lot that was fenced off.
Derrick and Kyle were sitting on the tail gate of the truck, sharing a bottle of water. Duo tossed the bag in the back of the jeep.
"Heero and the others should be back soon then we can get the hell outta here,"
"Duo, we've almost cleaned this area out. I think we should try sector five next time we make a supply run, "Kyle said, tossing the empty bottle of water over his shoulder.
Duo just nodded as he scanned the roof tops. He hated standing around waiting for Heero to make it back. It wasn't like Heero was just running to a store to pick up some sugar. The markets were full of those monsters. The moment you hit the ground it was like you suddenly became a hot new item at the store. It made Duo sick to think of Heero becoming lunch meat.
Minutes passed and Duo began to pace the parking lot, following the fence line all the way around 'till he was back at the gate. He played with the padlock, the key still in it. They were mindless, but could still pull the gate open. The padlock stopped that and they weren't smart enough to turn the key.
He looked back towards the roof tops, his eyes scanning for any sign of movement. His hand still held the padlock.
Out of nowhere the gate slammed into Duo's side, shoving him. He stumbled sideways. He spun, catching his balance. A zombie had its face pressed into the chain link. Its teeth snapped shut, catching the fence. It reached its arm through the gap and snatched at the empty space.
It happened so fast Duo didn't have time to react. Kyle rushed passed him, a crow bar in hand. He knocked its arm out of the way and slammed the crow bar into its eye. Blood splattered the fence. Kyle yanked the bar free and it crumbled to the ground.
"Phew. Dude, pay attention,"
He slapped Duo on the back as he passed by.
"Right."
"They're back!" somebody called out.
Duo gave the zombie one last glance before turning back to the jeep. He watched Heero climb down looking to see if anything was out of place. Anything that could be wrong, torn clothes, blood, but he looked just the same as when they parted ways a few hours ago. A sense of relief washed over him.
"Hey you missed it. Duo shit himself a minute ago. Walker wanted a hug through the fence." Derrick had meant to be funny but Heero didn't find it funny at all.
"You alright?" He looked Duo over.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. It didn't touch me. It hit the fence too hard, pushed me away before it reached through."
Heero nodded.
"Pack that up and let's get the hell outta here," Heero climbed into the driver's seat of the jeep. Duo followed.
Kyle stood by the padlock and waited for the cars to line up. He checked the street. Jackson and Derrick stood in the back of the trucks, guns pointed left and right. Kyle turned the key and pushed the gate open. One by one the cars pulled out and stopped. Kyle shut and relocked the gate and jumped into the bed of the truck with Derrick. The cars pulled away.
20 miles outside of the city they came to a stop at a metal gate. It creaked as it opened and they pulled into the compound, the gate closing behind them. A handful of people rushed them, every face smiling. The group made it back, all of them. A blessing now a days. Not every trip to the city went so well and not everything goes as planned. It'll only be a matter of time 'till someone else dies.
A/N: Another big thanks to WhyWeWashTheWindows for beta reading.