The car stalled to a screeching halt, metal weakened by rust. Meghan cursed under her breath and looked to Billy sat beside her, his eyes moved from the window to her. She expected them to be filled with worry or fear, but Meghan knew she had to realize those days were gone. Billy was use to the horrors of this world... most of them at least.
"We'll have to take shelter in a building. There's a pack of dead up ahead.. we can get some supplies, maybe stay the night if it's clear enough" Meghan uttered, mostly to herself. Billy chimed in with agreement. Climbing from the car, Meghan watched Billy take out the closest zombie with his knife. They moved together, motions in sync, toward the building.
Billy
He pulled the loose chain from the door and looked to Meghan, she stood ready, knife out. Billy took a deep breath and pulled the door open, no zombies. Their shoes clacked against the concrete of the corridor's floor, making their way to a set of steps they headed up. Meghan took the lead checking through the glass panel of the door for people and zombies, she edged inside slowly taking out the lone undead being. That was when they heard voices.
Meghan tugged him towards an open doorway checking the room, empty. He took his gun from the holster as Meghan removed hers from her bag... the dead were easy, their motivations always the same. They wanted meat. The living however, they weren't so easy to figure out.
Gina
The soles of her feet throbbed continuously as if they had their own heartbeat, blisters burned as her soggy shoes continued to rub. Gina stumbled down the road alone, two zombies in pursuit. She wouldn't give up, not until the bitter end.. she couldn't give up. Gina's hand went to her stomach protectively. The hallway of the building seemed to grow in length every second, she was tiring... she'd have to risk it. Gina turned and stopped, firing twice. One zombie fell, she fired again, the other followed.
Poppy
Her skin was sticky with blood and perspiration, her chest tight with pain. It always ended the same.. it was something that she did not want to believe, but with each passing day and person it became more of a reality. Did everything really die? Was that the cycle of this world? Poppy fell into the doorway of the building, tears streaming down her cheeks, she moved further inside and closed the door. It was just her again, hiding out in the gun store they'd all been laughing and chatting in the previous night. It was just her.
The hallway merged into a walkway that lead across to another building, pushing open the door Gina let the cool air embrace her. She walked across the walkway, stopping to take a break and catch her breath. Pushing open the metal door, she winced at the sound of its hinges screeching like cats yowling in the night. Gina stepped inside and took the staircase down, reaching a closed doorway. Zombies slammed their hands against the metal, their groans echoing in the empty space.
"Damn it" she whispered running a hand through her hair. Gina turned spotting a door at the opposite end of the room, she moved towards it and froze at the sight of a girl under the staircase. [ Dani, @Fantasy Crazy ]
Meghan
Listening closely, she could hear the muffle voices through the wooden door. Meghan couldn't make out what was being said and gently edged the door open.. from what she could tell, they sounded like children's voices.
The voices silenced. "They sound like children" she whispered to Billy, looking back at him. He was standing with pistol in is hands, watching her and waiting for guidance of what to do. She wasn't sure herself and contemplated what would be best. Should they leave them alone? Should they see if they needed help, they couldn't have been that old after all or at least most of them couldn't.
Billy piped up, "we should speak to them" he said.
Meghan met his eyes, "why?" she asked.
He shrugged and looked down at the ground, "they might need help or.." he paused. "We haven't seen other people in weeks, maybe this is a sign" he whispered.
"They could be dangerous.. they might not be children or maybe they are but one's bit" Meghan countered, much to Billy's disappointment. "You can talk to them" she said.
Billy looked up hopeful, "really?".
"Yes. See what you can find out, if it doesn't look promising or it's dangerous.. get out of there. You're fast than me.. and if you're in real trouble, shout and I'll shoot" Meghan said, Billy nodded and holstered his gun. Meghan let the door open slowly, it's hinges giving a soft screech. Billy slipped out the door and walked the corridor.
Billy
It took him a matter of seconds to find the children. Billy froze in place as he rounded the corner, spotting them ahead of him.
Gina
Knocked off guard by the girl's push, Gina stumbled back into the wall with a thud and fell to the side. Her hands moved protectively to her swelled stomach, she shuffled away from the young girl raising a hand protectively. "Don't.. please" Gina whispered, exhausted, her voice hoarse and drained. Gina kept a hand on her stomach, watching the girl, her other hand moved to her gun protectively.
She calmed down once the girl apologized and stuck out a hand, "you'll have to help me up.. it's not easy getting off the floor anymore" she laughed lightly. Gina heard the sound too, footsteps, shuffling. "I think it's.. one of those things. There's a lot in these buildings" she answered the girl.
Billy
"Don't try anything and I won't" he answered, firmly. His eyes flicked between each person in front of him, Billy looked to the girl that had spoken to him. "I'm Billy" he said, "are you staying on this floor? Are there any dead up here... or more of you?" he questioned.
Dani smiled shyly and stuck out a hand for the woman to grab, "I'm not sure, I didn't hear anything before, plus they would've came down here if they were zombies."
Faith stood up gingerly and shook her head, "No," she looked around to see that everyone was there, "It's just us."
"It could be other people" she whispered taking the girl's hand and standing up. Gina looked at the staircase and to the door, "I don't know if I want to chance bumping into people if that's what the noise is.." she looked back to the girl standing before her. "I'm Gina, by the way" her eyes went wide as she spotted the cut on the girls arm. "Is that a bite?"
Billy
He nodded gently to her answer, looking back behind himself Billy paused for a moment. "Is.. is anybody bitten?" he asked, looking back at the girl.
Meghan
Moving as quietly as she could out of the room, Meghan stopped around the corner from Billy and the children, listening. She didn't know what to think or feel.. would having them around help with keeping Billy safe easier? Would it make it harder? Meghan wondered if these children had supplies, her paternal instincts kicking in... even if they didn't stay with them, she could at least give them something to help out.
Dani looked down at her arm, which was still bleeding, "No," she replied looking up at the staircase then back to Gina, "I scratched it on a branch running over here, and I'm Dani."
Faith shook her head no once again, "We're all as healthy as we can be."
Lukas snapped awake and saw a boy standing in front of them with a gun pointed in the group's direction. He took a couple deep breaths so he wouldn't freak out. He kept glancing at his Glock 22 on its holster but refused to even touch it. He figured that if the boy saw him reaching for his gun, he'd assume Lukas was hostile and would shoot. "Well that's a lovely sight to wake up to..." He gave a weak laugh at his own attempt at sarcasm.
She breathed a sigh of relief, and watched the girl take another look at the staircase. "Despite the circumstances.. it's nice to meet you, Dani" she said, her hand on her swelled belly. "What're you thinking? Should we check it out?" she asked, looking back to the staircase. "Sounds like its all coming from a second floor above.. not the one these stairs lead to but the next".
Billy
Looking back over his shoulder again, he holstered his gun and folded his arms. "Where are you all heading?" he asked, glancing to the boy that spoke. Billy spotted his holstered weapon and backed up slightly, encase he had to run.
Dani nodded at Gina, "I'll go check it out, it's safer for you to stay down here, go under the staircase, where I was." Dani figured that if whatever was upstairs was dangerous, it was better for one person to die than two people, one who wouldn't even have a chance to be alive."
Faith glanced at Lukas then back at Billy, "Nowhere," she scratched the back of her mouth, "At least nowhere that I know of."