Outbreak

Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Avi

Reyes...He is the only father I have really ever known, and then he is taken from me. God, I'm stupid. If only we didn't go on the run with him, he might have been able to avoid the ambulance full of criminals.

My mind wanders back to the boy that had seen me in the mall windows, and questions fly threw my head like there's a mini tornado in it.

Why did they only take Reyes? Why didn't they take me? Why didn't the boy say anything? What do they want with Reyes?

I count in my head, then run down the escape shoot, racing down the metal stairs and trying to draw some attention from Marlowe to me. I jump down and shoot a few wandering infected before sprinting towards the exit. Zekes were limping ungracefully after her, but when some see me, they start to come after me.

Marlowe turns towards me, leaving the door open but there is a look of worry and doubt. She thinks I will not make it.

"Move out of the way!" I shout at her and push myself to run harder. I will not give up.

She steps back and the door starts to close. I hear the moans and growls of the undead behind me which persuades me to run faster. I slide onto the tile floor as they reach for me.

Marlowe closes the glass door with extra strength and I pull a lever that brings down the metal cage door that will be our last line of defense.

I sweat like I am in the Arizona sun and breathe heavily from the adrenaline that is electrifying my blood.

"Right, let's get this over with and get out a here." Marlowe says, her voice sounding airy and dry. She clears her throat and turns on her heels to the non-moving escalator.

I move towards the food section, wondering what we needed. I make my way up the aisles, my eyes grazing over the different food products. I find canned beans and shove them into one of my packs.

I fill the first as much as I can with food that is edible and hasn't turned bad before making my way back up to the top floor.

Then the glass breaks...

I whip my head to the entrance, my cross bow at the ready when I remember we had that metal door. I gaze at the the inhumane creatures that try so desperately to get to me, their eyes filled with hunger and something that isn't right. Something that isn't human.

I tread up the stilled escalator slowly and make my way to the clothes department again.

Those bastards ruined my other outfit yesterday.

And I feel like I can act like a girl now that I'm in a mall.

I grab some pale, skinny jeans that have holes in them and a muscle tank that has an American flag design on the front. Grasping some other shirts and pants, I decide I have enough.

At the shoe department, I try on white combat boots that matches my new shirt and grab some brown ones that are folded down, showing a red, plaid pattern that is on the inside. The shoes make me long for a regular day before the collapse for some reason.

I sigh heavily and head back down to the main floor to wait for Marlowe.

"Make sure you get some arrows for my crossbow. I am kinda running low." I mutter into my walkie-talkie. She replies with an okay back through hers and I look around, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the screams of the infected.

How did the world become like this?

The screams stop and the sudden change of sound makes me turn back to the front doors. One by one, the infected screech and turn to something that had caught their attention outside.

"Hang on, I'm going to check on something." I click the "off" button so that Marlowe doesn't have a chance to say no and try to stop me.

I place my hands on the lever and pull the metal cage door up a few feet, so that if I needed to come back in, I could lower the door quickly.

I try to glance around the building wall to see what is so interesting. Why did they leave?

And then I see.

I jump out and start shooting at the infected closest to me. "Hey! Over here!" I draw some attention to me and from the people they are running after.

I start sprinting down the other side of the street, grabbing more attention from the mini horde.

I stop and shoot more, but have to stop when my quiver runs out of arrows. There are three more that are slowly treading towards me with that hungry look they usually wear.

I take out my machete and run at the closest one and take my chance at running back to the mall's front doors.

I raise my hands to my face and shout, "Over here! Hey!"

The small group I saw earlier turn towards me and start making their way over to the mall.

My machete is still out and I kill the ones that get too close to me. I try to make some room for them, but more infected are coming at me.

"Hurry! I can't hold them off anymore!" I bellow out as they pass me. I crawl under the door after killing a few more and pull the door down with the lever.

I turn towards the small group that is breathing heavily.

One of the guys, a blonde with a round face and gorgeous green eyes nods his head towards our makeshift door. " That gonna hold?"

"Has so far." I press the "on" button on my walkie-talkie. "Marlowe, I'm fine, but you're gonna wanna come see this."

"If you got bit, I'm gonna kick your ass." She says back sassily, but I can here the obvious and in her voice as she tried to hide it.

I turn back towards the group. "Don't get too comfortable. Marlowe doesn't take well to strangers."

"If Toni won't say it, I will. Thanks for helping us...even if we can't stay." The other boy with short black hair and tan skin says, making me internally wine at his words.

I nod to him, and observe each one individually. There is a five people: the two boys around our age and a three person family.

The father is tall and frail, towering over everyone. He has light, brown hair and pale skin that remind me of my own father.

His wife looks like the exact opposite of him. She is curvy and average heighth will golden, blonde hair that end at her shoulders.

They have a small girl that is maybe ten years old and really tiny for her age. It is as if her parents haven't fed her.

When I hear footsteps behind me, I turn with a sarcastic smile on my face and I am about to say, "Surprise! Look what I found?"

But Marlowe is standing menacingly with a pistol in both hands, her finger on the trigger and ready to pull.