Kids Never Die

Chapter 29: The Jimi Hendrix Experience

The man was staring above us with his eyes perched wide open. I lowered my gun slowly and straightened my stance. I stepped toward him slowly, yet he did not move. My grip tightened around the needle hanging from his arm and gave it a slight yank.

A small amount of blood released from his veins and onto the needle that was dug deep in his arm. There was a strong scent coming from him. That of cheap alcohol and many other drugs such as marijuana and heroin. I stepped back. He was still peering into the distance, looking at nothing in particular.

I threw the syringe needle to Josh. "He's not just stoned. His skin is coming off. This dude is falling apart at the seams."

The man broke out in an abrupt laughter, before falling to his hands and knees and throwing up. Josh and I helped him to his feet, buttoned his pants and tucked his shirt in, and he cleaned up rather well. He looked like a respectable man just down the wrong path, like an accountant or high end business man.

There was pounding outside the glass walls of the building. Josh pocketed the needle, the veered in my direction taking baby steps. "I think they found us." He looked to the other man, then back to me. "Maybe we should leave... Like... Now."

"Good idea," I nodded.

Sadie walked up to me. "Are you seriously thinking about bringing a drug addict along with us?"

"We can't just let him die." I shook my head.

"I hope you know what you're doing" she glared at me.

I put my hand on her waist. "You know I know what I'm doing."

She rested her hand gently on the side of my face. Then she stood on the tips of her toes and closed her eyes. I clenched mine shut and pulled in closer. Just before our lips met, she turned her head to my ear and whispered, "Yeah, but you're an idiot."

She swung her hips around and skipped away from me. The man walked up beside me. "Damn, she's hot." I pushed him back, then commanded that we go. Sam, Josh, Sadie, the new guy, and I all dashed up the stairs quickly. Once we reached the floor with the truck, we all ran for it. All of us, but the new guy. He sprinted the opposite direction.

"Where the hell are you going?" Asked Morgan.

"I have to grab something before we go." He shouted.

I looked to Josh. We both shrugged to each other, then kept watching for him. Morgan started up the car and Sadie, Nick, Gavin and Trenton all mounted in back. Josh started loading our guns in the front seat.

The pound on the windows got louder and closer. The zombies were climbing the building. Finally, the man stammered out of his room carrying two large suit cases. When he got ti the truck, he handed them to Josh. Josh was overtaken by the weight.

"What the hell is in these?" He asked.

The man started laughing. "Oh just some stuff?"

"Do you really need all this?" I asked

" 'You' has a name, you know?" He sassed.

I rolled my eyes. "What is your name?"

"I told you earlier, it's Samuel." He puffed up his chest.

Josh unlatched the first suitcase, and bottles upon bottles if blue and red pulls spilled across the floor. Samuel jumped into them like a flowing sea. "My babies!" He cried. Josh kicked them, along with the suitcase, over the balcony edge. Sam threw himself to his feet. "You wanna fight little man." Sam rose his fists in front of his face. "I've studied ju... Jew.... Juji... Jitz.... Uh. Chinese fighting shit. I ain't afraid of you. "

Josh threw one punch right into his nose and Samuel fell flat on his back, knocked out. Josh opened up the other suitcase and his eyes lit up. "Come look at this." He gestured. I walked over, concerned about the zombies climbing.

"What is it?" I asked, then my eyes began to glow too.

"A shit ton of cash." Josh nodded.

I closed the suit case. "Take it. I'll get pill junky in the truck here and we can go."

"Right." He smiled.

I threw Samuel over my shoulder and placed him in the back of the truck with the others, then I met Josh and Morgan back in the front seat. Morgan shifted into drive and we raced down the balcony hallway to the opposite wall that we crashed from and through the glass we went. We were diving quickly down the slope of the pyramid, racing for the street below.

There was no friction between the building and the tires of the truck. We slid left and right, slipping like on ice. But once we reached the ground, the tires shifted into full throttle. We took off passed stalled cars and into the distance.

Vegas disappeared behind us, but our friend in the back was still hearing chimes. Samuel sat up with his eyes crossed and his head rocking back and fourth. I rolled my eyes, peering through the back window. "This is gonna be a long day."