The Immune

13.Home run

The morning was bright with only a hint of cloud upon the horizon.
Will and I woke with the sun, collecting our gear and readying ourselves for the day ahead.
With Brooke in the wheelbarrow, we slowly made our way to the highway in the fresh morning light. Everything seemed a bit too bright, almost too happy. I couldn't help the foreboding feeling within me. Today, was my last day of freedom. I was willingly walking to the end.
The barren highway cut through the quiet city, with sky scrapers watching on with vacant eyes. Rusted cars blocked off incoming roads, creating a almost protected Avenue.
Will pushed the wheelbarrow through a damaged storefront window, enabling us the get on to the road.
Brooke hadn't woken up since yesterday. Her silence pushed us faster.
"We're going to head further into the city. It should take us a little while. What we really need is to find us a car. So we can be protected and not left out in the open." he said. We were too exposed. There were too many holes, too many ways for a passing zombie to spot us.
The road stretched ahead, where it turned away in the distance. The only sound was the howling wind rushing past us moving up and down the forsaken streets.
" Do you know how to hot wire a car? " Will asked.
" uh yeah. Should be alright."
"Good. I am absolutely rubbish. It's all on you. No pressure." he laughed, pushing Brooke along.
"Great. Hopefully there aren't a herd of zombies chasing after us."
"Don't jinx us. There's a car there." he said pointing to a beat up looking van.
"If a zombie herd does chase after us, and do kill us because you can't start the car. I will kill you in the after life."

The old van looked in relatively good condition, with windows intact and parked nicely off to the side of the road. Whoever left it here, were probably coming back for it. Hopefully there was still fuel left in the thing.
Will left Brooke in the wheelbarrow, circling the car with me. We needed to be sure there was nothing dead or alive living inside.
With a heave Will pulled open the front door, leaning back to allow me and my gun access to the front.
" clear."
Will waited patiently as I got into the car, and began my search for the wires beneath the console.
"this should work." hopefully, I thought. " knife?".
Instead of answering he leaned in close and flipped the visor above my head down. A set of keys fell Into my lap.
" oh" I laughed, " how did you know they would be there" Will had a big smile on his face.
" Thought something was funny. Like this car was placed here. Undamaged, spacious. It's probably for situations like this." I nodded along, understanding.
" It's either that or they popped in to a nearby store to grab their weekly groceries and are going to be dreadfully angry to find their car missing when they get back"
We both laughed.
I put the keys in the ignition, suddenly nervous, and started the car. The machine roared to life, and I couldn't help cheering. Will pulled a canister from his backpack, adding the murky liquid to the petrol tank.
Will put Brooke and the wheelbarrow in the back.

"There's almost half a tank of gas in her, so that should hopefully get us abit of the way."

Will had decided he would drive, considering he knew where we are going.
The car pulled away from the edge of the highway, and we began the trip that would take us deep into the city.

We passed empty buildings and deserted streets, we drove around decaying vehicles and lush vegetation. The highway was only completed a few years ago, the once clean strip of road was however, now awash with clutter. The protective walls were collapsing, as though they were slowly being deconstructed. Meandering forms ran forward, the highway was no longer zombie free.
Who knows what would have happened if we hadn't come across the car.
The number of zombies were increasing the deeper we went into the city.
" I don't get it. The zombies were supposed to be in the country.I thought that they followed us outside, looking for food." I said, looking at all the figures lunging after us.
" It is strange. Considering there were so many zombies in the woods. Maybe, maybe they are concentrating. Grouping up because food is scarce."
I merely nodded. Who knew what those creatures thought.
I ducked into the back of the van, and checked up on Brooke. She lay unconscious on the cold metal bench. She hadn't changed at all. Her deathly pale skin was cool to the touch. I felt her pulse, feeling only a slow flutter of a heart beat.
"Will, her heart beat is really slow." he didn't respond, other than a slight acceleration.
I crawled back to the front, and buckled in.
Will looked tense, with his jaw locked and hand tight on the wheel.
"How far away are we."
"Too far. There's a bad storm coming. It'll bring darkness quickly. It's going to make it hard to see."
" That's okay. We need to make it."