-One Thing After Another-

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Boston, 2033


Infected screams and clicking echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls making it difficult to pinpoint what was where. Our exit was on the opposite side of the room and the center terminal was where most of the clickers roamed. That crossed out cutting straight across. Meaning, we had to go around the long way.

We moved at a snail's pace. Every step calculated because all it took was one wrong step to screw it all up. There was a method to the madness and Joel knew that method. Very well. We would go forward a few paces, then pause. He'd take a second to assess the situation, and once he was sure it was safe, we'd walk a little bit further.

Out of anxious habit, I looked ahead. I was positive he already saw it, but I tapped his shoulder anyway. His head twisted around, the beam from his light shining in my direction now. I pointed my finger at the runner twitching in place. 

"Up there," I whispered.

"I see 'em." 

We took cover behind a counter in a gift shop. His eyes peak over the edge, then he sunk back down. "I'm gonna sneak up behind it. You three stay here." 

There was no protest from any of us as he crept up on the infected. As soon as he was in reach, he acted quickly by standing straight up and putting it in a headlock. The runner struggled, its hands going for Joel's face, but Joel was stronger. He did one final tug on its neck, breaking it and the runner went limp. 

Take notes, Ruth.

Joel delicately laid it onto the floor before waving us over. Cautiously, we tip toed to the smuggler. 

"Exits right there," he whispered, and I gingerly poked my head around the corner to see the bit of natural light making its way into the dark room. It was close, but a bunch of the ceiling had caved in blocking most of the path and a couple of the clickers were hanging around that area.

A few inches in front of Joel rested a bottle. I didn't think anything of it, just that when we eventually moved from this spot to be extremely careful not to kick it, because that is something I'd absolutely do on accident. The smuggler, however, picked up the bottle and brought it over his shoulder aiming it out the broken window right above us into the clicker infested lobby.

My brows cinched together. "What are you doing?"

"Trust me," he spoke gruffly, then tossed it into the air. 

I cringed as the glass shattered on the floor and eruption of screams rang throughout the room. They last a few seconds, then it calmed down. 

"Look." Joel directed and I peeked over the sill, pleasantly surprised by what I saw. All the clickers congregated in the space where the bottle landed, searching for what made the noise. They were distracted and it cleared the pair that was in our way. 

𝐀𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 : 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫Where stories live. Discover now