When All is Lost

Chapter 61

I tightened my grip on the hatchet, trying to get a feel for the weight of it. I didn't recognize it or a few of the other items and it made me wonder what else my group might have come across while we'd been split up.

"Thanks," I told her, grateful for both her help and the new weapon. She gave me a hint of a smile, but she was already focused on our surroundings. More zombies were coming.

The two of us began to quickly distribute weapons to the six. The man with his arm in a sling came out with nothing. "What's your name?" I asked him. His distress radiated off of him, but I didn't let it in. "Just stay by one of us, we'll take care of you," I promised, doing my best to reassure him.

"Patrick," he answered tightly.

"Nice to meet you." I watched as a zombie came out from an alleyway just past his shoulder. "Now stay behind me."

We couldn't run. As if they emerged from the darkness itself, zombies appeared to be coming from every direction.

We're trapped.

"We need to get inside," Patrick hissed beside me.

"No," Neveah snapped. "We need to find an opening."

As if feeling his stare, I turned my head to meet eyes with Ian. His eyes held warmth even if they were tinged with fear. I smiled at him and he returned it.

Taking a deep breath, I knew I had to make the call. "Stick together. Let's form a circle and work together. If you see an opening call it out. Alright?"

I pushed Patrick into the center of our circle and turned my back on him. Looking straight ahead, I faced the street we'd come from and no fewer than a dozen zombies were fighting against their own stiff limbs to rush for us.

Not even wanting to imagine what the others faced, I raised my hatchet. The zombie that made it to me first was once a woman, however, her cheeks were so gaunt that she looked almost skeletal.

I had no time to ponder it more before she was on me. With my heart in my throat, I slashed my hatchet at the zombie's head, effectively ripping open the thin, delicate skin of its cheek. The smell hit me like a cannonball, making me gag even as I went to try to hit her again. On the second swing, my hatchet hit deep.

"Do we shoot?" Carlos asked urgently, alarm pitching his voice a key higher than I'd ever heard it.

Too many.

There are too many.

As the zombie I'd hit fell to the ground, it took my hatchet with it. I had to scramble to get a hold of its handle again. I held my breath against the smell as it took a few hard yanks to free my weapon.

"Do it," I ordered. There were already too many close calls. We had to fight with every resource we had. Too many shots had been made already. A few more couldn't cause more damage than what had already been done.

Carlos's rifle went off right by my ear, making my ear ring worse than ever before. It was so loud that I couldn't make out what people were saying, everything came out muffled. Not even having the chance to try to rub it out, I faced another zombie – one that still looked very much human.

The thing got a hold of my sleeve and wouldn't let go. It had a full head on me and was about twice my size, so when it began to pull on me, I went with it.

"Hit it!" Patrick screamed in my good ear.

I tried. I hacked at its face but with our tug-of-war going on, I couldn't get the angle I needed. After another miss, I changed tactics and began to whack the hatchet down as hard as I could on the arm that held me.