Time to Survive

No Food, No Hope

  Chris POV

"Move it!" I hissed, thundering along the rooftops, seeing the sky darkening. It was all Kylie could do to keep up with us, and Devins hand was clutched tightly around her wrist, dragging him back with her.

Kelsey was right, she should have stayed behind.

I jumped across the rooftop to another one, sliding to a harsh stop. We were only a block from the bar, but the sun was setting, and we didn't have a lot of time.

"Hurry up!"

"We're going as fast as we can," Balz panted, leaning down to catch his breath. "We're not far away."

"We're gonna have to cross the street," I huffed, seeing the sign for the bar. "Check ---."

Devin yelped at the same time I heard a loud crack, and I jerked, seeing the roof where he was standing give way. Kylie gave a shriek of surprise, latching onto his shirt as he went down, the rest of us shouting as we went for him.

"Don't move!" Kylie gasped at us, and we froze, the rooftop trembling under our feet.

Uh oh.

We were on top of an old hardware store, the front of it glass, probably built here decade ago.
And not built well.

"What do we do?" Balz stood frozen, looking worried.

"Babe, drop me!" I heard Devin cry.

"No!" Kylie cried, looking down at Devin where he dangled half a story; I couldn't see him from where I stood, but I could only imagine his face.

"You gotta drop me! I'm dragging you down!"

"I don't care!" she hissed, "I'm not gonna lose you again!"

I heard moans below us.

"Lift your legs!" Kylie gasped, her dark hair falling in her face. "Please, Devin!"

The roof gave more at whatever movement he made.

I heard the radio go off, Kelsey and Ryan calling for us, but any movement right now could collapse us.

They would have to wait.

"How many are down there?" I asked, holding tight to the broken hockey stick in my hand.

"Three!" Devins muffled voice called from the hole.

I looked at Balz.

"We could survive them, but what about the fall?" he murmured. "How far down is it?"

"If he doesn't lift his legs they'll get him," Kylies face was strained, and I could see her muscles trembling from her boyfriends weight.

She couldn't hold onto him much longer.

"So not too far," I guessed. "We could probably make it."

The radio went off again, and Balz shifted as he went to reach behind him into his pack.

The rooftop groaned.

"Fuck! I can't reach the radio, man," his face whitened. "What if we need them?"

"We'll be fine," I muttered, estimating the drop; we could probably survive.

Probably.

Some of us.

Fuck!

I clenched my hands.

They were my responsibility, I couldn't let any of them get hurt.

Or end up like Angelo.

"Move slowly back to the edge," I muttered at Balz, and he sent me a nervous look as he slowly did as told, reaching the upraised ledge safely, the roof cracking under his weight like ice.

"Radio them!" I ordered when I was sure he wouldn't fall through. "Tell them whats ---."

Kylie shrieked, and I turned as she started to go over, the roof caving. I lurched forward thoughtlessly, grabbing her waist and jerking her back against my chest.

"Devin!" she screamed, fighting me as she tried to follow him down.

He landed hard on his back with a gasp, the three deaders ambling around turning towards the sound.

Shit!

"Get up!" I shouted at him, and he scrambled hastily to his feet, staggering back into the wall, looking disoriented.

I shoved Kylie to the edge of the building, nearly knocking her off, and then I slid down the hole, feeling the broken ceiling rip at my clothes as I fell, one of the deaders breaking my fall.
I guess they were good for something.

I jerked to my feet, quickly stabbing it through the eye, and darted back as the other two deaders started in my direction.

Devin was behind the counter, and he grabbed a hammer off one of the racks, killing one deader with it and splattering himself with blood.

The other one wasn't much of a challenge either.

"You okay?" I gasped, trying to catch my breath when they were all dead.

Devin grimaced, but nodded, stretching his back.

"Get off the roof if you can!" I called up through the hole, unable to see Kylie or Balz. "We'll meet you below!"

"Be careful! Is Devin okay!?"

"I'm fine!" he called up, his hair covered in white plaster dust. "Just get off the roof while you can!"

I looked around, seeing the hardware stood had already been raided for any supplies that had been useful; there was a box of nails left on one of the shelves, and that was about it. The rest of it littered the floor where someone had apparently been fighting in here, some blood on the walls.

"How do we get out of here?" Devin asked, and I glanced at the metal shelves. I lifted a box of carpenter bricks up, then glanced at the glass windows.

Well.

I threw one of the bricks against the window, the entire wall of glass collapsing.

"Come on," I murmured, and he climbed out behind me.

I turned tensely as I heard loud footsteps racing toward us, and Kelsey suddenly appeared from a side alley, breathing hard.

"Are you guys okay?" she gasped, her eyes searching us for injuries.

"Fine," Devin wheezed, looking back at the hardware store as his girlfriend climbed down the gutters and then sprinted towards us, locking her arms around him and sobbing.

Balz huffed as he neared.

"You gave us a heart attack," he scowled at the two of us. "Don't do that!"

"Where's Ryan?" I asked, ignoring him.

"Waiting at the bar, let's go," Kelsey turned with a glance at Devin, and we followed her back down the alley, the sun completely gone now.

I heard someone stumble behind me and a curse as Balz ran into the dumpster, none of us with any lights we dared waste.

We shouldve been more careful, I thought to myself, seeing Ryan standing in front of the bar doors, looking relieved when he saw all of us together.

"We need to get back to the cars tomorrow and drop our supplies off," Kelsey sighed as we all stepped into the bar, candles lit everywhere giving off a soft light. "Someone should take them back."

"Fine," I fell into one of the chairs wearily, blood and grime covering my skin.

I hadn't missed this feeling.
I hadn't missed this city.

"What happened?" I heard Ryan ask Devin as he limped to a table, Kylies arms supporting him.

"Roof gave out from under us," he grunted, propping his foot in a chair. "I fell through."

"Jesus," Ryan muttered, and he stepped around the bar. "You need a drink. Here, this is all they got left."

"Scotch is fine," Devin sighed, taking it from him and chugging it quickly.

This city was getting more dangerous as the months went on, and the deaders weren't the only thing to worry about anymore.

Kelsey glanced at me, and I stepped to her where she sat on one of the green stools, her pack at her feet.

"You okay?" I asked, seeing her shoulders bruised through her ripped shirt.

"Yeah," she nodded, dark hair tied loosely behind her. "My pack got too heavy. We got lucky in some of the apartments. Found some games for Ricky."

"Cool, he'll appreciate it," I plopped down on the stools with a grimace.

It was an irish bar, so everything was green; the bottles, the booths, the tables; hell, even some of the beer had been suspiciously green.

"You wanna drink?" Ryan asked us, and both of us shook our heads; I didn't drink anyway.

"No," Kelsey sighed, letting her hair fall loose around her shoulders. "We can't afford to be wasted. We need to block the doors up again for the night, and the kitchen too; we didn't have time to check it."

"I got it," Balz started half-heartedly shoving furniture in front of the door. "Don't you guys worry. I'll guard through the night and nothings getting in."

Kelsey grimaced, and I could tell something sarcastic ran through her mind.

My eyes roved over our broken group; it didn't seem right without Ricky.

"Devin and Kylie should go back tomorrow," Kelsey told me softly when everyone had settled down. "Especially after that fall. They could check up on Ricky and stay the night before heading back."

"I agree," I sighed, wishing I did drink; my ribs were aching, and anything to soften the pain would be appreciated right now.

Maybe I hadnt quite been ready for all this movement.

I sighed, and started blowing out the candles as the group started to sleep.

Ryan was lightly snoring in one of the bunks, passed out, and Kylie was curled up in the floor beside Devin, the scotch in his system knocking him out.

Balz stood vigilantly at the door.

That was probably the best sleep Ryan and Devin would get.

Kelsey shifted on her stool, her eyes bored as they skimmed an old magazine, and I glanced down at her torn jeans, seeing fresh blood staining them.

"Um, Kels?"

She glanced over, then down, and got to her feet, looking surprised.

Her eyes roved beneath the bar, and she suddenly pulled me back by my shirt, nearly making me fall off my stool.

I followed her gaze, and grimaced.

No Food, No Hope, was scribbled across the underside of the bar, still fresh.

"The people in here must have just died," Kelsey muttered, shuddering. "That's so fresh. They probably ran out of food."

"It's alright, it happens." I sighed wearily; I just wanted to sleep.

I didn't want to worry about the dead anymore, no matter how recently deceased they might be.

"Get some sleep, Kels," I ordered, squeezing her hand where it was still latched onto my shirt sleve. "We're gonna need it."