Merman - Romance

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Ridec hurried out of the door and pressed it shut behind him.  He needn’t have bothered about finding a way to distract the others from Jessell because they were all at the top of the steps with their ears pressed against the door listening for the sound of zombies.

He didn’t speak just moved quietly up the steps to join them.

“What’s going on?”  He felt compelled to whisper because the group seemed bent on being quiet.

“Don’t know,” Kyle responded in a hushed voice.  “Maybe hiding out down here will work after all.”

“None of those things seem to be coming down the staircase, wish we could see where they went,” Rea muttered.

“We’d have to open the door,” Pete whispered looking quite nervous at the prospect.

“Maybe this might be our chance to get out of this place,” Kent suggested pressing his ear more firmly against the door.  “Darn these doors are so thick.”

“Maybe if we opened it just a crack,” Kate suggested hesitantly.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ridec whispered.

“No one asked you,” Kent said turning the lock on the door and gripping the knob firmly.

“If they burst in here we won’t be able to fight them,” Kyle said.

“We can’t live down here, I should never have come down here in the first place,” Kent muttered.

“Too late for second guessing,” Kyle put in.

The sound of a door swinging open downstairs caused everyone to turn around.

“Jessell…”  Ridec’s eyes widened in shock, Jessell was stumbling forward from the small room she had locked herself in.

“I…I found a tunnel.”  It seemed as if she was barely able to get the words out.

“Jessell!”  Ridec took the stairs two at a time racing towards Jessell’s side, she was gripping onto a nearby shelf to help her stand straight.

“What happened to you?”  Kent seemed genuinely concerned.

“I’m fine, let’s get out of here while we have the chance,” Jessell mumbled brushing Ridec’s arm from her shoulder and stumbling back towards the open door.  “There’s a tunnel.”

“Where does it lead?”  Rea asked.  “We never saw any tunnel down here.”

“Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth,” Kyle put in hurrying forward.

“Jessell…”  Ridec gripped Jessell’s shoulder firmly.

“Get off of me, I’m fine…”  She didn’t get to finish the sentence as she passed out and if Ridec had not been so close she would have fallen to the floor but he had gripped her in his arms and swept her up against his chest in a second.

“We can’t carry her,” Linda muttered.  “She’ll slow us down and get us killed.”

Ridec didn’t answer, he didn’t feel he needed to answer, there was no way any of them could stop him from carry Jessell; they would have to kill him first.

“Let’s just go look at the tunnel and see how far out it leads from this place,” Kyle suggested pushing past and entering the room, the rest hurried in behind him.

“The hole’s not too wide but I guess we could squeeze through.”

“We don’t even know if it goes straight through to the other side,” Kate pointed out.

“And what if those things are coming in from the other side?”  Linda put in.

“I’ll go through first and then you lot can follow,” Kent suggested.

“I don’t think you’re going to be able to make it through there with her kid,” Kyle said sadly.  “Maybe if we leave her here when she comes to she can…”

“If she doesn’t go then I don’t go,” Ridec said firmly.

“You’re going,” Linda insisted.  “Even if we have to drag you.”

“Really?  I’ll be kicking and screaming and attracting the attention of every zombie for miles around if you try to force me to leave Jessell,”  Ridec said seriously.

“If you attract their attention they’ll kill you.”

“I don’t care.”

“We’ll think of a way to bring her with us,” Kent said already starting to climb through the hole.  “The first thing we have to determine is exactly where this hole leads.”

“I’ll go next,” Rea offered after a couple of minutes.

“Well we didn’t hear any screams so that’s always a good sign,” Kyle muttered.

“Pete can go next,” Ridec said.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Pete said.

“I’ll be following right behind you,” Ridec promised.  “We’ll be following right behind you,” Ridec added cradling Jessell’s body closer to him.

The other’s were right the hole was going to be just big enough to hold him carrying Jessell close to his body, she would be sure to get a few bumps and bruises on the way out but that certainly beat leaving her there unconscious and hoping that she awoke before those creatures decided to come downstairs.

“I’ll follow you,” Kyle said as Ridec laid his body flat in the space and Kyle helped to put Jessell’s body on top of his.  All he needed to do now was find some grips with his hands and legs and try to drag both of their bodies through the confined space; it was not going to be easy, not by a long shot.

When Ridec saw the first faint light of dawn he breathed a sigh of relief.  Kent was on the other side to grip his arms and help pull him the balance of the way through, he clung to Jessell making sure she wouldn’t be left behind.

“It’s clear out here,” Kent muttered.

“Freaky,” Rea agreed.

“Let’s hope the others hurry through, we’re going to the school,” Ridec said.

“The school?”  Rea questioned.  “I thought Jessell wanted to go to the hospital?”

“Jessell can’t talk right now and I say we go to the school.  We need to get cover and let Jessell recover.  The last thing we need is to be roaming around tired and having to be carrying Jessell,” Ridec explained and Kent nodded.

“We’ll give the others a few minutes to make it out and then we’ll head off,” Kent said as Kyle crawled out followed by Linda and Kate.

“Where are all the creatures?”  Kate asked.

“I’m not sure but…” Ridec adjusted Jessell in his arms; he was already starting to feel the strain.  “I think they are all inside and upstairs, that’s why we couldn’t hear them in the cellar.”

“Why would they all go upstairs?”  Pete wanted to know as the group started walking away.

“That’s a good question,” Ridec grunted.  “The only think up there was Tim, Oriel and the baby.”

“We can solve that mystery later, for now I think we need to try to put as much distance between us and this place, something tells me that whatever caused them to go upstairs won’t keep them upstairs much longer,” Kyle said.  “So if you know the way to the school son, I’d suggest you take the lead and hurry.”

“Let me carry Jessell,” Kent suggested.  “It’ll make the journey easier on you.”

“No,” Ridec responded.  It wasn’t that he couldn’t have used the help but he didn’t trust Kent and he wasn’t about to place his most precious possession in the world in the hands of the man he trusted the least in the world.