Buzzkill (A Lesbian Story)

27: I Hate Missions

  Andrea let her hand fall as she walked with Doc back to the kitchen, Thor and Hawkeye going with her. They disappeared behind the door and I looked over to Amelia, who sunk into a chair. Tears welled in her eyes. I looked to Steve and pointed my eyes at Amelia before raising an eyebrow. We both walked over to her, Steve stood next to her while I sat across from her.

  "I don't know who they were to you, Amelia, but I'm sorry." Steve said with a hand on her shoulder.

  Amelia looked at the table as a tear slid down her cheek. "Robert and Gabriel were my best friends." She wiped her tears and laughed softly. "Of course those idiots did that."

  "Im sorry for your loss." I reached forward to put a hand over hers.

  Amelia looked at us with a sad smile. She squeezed my hand and then put a hand on Steve's over her shoulder. "Thank you. At least they died trying to get them out. But you guys are here to help. I really appreciate this. Just taking a random stranger and helping my family..."

  "The world needs people who are willing to help." Steve nodded, "If not, then there is no hope."

  "We've got movement." I heard Andrew grunt.

  I stood and walked over to the Subway entrance to see him pointing to the third floor. There was a horde of zombies swaying by the rail. There looked to be about 20 up there, walking aimlessly.

  "I don't think they've noticed us yet." Kenz said.

  "And let's keep it like that, shall we?" I instinctively reached for my pistol to make sure it was still there before walking back over to Steve and Amelia. "We need to leave soon, so get ready."

  Amelia was on her feet and the back door opened. Andrea and Doc came out carrying a guy between them, his thigh wrapped in gauze. His darker skin looked pale and he was sweaty. He definitely looked like he could be either low on blood or infected, but Doc didn't look bothered. He was definitely in good hands.

  Amelia went forward to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Im glad you're alright, Mel." She said and backed away enough for them to get Mel by. Six more people came out half were small children. Thor and Hawkeye were the last ones out, carrying duffel bags of supplies. Thor had a sandwich in his hand, grinning at me as he took a bite.

  "Can't go without a snack, right?" He said through a mouthful.

  I rolled my eyes and jerked my thumb towards the outside area, "We've got a group up on the third floor. Haven't noticed us yet, but we should skidaddle before its too late."

  "You're so ready, Maxie." Thor said and put an arm over my shoulder. I rose an eyebrow at him as we all walked as a group outside of the Subway and through the food court. "They won't get to us quick enough."

  "Im just cautious." I slipped out from under his arm and looked up to keep an eye on the horde. They moved slowly, so I was sure they wouldn't get to us even if we did get their attention. Their groans and growls echoed throughout the quiet mall.

  "I don't like that." Amelia muttered next to me, her eyes also up on the group. "It makes me anxious."

  "They won't notice us." Steve said from the other side of her. He looked away from the group and back in front of us, his rifle at the ready. "Even if they do, they won't get us-"

  Gunshots rang out and I spun around to see Andrew pointing his gun up at the third floor and pulling the trigger. What a dumbass. I rushed forward and grabbed his arm to make him stop.

  He pushed me away, "What the hell!"

  "Me what the hell? You what the hell?!" I pushed him back. "What the honest hell are you doing? Target practice?"

  Andrew hardened his eyes, "Yes. I am. They won't be able to get us. We'll be fine-"

  There was a loud crash and a smack followed it shortly. I looked over to see a zombie's body on the ground, black blood seeping from it's head. My eyes went up as another fell to the ground. The glass railing was gone and zombies just kept swaying to the edge, falling down to hit the ground.

  "Let's go!" Thor shouted, making us move our feet again.

  There was a constant slapping onto the ground that made me flinch. I counted 15 bodies hitting the ground. The growling was louder and angrier than before. I looked back to see a pile of bodies, some still moving since their heads didn't touch the cemet, but still stuck since bodies kept piling up. I walked backward with Steve next to me, keeping an eye on the pile of bodies to make sure they stay down. Last thing we needed was a few getting up to follow us out.

  The others were out to the front when Steve and I passed a toy store. Being the kid I was, of course that shit caught my eye. An idea popped into my head and I looked to Steve as we stopped in front of the store. "Remember the county fair in seventh grade?"

  That stirred a chuckle out of him, "Of course I do, man. You threw up on the Tilt-a-Whirl after eating four funnel cakes!"

  "After that!" I shoved his shoulder. "I did that game where you knock the bottles down by throwing a ball and won a giant penguin for Ash."

  Steve rose an eyebrow before his eyes went to the store. "You want to find a giant penguin in there?"

  "Or a small one." I said with a shrug before turning to Amelia. "We'll be right out. It'll only take a minute."

  "I'm coming with." Amelia said, throwing a look over her shoulder to her mom before following us into the store.

  I wish I could've had everything in that shop. A plethora of lego structures littered the place, a lot crashed over due to the chaos. Airplanes and solar system models hung from the ceiling. I would've killed to have one of those in my room. We got to a section of stuffed animals next to aisles that were knocked over like dominoes. Teddy bears made a pile with other animals strewn throughout them. Out of all the places a penguin stuffed animal could be, it was up towards the top of a fallen shelf. Sighing, I holstered my pistol before steadily climbing up the steep shelf.

  "If you get hurt over this damn penguin, Ash is going to kill you." Steve reminded me, "I hope you know that."

  "I'm fine." I said, reaching up to grab the penguin. My hand closed around the beak as my foot slipped over the edge between the wall and the shelf. Steadying myself once again, I smiled at Steve. "Im fine-"

  Just as I tried to pull my foot out, I felt a hand grip my ankle. There was quiet and high pitched groaning. A shiver went down my spine as I realized that it was a small child who had my foot. The hand barely covered my whole ankle, but gripped my shoe with an iron grip.

  "Fuck!" I exclaimed before jerking my foot away. The momentum sent me falling backwards into the pile of teddy bears. Letting out a breath, I looked up at Steve. "I'm fine."

  "Nice to meet you, Fine. Im-" His horrible Dad joke was interrupted by the teddy bear pile exploding. Two sets of hands appeared and they grabbed me. Screaming, I flailed around in the pile to get the hands off me. Growls echoed in my ear and I felt more hands grab my ankles and I was yanked off the pile and back onto the tile. Steve pulled me up and looked down at the two zombies trapped under the pile and the shelves.

  "Shit." He muttered, glancing at me. "You okay?"

  I reached up to touch my burning shoulder. The stitches were done for, no doubt. Blood seeped out from my t-shirt under my hoodie. "Like I said, I'm fine." My hand lifted our new penguin buddy. "Let's go take this prize to Ash."