Officer of the Dead

Chapter Four

"I...I don't know," he says, glancing down at your hand grasping his tightly. He pulls back from your grasp, taking your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours "...but we're not alone, you understand?" he says, squeezing your hand tight as he looks at you. You nod at him, unable to form a response, feeling your nerves calm at his reassurance. "Good. Now let's get back to the factory, tell the others about this and make our way to that hotel, okay?"

"O...okay," you stutter as he removes his hand from yours, placing the notebook back into his breast pocket. You reposition yourself as you grasp the wheel, continuing the drive to the factory - you are only a short distance away now.

As you approach the factory you see the pickup truck Steve had driven off in, parked outside of the fence. You hear Ronnie chuckle slightly as you come to a stop behind the pickup, switching off the engine.

"I have the key," he says, reaching into his pocket and pulling the keys out, waving them slightly.

You realise you had locked the gate when you left the factory last week and Ronnie was the only one who had a set of keys, meaning Steve wouldn't have been able to gain entry into the factory, unless he ...

"Has the fence been damaged?" you ask, looking at Ronnie. The amused look on his face falls as you assume he's realised the same as you. Had Steve gained access to the factory and if so, how?

"Let's find out," he says, exiting the car and grasping his machete. You follow behind him cautiously, now unsure if the factory was safe. As expected you find the fence damaged - the chain link had somehow been cut, making a large hole. Ronnie pauses as he examines the damage as your attention is caught by the faint sound of someone calling your name. You look towards the factory to see Lucy running towards you and Ronnie.

"Oh my god, I can't believe it! You're ALIVE!! " Lucy says excitedly reaching the fence, slightly breathless."Steve said the zombies had got you both!"

"Yeah we're fine, what about everyone else?" you ask, concerned with the group's safety with the damage caused to the fence.

"Yes, we're fine, now come on, let's get you inside!" Lucy says, gesturing for you and Ronnie to come with her. You both climb through the hole in the fence, leaving it exposed as you walk towards the factory.

"That fence needs fixing," Ronnie says to Lucy, pointing back towards it.

"It's fine, there's no zombies around here," she says, answering Ronnie, linking her arm with yours as Ronnie follows behind you both. As you enter the factory, Lucy removes her arm, shouting out to the others.

"Guys! Look who's back!" Lucy shouts out, causing the others to come together and congregate in the center of the factory. Steve pauses as he locks eyes with you.

"How the fuck did you manage that?" he asks, looking shocked as he throws his arms in the air in disbelief. Before you've even had a chance to respond he butts in. "You're lucky, it was suicide running back to that Grocery Store, y'know that?" he says, pausing slightly, crossing his arms, "You should've left with me."

"What?" Ronnie asks, looking at you. You realise you failed to inform Ronnie about that. "Why didn't you leave with him?" he asks, putting you on the spot. The entire group is looking at you now, making you feel uncomfortable.

"I...I...I told you," you say, words stuttering out, "I tried to get to you," you respond looking at Ronnie. His jaw clenches, looking angry, "I couldn't just lea-"

"Forget it," he snaps back. You can see the rage in his eyes as he looks over his glasses at you before turning to look at the rest of the group. You bite the inside of your lip, as you stand there quietly, embarrassed, anger building in you. Who does he think he is, talking to you like that in front of everyone? You weren't one for conflict - in all honesty you had never had the confidence to answer anyone back - but he was being infuriating. He was utterly frustrating; not even half an hour ago he had held your hand and calmed you down and now he had the audacity to act like this.