HAZARD,
❨ iii. the piano ❩
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DARYL AND MARLEY grunted as the roamer pushed harder on the door. It hit the door with its own head, its shoulders, arms, everything. It was adamant to get in and either the dancer or the hunter were giving in... but the dancer was close.
The locks on the door were busted from the unknown person breaking in, so that was not one of their options. It probably wouldn't have worked anyway. The sheer weight that he had to uphold at that moment was enough for someone's bones to break, but luckily there was two of them.
"What do we do?" Marley whispered in a panicked tone. Her fingers shook and her nails tapped against the door as the base of her palms pressed forcefully. She looked to the man beside her, her green eyes burning with fear.
Another thud came from outside, followed by even more. There was now more than one. They were ganging up on them.
Marley's chest shuddered, as she was on the verge of panicking, but still kept her face looking at Daryl.
He looked down to her. "Do we have access to the roof?" he asked quietly in a hoarse voice.
She nodded, looking to her apartment over her shoulder. She didn't get to look at it much, though, as the weight got heavier and heavier.
"Find something to hold the door," he ordered, more desperate now. He turned from holding it with his hands to holding it with his back.
"I can't move... it's too heavy," Marley said, alarmed and scared. She now pressed the side of her face to the door, her cheek lips contorting with how she placed her face. "You can't take it."
"Dammit, girl! I can!" he all but nearly shouted. She cowered away from him, bringing her shoulders tense, and her hands reaching up to her face.
"Get something, now!" he ordered again, his voice getting louder despite recognising the look on her face from experience.
It was that face he knew so well, and it made him question who she was. The expression held betrayal whilst being laced with fear. That certain mixture meant something more to him.
She backed away from the door quickly, wanting to get away from him. She paused for a moment and stuck her lip out, on the verge of a bigger surge of panic than before.
"Go!" he roared, struggling to keep the door closed.
She bolted into Cordelia's apartment once again, looking around the old woman's room for what she had in mind.
Daryl tried his best to keep the door closed, gritting his teeth as it seemed more and more corpses piled up outside.
They must have smelt him, as their dirty, cold, fingers clawed at the frosted glass. The glass which was cracking. Spider-webbing under the pressure.
Like the girl, Daryl couldn't help but let the heavy feeling rise in his chest... panic. But he couldn't let himself, so he buried it away with all the other emotions that were dangerous for his survival.
He heard, besides the deathly groans and his exhausted breathing, a screeching wood-on-wood sound. His eyes flickered to the open door in curiosity.
Out peeked, from the doorway, a large stained wooden object from a profile view. It was shiny, and he had no idea what it was.
The redhead poked her head from above it, flicking her hair away from her face, but failing as a few strands stuck to her eyelashes.
He watched in shock as she scrunched up her face, making it turn slightly red, pushing the object further towards him.
"Is this good enough?" she squeaked, holding her breath.
"What is it?" he asked, nearly losing his footing, but gaining it back.
"A piano," she huffed as if it were obvious. If the piano had wheels, it would have been easier to push.
He nodded eagerly as she slowly made her way to the door. Their faces mirrored each others as they both held a weight greater than her own.
She was impressed with herself at her choice of object, and her upper strength wasn't usually up to par at that moment due to the rush of bad emotions turning her muscles to jelly. But being an exotic dancer trained you in some ways. She tried to flick away the hair in her face but failed, as they now also stuck to the sweat that was accumulating on her forehead.
After a painstaking amount of time, that felt longer than it was, she turned it so she could push it against the door.
Daryl moved as much as he could, letting it slide against the door snuggly. He soon enough helped her by pulling it towards him, easily sending it more length than she had done by pushing.
They both stepped back, breathing out into the air, exhausted, wiping their foreheads in unison.
They blocked the door just in time, as a roamer had broken a part of the window and was now grasping the broken piece, its blood seeping from his fingers. The blood was brown and sticky like hot wax.
Daryl looked at the shorter girl expectantly.
He took a chance to observe her for a moment, seeing her parted lips turn dry as she breathed, and her eyelashes twitch as her eyes scanned the door.
That moment was gone as he cleared his throat, and she looked at him. Blue and green meeting each other.
"Right," she realized, her voice more scratchy now. "The roof." She pointed her fingers upwards, and adjusted the straps of her backpack, straightening it. She ran around him and up the stairs. She nearly crawled up the stairs with exhaustion.
Daryl followed her into her apartment and into her kitchen. He watched Marley open a window warily.
Her breath hitched as she saw the height in which she could easily fall. Her fingers fumbled at the sill, but she closed her eyes as a breeze brushed through her hair and over her neck. When she opened her eyes back up, she regretted it and let go of the sill, looking to the man behind her.
"Ladies first," she said to herself, then she looked straight to his eyes. "Men just before."
Daryl scoffed, not bothering to try and understand. He easily fitted through the gap and landed on the fire escape. A large clattering echoed through the street but was easily muffled by the noises below.
There was a ladder leading up to the top of the building. Down below him, he saw the roamers now pawing at the air for him.
Marley, although her whole mind detested, ducked out onto the fire escape. She immediately, put her hands on the railing, looking straight ahead. She started to shake again, that tight feeling in her chest becoming more painful.
Daryl climbed the ladder, reaching the top, and he looked down to she hadn't moved from her position.
"We ain' got all day," he yelled down.
The girl winced at that and blinked rapidly. She turned slowly to the ladder. She grabbed hold and started to ascend.
Marley swallowed hard, her grip on each step being like a vice.
She reached the top and crawled onto the floor of it. She stood up, swaying slightly.
Daryl squinted at the girl confusedly. She looked to him, but as soon as their eyes met, he turned and started walking along the roof.
It took her a moment to find her bearings, but she managed and started to follow him using unsure steps. She wrapped her arms around herself and watched the hunters back as he slowed slightly to be more her pace.
"You scared of heights or something?" he inquired, trying to be softer with the girl. He didn't really know how to, but he tried.
"Is it that obvious?" she said sarcastically, glancing at him for a moment. She tried to walk a little faster than him to get away from him, but he just kept the same pace as her.
She was tired. It had been a short day, but it had been filled with craziness that no one was used to. Especially Marley.
They got the edge of the roof, with another fire escape.
Again, Daryl went first.
This time, Marley was forced to look down. To look down to one of her fears.
Daryl jumped down from the ladder and looked up, seeing the girl. He fiddled with the strap of his crossbow, waiting for her.
Daryl didn't know that she was afraid of heights.
She got onto her bottom and slid to the ladder. Her knees shook as she turned on her legs and started descending. She looked straight to the brick wall in front of her, her lips trembling under the panic. Her heart beat faster. Her palms became sweaty.
She didn't know how far she had gone down, but she didn't intend to look any other way than forward.
Daryl didn't care what the girl felt, he was just fed up. He was becoming impatient. His foot tapped on the concrete. He took a gaze at his surroundings, seeing no roamers in sight.
He heard something, more along the lines of a human. The person was talking, and he presumed it was his Uncle, as the truck wasn't that far away.
Marley was at the bottom of the ladder, and she had to jump the rest of the way down. Daryl had made it look easy, but she was seven inches shorter than him.
She breathed out quickly and let go. Something she thought she wouldn't do.
She landed unsteadily on her feet, feeling a slight pain in the heels at the sudden contact. She wavered backwards and was going to fall on her backside, spreading her arms outwards awkwardly.
Daryl dodged her form and she hit the ground with a thump. She hissed as the concrete came in contact with her hip. Her hands scraping against the floor and cutting into them.
She looked up to the man above her, scowling at him. Wiping her stinging hands on her jeans.
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