Darcy
We don't run for long and soon come across an empty shop that looks secure. Jay ushers me into the small shop and closes the door, putting a chair underneath the handle to keep it closed.
He offers to take Noble from me and I hand him over before slumping down on the floor. My body is still aching from giving birth and all the running has made me worn out. "You okay?" He asks as he rocks Noble. "Not really." I reply, shaking my head. He sits down next to me. "I can't believe Silas got bitten..." I put my hand on his thigh in a comforting way.
"What the heck are we gonna do now? Will we be able to find the rest?" I ask, worry lacing my voice. "We have to. We can't lose anyone else." I nod. "I know."
Jay's face suddenly scrunches up. "Do you smell that?" My heart races. "Smell what?"
Is it blood? The rotting smell of a zombie?
He lifts Noble up and moves his face closer to him. "What?" I ask again. "He made a number two." Answers Jay and I can't help but laugh before I smack his arm lightly. "You scared me. Hand him over, I'll change his diaper."
"Nah I'll do it. I have to learn right?" I'm still giggling at his scrunched up expression and I unpack the bag to get the diapers and wipes out.
He gently places Noble on the floor and starts taking off his onesie. The potent smell hits me and I get up and back away. "You're on your own." I tell Jay and he frowns before he gets to work. I watch him and when he's done, he wraps Noble up nicely and lifts him up, holding him to me. I take Noble and he picks up the dirty diaper and gets up to toss it somewhere.
Noble yawns and makes the cutest face and I can't help but smile and hold him closer to me. I lean against a shelf and slide down. Jay joins me a few seconds later.
"When this is over, we should go on a vacation. Just the three of us."
"Yeah?" I ask. He nods. "Somewhere where there's a beach. Like Hawaii. It would be so amazing, waking up to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore."
I can almost see it.
The sound of seagulls wakes me up and I rub my eyes as I breathe in the fresh salt water air. I push the white duvet off me and notice the empty spot beside me. I also spot the empty crib a few feet away from the king sized bed.
I get up and put my fluffy slipper on before walking to the half open sliding door that leads to a wide balcony, over looking the sea. Jay stands near the railing with Noble in his arms.
Both of my boys are looking out at the blue ocean and I smile.
"That would be lovely." He nods and rests his head against my shoulder. I look through the windows and see the sun starting to set. I'm really tired from all the running and the adrenalin is starting to wear off. Noble is getting a little fussy too and my motherly instincts are kicking in.
It's like there's a little voice in my head that's telling me exactly what to do with Noble and I'm grateful for it. "I'm gonna feed him and put him to sleep. I'm gonna sleep too."
Jay glances at the door. "I hope there won't be any strays walking in." I shudder but shake my head. "I doubt that. What will we do tomorrow?"
He stays silent for a minute. "I'll go out and see if I can find the others."
"You're not going alone Jay. We're in this together."
"But Noble-"
"I know but if anything has to happen to you..." I don't even want to think about it. "Two people are better than one. We have to stick together. No more going out on our own and putting our lives on the line." He lets out a sigh. "Okay."
I feed Noble in silence and Jay offers to burp him. "Get some sleep okay?" I nod. I hope we'll be able to find the others tomorrow. And I hope they're all okay.
~~~
I had only gotten a few hours of sleep. Noble had woken us both up and had unfortunately attracted zombies to our location. Jay was up making sure they couldn't come in since we can't lock the door. The sun has been up for a few minutes and I'm looking through the aisles of this small store for something to eat before we get out. We'll have to find another way out as the front entrance is being blocked.
I grab energy bars and toss some to Jay. I unwrap it and my mouth waters before I take a bite. I don't even bother looking at the expiration date, as long as I have food then it's fine.
I wish I had one of those carriers to put Noble in so my hands can be free.
Jay picks the bags up. "Can you stand by the door and make sure the chair doesn't move while I look for a way out?" I nod and hold Noble comfortably before I take his place at the door. It's scary standing here and I can hear the zombies snarling.
Just one wrong move and I could be dead...
"There's a back door. It's locked though." He searches the front desk and opens cupboard after cupboard. "Bingo." He holds up a small key. He walks to the back door and thankfully the key goes in. He turns it and I hear a click. He opens the door just a bit. "It's empty. Let's go." He says softly, opening the door a bit further. He winces when the door creaks and I walk as fast and softly as I can outside.
I breathe in the fresh air and take a look at the sky. There are grey clouds overhead and I feel a chilly wind blow against my cheeks. I immediately start shivering and I know it's gonna rain. We better find the others and shelter soon. I don't want Noble to get sick, that's my biggest fear.
I cover his head with the blanket and Jay motions for me to follow him down the deserted road.
We have a plan. We're going to walk to wherever and see if we can find the others and not run into too much trouble. We'll go inside a store as soon as the sun sets. I suggested if we could look for the hospital but that would be useless without Scarlett.
Our pace is fast but we're not running so that we don't attract unwanted attention. I keep lifting up the blanket to check on Noble, to be sure that he's asleep. If he wakes up crying, we might have to go into the closest building for safety.
There are a few zombies that lurk around almost every corner but Jay is quick to knock them down, especially on their heads.
~~~
"This is embarrassing." Jay chuckles before placing his hand on the small of my back, gently nudging me forward. The automatic doors open and I know I have to face the music. "How is it embarrassing?"
"People from school go here. If they see me now, they're all gonna look." I hiss as we walk near the carts. I asked Jay if I could wear one of his hoodies to try and conceal my bump which works like a charm but they're definitely gonna question the baby food that we'll put in the cart.
I have my hair covering half my face so at least people might not be able to recognize me but they'll recognize Jay. They always do.
"Don't be so paranoid gorgeous. So what if they know you're pregnant?" I sigh, knowing I won't be able to win this battle. He grabs a cart and I loop my arm in his as he pushes the cart through the various aisles.
So far, so good.
We reach the baby aisle and my eyes widen at all the diapers, wipes and baby food. I pull the list out of my pocket. I have yet to tell my parents about the news. I have no idea how they're going to react and that scares me. We told Jay's mom though and she's been super supportive. She even made a list of the things I need for now.
My eyes roam over the different kind of baby bottles. We don't know the gender of the baby yet. I want to know but I'd also like to be surprised.
"Do you think we should have a gender reveal party?" He puts a bottle down. "Do you want a party?"
"I don't know. That's why I'm asking you." There's a bit of commotion outside but we're too far away from the doors to see. "I'm down for whatever." He tells me and I pull my gaze back to him. I think for a moment. "I think-"
I'm cut off by a shrill scream and Jay whips his head around. It's a woman screaming and I hear multiple screams. Outside there's a crash and a car alarm goes off. "What's happening?" I ask as Jay moves in front of me to shield me from whatever.
He stiffens and I look around his shoulder to see blood on the ground that's coming from the next aisle. There are more screams. "We gotta get out of here!" He says frantically, grabbing a hold of my arm and moving us further down the aisle, away from the blood.
The woman's screams have died down now and I hear another crash outside. We're almost at the end of the aisle when a man staggers in front of us. His right leg is bent backwards and there's blood dripping out of his mouth and down his shirt. His voice is hoarse as he moves and shuffles slowly.
My eyes widen and I clutch onto Jay's shirt. My heart is pounding furiously and I try to take deep breaths to calm myself down. My hand instinctively goes down to my bump. Jay moves me back and I stumble over a lone shopping basket. The man turns to us. "Run." Says Jay.
~~~
"Darcy, do you see that? Look over there." Jay's voice is muffled and I feel like I'm underwater. I lose my balance for a second but strong, sturdy arms catch me before I can fall. "What's wrong?" He asks.
I almost forget I'm holding Noble. "Take him." I tell Jay as I hold Noble out. I'm feeling dizzy as hell and that memory came out of nowhere. Jay curses after he takes Noble from me. "There are zombies coming. Darcy, can you move?" His voice snaps me out of my dazed state and I regain my balance. I see him look behind me anxiously. "What did you see?" I ask, taking Noble back from him as he grabs his crowbar.
"There's a fire on the roof of that apartment. Someone must be there." He says before he brings his crowbar down against a zombie's head.
I look ahead and spot a tall building. I spot smoke coming from the building but it's too far away to see if there are any figures on top. Jay could be right but it could also be a trap. Then again, we are the only ones left so it must be one of us. Duncan maybe?
"Come on. I can't fight them all. We gotta run." He takes my free hand and we make the journey to the apartment, dodging zombies along the way. The apartment is much bigger when we stand in front of it and I see the front door open slightly. "Hopefully the elevator works." I shake my head. "No, we can't trust the elevator. What if we get stuck in?" I ask. The smell of smoke has now reached my nostrils and it makes me think back to when we sat around a fire for the first time. When we were kind of safe.
Noble is awake now and is starting to get fussy. I need to feed him soon. "Stay close." Jay says, in a hushed tone.
He walks to the front door and I hear the groaning of zombies behind me, getting closer. We walk inside the stuffy building and the stench of blood fills my nostrils. There's blood all over the floor and I gag. It's extremely quiet though as we walk slowly. I'm on edge and I hold Noble closer to me.
We find a staircase and make our way to the top. A few dead bodies are scattered on almost each floor but we soon make it to the last door. Jay twists the handle but it doesn't budge.
He knocks on the door, not too loudly. "Who's there?" Calls a muffled voice on the other side and my heart skips a beat when I recognize the voice. "It's Jay and Darcy." I answer. The sound of the lock being slid open, echos and the door opens revealing Coral.
Her face is tear stained and I immediately walk over to her, hugging her with my free arm. "Oh my gosh, Coral. Are you okay? What happened?"
My eyes over her body for any blood stains and bite marks and my heart is in my throat now as she howls, her shoulders shaking as she sobs.
"He's dead!" She cries.
"Who?"
"Lex."