HOLD YOUR BREATH-138
Cassie was cuddled up with her siblings, Hershel, and Gracie in the corner of the room as thunder crashed through the sky, scaring them. She was between Hershel and Carl, her arms wrapped around her baby brother who curled against her. The group of kids moved closer to each other as the front door started rattling.
"What's with that door?" Rosita asked as she, Alice, and Lydia nailed a wood board on the window.
"It's rotted out," Magna answered, examining the door. "This storm keeps up, it'll shake apart."
Another clap of thunder scared the kids, Carl whimpered as he curled himself deeper into his sister, whose arms wrapped tightly around him. Hershel wrapped his arms around Cassie, shifting closer to her as Judith spoke.
Cassie didn't listen to her sister as she tried to soothe her baby brother by humming him a song. "It's okay, C. I'm right here."
Suddenly she and the kids let out a scream as a tree branch came flying in through the window and the door slammed out as Alice, Lydia, and Rosita ran over and closed the door, holding it shut as the wind blew against it.
"Is everyone okay?" Alice asked as Cassie and Jude stood up and hurried over to the window.
The windmill was on fire from what she assumed was struck by lightning. Kelly came up behind the girls as they watched a metal piece fly across the ground.
"What was that?" Cassie asked Rosita who stood next to her.
"A piece of the wall," Rosita answered by pulling her and Jude back from the window.
The adults now stood around the island in the kitchen, discussing what they should do about the wall. Aaron was speaking. "Hopefully it's just the one. Now, what's worse, there's a fire in the windmill that's drawing the walkers from the surrounding areas."
"We have to get the panel back up and the fire out," Carol added.
"Yeah, so we're gonna need three teams. I'll take one to fight the fire." Aaron says.
"And I'll take a crew to repair the wall."
"We're gonna another team to protect everyone in here."
Rosita and Alice nodded. "And we can handle that."
"So, volunteers?" The man asked, looking around the table.
Connie raised her hand, signing. "I'll do it."
Magna looked at her incredulously. "No. You just got back."
"I'm okay. I want to go." Connie replied, nodding.
"If she's up for it, we could use the help," Aaron spoke.
"I am. I want to go with Carol." The dark-skinned woman signed.
"Me?" Carol looked a bit stunned, her eyes full of tears.
Connie nodded. "You."
Carol smiled. "Thank you."
"Well, then, I'm joining, too," Kelly spoke as she signed for her sister.
Connie shook her head. "No, Kelly. It's too dangerous."
"It's not up for discussion, sis." The younger sister replied.
Magna looked at Aaron. "I'll go with you."
"So will I," Virgil spoke, coming up behind them.
Alice shifted away from him, eyeing him as Carol spoke. "Virgil, you can barely stand."
"I'd like to help." The man insisted.
"Alice and I can use all the help we can get here and make sure nothing gets in," Rosita says to him.
Virgil made eye contact with Alice before nodding. "Yeah. Okay. I'll stay here.
"Alright. Let's move." Aaron and the teams headed out of the door, which Alice opened for them.
As the women boarded up the windows, Alice did her own and fumbled with it before a hand helped her. Virgil helped the young girl before he spoke. "Hey, look, I want to say that I'm sorry for what happened back on the island. I—"
Alice turned towards him, aiming her hammer at the man. "I don't want to hear your apology. Just focus on keeping everyone safe."
A scream alerted them causing them to whip around to see a Walker grabbing onto Gracie's arm. Judith sliced off its arm before Cassie stabbed it in the head with her knife. Alice pulled Gracie into her arms as Dianne, Rosita, and Lydia came back and board up the window.
"They're all over out there." Lydia says, looking at the walkers outside.
"Radio Carol, tell her there must be another breach. A close one! Go!" Rosita ordered causing Dianne to nod. "Cassie, Judith. Candles, now."
The girls hurried to blow out all the candles, darkening the room before walkers started to pound on the door. Alice handed Gracie to Virgil, raced over to the door holding to closer as Rosita and Lydia joined.
"The hinges are coming apart!" Alice yelled as Dianne came back and joined them in holding the door.
"And the frame." Dianne added.
Rosita pulled away, grabbing her brass knuckles and baseball as Lydia exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"
"Buying us time." The older woman replied.
"What can I do?" Lydia asked.
"Close the door behind me. Keep it closed. All right. On my count." Rosita says before counting down and shot out the door when Lydia and Alice opened it.
The redhead and Lydia slammed the door shut once Rosita was outside. Barbara and Virgil protected the three little girls, before they pulled away from them. Cassie, Jude, and Gracie watched from the window as Rosita took out the incoming walkers before a thumping at the door was heard.
Alice and Lydia looked at each other before pulling open the door, revealing Rosita soaking wet and dripping with blood. She looked at the girls. "Let's stay away from the windows."
An hour and a half later, the storm gotten worst and so did the walkers that were trying to break down the door and wall on the house. Cassie stood next to Judith before their aunt told them to go upstairs. The girls hurried to the staircase, telling their brothers to go upstairs with Hershel.
Cassie and Judith went to help Virgil, who shook his head. "No, no, no. Don't worry about me. You go and get up those steps."
"We will. With you." Judith says as she and her sister helped him over to the stairs before Dianne came and took it.
Cassie started up the stairs before stopped when Judith didn't follow. "Jude, what are you doing? Come on."
"I don't know where Gracie is." Her sister replied as she walked into the living room with Cassie following. "Gracie!"
"Gracie!" Cassie called out as they looked around for Jude's best friend.
"Judith! Cassie!" Gracie's voice came from down in the basement. "I'm down here!"
Cassie and Judith walked down the stairs and saw water rushing in the basement from the windows. The basement started to flood as the girls hurried towards Gracie.
"What are you doing down here?" Judith asked as her sister took Gracie's hand.
"I wanted something to fight with, a weapon like you, Cassie, and Rosita have." Gracie cried.
Judith looked around before breaking off a broomstick's head and gave it to her best friend. "Here. We have to go."
The girls hurried up the stairs and out of the basement, into the hallway, and saw walkers. Cassie pushed Gracie back into the basement as Judith slammed the door closed and locked it. At the bottom of the first set of stairs, Cassie, Judith, and Gracie watched as the walkers banged against the door, trying to get in.
By morning, the water was flooded up to the platform they were standing on and completely flooded the basement floor. Judith had shoved the broomstick against the door so that it blocked the walkers from coming in.
"Jude, it's not gonna hold." Cassie said, her boots were being submerged in water.
"It will." Her sister reassured her and Gracie.
Gracie and Judith started up the stairs, the shove they were gonna place against the door in the blonde girl's hands. Gracie flinched and dropped the shove when a Walker shoved his hand through the door, Judith quickly picked it up and shoved against the door.
Cassie stayed down on the platform, looking around for anything else they could use before the door burst open and the walkers swarmed in. Judith and Gracie ran down to Cassie, who swam towards a desk in the middle of the water. She helped her sister and friend on to it as the walkers fell into the water after them.
Gracie started to blow her emergency whistle her dad gave her, before Judith says. "We need to get to the window."
Suddenly a Walker came towards them, causing Judith to stab it in the head with her sword. Then another one grabbed ahold of Gracie making Judith and Cassie hold on to her as it tried to kill the girl down.
"No!" Gracie cried as Judith had dropped her sword into the water as more walkers came towards them.
Cassie and Judith kicked away any walkers that came towards them, before Aaron appeared at the window. "Gracie!"
"Daddy!" The little girl yelled as her father started to break down the glass in the window.
Suddenly one of the walker's reached up and out for Cassie, grabbing one of her piggy tails and pulled her into the water. She was dragged underwater, flailing her limbs frantically as the Walker tried eating her through the water. Cassie fumbled with grabbing her knife from her pocket and thrust up her hand, plunging the knife through its skull.
She shot out of the water, panting heavily as Aaron pushing Judith out of the window. He reached out from her. "Cassidy!"
Cassie swam towards her uncle, dodging the Walker that tried to grab and launched herself into his arms. He left her up to the window, she climbed out with the help of her sister and friend.
"Cassie! Are you okay?!" Judith asked fantastically as they hurried to get to safely.
"Yeah." She breathed, her body shaking. "I'm okay."