Scrambling to her feet Dora started running back along the top of the garage's peak to the main roof over the house. 'Save her! Shoot Mike, shoot Paige! I am out of ammo!' The others were already shooting steadily, the rounds hitting the zombies near the woman, trying to keep her in a protective bubble.
Paige paused while Dora ran across the front of her barrel again and took a shot at a crawling zombie that was making its way crab like towards Marge. Dora reloaded the magazine on the gun in a few second and joined in the firing. From the back yard a whiff of barbecued beef jerky carried to her on the slight breeze, making her stomach growl. Adrenaline coursed through Dora's body and everything sprang into sharp focus, the darkness didn't seem so oppressive, the cool air was no longer making her cold, all that was left in her vastly shrinking world focused down into a tight circle centered around Marge. Her world was suddenly more simple, no anger, no hate, just a bit of fear as she shot, aimed and shot again, trying to save her friend. Roger was long gone. To the east the sky was brightening slightly, the warm promise of a new day to come.
Chapter 18
'I am moving forward so I can see more of the driveway and front yard. I am going to tell her to get to the front door. Someone has to get the door unlocked and let her in.' said Paige, picking up her rifle's ammunition as she moved forward.
'I will go down after Paige has moved, to open the front door. Please Mike, don't let them get her!' Dora called.
Mike grunted and shifted the rifle to hit another zombie coming up beside the terrified woman out in the street.
'Oh God! They are all around me!' Marge wailed, 'Help! Help me Dora!'
Paige moved into position and yelled out, 'Start coming towards the house. Dora is going to open the front door!'
Marge started that way, but had to dodge around, moving into open areas to stay out of the zombie's grasp. She ended up on the sidewalk across the street, in a fairly clear area. Dora realized it was now or never and she put the rifle down and ran towards the skylight on the back of the roof. 'Mike, I left you the thirty aught six!'
Running down the back side Dora slipped on the damp shingles and almost toppled over, she caught herself, thankful she had opted to go barefoot instead of putting on the flip flops she had considered. She reached the top of the ladder and slid down it so fast it resembled a controlled fall more than climbing. Reaching the tile in the bathroom she headed through the master bedroom, pausing only to pick up the twelve gauge shot gun and two boxes of shells.
She made it to the front door, shotgun at the ready. Before opening it Dora tucked one box of shells into the thin pocket of her robe, the other she sat on the knickknack table on one side of the door. She unlocked and pulled the door open, there was a zombie right in front of her, he was holding the storm door open and his other hand had been on the doorknob. When Dora pulled the door open he stumbled in towards her, only to be blown backwards in a spray of dark blood. He tumbled off of the porch and onto the sidewalk before falling sideway into the ornamental shrubs in front of the porch.
Looking down her covered porch Dora saw two more zombies had wandered on to it. She dispatched them easily with the shotgun, then turned her attention to the street and her friend. Reloading the gun back up to full capacity Dora started firing at the zombies between her and Marge. This was harder than she would have thought because she did not want to aim directly at her friend and because Marge was hopping around like a jumping bean in the sun.
Marge was doing well, watching each step she took and lunging into where the zombies were dropping. Mike and Paige were trying to create holes for her to move into, much like they had for Roger's Volvo. It was working and with Dora killing those others who got in the way the woman was making it across the street.
It was the children who ruined everything. The two little girls in white and yellow sun dresses, with yellow, corn silk hair ran towards Marge. All three of the people firing at the zombies hesitated, they had not yet seen any child zombies, and the girls looked so alive. They ran at Marge with their arms outstretched in a parody of running towards their long lost mommy, looking for a hug. Too late the three guns boomed out, the fusillade caught one of the little girls in her white clad abdomen, twisting her around and flinging her to the ground. The other girl leaped onto Marge and hugged her tight. Marge tried to throw the zombie off of her, but the girl scrambled around like a spider monkey, sticking like glue. Marge let loose with an agonized scream, then she started running straight for the house, not heading towards cleared areas, not avoiding the other zombies.
An old man in a gray button up shirt with rather long hair grasp Marge as she tried to get by him, he hooked onto her arm, then fell onto her retreating legs, he didn't get a good hold on her, but his action caused the woman to stumbled into three Gothic teenagers. The trio of teens looked like they were giving Marge a group hug, Dora was off the porch of her house now stepping down onto her front law and ignoring the threats around her. To one side a zombie's head exploded, hit by one of Paige's shots. Mike was yelling that he couldn't see Dora, Paige was yelling back at him to get over to the other side of the garage peak so he could help. Dora, meanwhile was advancing steadily on the mob of zombies that had surrounded her friend.
She fired once, twice, three times, knocking as many zombies off their feet, then aimed the gun with one hand while she fumbled ammunition into the magazine below the stock. Shells fell out of her nervous hands and two more zombies heading towards her were knocked over by Paige's firing.
'Dora! Dora!' Paige screamed, 'Get back into the house! Get back, there are too many and they are too close to you! Get back!'
Dora either was not aware of Paige's yelling or chose to ignore it, she stepped further out into the street, making her way towards…what exactly?
Dora fired after her, but the shot hit a large fat woman squarely in the abdomen, spraying, blood, guts and cellulite out in an arch behind it. The little girl paused only to drag the other little girl back through the crowd. From the rooftop the two others were raining lead on the mob. Reloading Dora yelled at Marge, 'Get the fuck up you whiny, man stealing bitch!'
Marge, on her hands and knees tried to get up, she couldn't and Dora would not help her. 'Marge you gotta get up, I can't help you and protect you at the same time, now stop fucking around and get up!' Dora was out of bullets again, Mike and Paige were yelling at her and as she reloaded they told her to get back to the house.
Glancing that way Dora saw the way was mostly clear, she could make it easily on her own, the shotgun was loaded again, all the other rounds were gone; either shot or dropped on the ground along the way. 'Fuck me.' Dora said softly, bending to grasp Marge under one arm. A zombie grabbed her from behind and literally grabbed her behind. A shot rang out and the thing shuddered, but was not dead, Dora stood up straight, dragging Marge with her and swung the gun barrel in an arc that ended on the thing's arm. It was not the best looking zombie Dora had seen, this thirty something year old man had Italian features and a small Spanish style mustache, his face was a mottled mess that spoke of a hard bout of acne when he was growing up. He screamed when Dora's gun hit his arm.
'Ow! Fuck lady! Don't! I am trying to help!' the man said.
Dora was stunned, she had brought the gun barrel back until it was resting against the man's stomach.
'Please don't kill me!' he said. Behind him Dora saw a middle aged woman and a younger man, maybe fourteen, with baseball bats. They were fighting their way into the mob of zombies, swinging as they went. The
