There wasstill a few dozen shambling around when I decided to get on the fire escape andready to go.
“Right I’llgo first, as soon as most of them go I’ll make my way down and you follow ok?”I placed one foot on the ladder, when there were sounds of several vehicles andthe roar of gunfire. The sounds caused me to jump, with my full weight on theladder it started to give way from the wall. I tried to grab the wall but itwas too late.
The noiseof the guns had started to draw them away but now with the promise of freshmeat just falling on them, they were waiting on me to drop.
As quick asthe ladder was falling, I was trying to scramble back up the remaining sectionstill attached to the wall, but I wasn’t quick enough and as I went to put myfoot onto the next rung up on the ladder, a cold, grey hand wrapped its fingersaround my ankle.
“Aaaaagh!” I called out, desperately trying to pull myselfout of the deadly grip.
“George! Holdon,” Nia called, stretching out her arms to try to reach me.
Her fingersgrazed mine. “Dammit,” she called out in frustration.
Kicking outat the undead below me was making me weaker, my arms were burning from holdingon and trying to pull myself up.
I wasslipping, my only comfort now would be that Will would go and try to save myfamily. That he and Nia would explain to them why daddy had been away for solong and why he wasn't coming back. I knew that he and Nia would look afterKelly and the kids.
I was sostupid to have risked myself like this, trying to save all of these people whenI should have just been selfish and escaped back to my family when I had thechance.
I lookedup, Nia had disappeared, probably looking for something or someone to help.
My fingerswere slipping. “Kelly,” I whispered just as I was letting go.
My one truelove was on my mind as I was about to fall to my death, my only hope was thatit would be over quickly.
I felt twopairs of arms grab my arms and start to pull.
Looking upI could see Will and Gareth each holding one of my arms, trying to pull me tosafety. But the zombie wasn't giving up his meal that easily, he started tomoan louder as if in protest and he would not let my leg go.
Nia too gotdown on her knees and helped to pull me up. I could hear a wet, tearing soundas the zombie’s arm, ripped off of its body.
I startedto rise a lot quicker and now had the use of my feet to help me.
Once backsafely on the fire escape, we sat there gasping for breath. My whole body wasshaking from the shock.
I lookedup, my eyes meeting Nia’s, she pounced on me and hugged me tight.
“I thoughtwe had lost you then.” She sobbed.
Hugging herback I pulled away and kissed her forehead. “Me too.”
Moregunfire snapped us out of our trance. “What the hell is happening out there? Isthat our people?” I asked jumping up and following Will and the others backthrough to the main room.
“TheCalvary have arrived,” he told me, going over to the large windows and pointingdown to the two armored trucks below that were firing weapons at the zombiesand then driving away what looked like around a few streets, thinning the herdof zombies.
“Friend orFoe do you think Will?”
“At thispoint, killing the zombies is making them our friends, I can’t see them goingto all of this trouble, just to rob us afterwards, but you never know. Gee,you, Adam and I will take the stairs and try to start taking out those that areleft inside. Then, Billy, if you and Gareth can take the pole and start taking shotsfrom there. Remember, only head shots count, ok?” Will instructed.
We allnodded grimly and set off to do what we could to thin the herd and get ourpeople out of here.
Because ofthe way we had pushed the furniture down the stairs to block them off, only oneof us at a time could shoot, in case of friendly fire. Will went first, takinghis time, lining up the shots, we could hear gunfire from back in the main roomand from outside. The noise was deafening and my ears were ringing. Adam tookhis turn next and we could hear even more gunfire inside with raised voices,shouting orders.
“Pleasecease firing!” came a voice from below. “The enemy is no longer a threat, wellfor now anyway. I’m Captain Cooper, I have with me several other soldiers, wehave a safe base that we can take you to, please tell your people to come downthe fire pole quickly.”
Adam and Ilooked at Will who shrugged his shoulders and nodded. At this point we reallydidn’t have any other options.
“All right,it seems that some higher being is on our side and has sent us help in the formof the military, they say they have a safe base that we can go to. Adam,Gareth, you go first, then we will send the others, and the backpacks last,”Will called.
One by oneour friends slipped down the pole and into the military vehicles. Will and Idropped the backpacks down to Adam and Billy, who loaded them into one of thevehicles that we had brought with us from the warehouse. With the last of ourpossessions gone I slipped down the pole and Will followed me.
“Thank youfor saving us,” I addressed Captain Cooper, as Will and I shook his hand.
“Noproblem, we do our rounds every few days through different towns to see ifthere any survivors, we have found a few but none as big a group as yours.” Heled the way out to the cars.
“Are youtwo able to drive your vehicles and follow us back? Good vehicles are hard tocome by these days,” the captain asked us.
“Yeah, I’mactually on the way back to my family, and so will be needing a car of my own.”
“Where isyour Family, what’s the situation?” the captain asked, signaling to his menthat he was going to join me in
