He rushed toward the window and looked out onto the front lawn. There stood their car. So close, yet impossibly far. The ground beckoned below, but jumping would yield them nothing but broken bones.
Unlatching the window, he pushed it wide open and leaned out. Beneath the sill was a wooden flower box filled with tiny white blooms. To the left, a gutter ran down from the roof to the bottom. It was just out of reach, but if they used the flower box as a step, they might make it.
He pressed on the box, checking how securely it was bolted to the wall. It seemed like it could hold, but they were taking a massive risk, especially with Laura. I’ll have to piggyback her. She’ll never be able to do the climb on her own.
He eyed Amy’s slender form and wondered if she’d make it. She was strong and used to climb like a monkey when she was younger, but that was years ago. Still, they had no choice. If they stayed, they died.
Alex reached a hand toward Amy. “Come on. You first.”
“What?”
“You heard me. We’re getting out of here before those zombies bust down that door.”
She leaned over the windowsill, and her face turned ashen. “That’s suicide. There’s nowhere to go.”
“Yes, there is,” Alex replied, acutely aware of the banging behind them. It was growing louder by the second.”Onto the flower box, then down the gutter. Go.”
Amy shook her head. “I can’t. I’m afraid of heights.”
Alex ground his teeth in frustration and gripped her elbow. “Do you hear that sound? It’s the sound of a horde of zombies waiting to strip the flesh from our bones.”
Amy’s eyes grew wild. “I…I know that.”
“Do you? Because if you’d stopped to think for even one second, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.” Alex’s anger at his sister burst free, and he allowed it full reign.
“That’s not fair. I had to save Laura,” Amy protested.
“We could’ve come up with a plan, Amy. Not a wild dash to our certain deaths. This isn’t a movie, and you’re not some brave heroine out to save the day. This is real life.”
“I…I’m sorry,” Amy whispered as tears began to run down her cheeks.
Alex sighed, his anger leaving him in a rush. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that, but if you don’t go, we’ll all die. I could never leave you.”
Amy stared at him for a breathless moment. “Alright. This is my mess, and I have to fix it.”
She climbed onto the windowsill, and gingerly stepped onto the flower box. It groaned but held beneath her weight. “What about my gun?” she asked, indicating the shotgun.
“Drop it.”
She obeyed, and it clattered to the ground below. She leaned over and gripped the gutter with both hands before swinging her legs over. For a single terrifying moment, she hung suspended in the air, her feet scrabbling for purchase. Alex held his breath, afraid she’d fall. But she found a foothold and began the slow climb down to the bottom.
Behind Alex, the door was giving way, the furniture shifting beneath the combined weight of so many bodies pressing against it. He turned to Laura. “Climb onto my back.”
She didn’t hesitate, clambering onto him like a squirrel. He climbed through the window and onto the box. It shifted, and he froze. “Please don’t break. Please.”
It held, and he reached for the gutter. It was smooth, hard to hold onto, but there were seams between the different sections. He clung to these with his fingertips and toes, lowering himself to the ground.
Laura held on, not making a sound, and he began to hope. That hope was shattered when the door inside the bedroom gave way to the infected. In an instant, the room was flooded with zombies. They oozed out of the window, reaching for them with hungry fingers.
Alex panicked. “Amy, are you down yet?”
“I am. You can come,” she shouted back.
He closed his eyes and loosened his grip, sliding the rest of the way down. The ground came up too fast, and he landed hard. His right ankle twisted, and burning pain shot up his leg. “Fuck!”
A body tumbled past him, landing on the ground with a loud crunch of bone and cartilage. The infected were throwing themselves out the window. A blast nearly deafened him. It was Amy, wielding her shotgun. “Alex, run!”
He pushed himself up from the ground and grabbed Laura’s hand. “Come on.”
Together, they ran across the lawn, heading for the car. Amy danced ahead of them, firing off her last two shots. She pulled out her pistol next, the shots going wild.
Alex ran as fast as he could with his gimpy leg, dragging Laura by the hand. He dared to look over his shoulder and instantly regretted it. Zombies were falling from the window like rain from the sky. Some fell on their heads, cracking open their skulls. Others broke their necks, becoming paralyzed. But they only provided a comfortable cushion to the rest that followed. They got up fast and sprinted after their chosen prey, running much more quickly than either Alex or Laura could.
They weren’t going to make it, Alex realized in an instant, and his thoughts shot to Amy. She had to live. No matter what. “Amy, start the car!”
She shot him a wild look but obeyed, jumping behind the wheel and starting the engine. Alex sped up, forcing his broken body to move faster than was humanly possible. The distance between him and the car narrowed, and Amy leaned over to open the passenger side door.
Hope rose in his chest. Maybe they could make it after all. It was only a few more yards to safety. Laura’s hand was sweaty, slipping against his palm, but he didn’t let go. She had to keep pace. She had to. They were almost there. His gaze met Amy’s,
