No, something happened. Something big must’ve transpired. Why else would everyone leave? But what could’ve happened that would make so many people just take off. There weren’t a lot of places to go. We were on a tiny island. As far as I knew, no safe haven had been set up for the citizens on Guam, if there were any at all in the world. So where would they go? Only extreme fear would make them take off like that, I was sure of it. I felt extremely uneasy.
There was also an odor that was thick and heavy in the air. It was getting stronger too, the further into the traffic we got. I knew the smell. I knew it when I walked into the hospital room where Jackie was, the smell that reeked from Julie’s every dying pore. This was much stronger than either of those had been. The smell of death. The stench of decaying flesh hung heavy in the tropical heat, multiplied by tens, perhaps even more.
Chapter 11
“Something’s not right,” I said, not to anyone in particular.
“It’s fine,” snapped Freddie.
“No, something’s very wrong. People wouldn’t just leave their cars like this without a reason.”
Everyone stopped to look at me. Freddie didn’t hide the contempt on his face.
I continued, “Don’t you smell that?”
“What is it?” Jamie asked scrunching up her nose.
“Decaying flesh,” Daniel answered. His gaze met mine and I saw the realization of how much danger we were in dawn on his face.
“It’s really potent, there’s got to be a lot of them around.”
“Well, where are the bastards then?” Freddie asked condescendingly.
As if waiting for an introduction, the moaning became audible. It wasn’t that close but it wasn’t that far either. I turned to see the zombies coming out of the jungle that lined the road we were on. They were maybe 30 feet away from us.
“Shit,” Daniel said.
I’d never seen them in a group before. Their slow movement didn’t seem so slow when they were all together. Like they were pushing each other forward or were in a race to get to food first. Whatever it was, it made my heart feel like it had stopped in my chest. I felt like I was dead right there.
“Come on,” Phoebe said as she grabbed my hand, pulling me back into reality.
I followed behind them as we made our way quickly through the cars.
“Over there,” Daniel said pointing to the mall. It was only a few yards away from us. Close enough to feel like a blessing, yet far enough away to seem like a curse.
We made our way between the cars to the small hill that led down to the mall parking lot.
I couldn’t help myself but when we reached the bottom of the hill, I looked back to see where the zombies were. I know I would’ve been a pillar of salt for sure. The zombies were having a hard time navigating the cars. It gave us time but only a few more precious seconds.
I continued running. The group was a few paces ahead of me but not far.
The zombies behind us were not our only friends. There were zombies coming at us from the right as well. They must have been in the parking lot across the street from the mall. They didn’t have speed to speak of either but they didn’t have as many cars to cut through as the ones behind us did.
Jamie noticed the group to the right and tripped in front of me. I helped her up. She was bleeding from her arm where she scraped it. The small amount of blood was all it took. The moaning intensified and I could’ve sworn those zombies picked up the pace as much as their decaying bodies would allow.
“Thanks,” Jamie said.
“You’re welcome,” I said pulling her along as I ran to catch up with the rest of the group.
They had already reached the entrance of the mall. Daniel was trying to open the door but had no luck. They were locked.
“Damn it,” he said.
“Just break the glass,” Freddie said.
“No,” said Robert. “We don’t have time to find anything to block the door with. Or time to block the door for that matter.”
“We’ve got to be able to get in,” Phoebe said, sounding a bit panicked.
The zombies were getting closer. We didn’t have much time.
I noticed an emergency exit to the side only about ten feet from where we stood.
“Let’s go there,” I said.
I led the way to the emergency exit. We caught a huge break. The door had been propped open with a rock. We all hurried inside letting the door shut behind us.
Daniel lit a flashlight, illuminating the long hallway we stood within. We all took a second to catch our breath. I leaned against the wall. Phoebe crouched down with her head on her knees as Robert rubbed her back. Daniel drank water and I noticed Freddie looked a bit unnerved.
I handed Jamie a band aid from my first aid kit. It was the mom in me coming out.
“Thanks,” Jamie said with a smile and put the band aid on over her scrape. “Someone propped that door open,” She said. “They might be coming back.”
“It’s too risky James,” Robert said, still rubbing Phoebe’s back. “There are dozens of those creatures out there. We can’t risk them getting in here and if someone’s out there, they’re not getting through that crowd.”
Jamie looked upset but said nothing. She just crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. Daniel put an arm around her and whispered something into her ear. She turned towards him and hugged him.
