Natalie looked scared and sad at the same time. Joey found the flare gun and handed it to me.
“Are you sure about this?” He asked.
I sighed, “I don’t know any other way, do you?”
He shook his head. No one said a word as I made my way to the rear of the van. It was difficult because the zombies had not given up on pushing the van. I was amazed they hadn’t flipped it over, which was my fear to begin with. It’s why I had told everyone to put on their seatbelt. Now I just hoped that they wouldn’t turn it over with me on the roof.
I opened the door slowly, trying not to draw attention to myself or my mission. The zombies didn’t come around to the back and I managed to get over to the ladder. Natalie shut the door behind me, trying not to make too much noise.
Two zombies noticed and came around. I managed to get my knife through their skulls without losing balance off the ladder.
Climbing the ladder proved to be difficult with how the van was rocking. I managed to get halfway up when another zombie came round. I was too high up to try and stab it’s head. I tried to climb faster but lost my grip a bit sliding back down a notch.
The zombie managed to get a hold of my right leg. I shook my leg trying to get it off me but it had a tight grip. I held on tight with my hands and kicked it in the face with my left foot. It still didn’t let go.
Holding my entire body weight on the ladder was uncomfortable and hurting my arms. I took a deep breath and kicked as hard as I could again. This time the kick in the face got the result I had hoped for the first time. The zombie was knocked backwards away from me.
I got my footing back on the ladder and climbed as fast as I could. I couldn’t afford another zombie to take notice of me. It they did, I probably wouldn’t be able to keep them at bay.
I got to the roof of the van and stood up on top. I aimed the flare at a car that sat about a yard from the van, hoping my calculations would be correct.
I shot the flare at the car. The zombies began to take notice of me on top of the roof and stopped rocking the van for a few minutes as they tried to reach for me instead. Luckily none of them were anywhere near tall enough to reach me.
In the few minutes that the zombies were distracted, the upholstery of the front seat of the car I shot the flare at caught fire. The zombies were mystified by the flames and turned away from the van. They started to make their way to the car.
I fell back onto my butt as Pierce began to drive forward. I wasn’t standing correctly for the sudden jerk of movement and my tailbone hurt like hell. I stayed in a sitting position as we drove on. I knew it wasn’t broken but it was going to be nicely black and blue very soon.
The van inched slowly away from the zombies as Pierce navigated through the car graveyard. He couldn’t go very fast so it took about fifteen minutes or maybe more before we were a comfortable enough distance from the herd for him to stop and let me climb off the roof.
Climbing down the ladder proved to incredibly difficult as my bruise hurt like hell. Pierce helped me get down.
“You alright?” He asked kindly.
I shook my head, absentmindly rubbing my rear. “Fell back hard on the roof. I’ll live though.”
“I’m sorry; I thought I heard a thump. I didn’t see you fall off the roof though so I thought you’d be alright.”
I laughed, “Well, I’m good. Just going to be bruised.”
He helped me limp to the passenger side door and helped me climb inside. Natalie rushed over from the back seat and threw her arms around me and the seat. I patted her arm.
“I told you I’d be alright,” I said.
“I know but I had my doubts,” She replied.
“Well that will teach you won’t it. Never doubt me again.”
She smiled and kissed my cheek. She headed back to her seat in the back.
Pierce hopped back in the driver’s seat and started rolling on. It was about another mile before we got past the car graveyard. There were still stranded vehicles but not as many once we got past a strip mall that had a pool supply store and a little Mexican restaurant. There were a few straggler zombies as well walking past us. They looked like they must have somehow gotten separated from the herd or were too slow for the herd.
We got to one of the main gates to the base and Pierce turned left. He drove up to the closed gate where two guards were standing inside in their BDU’s. They looked at us suspiciously as Pierce and I hopped out of the van. They had their hands on their guns but didn’t raise them. They let us approach the gate.
“Hello,” Pierce said. “We’re seeking shelter.”
One of the guards looked him up and down, “How many?”
“Six and a dog,” Pierce replied.
“A dog?” The other guard asked.
They were both young men. I’d say neither of them were a minute over 21.
“Yes,” I replied. “But not sure how long two of us and the dog will be staying.”
He nodded, “You just don’t see dogs anymore. They don’t really survive.”
“He’s smart and I’ve kept him very protected.”
The young guard
