BOOK 2:
WE ALL FALL DOWN
Chapter 1: The Dinner Bell
Their flight from the apartment building hadn't takenlong at all. As soon as they saw that the building next door was on fire, Rudyhad run to his room and grabbed his backpack, an old beat up thing with theword "Jansport" stitched across the top of the blue canvas. Hestuffed a few items of clothing in it, and then he emerged from his apartmentto find Amanda waiting there for him.
"That was quick," he had said.
Her hair was brown and tied in a ponytail. It bobbed asshe spoke, "I don't have much here, not much that's important anyway. Ijust have some clothes, my phone and my phone charger."
"Who are you going to call with that phone?"
"Ghostbusters?"
Rudy shook his head as they walked down the hallway anddown the steps, bags slung over their shoulders and swords in hand. The swordshad come from his asshole neighbor's weird, sex dungeon apartment. Correction,his dead asshole neighbor's weird, sex dungeon apartment. Rudy paused atthe second-floor landing. "There's something we have to do."
Amanda threw her hands in the air. "What is it now?The damn building next door is on fire... and I don't hear any fire trucksheaded our way."
Without speaking, Rudy opened the door to the secondfloor, and stepped into the hallway. "Which room was it?" he mutteredto himself. He stopped in front of the door to apartment 211, and he knockedgently on the door, not wanting to make too much noise, in case more of thosethings were around. There was no answer.
Maybe she's gone, he thought, surprised that heactually cared. She had saved him. When he had fled from his apartment down therickety fire escape, she had pulled him into her apartment through the window,just as the entire structure had collapsed to the ground, crushing his would-bemurderers. He would be dead right now if it weren't for her. He owed it to her,so he banged on the door, harder this time.
"Chloe! Open up!" The fact that she was themost beautiful woman he had ever seen up close probably had nothing to do withthe fact that he wanted to save her... probably. He was about to turn and leavewhen the door opened a crack, just wide enough for two things to appear, an eyeand the cavernous barrel of a gun.
"What do you want?"
Amanda ducked behind Rudy, her hot little hands placed onhis bulky shoulders. "Um, well... we uhh."
Amanda spoke for him, as he had forgotten the art ofrudimentary communication. "The building next door is on fire, we need toget out of here before we all get burned into ash."
"Who are you? Step out here so I can see you."The woman on the other side of the door gestured with the gun. Amanda steppedout from behind Rudy so that the woman on the other side of the door could seeher. She looked her up and down, her big blue eye peering through the crackeddoor. "You seem harmless enough. You his girlfriend?"
Amanda's laugh pricked Rudy's pride, but he managed tokeep his face from turning beat red. "I'm just his neighbor," shesaid, unaware of the damage that she had inflicted on Rudy.
Chloe bobbed her head, as if she already knew the answer."Now what is this burning building business?"
"She's right. The building next door is on fire, andit's only a matter of time before this one goes up as well. We have to get outof here." Rudy's voice was a whine, filled with a hormonal desperation.
There was silence. The woman on the other side of thedoor was thinking.
"I just thought... that since you saved me, I oughtto do the same for you."
The woman on the other side of the door spoke as if Rudyhad said nothing. "Where are we going to go? It's not safe outthere."
Amanda and Rudy looked at each other. They hadn't yetdiscussed where to go. "Anywhere that's not a burning building,"Amanda said.
"Give me a minute," the woman said beforeslamming the door closed.
Rudy and Amanda stood in the hallway, Rudy leaningagainst the wall, while Amanda rocked on her heels with nervous energy. WhenChloe emerged from her apartment, she had a bag over her shoulder and the gunin her hand, a silver automatic that made Rudy nervous. Rudy tried to keep fromlooking too long at her, her tan skin, smooth and glowing, her perfectlystraight shoulder-length hair, but most of all, he tried to keep from staringat her breasts, large round and snug in a light blue T-shirt that exposed justa sliver of midriff.
"Let me help you with that," he said as hereached for her bag. Her reaction was quick, and showed Rudy exactly where hewas on Chloe's list of priorities.
With the barrel of the gun against the side of his nose,Chloe said, "I don't need your help. We're not best friends. We're notgoing on a vacation. The world is fucked, and I'll stick with you guys until Ican, but if it comes down to it, and it's you or me, well then I vote me. Sodon't go getting all sentimental on me. I don't need any new friends. All theones I have are probably dead anyway. Let's just get the hell out of here andget someplace safe. We clear?"
Rudy felt like he was going to crap his pants."We're clear."
With that, Chloe stalked down the hall, her blonde hairnot even moving, her ass crammed tightly into jeans that seemed to have beenmade just for her.
"I love your friends," Amanda said as shepatted him on the arm and smiled. She followed after Chloe. Rudy trailed after,and they walked to the lobby of the apartment building. They stood therelooking out on a world that had seemingly changed overnight. The streets wereempty of people, living ones at least. Creatures shambled along, looking forfood, but they were spread out. They could move around them. Rudy hefted thesword in his hand. He could do this.
"Alright, I heard on the news that the head is theonly way to kill them. You have to damage the brain,"
