Red Tide² ━ FTWD

CHAPTER 28: No Guts, No Glory

RED TIDE

chapter twenty-eight: no guts, no glory

[ season 2, episode 10; do not disturb]

NIGHT 24

Katie had barely managed to yank back Alicia in time before one of the dead took a chunk out of her. After that, it was a mad scramble toward one of the cleared rooms, the group closing themselves in just as the dead rounded the corner, flooding the hallway. Day turned to night, and yet the infected showed no signs of relenting. They'd settled into something close to placidity, though they still seemed agitated — most likely by the flashing emergency lights in the hall.

Alicia had taken up a station by the door, twirling her butterfly knife in one hand as she peered through the peephole. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail, ready to go to war as she marked off every infected she saw.

Meanwhile, Meghan had taken to pacing, a line in her forehead drawn deep as her lips moved silently, trying to puzzle out a problem only she was privy to. Occasionally, she would stop in her tracks and go searching through already-searched drawers and cabinets — for what, Katie didn't ask.

Katie surveilled it all, struggling to come up with a solution. One thing was certain in her mind — the dead hadn't gotten into the stairwell on their own. She'd been sure to make noise while going up, careful to ensure there weren't any dead in the stairwell. If the dead were on the upper levels, they would have heard the noise and reacted. It was empty before, and the dead didn't know how to use doors.

Someone let them in. Made this hotel into their prison, with the dead as their guards.

At marking another tally upon the door, Alicia seemed satisfied, lacing up her boot a bit tighter as she reached for the handle.

"What the hell are you doing?" Katie let out a harsh whisper, and the teen's head whipped back — startled to hear such anger from the typically soft-spoken woman.

"Madison, Strand, and Ofelia are still out there," Alicia whispered back.

"So are the dead, which is a far more pressing concern," she hissed.

"There's nine of them, and they're already down the hall," Alicia dismissed, looking toward the peephole again to confirm her suspicions. She jolted and drew back as snarling and clawing erupted at the other side of the door. "Ten," she corrected with a shuddering breath.

Witnessing the teen's fear, Katie softened her voice. "It's not smart to go out tonight. We should wait til morning, come up with a plan."

Alicia flicked her butterfly knife over in her hands, blue eyes drifting to the floor as her face pulled up into a frustrated scowl. She turned from the door and marched over to the balcony, pulling open the door as she headed out on the ledge, hands clenching at the rail as she stared out at the sea.