Just Survive (Complete)

Chapter 22

The road to the town was eerie.  They passed a small graveyard near the entrance. Ashley stopped walking and pulled Colby and Jenny to the side, whispering.
"Something doesn't feel right." She stated.
"Do you think it's zombies?" Colby whispered back.
"It feels weird..."
"Stay close to me." He murmured as he took her hand in his.
She gripped it tightly as they walked through the graveyard. As they approached the main street, the sound of shambling feet caught the group's attention.
"Shit!" Ash yelled. "Move." She ran up beside Colby, covering Jenny's head with a hoodie as she unsheathed her pistol and fired several bullets. A man let out a blood-curdling scream as a zombie grabbed him by the neck. Another zombie charged her. Ashley aimed at its face, pulling the trigger multiple times. Even though most of its face was gone, It still staggered towards certain prey....with a whole swarm behind it. The undead horde moved quickly, surrounding their group.
Ashley took another shot at the nearest zombie, blowing the skull off its head. The remaining zombies started screaming at her. Ashley fired off a few more shots; killing one of the creatures before running to help Colby. They managed to hold their ground for the most part, but eventually, they were overwhelmed. The group was forced to split up, and Ashley and Colby found themselves running. They continued shooting the zombies, only managing to hit a couple. They didn't stop, however. Ashley tried to keep Jenny calm as well. Colby noticed her struggle and put a hand on her arm, slowing her.
"Breathe Ash." He said gently, taking notice of how frantic her heartbeat was. They ducked into a nearby building and barricaded the door. He turned to face her, his gray eyes filled with concern.
"You're okay, sweetheart. Jenny is too; we're safe now."
She nodded silently, not trusting her voice to work. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to calm down.
"Let's get to the roof and see if we can get out of here. This place looks pretty deserted. We should be able to find some cover up here."
She nodded again. They found the stairs and went up to the roof.

"Is there anything we can use to protect ourselves here?" Ashley asked. Colby found a crowbar but nothing else. They could see the rest of the town from their vantage point. The rest of the group was spread out, but then Colby saw a barricaded street. He pointed to it with his free hand and made his way to the edge of the roof where they were able to get a better view.
"Over there. We can try to make it across the rooftops to the street.
"How? It's going to be hard to climb with me carrying Jenny."
"I'll carry her; you carry the crowbar. I have my weapons; should work fine. Now move!" He pushed her lightly, indicating that she needed to follow him.
Colby found an old metal ladder and pushed it across the void to the other building, making a rudimentary bridge.
"Crawl across on your hands and knees. When I get to the middle, I'll hand Jenny to you." Colby instructed.
She followed orders and crawled across the short distance to the other rooftop, grabbing the crowbar. Once she reached the other building, she stood up, gasping for air. Colby handed her the baby and then made it across. They repeated the process several times, avoiding the mass of undead in the streets below. It was only when a building was too far away that they had to quit.

"We gotta think of a new strategy. We'll climb down to the street. When we get to the barricaded section, we should be okay. Stay close to me!"

Ashley nodded and strapped Jenny securely. She glanced around nervously, hoping there wasn't anyone who might attack her once she crossed the street. She looked up at Colby who gave her a reassuring smile.
When they reached the street, they hid behind the fence that surrounded it and watched carefully to make sure that no undead were coming their way. After a few minutes of waiting they weaved towards the next block They could hear the scattered groups of survivors. The barricade was in sight! Then they heard the shots.

Colby felt his heart hammering. They'd gone out of the frying pan and into the fire.