Times A Ticking

11

I exchange a few looks between Andre and Dad before settling my sight onto Andre and nodding my head as I take a deep breath and move back beside of him.

"No more kid stuff." I repeat as I motion for them to open the doors. They open them completely and allow the final three to run out and tripping them as they do. I rush over and slam my skull into one of them and watch as Andre does the same.

I attempt to yank the knife back out but fail miserably. I could feel my body shut down into a panic mode as I look over my shoulder and watch the third brain eating man make its way towards me.

"Gabby! Look out!" My Dad yells frantically but my body was frozen in fear. I didn't have any control over it. I was basically dead just like these rotters. "Shit." He mutters before he runs over towards me as fast as he could before a gunshot echoes throughout the hallway making me jerk from my frozen state and cover my ears.

I look up and notice Adam holding a gun his hand trembling the same way as mine was beforehand. He takes a deep breath and lowers his gun before running over to me.

"Are- Are you okay?" He breathes out and yanks me up to my feet. I nod my head slowly as I look at the open wound in the things head.

"Yeah." I whisper out even though I was totally sure I was okay. I shake my head before looking at Dad and blinking a few tears away. "What do we even call these things? Zombies don't seem to fit it, the videos games made them less scary." I mumble.

"I don't think there's a scientific name for them." He says as he walks closer to me and engulfs me into a tight hug. "I was afraid I was about to lose you Pumpkin." He whispers against my hair as I hug him back.

"Those.. Rotters." I shake my head and close my eyes. "That's what they are. Rotters." I mumble against his chest as he flattens my hair down with his soft hand.

"I assume you are correct. They are rotting from the inside out." He says, I open my eyes just in time to see Andre look at the walkers before running to the corner and throwing up his lunch.

I gag and move away from Dad and face the opposite way of Andre. He coughs a few times and I listen to him pant heavily.

"Sorry. It's just gross, I was thinking about it and... Oh damn it I'm going to throw up again." He gags slightly and I listen to his Dad comfort him.

I turn around and watch as Dad and Adam begin to drag the rotters to the corner and stack them on top of one another like Jenga blocks. I cover my nose with my arm as the smell of rotting flesh becomes stronger.

"The smell is the worst I believe." I say as I look over towards Andre who was already agreeing with me as he moves closer to me. "Please don't throw up on me."

"I'm good now." He says as he raises his arm and covers his nose as well. "Why do they smell like that already? I don't get it." He gives Lee a concerning look as he waits for any type of explanation.

"Well, from the looks of it these guys were already in there. It's odd." Lee explains as he kneels down and picks up one of the rotters arms before dropping it back down.

"I agree." My Dad pops in, "These have been dead for at least two weeks. Why have they been in here the whole time? What was they working on?" He questions himself as he turns to face Lee.

"Maybe they were doing an autopsy on these people and when the whole virus broke out they deserted the place and locked them in here. They were already rotting." Lee says as stands back up and crosses his arms over his chest.

"Our office. They never cleaned it out, I was here last week doing a checkup our stuff is still in there." Dad says as he fumbles around in his pocket. "Shit I don't have my key. Do you?"

"My Dianne does I'm sure. She carries every single key on her keychain." Lee says as he breaks a smile out, "Come on let's get this over with." Lee waves us on letting us kids in the front as he travels behind us with Dad.

"How did you do it?" Andre asks as he looks over at Adam, Adam laughs and shakes his head as he gives Andre a playful nudge.

"Did what?" Adam asks still smiling, I look up at him then at Andre before shaking my head slowly. "What?" Adam asks once more.

"How did you kill it?" I ask, Adam furrows his eyebrows in response before looking between Andre and I.

"With a gun?" He says in a questioning tone. I roll my eyes in frustration as I slap his shoulder making him grab it and mumble a soft ouch.

"No you idiot. How did you just shoot it so easily, without panicking or having a second thought. It took me closing my eyes just to kill the first one." Adam looks at me with hopeless eyes before looking back at his traveling feet.

"I didn't have time to think. I just had to save you, bodily instincts I guess. It wasn't as easy as I made it look, I'll be having nightmares trust me. Just the thought of it right now makes me want to vomit." Andre and I both hold our hands us.

"Please don't." We both say in sync making Adam chuckle and shake his head.

"Just don't tell Mom what I did. I don't really feel like listening to her complain to Dad about how it's his job to protect us and how we are just children and blah blah blah." He says as he makes his hand mimic someone talking.

"Don't worry I won't." I say as I notice the lobby up close. "Race you guys." I say smiling before shoving them both backwards and running ahead, listening to their voices echo behind me about how I cheated.

I giggle before I run into Hannah almost knocking her down. She scoffs and shoves me off of her and rolls her eyes. "Slow down and watch where you're going Gabby." She lectures making me roll my eyes at her.

"I'm so sorry princess my deepest sympathy goes out to you." I say as I bow towards her making her roll her eyes as well and walk away. I turn around just as Adam and Andre make it in front of me already panting.

"Guys that wasn't even a far run why are you out of breath?" I ask laughing at their worn out state before Andre points at Adam who had his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

"He kept shoving and pushing me on the way down here. I was doing more exercise by running and fighting back." Adam laughs and leans up shaking his head and pointing his finger at Andre.

"You started it." Adam protests making Andre scoff and place a hand on his chest in disbelief. I cover my mouth holding back my laugh.

"How dare you accuse me of such wrong doing!" Andre says as he widens his eyes slightly and drops his mouth open in pure shock.

"Did you do it first Andre?" I ask as Adam goes into a fit of laughter at Andre's little show he was putting on. Andre widens his mouth more in shock his hand still dramatically placed on his chest.

"Absolutely."