Times A Ticking

15

"Good." Dad exclaims proudly before turning and walking off back to Lee and Luis. I look at Adam giving him the death stare as I shake my head disapprovingly.

"What the fuck are you trying to accomplish? We already have the guns are you trying to get us caught?" I say shoving him slightly, "What has gotten into you?"

"Sorry." He mumbles as he scratches the back of his neck and avoids direct eye contract. "I just get riled up when they treat me like a child."

"Well you are acting like one so I see why they do it. Now come help me get our bags together." I say shaking my head as I walk to my sleeping bag grabbing my backpack from home.

I dump out my belongings I had packed in it onto the sleeping bag before standing back up gripping it in my hand and walking over to the food.

I grab a few cans and some bottles of water stuffing them into my bag before handing Adam some for his bag.

"Are you nervous?" He asks trying to break the silence. I shrug my shoulders as I zip up my backpack before laying it on the ground beside my feet.

"I'm more scared than nervous." I answer as I look over in Andre's direction, I watch as he runs his hands through Dianne's hair and holds onto her.

"Gabby? Hello?" Adam says as he waves his hand in front of my face finally grabbing my attention. "I asked why Andre was acting weird." He says.

"He's just scared too." I say as I sit down on the floor, Adam looks back at Andre and shakes his head before sitting down as well.

"He's being very protective of Dianne lately. He never wants to leave her side." He says scooting closer. "Come on tell me what's happening." I roll my eyes before giving him a stern look.

"It's not of your business. Or mine." I say as I twiddle with my thumbs avoiding eye contact with him so I wouldn't break out and say it.

"But you know what's up though don't you?" He says raising an eyebrow and moving closer, "Come on tell your big bro. I can keep a secret."

I let out a loud laugh before covering my mouth. "Yeah right. Remember when you snitched on me for sneaking a boy into my room my sophomore year of high school?"

"Okay but that's because I didn't want to be an uncle. I was too young." He pauses before quickly continuing, "I still am too young, remember that."

"Ew you are actually disgusting. He was my friend and we wasn't going to do anything absurd." I scoff in disgust as I scoot away from him. He laughs and pats my knee softly.

"I know what guys think, you don't." He says as he moves his hand away from me and places it on his lap as he scoots next to the wall and relaxes his body against it. "This sucks."

"I agree. I feel like I am being quarantined." I groan as I lay flat on the ground. I listen as Adam huffs and kicks his feet out straight.

"We basically are quarantined. I just want to go outside, that's the only reason I volunteered to go. I need fresh air." He whispers as if he were talking to himself, I smile softly and close my eyes imagining how the outside must be after everything that went down.

I guess time escaped my grasp.

"Gabby, Adam come on get up we gotta go." Dad says making me jolt my eyes open and lean up. "Get your backpacks on and make sure you have your knives before we exit the building."

"Already?" I ask as I look at the clock, I guess daydreaming really made time go by faster. I stand up and grab my backpack before running to catch up to Dad.

Mom was standing just in front of the hallway we had to exit down staring at us with tear filled eyes. Dad leans down kissing the top of her head holding her cheek in his hand as he did.

"We will be back very soon. Do not worry." He whispers before giving her a quick peck on the check and making his way down the hall.

I walk up giving Mom a hug and kiss on the cheek, Adam following in pursuit. After our goodbyes we both run to catch up to Dad as he was entering the password to open the doors.

"Stay in a tight formation. If one comes near you either kick it away or stab it. Do not break away from the group." He says as he presses the enter button on the pad.

The doors shake a little before the metal begins to squeak allowing the doors to open. The outside wasn't how I remembered it, it was more yellow than anything.

Dad exits first, then Adam, then me, and finally Lee. I clutch onto my knife as if my life depended on it, well it did. I notice a few of the rotters near the lining of the woods but they didn't pay attention to us luckily.

"Everyone quietly get into my car, do not make a noise." Dad whispers as we slowly move to his car. Adam and Lee move to the passenger side of the car as Dad and I move to the drivers side.

We all gently open the door and crawl in before shutting the door behind us. Dad puts the key into the ignition and starts the car up, almost immediately the rotters turned around and begin to come in our way.

"Dad." I whisper as I look out my window, fear creeping into my body. "They're coming." He looks at me in the review mirror and squints his eyes before looking away and putting the car into drive.

"We are okay." He says as he drives down the dirt road between the trees. It was some backroad I had never seen before, it was a bit bumpy but that was the least of my worries.

A rest my head against the window and watch as the trees zoom by, I was hoping I would get fresh air just as Adam wanted but this air seemed to suffocate me more than the inside did.

"Where are we going to go?" Lee asks as he looks towards my Dad and shifts in his seat. "I don't think the city will be safe."

"There's a small convenient store a few miles from here. They sold food, clothes, and a bunch of other things. It would be a good place to scope out." Dad says as he accelerates a bit more and looks down at his watch. He looks back up before slamming on the breaks making me slam forwards into the back of his seat.

"Shit."