Times A Ticking

16

I rub my head as I groan from the painful impact. I slowly look around Dad and stare at the windshield at a least a dozen rotters. I felt my breath become caught in my throat and I struggle to find words.

"Holy shit." Adam whispers and as he grips the back of the passenger seat. Dad holds his hand up basically telling us to stay quiet. He lowers his hand slowly and scans the scene in front of him.

"Gabby check behind us and see if there's anything there." He whispers giving me a quick glance in the review mirror.

The breath I had been holding comes out slowly as I place my knees in the seat and slowly turn around to look out the back windshield. I notice a few of the rotters dragging around but it wasn't as many that was in front of us.

"Gabby." Dad says in a worrying tone, "Come on kid give me something they are moving towards us now." He huffs out as he shakes his head in urgency.

"I think we can make it." I say as I notice a few more rotters coming out from the woods, "But I would hurry it up, there's more coming out of the woods Dad." I say in a trembling voice before Adam grips my arms and forces me to turn back around.

"Hold on." Dad says as he wraps his arm around the passenger seat and looks back over his shoulder as he begins to back up quickly.

I close my eyes tightly together as I listen to some of the rotters hitting against the car as Dad attempts to get us all out of the mess.

"Shit." Lee says as he looks out his window, I slowly open my eyes to be met with Dad's fearful ones before he turns around and puts the car into drive. But, to our dismay, the car doesn't move.

"Are we stuck in the mud?" Adam asks, Lee shakes his head as he opens his door slightly, leaning his head out and looking to the back.

"No." He shuts his door quickly and coughs before looking at Dad with wide eyes. "We are stuck on a rotter, the tire is just spinning in its head."

Dad slams his hand on the steering wheel before pressing the gas all the way in as he attempts to get the car free.

"Come on." He grunts, I look ahead and notice the rotters already making their way over to us. "Damn it." Dad mutters under his breath.

I turn around and dig through the trunk before grabbing one of my old flannels. "Hold on." I mumble before I turn around in my seat and start to open my door.

"Stop!" Adam yells as he grabs my arm. "You are not going out there." He argues before I yank away from him and nod my head.

"I just need to get this wedge under the tire." I say gripping my door handle and hopping out before Adam could grab me again. I run to the passenger side and cover my mouth as I see the rotters brain splattered everywhere.

This wasn't the time for me to freak out now. I kneel down before I hear a door open. I look over my shoulder and notice Lee jumping out holding a gun in his hand tightly.

"I got you. Keep going, I won't let them get ya." Lee encourages me as he gives me a wink and turns around pointing his gun at the nearby walkers waiting for them to get closer.

I cram the flannel between the tire and the rotters head. I grunt as I use all my force to separate the two. I look back over my shoulder before looking back and using the tip of my nails to finally wedge the flannel between them.

"I got it!" I cheer before quickly standing up and running back to my side. I abruptly stop as a rotter makes its way between me and the door. I gulp and call out weakly for Lee.

I take a few steps back before a tip of the knife presents itself in the rotters skull, the knife is pulled out as some blood splatters onto my face which I quickly wipe off with my shirt.

"Get it." Lee says as he opens my door for me. I jump in without a second thought and slam my door shut as Lee runs around the front of the car and jumps in.

Dad presses on the gas and eventually I feel the car lift slightly as the tire rolls over the flannel before placing itself back on the ground.

"Do you want to get out and get your flannel?" Dad asks as I shake my head quickly as more rotters begin to appear making my anxiety spike.

"No let's just get out of here." I say quickly as Dad nods and slams on the gas speeding away from the huge mess. I lean back against my seat and close my eyes as I focus on controlling my breathing.

"You done good Pumpkin." Dad whispers as he speeds up slightly. "I'm proud of you. I knew you could do it." He reassures me.

I slightly open my eyes and give him a small smile before looking over at Adam who was staring out his window not making conversation.

"You okay?" I whisper as I nudge him with my finger, he shuffles a bit in his seat and continues to look out the window not speaking. It was like I wasn't even there.

I frown slightly and turn my body slightly to the left and look out my window as well. I couldn't seem to understand why Adam was acting the way he was.

I listen as Dad and Lee talk about a way around the mess. Lee pulls out a map and runs his fingers down the lines as he points out different roads that we could possibly take.

"I'm not too sure about Main Street." Dad says as he flashes a quick look at the map. "It was already being covered with those rotters the first day."

"Well maybe it has cleaned out by now." Lee suggests but Dad disagrees once more making Lee huff in annoyance. "Okay what about," He pauses for a brief moment before clicking his tongue and pointing at another line on the map.

I look up at them and watch as Lee runs his finger along one line. Dad looks over and shrugs his shoulder before looking back at the clear, graveled road.

"Laurel Lane. It doesn't sound bad and it's a really old back road I'm almost positive nobody was going that way to get out of the city. It was basically abandoned before this mess. Just a few locals." Lee explains as he waits for Dad's approval.

"We can try but it's going to take us awhile. Hopefully we don't run into anymore rotters on the way there. That road is mostly dirt isn't it?" Dad questions as Lee nods his head.

"Yeah, but it hasn't rained so we shouldn't be worried about getting stuck again. Well as long as you don't attempt to run over them again like you just did." Lee chuckles as he pats Dad's shoulder and folds the map back up placing it in his back jean pocket.

"Yeah, yeah." Dad laughs before he looks at me in the review mirror. "We are going to be going back by the lab incase you want to go back there instead of advancing on with us Pumpkin."

"No. I'm going."