Hopeless

Chapter 4

The smell of burning flesh wafts out of the city. I cough, cringing as the putrid stench burns my nose and throat. Shane looks down at me with tears in his eyes, as the explosions continue. I can see the panic on his face. He gently wipes the tears from my eyes.

"We gotta get back to Lori and Carl..." He says as he coughs into the sleeve of his shirt. I nod, sniffling. He grabs my hand and we run through the woods, heading in the direction of the patrol car. Hundreds of people run alongside us, trying to get away from city of the dead. I wince as small branches tear at my skin as we run through the trees. A blood curtling scream splits through the air a few feet behind me. I turn as one of the walking dead sink it's teeth into an old woman, dark red blood splattering onto her face. Warm tears blur my vision as I turn away from the horrific scene. I tighten my grip on Shane's hand and we pick up our pace. I'm soon out of breath, and my heart pounds in my ears as we sprint to safety. I trip over a log and fall to the ground, almost pulling Shane down with me. Tears are still streaming down my face.

"Jesus, are you ok?" Shane asks as he squats down beside me. I sob, taking quick uneasy breaths. Dozens of panicked people rush past us. I gasp for air, overwhelmed by the chaos. I see Shane's mouth moving but no sound seems to be coming out. My head is spinning, I look at the ground, everything losing focus. Shane takes my face in his hands and tilts it towards him. I hear him calling my name, his eyes filled with concern.

"Katie! Katie!...Damit Katie breath!" He cries desperately. I stare into his deep brown eyes. I take slow, deep breaths. His eyes fill with relief. "Good." He smiles a little, nodding his head. "Good, that's it..." He leans forward and places his forehead against mine. I take few more deep breaths and compose myself.

"I'm ok..." I mumble, looking at the ground. He opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by the unmistakable moans of the dead.

"Sh**..." Shane mumbles as they stumble toward us. He grabs both of my hands and pulls me to my feet. He keeps ahold of one of my hands and we run even faster than we were before. After what feels like forever, Shane leads me out of the woods and back onto the highway. We dodge around cars, shoving past angry, scared people until finally we spot Lori and Carl in the distance. By the time we reach the car the herd of dead is far behind.

"Get in the car now!" Shane screams.

"Shane what the hell is going on?" Lori asks, not moving an inch.

"There's no time to explain! Just get in the damn car!" He screams at her. I jump into the passenger seat, immediately locking my door. Lori and Carl scramble into the back. Shane has a quick conversation with the family Lori had become acquainted with, then he hurries into the driver's side. He starts the car, not bothering to put on his seatbelt.

"Ed, Carol, and their little girl are coming with us." He announces, referring to the family.

"Where are we going?" Lori asks.

"I don't know..." Shane replies with a sigh. He waits a moment for Carol's family to get in their car, then carefully pulls into the median. He looks in his rear view mirror, making sure Ed followed. He presses his foot harder onto the pedal and we speed up the grassy median, passing everyone that was still sitting in the traffic. I stare absentmindedly out the window, fear laced through my veins. Shane reaches over and grabs my hand, lacing his fingers with mine. I take a deep breath, the feel of his hand in mine comforting me. As we make our way down the uneasy terrain I notice that a few more cars are following us. After a while the amount of cars on the highway begins to thin out, and Shane is able to pull back onto the road. He carefully navigates through the remaining cars, earning strange glances from their owners. My heart sinks, they probably don't know what's waiting for them in the city. They'll be walking right into a death trap. They're all going to die...if they even make it that far... I see a young Mexican girl with a small doll in her arms laughing, and running around a car with what looks like her brother. Their parents watching them patiently from beside the car. They don't deserve to die...I roll my window down as we get closer.

"Shane stop for a second." He stops alongside the car. The children stop running, they cower behind their parents. "You have to get out of here! The refugee center is gone, the city isn't safe anymore..." I call to them. They look at each other, unsure if they should trust me.

"What do you mean it's gone?" The woman asks quietly.

"It's overrun by those...things..." I say shivering at the thought of the decaying monsters that are taking over the world. "Please come with us, we'll be safer in a group." I beg. The man nods slowly.

"Ok...we'll come. I'm Morales, that's my wife Miranda, and my kids Louis and Eliza." I smile at my small victory and shake his hand through the window.

"Katie." I say introducing myself. Shane, Lori, and Carl quickly introduce themselves, then Morales and his family climbs into their car, and joins the line of cars behind us. Shane continues driving until we reach a small dirt road that leads to a wooded area with an open section of land above a large quarry.

"We'd be safe up there...keep our fires low and we won't be able to be seen from a distance." Shane says, almost to himself.

"This place looks as good as any." I say agreeing with him. Shane signals the other cars that's he's turning, then continues up the hill. When we reach the top I see a kind looking old man wearing a fisherman's hat and two blonde women, one a little younger than the other standing outside an RV. Everyone pulls up into the campsite.

"Ya'll wait here" Shane calls to the group as he exits the patrol car. I get out of the car anyway. I smirk at him as I walk to his side. He rolls his eyes and laughs a little, knowing there would be no use in telling me to get back in the car. We cautiously approach the old man.

"Hello Officer how can we help you?" The man asks with a smile. I almost forgot Shane was still wearing his uniform.

"We're looking for a safe place to set up camp." Shane says, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. He looks around examining the area. "And it sure looks like you've got a nice place up here....you lookin' for a group?" Shane asks shifting feet. He places his hands on his hips, waiting worriedly for an answer.

"The more the merrier." The old man replies. "I'm Dale." He says, holding out his hand.