Breathing the Dead ~ H.S

Chapter Forty

A/N: Daayyyuuumm Chapter Forty already :D I'm so glad that this book is already way longer than I expected :D

CHAPTER FORTY: SACRIFICE

As Harry pulled the van into uptown Greyfort as per Mike's directions - he immediately quietened the engine down and discreetly parked the vehicle behind some overgrown bushes.

"And you're sure the baby shop isn't too far from here?" Harry turned to Mike from the driver's seat, "I don't want too many run-ins with the dead. Or any run-ins, if I dare to request."

Mike nodded. "It's only two doors down. I promise,"

"Alright," Harry sighed and began to open the front door, "let's get moving."

Everyone nodded and began to pile out of the van, with Mike climbing out only to approach my door shortly after - opening it helping me out of the passenger's seat; which made me smile and whisper a quick "Thank you" before joining Harry & the others at the back of the van. We all crouched behind the overgrown bushes and began to discuss plans.

"OK. Here's what we're gonna do," Harry said after a quick discussion, "we're gonna observe this herd, and find a way to maneuver around it, and get into the baby shop safely. And then, we're all gonna grab whatever me & Laura will need to take care of our daughter, and pack them into the back of the van. And then, it's out of here and back into the motel."

"We can't get too carried away, though," I added, "this shop could be filled with so many wonderful things, but we need to remember that we can't take it all."

Harry nodded in agreement. "OK. Let's see what we're dealing with."

All four of us peered over the bushes - my eyes widening as the sight of the herd suddenly felt overwhelming. There were so many of them...dozens upon dozens of undead as far as the eye could see.

"Oh my God..." I let out a shaky breath, "...how the hell are we gonna do this..? There's...hundreds,"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Harry sighed.

Penny peered around the side of the shrubs - squinting at the baby shop which we all could see was only just across the road.

"I think one of the windows is broken..." she whispered, "but I don't know how big the hole would be. If only I could get a closer look..."

"We always carry binoculars," I said - reaching into Harry's backpack and pulling them out, "it's something he trained everyone in the group to do."

I tossed the binoculars to her, and she gave me a small 'Thank You' smile when she caught them - putting them to her eyes and looking through them for a good long while before she finally nodded.

"Yep. It's a broken window," she confirmed, "it's er...not that big, though."

"Is it still possible for someone to fit through?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. I think so," Penny nodded again.

"Which one of us?" asked Mike.

"Well...Mike, you're probably too big. Harry, you'd be too big and too tall. And Laura, you're too pregnant," she put the binoculars down and sighed, "looks like there's just me. I'm pretty small,"

"Are you sure, Penny?" I asked her.

"Yeah," she nodded, "yeah, I'm sure. I could just slip through that window, and open the back door for the rest of you."

"How do you know there's a back door?" asked Mike.

"Please," Penny scoffed, "it's a store, Mike. Every store has a back door."