The Dead and The Damned

Part 15

Adrenaline. Adrenaline was piercing through my skin, making my pulse beat rapidly, as I watched the walking corpses draw closer to us. I looked around frantically for a way out, anything to help us, when my eyes landed on a door. I grabbed Harry's hand, tugging him behind me, not caring if Bella and Madison followed. They were on their own. They followed anyways, trying to escape this hell, and I struggled against the door, trying to coax it open.

"Back up." Harry yells. He kicks the door open, the doorknob cracking off. We all sprint inside, and I slam the door behind us. We were in a small corridor, the lights flickering on and off. Brief flashes of my memory go through my head. We run down the hallway, trying to open any of the doors, but they're all locked.

"Damn it! What are we going to do?" I say, my voice frantic. Madison nudges my shoulder, pointing down the hallway. A small window is placed into the wall, a small sign above it showing a small figure climbing down a ladder. The fire escape. Of course. We make it to the end of the hallway, when the door starts rattling at the opposite end, the wood scratching and breaking. Harry shimmies the window open, looking up at me with a guarded expression. His eyes are dark again; a deep shade of jade.

"Sophie, you first. Then Bella, then Madison. I'll climb out after. Now go!" he orders. I sigh, squeezing myself out of the window, and landing on the metal balcony. I swallow nervously as I force myself not to look down. Heights have always been a fear of mine. But my fucking curiousity always gets the better of me. I sneak a look down, whimpering as the ground seems to spin farther and farther away. My foot knocks something to the ground as I stumble back and press myself against the wall, clattering loudly against the fire escape before ringing loudly against a dumpster. Shuffles. Moaning. I look down again as a few zombies stagger towards the bottom of the fire escape, clawing at the ladders. Fuck. Bella shimmies out beside me, sighing as she sees the situation growing.

"Guess we'll have to go up." she mutters. She tugs on the ladder, forcing the rusty metal down, and wincing as it screeches to a halt. I can hear more moaning and hissing beneath us. Madison climbs out the window, landing beside me, and almost stumbling over the railing with her uneasy balance. I grab out at her arm, saving her, before trying to help Bella with the ladder. Harry scrambles out just as a zombie presses itself against the glass, fumbling to grab his hand. They must have busted down the door. Harry yanks down on the ladder, ignoring the blood on his wrist, before shoving us up. I clamber up the metal, my hands shaking, and my foot misses a rung at one point causing my heart to almost explode in my chest. Glass shatters beneath us, but I don't dare look down. I scramble up onto the roof, crouched down on my knees, my chest heaving. Bella and Madison step up after, Madison looking shaken up. Bella's face is cold and expressionless as she glares at me.

"Thanks to you and your friend, we have nothing! That hotel room had all of our supplies!" she yells. Harry clambers up the ladder at that moment, ignoring Bella's flirty look and helping me up.

"We can't just sit up here. We have to make it to that roof over there." he says, pointing to the building next to us. The roof is saggy, almost as if it's depressed with the thought of the world ending. And then it connects. We were going to have to jump buildings. Oh shit.

"I-I can't jump buildings, Harry!" I stutter. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Bella smirk. Harry sighs, running a tired hand through his hair. His eyes are a deep shade of green, his jaw clenched, giving his jawline a more prominent angle. His brows are furrowed together in thought.

"You're going to have to jump, Sophie. It's the only way we can get out of this mess." he sighs. My hands are shaking furiously now.

"I can go first." Bella says, stepping near the ledge. She stands there, contemplating, before backing up with a running start. She clears the space between the buildings easily, rolling once along the other roof before landing in a crouched position. She stands up and brushes off her shirt, biting back a boastful smile. Harry goes next, his tall but lean form giving him an advantage, and he lands on the other side. The roof groans under the sudden weight. Madison follows, and despite her ankle, she leaps over to the other side almost as easily as Bella and Harry did.