Finding Humanity

Chapter 8

I did not want to leave the safety of the car. I was anxiously itching at my blood-covered clothing while peering out the window for signs of danger.

Nothing.

The streets were eerily quiet despite being packed. I had no idea if that was a good sign or not, but it felt wrong. A part of me hoped it meant we had left the worst of the situation behind us.

"Any weapons?" Paul asked. "You know, just in case?"

Nick got out of the car first. "I got a tire iron in my trunk."

"That's it?"

"Yup." Nick closed his door and moved to the trunk, popping the hood.

You can do this.

I took a deep breath and got out of the car. My palms were clammy and I felt on edge as if I was about to be pounced on at any moment. Paul joined me and gave me a pat on the shoulder in an attempt to comfort me. It didn't work, but I appreciated the gesture.

Nick slammed the trunk shut with the tire iron in hand and gave us a steely look. "Let's go."

He adjusted his grip to an easy swing hold and strode past us. We quickly followed suit. I didn't like feeling vulnerable at all. I desperately wanted some kind of weapon. That's when an idea popped into my head. "Hey, Nick, give me your keys."

"My keys? Why?" He hesitated, giving me a calculating look.

"Please?"

Evidently, he decided that giving me his keys wouldn't put him at risk because he tossed them to me. I barely managed to snatch them out of the air.

"Thanks."

"Don't lose them," he said. "My apartment key is on there."

There were three keys on the keychain and they were all attached to a metal ring on the end of a strip of leather. I wove the keys through the knuckles of my right hand and grasped the leather strip in my palm. I knew it wasn't the best weapon, but it was better than nothing.

"I won't," I said, looking Nick in the eye.

He surprised me by smirking at me. "Smart."

I hoped so. Though if we were lucky, I wouldn't have to test it.

As we walked, the sounds of car horns got louder, but it was a block before we came upon people.

At first, it was just people in their cars. I walked past a family of four inside a minivan. The parents seemed to be arguing and gesturing wildly, while the children cried in the backseat. When the father noticed us weaving around the cars, his gaze changed from angry to crazed with fear. The honking from that car got louder. It was only after we passed that I realized he had that reaction from seeing me.

My blood covered body.

I tried to make myself more inconspicuous after that by walking closer to the towering frames of Paul and Nick. People still took note of us, some choosing to abandon their cars and begin walking as well.

By the second block, there were more people already on the streets. There was a mother sitting on the sidewalk rocking a blood-soaked little girl in her arms. She was crying and calling for help, stroking the girl's hair. I had to force myself to look away.

There was a priest outside his church ushering people in, blessing them as they passed the threshold. His expression was one of resignation. Even when a woman fell to her knees begging him for guidance, all he could do was bless her and help her enter.