Crazies

Chapter Seventeen

~Chapter 17~
(Edited)

***Four Months Later***

I press my back up against the cold wall of the dark hallway trying to catch my breath as silently as I can. With my heart racing, I lean around the corner to see if I was followed into the hotel building.

At the end of the dark hallway, I  make out the jerky movements of two Crazies slowly making their way towards me with the screams of at least three others just out of my line of sight. I have maybe seconds to figure out what I'm going to do.

Fight or run.

I still have the three throwing knives attach to my left leg with the Ka-Bar fighting knife on the right, but that's not enough to save my butt against five of them.

I reach for my twin 44 magnum caliber Desert Eagle pistol I have in holsters hanging on both sides of my ribs and release the clip to one then the other.

"Crap." I only have half a clip for both and I already used the backup clips just to get into the building.

Looks like I'm running for it.

I look up and down the side hallway I'm using to hide in, searching for anything that could help me out when I see a small stream of light illuminating a section of the grimy carpet at the other end of the hall from me.

I return the guns to their holsters and peek around the corner one last time. They still haven't noticed me yet so I turn and sprint away from the corner.

The light is coming from a small window on a door, but instead of the outside world, it leads me to a stairwell. Following the rays of light up, I realize that they're coming in from the skylight on the ceiling. I frown to myself before closing the door behind me, unfortunately, it makes a loud clicking sound that echoes loudly within the stairwell.

The sound is followed by another one that I'm now all too familiar with, and I reluctantly glance over the railing.

I'm greeted by a pale scared face with black sunken eyes and a blood-stained mouth that seems to almost smile at me. I jerk away from the edge and desperately search for another escape when the door behind me flies open and two Crazies launch themselves at me.

Months of surviving against these zombified people have sharpened my skills to the point that they barely take a few steps before I'm moving into action.

I kick the closest one in the chest, throwing it back towards the door and fire at the second one hitting it in the left eye. As soon it falls lifelessly to the ground, I turn my attention to the other one that is now closing the distance between us again, and fire a second shot, catching it between the eyes.

Returning the guns to their holsters, I look back over the railing to see close to ten Crazies fighting each other as they try to make their way up to me. I push myself off the rail and run up to the top of the stairs taking the steps two at a time until I reach the door that leads to the roof.

I race through the door then quickly slam it shut, not caring about the loud bang it causes. I barricade the door with my body then desperately look around for something that could help me.

Finally, finding a smidge of good luck, I see a corroded pipe sticking out of the wall right next to the door. I quickly unwind the long metal coil that I keep around my wrist and wind it tight around the door handle and pipe.

I take a step away from the door just as the sound of bodies start slamming into it. The wooden door bows a little from the impact but thankfully stays closed. Satisfied that I've created some time for me to think, I take a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart.