Don't Be Afraid

Chapter 14

Issac's POV

I walk out of Linda's room and slam the door shut behind me. I'll never be able to un-see that.

"Are you okay?" Cleo asks.

"Just fine." I snap. She looks taken back, but recovers quickly. I walk through the hallways and she stops me before I can go back into the town.

"Are you stupid or something?" She hisses. I pull my arm away from her.

"What?"

"You just killed three people. You can't be seen. Heck, they probably have people looking for you." Shit. I didn't even think about that. I take a few steps back, so if someone were to be walking by, they wouldn't notice me.

"My duffle bag is out there. It has everything I own, including weapons." I raise my brow. She huffs in annoyance and pushes past me.

"Where did you leave it?"

"By the booth we sat at. Before the attack."

She nods her head. "Just stay here."

"Fine." She runs through the streets swiftly and disappears from my sight. I lean against the wall for what seems like hours, but could only be a few minutes. I hear her padded footsteps running across the pavement toward me and look up. She has my duffle bag slung over her shoulder and her face is red.

She hands me the bag. "Happy now?" Her face shows aggravation.

"Actually yes." I mock. She rolls her eyes and huffs.

"I see them lighting the street lights. Won't be long til' we can leave."

"Then we'd better get some rest. We're gonna need it."

Linda's POV

I stretch my arms behind my head. Hunter starts packing supplies. Food, water, and weapons. It's been awkward ever since Issac left. He hasn't said a word and I refuse to speak first. Maybe he's collecting his thoughts. Maybe he's weirded out about what we did. Maybe he doesn't care about what happened. My thoughts are interrupted by him pulling me in for a hug.

"Sorry for being awkward." He mumbles into my hair. I can feel my heart beat against my chest. It would fly away, but his embrace is keeping it in place. I close my eyes and go with it. He smells sweet, but also like the earth. It's pleasant and a calming smell. He pulls away, but cups my face in his hands.

"I..." He seems unable to speak. He looks like it hurts to breath. "The last person I was with...she didn't make it and I can't lose you too." His eyes are sad, with dark circles underneath. Right now he doesn't look like the tough twenty year old I first saw him as. He looks like a little boy mourning over his dead dog or a fish.

"I understand. I lost my...my boyfriend the first day this plague started." My chest tightens at the very mention of David. I do my best to shake it off and focus all of my attention on Hunter.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." We stand there for a few minutes just looking into each other's eyes. His are a dark brown, almost like chocolate. Issac and Cleo walk in and he sighs.

"If we're leaving, we'd best do it now." Cleo announces.

"Ready Linda?" Hunter asks.

I nod my head and throw my backpack over my shoulder.

"Don't worry. It'll be a piece of cake."

Hunter leads the way stopping to look around corners and making ridiculous hand motions that Issac has yelled more than once over. We reach the middle of the town and head towards the ladder. We're jogging and hiding when ever we see the shine of a flashlight.

Issac grabs me and Cleo, pulling us to the ground. "You forgot to mention there were patrols." He whisper shouts.

Cleo shrugs her shoulders. "You never asked." She then begins to get up from behind the booth we were hiding behind.

"What are you doing?" Issac asks. She ignores him and grabs a can out of her bag. She then hurls it across the street and we hear a loud clang of pots and pans. The men who are patrolling turn their flashlights on it and begin to run in that direction.

"Now." Hunter says. We run towards the exit and I hesitate.

"Linda? Linda what are you doing?" Issac asks. I don't answer. I stare at the town. It's lanterns casting shadows along the pavement. The markets closed. The flowers that grow along the streets. Issac grabs my arm and pulls me along. I take one last look and run side by side with him.

When we reach the ladder Cleo goes first, then me, then Issac, and then Hunter. Cleo reaches the top faster than me. I climb out and almost scream at the sight in front of me. There's about three dozen zombies in here. Hunter gets to his feet and I can hear an almost silent gasp escape his lips.

"Stay quiet." Issac instructs. He steps in front of Cleo and me and pulls a knife out of the waist of his jeans. I reach for my dagger, shaking, I hold it up and take deep breaths. Cleo and Hunter pull out a machete and a knife as well.

"When I count to three run towards the door." Hunter's tone is demanding. Everyone nods their heads and after a few seconds I nod too. "Okay. One. Two. Three!" I start sprinting towards the exit. I'm faster than the others. I slow down a little and Cleo catches up. A zombie gets in my way and I grab it by the back of its neck and push my knife into its forehead. It goes limp and I throw it out of my way. I can hear Cleo scream so I spin on my heel and run towards her. She's holding two zombies back and is unable to fight back. I grab one of them and throw it on the ground. I start to stomp as hard as I can on its head splattering blood all over my clothes and face.

"Run!" I hear Hunter shout. After the thing stops moving I take off. Cleo reaches the door first and yanks it open. We rush through and she pulls it closed. I can hear her grunting and straining to keep it closed so I grab a pipe off of the ground and slide it through the handles. She lets go and stumbles backwards.

"I owe you one."

"Get me out of here alive and we'll be even." I joke. Hunter honks his horn and we run towards the truck. After everyone's in he hits the gas and spins out of the parking lot leaving the smell of burning rubber hanging in the air.

Everyone was trying to catch their breath. I was the first one to speak. "Like I said, a piece of cake."