30 Days of Undead Summer [Zombie Challenge]

June 5th: #MadDashMonday

Only Chance

I knew it was a bad idea, but I did it anyway. We were in desperate need of food. The kids were about to starve it was the only thing we could think of. Bree thought it was stupid to risk our lives for a few pieces of bread, but it wasn't just bread.

The building was the last place in town we hadn't hit yet. Of course the reason for that was obvious. It was completely covered. Probably hundreds of groaners covered the area on all sides. Only heaven knew what awaited us on the inside. Though if I had to guess not only food was hidden inside, but ammo, more guns.

We had knives, basic melee weapons that some of us had scavenged, but it wasn't enough. We'd long since run out of ammo, including arrows. It certainly wasn't easy to make a homemade arrow in the wilderness without a how to manual.

"I told you this was a bad idea!" screamed Bree as we ran past another corner.

Brentley laughed, jogging behind us. Reaching behind him, he fired the shotgun he managed to find at the group following us. "This is the most fun I've had in ages."

I merely rolled my eyes. Brent had a strange definition of fun. My definition certainly didn't revolve running for my life in an abandoned outpost from a horde of groaners.

"In here," yelled Xavier, pushing a door opened and rushing us inside. Unfortunately, we weren't quick enough, and a groaner slipped into the room behind us.

Immediately Mira, another girl in our group, pulled out a knife and slipped it into the side of the groaner's head. Immediately it stopped groaning, twitched and then fell to the ground. I covered my nose even though by now I was used to the smell. It still never got easy.

"We're screwed," Bree screamed noticing there wasn't a single window in the room.

Brentley clutched the automatic weapon in his hand while Xavier was counting ammo cartridges. We'd managed to find something to lock the door but it was only a matter of time before that horde burst through the door.

"We both know what we need to do," X said, eyes flickering toward the dead groaner.

"Just get it over with," I told him, turning around. We'd done this plenty of times, me and him. It had only ever been myself, Bree and Xavier before we found our main group. Mira and Brentley were part of another group that had joined the larger group of us.

If I knew Mira at all, she wasn't going to like this.

"What the hell are you doing?" Mira screeched as Xavier stabbed the groaner in the stomach, opening it wider.

"Do you want to die here? This is the only way we might survive. Otherwise, you can give yourself up to the horde outside the door!" Xavier replied back without even a glance toward Mira.

Bree came to my side, rolling her eyes in the direction of Mira. Mira and Brentley's group didn't have it as bad as we did. Mira was still a bit spoiled having food shared in their group daily. They got lucky that someone Mira's family had been a bit OCD about stock piling food. They survived months in a pantry while the rest of the world died off with the groaners.

Bree leaned her head on my shoulder and I tightened my arm around her. Breathing her in, I sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. If Mira didn't complain about this plan, I still didn't see all of us making it out of here alive. Bree probably knew this too, she was always reading my mind with me having to utter a word. Bree was smart, I knew even if something happened to me or X, she could take care of herself. She was different from the girl I first met. Sometimes I missed that girl, wondered what she had been like before the end of the world hit us.

Suddenly there was sounds of puke hitting the floor. I rolled my eyes, found Brentley throwing up in the corner. Mira didn't look too well either. Xavier had begun to pat himself with the blood of the groaner. The smell was even worst now.

Good thing I chose not to eat before this. Thank god for small favors. Bree and I were next. Xavier was quick because he knew we handle the smell much. Xavier had always been a bit more head strong than the rest of us. According to him, his father had taken him hunting plenty of times as a kid. He'd killed plenty of deer and sliced them open, and removed the fur. He just thought of the groaners as a way of escape, he tried not to think about them once being human. Made things easier.

Bree made a face when X covered her cheeks and forehead. I was already covered, checking my own gun for bullets.

"Mira, get over here. If you want to make it through that door. This is your only chance," I told her, giving her a look and pointing my knife toward X.

She closed her eyes for a second before opening them and marching toward X. I was surprised she didn't make a sound as both Bree and X covered her from head to toe.

Mira dragged Brentley cover as she and X covered him. I could tell he was upchuck on them both, but I kept my mouth shut. Once they were done, X pushed his gun into his jacket. Looking over at Bree, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her into me.

Looking into her eyes, I gave a crooked grin. She stared at me, confused for a moment until I pushed my lips against her. She was frozen before she kissed me back. When we pulled away, she just rolled her eyes.

"Of course you'd choose a moment like this to tell me how you feel, James."

I just gave her a wink before X and I opened the door. Hopefully we'd make it out of this alive.

(I know it's wrong to leave it here, but it's left to the imagination. I might continue this at another time. I have an idea of how they get out of the situation, but I'm already over the word count as it is.)