Z-Day Chronicles: Rising Up

Chapter 9

HR-Team Alpha stopped at the western corner of Erick’s Building.

“Alright,” Kyle started. “The survivors were saying they were 4 floors up and their window was at the far end overlooking the Governor’s Club. Let’s ready that rope and climb down.”

The window that Kyle spoke of opened, and a blonde woman revealed herself, looking up at the group.

“There’s help!” the woman shouted inside the room. “We’ve got help!”

“Are you alright, miss?!” Kyle called out.

“Thank you so much! We thought we weren’t gonna make it!”

Grim bolted the rope to the concrete above the survivors, fasting it to the edge of the building. He bolted another piece of the rope to the rooftop, making sure that the rope was sturdy enough for everyone to climb down and back up.

"We’re coming down!” Kyle shouted. “Stay clear of the window!”

The woman nodded and disappeared into the room.

"We’re gonna need to get these guys out quick,” Jake told the squad. “That chopper is making a lot of noise, putting us in the spotlight. Those things are gonna be running here from miles off.”

Kyle climbed down first, entering the room a couple floors below them. He then pulled in some of the extra rope that was dangling further down and tied it off to a heavy bed next to the window. After motioning the others, Rodney climbed down, with the rest of the squad following him.

“In here!” The woman persisted, pointing to the bathroom. “My boyfriend’s been bit.”

The woman led Kyle into the bathroom. In it was a man laying on the ground unconscious. His right leg was patched up, but the blood continued to seep through the bandages. There was also another survivor, a young adult with short, curly brown hair, who sat in the main room just outside of the bathroom on the other side of the bed next to it.

“We’ll take care of him,” Kyle assured. “Right now, we need you to get ready at the window. We’re gonna get you guys out of here.”

Although the boy behind the second bed did as he was told, the woman stayed next to her boyfriend.

“Miss,” Kyle asserted. “I understand you want to be in here with him, but we’re gonna have to amputate the leg. You don’t need to be in here with that going on.”

The boy hurried out that window. Dike climbed up next, making sure the boy didn’t slip when trying to climb the rope.

“Miss,” Kyle continued. “It’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna make sure all three of you get out of here safe and...”

“Three?” The woman interrupted. Kyle gave the survivor a puzzling look.

“Yeah,” he answered. “Three.”

“Where did you get ‘three’ from? The only ones here are me and my boyfriend.”

'Just them?!' Jake thought. 'L.T. wasn’t the only one that counted three.' “We were contacted by someone that was here.”

“I didn’t call you guys,” the woman replied, quickly grinning and tearing up. “I think it’s a miracle. You show up right when we needed you.”

Jake’s look of confusion abruptly changed to a shocked, attentive look. He quickly rushed into the living room.

“DIKE!” Jake shouted. “IT’S A TRAP! GET BACK DOWN HERE!!!”

By the time Jake called out for Dike, he was already halfway up the rope, and the survivor had already picked himself up on the roof. After standing up, the boy hastily pulled a small pistol from his ankle and aimed it at the rope.