Last Dawn of a Horde

Chapter Four: The Outside World ~1 James

~James~

    I nudged my best friend. “Come on, esprein. We have escapaded here just to be cornered by these monsters?”

    John didn’t laugh; I sensed he was further in being serious.

    The water was still knee-high, and as the current trickled past us, we stood still together. John was still standing still as if he’s absorbing everything he can. As for me, I really don’t hear anything than the rumble of stinky waters and the quiet pleading of noses to get out of here.

    Our flashlights lighted our ways, but I knew they were not enough. The whole place was dark, but I’m wondering…

    Imagine this: You were placed in a really large pipe, water with not-so-nice sediments continued to flow, and on every sides of the largest pipe came holes that were surely branches of the sewers. I try not to look skywards, as smelly liquid still drops on our shoulders. That’s how the place looks like. Now you’ll list the city’s sewers as one of the places you’ll choose Death for.

    John looked so sure about the zombies. Who knew if they can smell? I don't care anymore. Who would, anyway. I exchanged looks with my other classmates—Rich held his gun tight in his hands, and the girls grasped their knives close to themselves, as if that’s the only thing they’ll hold on to.

    “John,” I whispered, as if I had completely believed him. “Are you sure they’re here?”

    John nodded nervously. “I think we need to come up again soon,” he said softly, “let’s think about navigating through these sewers.”

    All of us agreed, as some of us were eager to leave the underground plumbing system—the idea that should’ve been our way out of the school. The next idea of returning to the school to reunite and plan some things wasn’t a good thing to hear either—I fear our mates that we have left to die are waiting for us outside.

    Den squeaked. “Come on, what are we waiting for? Let’s leave now.”

    Den had the worst claustrophobic experience from us. Once when she was seven, the elevator she and her family were riding had a technical problem, and the elevator freight crashed down to the ground floor when they were still at the fifth floor. It was high enough, and it almost killed them all, but gladly, they got no more than a bruise on their faces each.

    Andrea was the next to complain. “Come on! I can feel rats swimming through here!”

    I felt that too—when you are walking through knee-deep waters and you really feel something was going with the flow—something was wriggling on the waters.

    After several minutes of doing nothing, John said, “Come on, we’ll go on.”

    Our locked arms released themselves, and John had led the way. No one of us had actually trekked here before, (must have been weird if one of us did so,) but John was walking with confidence on his stony face. He looked like he really knew something.

    “Guys,” John called. We all looked at him. “Just don’t look on the dark holes,” he said. “Those damn zombies will react to light.”

    “What time is it anyway?” Suzanne asked.

    “Three thirty,” Jimmy answered as he pressed a finger on his watch. It lighted green, and he gave a nod.

    “Will the light reach us here?” Sophie worriedly asked John.

    “No,” John said. “But if you do see light from the holes, alert everyone. Light from outside can be a good thing.”