Death Count

[Part 10] - Pied Piper

I watched in a daze as Ree hang from the roof like worm bait on a fishing rod. One of her hand was gripping the edge and the other was held by Olie. I helplessly watch her dangled body just a few feet from the crazies’ eager hands.

Olie’s face contorted as he drew all his strength in pulling my sister up. I breathed a sigh of relief when they both disappeared from my view. Most likely regaining their strength back and getting fresh air from that near death experience, not that the air around the crazies are fresh. Actually, it smells very foul and I couldn’t wait to get out of range from the smell.

“Come on, we need to get out of their sight. We couldn’t be too careful around hundreds of them milling around.” I heard Cole say, tugging on my hand and pulling me away from the crazies’ sight.

I walked grudgingly behind him. Not liking being away from my sister but I know that he has a point.


We rounded a car that was parked a few meters from the house where Olie and Vee was huddled. I sneaked a peek at the roof and dug my nails on his hands unconsciously as I saw my sister ran to the edge and jumped.


I held my breath.

She landed to the shed’s roof for a few moments and just like me, slipped out of it. However, she slipped on the other side, where the crazies are. I gasped.


I didn’t stop to think of my actions; I just rushed out of my hiding spot, running towards the direction of the car where we were trapped previously. Without wasting anytime, I screamed at the top of my lungs, “Hey! Ugly crazies! Come and get me!” I waved my hands and jump in my spot to get their attention.

My heart thudded painfully inside my chest as one by one the monsters turned to me. A few beats of confuse silence passed before they aggressively shuffled in my direction. Groaning in undisguised excitement for a potential prey, they swipe their arms to me. To those who still have theirs that is.


Holy shit, now that I got their attention what next? I froze in my spot, mind racing without a plan actually forming. My skin itched to bolt away from my spot but I could still see some crazies stalking the shed where Ree manage to hide into, after giving me a terrified look while I was jumping earlier.


When there are only a few feet of distance between me and the first crazy to reach me, I started to take a tentative step away. Looking behind me, I let out a relieve sigh when I don’t find any crazy. Turning back towards the legion of monsters in front of me, a squeak escaped from my chapped lips upon seeing that the nearest crazy is a hair breadth away from my being.


I tumbled back to create some distance, but when they started closing in on me on every side, I started running away from where my friends were.

I look back every several seconds to ensure that they’re still following me, and when they started losing interest in me, I slowed down my pace to entice them again to follow me, away from my sister.

I repeated that for about an hour or more.

I lost the sense of time while my unfit body slowed in tiredness after a few hours of keeping up my slow pace. My chest burns and my limbs felt very hot. I’m not really used to run for miles and now my feet keep stumbling at some invisible object.

After a few minutes, I saw a blue building in front of me. I realized I’ve stumbled upon the town’s police station. It was situated just a few miles from where I started being the pied piper of several hundreds of crazies at my rear.


The place was eerily bereft of any forms of life, undead or otherwise, as far as my eyes could reach. However, the grounds are full of piled bodies, some are even burning. Looking closely, some bodies who wore a guard’s uniform and orange jumpsuits are scattered about.

I turned to look at my followers and sighed at their ugly but unfaltering vigor. With a final use of my strength, I pushed forward in a fast run and rounded the police station. At the back, I saw an opened gate. I made sure to watch if any crazy managed to catch up, but seeing nothing of the sort, I entered the police compound. Closing the gate softly, I turned to survey the space before me. There was no any sign of struggle that indicates any forms of undead force.


The stillness of the air is unnerving. The crunch of my shoes at the gravel seems to magnify its sound at my every step. There are several army trucks parked at this part of what appears like a yard, some with big guns at the back of them.

I decided to hide inside the bed of a military truck that was parked just a few meters from the building. I don’t think it’s safe to venture inside the brick building on my own with little sunlight to guide me. Checking my watch, it was already five in the afternoon.

I stretch my aching arms and legs. In my entire twenty one years, that was the first time in my life running that far. It was such a feat I don’t want to ever do it again. Like ever.


A distinct groan stop me from my thoughts, making my heart beat fast.


It seems like my followers are incessant in locating me, aka the food. I heard several groans and gurgles pass by the gates. I didn’t dare move an inch. With my eyes tightly closed and my limbs stiff as a board, I manage to fall asleep.

*

I started up with a bolt. Unsure of the source of my discomfort and awareness of my surrounding, I laid still for a few minutes before slowly sitting up. Sleepiness and hunger obstructed any coherent thoughts from appearing.


Massaging my stiff neck from lying on a hard surface with one hand, I rubbed the tiredness off my eyes with the other. I focused my half lidded eyes at my watch; it read seven forty two in the evening.

No wonder I feel very stiff, I’ve been in the same position on the cold and hard surface for more than two hours now.

Looking around me, it seems like the electricity is not working anymore, plunging the world into the darkness’ grasp. It makes me nervous to think of what might have happened to Ree and the guys. I hope my sister was able to stay safe while I lure the crazies away from her, wishing that what I did saved her.

I was muffling a big yawn from breaking out when I heard it.


It was an unmistakable crunch of a shoe on the gravel. I stiffened. Oh hell, not a crazy, please don’t let it be a crazy. I’ve had enough of those ugly monsters for one day.

And I don’t even have a weapon.

I stayed still in my position, waiting for the source of the sound to pass by my hiding place. I held my breath as the noise stopped suddenly. After a few excruciating moments, I let out my breath softly as the noise never appeared.


I guess it was one of those straggling crazy outside the gates. I sighed in relief.

Slowly, I sit up from my crouching position which I unconsciously folded myself into. Adjusting my eyes of the darkness that befalls me, I got out of the truck cautiously. Looking at the blue building and its darkened rooms, I can’t help but think of it like a giant monster with its mouth wide open, beckoning me to get lost inside.


I shuddered at the thoughts that flashed in my over active mind. Scenarios that I would only get to experience in the five inch screen of my trusty phone. I sighed.


Taking a tentative step towards the building, I looked over my shoulder to make sure the gates are still closed. It was, thankfully. I’m not sure if those crazies have any cognitive capacity to work out how to open doors and think for themselves but I sure do hope not.


I circled the truck to see if any of its doors are open but found all of them are close firmly. I even tried looking inside to no avail since it’s very dark. I repeated that in all of the trucks within the yard, big or small. It could be an advantage if we have one of these, easier to maneuver complicated terrains and maybe we could find weapons inside one of these.


I walked further towards the building, hesitated in going inside when I was just a foot away from the door. Shrugging my apprehension, I took a step inside.

And collide with a hard wall. I pushed a hand to the wall to help me steady my feet when a hand caught my wrist and another one is place on my mouth. My eyes widened as I realized it wasn’t a wall, it was actually a person. I fought the hands that has a good grip on me and wiggled my body away from it to no avail. It was very strong and it started dragging me further inside the building.


Oh god I’m going to die.