Death From Below

Chapter 14

Sofia sucks in a deep breath and stands quickly, "I forgot my phone on the stairs when we walked out with the radio, I'll be right back." she explains as she rushes back towards the building. I help get the baby's car seats in the truck, and we load up our bags into the back while the others are all boarding the bus and getting their bags put up. I sit and wait patiently for Sofia to come back out along with the guys that are going up to check out the second floor. Once everyone is safely in their seats with the vehicles turned around to make sure we can get away safely we sit and wait in fear and curiosity. I can make out Sofia jogging back towards the truck and I sigh in relief to know that she is alright which means the guys should be fine as well.

Dante's P.O.V

"Sofia, what are you doing here?" I ask as I notice her walking swiftly towards us as we stand near the start of the stairs.

"I forgot my phone earlier when we found the radio," she answers as she bends down and picks it up from next to my foot.

I wait patiently while she walks towards the exit and I wait until she is safely outside before turning towards the stairs and slowly begin to ascend them. I try to be as silent as possible just in case there is anything up here, I am wielding a metal bat in one hand and a flashlight in the other. Ethan and Tristan were carrying large bladed weapons while Josh held tightly onto a metal bat of his own. Two guys from our group Mike and Lucas were sporting giant pipe wrenches along with their flashlights.

I slowly inch the door open at the top of the stairs and peek my head inside scoping out my surroundings. It was pitch black except for a light emanating from what appears to be a small desk about six feet from where I stood. I slowly take a step forward swinging my light around to see what all is around me and we all spread out to check out the whole room looking at each of the desks and under them. I make my way towards the light when I notice that it was coming from four little camcorders, I snatch them up and slide them in the backpack I am carrying and slowly move on to the next desk. I am almost done searching the desks when something catches my eye, a little-stuffed cat was sitting next to a monitor so I snatched it up and in my bag, it went.

I look over to see Tristan come out of a room and nod and I turn to see if anyone else checked any of the rooms. I walk over to a door near me and peek inside to see it empty then step inside fully to scope it out. I snoop through the desk and come to a drawer filled to the brim with candy and flip it upside down filling up my bag. I set the drawer down and open up a box to see a bunch of DVD players with movies and headphones inboxes. Must have ordered them for something I thought while sliding them out to the other guys, Mike and Lucas grabbed them and Ethan picked one up and headed downstairs with them.

Josh, Tristan, and I began walking down a hallway trying to listen for any of the slightest movements. I was just about to open another door when Ethan grabs my arm pulling me to a stop I turn to see him looking at a small door and then he points at it. "I just heard movement," he says and I take a step towards it when we all hear a quiet thump.

I slowly open the door and hear a shuffle when two bodies fell out onto the floor, they both panicked and began to crawl as what appeared to be a girl tried to hide behind the guy who was blocking her with his body. "Don't hurt her, take me instead." the man said pushing her out of arms reach of us and we all froze as she cried and reached for him.

"Have you been bitten?" I ask and he shakes his head no.

"I was in a room with the rest of our group when someone opened the door to knocking and next thing I know people are screaming and being torn apart. I was trying to get people to run out of the room but they just kept shoving me aside saying out of the way pretty boy so I ran out of the room and hid in that closet," he explains and I turn to the girl.

"What about you?"I ask her through her tears.

"I had to go to the bathroom when I heard movement at the stairs, I went to check it out when I saw a girl looking around. When I stepped down the stairs to see what she was doing you guys were being attacked so I crept back up here to tell the others but he pulled me into the closet where we have been hiding ever since," she tells us shaking in fear.

"Hey, Dante!?" Mike whisper-shouts "Lucas heard movement so he is going to check out the conference room for survivors, want to head over?" he asks when the guy and girl yell "No!" and rush back in the closet and that is when the moans are heard.

I yank them out and shove them in the direction of the stairs "Go, now! Other survivors are waiting, keep them safe!" I order and they nod and flee. I spin on my heel to see Lucas come running down the hall holding his shoulder that was pouring with blood "Run!" he yells just as he is thrown to the floor with death on him. It looked like a tsunami was headed for us, there were so many that they were crawling on top of each other as they poured down the hall in our direction. We began to hit anything that got too close when about six of them dove on top of Mike ripping him in half as his intestines and inner organs bled down onto the floor. He tried to crawl to us but his hands kept slipping in his blood that was filling the area around him, they tore through him like he was made of paper and soon the only sound was the wet squishing of his flesh in their teeth and hands.