Wildfire - A Fanfiction

Chapter Ten

The next morning they quickly packed up, folding the cots and leaning them on the wall. Georgia quietly slipped the bear into her pocket.

"I don't know about you, but that was the best night's sleep I've had in weeks," declared Kami.

"You're the one who took the bed," Alex reminded.

Kami sighed. "Someone had to take one for the team. You're welcome."

Georgia froze. She peered through the window, leaning close to the icy glass. "I think I see one of those campers you were talking about yesterday."

"What?" Kami pushed to the window. "Where?"

Georgia pointed. "There, at the edge of the parking lot." A figure moved through the trees. Then another. "Oh no."

"What?" Alex leaned between them.

"I see more of them." One lazily turned their head towards the house, the sun catching on its red eyes before it turned and began to wander away.

"Maybe we can sneak around them?" suggested Kami. "They are all the way over there after all."

"I don't know. Alex, where's the car key?"

Alex fumbled with his pocket. "Here, why?"

Georgia opened the window as silently as she could, then took the key from his hand.

"You are gonna make sure I can get to that car."

Slowly and soundlessly, Georgia pulled open the door and stepped outside, closing the door behind her. She crouched down behind the railing on the porch and stared across the parking lot. "Six, seven, eight," she counted to herself. There were over a dozen figures wandering around in the wooded basic campground. One was entranced by a dripping tap stuck in the ground.

Georgia took a breath, ready to move.

A zombie stepped into the parking lot, nose tilted up as if smelling the air. Georgia froze, wishing she was invisible.

Something metallic flew through the air and hit the ground near the zombie's feet. It snarled and pounced on the object, which caught the attention of a few more zombies. A few more objects sailed over their heads. They all wandered over, more interested in the things landing on the ground than Georgia who was just a bit too close.

Trembling, she crept towards the car, over the gravel to the door.

She tugged on the handle. It opened quietly enough, but when she climbed in and closed it, it latched with a loud click. Through the rearview mirror, she saw one zombie look up at her, snarling. A family-sized can of tomato soup promptly nailed it in the face.

Georgia shook off her chills, locked the doors, buckled up, and started the engine. She reversed and spun the car around, cracking open the windows and blasting the radio while laying on the horn.

"Hey morons, look at me!" she hollered.

Every zombie screeched and ran at the car. With an additional honk, she changed the gear to drive. When the first zombie nearly brushed its sharp nails on the window, she stomped on the gas and shot forward towards the road.

Before the camp store moved out of sight, Georgia gave a fake salute to Kami and Alex, who were standing at the window with cans of food in their arsenal. Kami saluted back, and then they were gone.

Georgia honked the horn periodically to keep their attention while she drew away the horde, driving slow enough that they could still see her but still keep running after her.

"It's fine, this is fine. Maybe I've drawn them far enough now?" She glanced at the clock on the dashboard trying to figure out how long she had been driving. "Yeah, maybe."

In her mirror, she saw another figure burst from the trees, a zombie that seemed to outpace all the others by leagues.

Georgia screamed and pressed the pedal to the floor as the new zombie got close enough to tap a tail light. She yanked the wheel, drifting into a u-turn and zooming past all of them much faster than she had been going at first, leaving them all in the dust.

When she arrived back at the campsite, Kami and Alex jumped out of the house as soon as she rolled into the parking lot.

"George!" Kami said incredulously. "Are you okay?"

Georgia rolled down her window. She vaguely realized her forehead was slick with sweat. "No! I just raced zombie Usain Bolt!"

"What?"

Georgia unlocked the doors. "Just get in and let's go. I don't know if they'll be back."

They jumped in with their bags.

"I can't believe you did that," Alex sighed, covering his face.

Georgia started giggling madly. "Well, it worked, didn't it? Don't let me do that ever again."

A few hours later, Georgia turned down the music. "I need a short break and the bathroom. You guys mind if we pull over?"

"No, that's fine," Kami said.

They stopped on the side of the road and all simultaneously stretched when they climbed out. Georgia walked to the treeline.

When she headed back a few minutes later, Alex was talking to Kami in hushed tones.

"Look, I've had a lot of time to think lately. And I think I've been an idiot."

Georgia stopped, staying out of sight.

Kami kicked at the ground lightly. "Just now you realize that?" She smiled.

"I'm serious." He faced her and took her hands. "Kami, I think I love you."

Her face dropped.

"And I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realize it," he continued.

She pulled her hands back. "You're talking like we're the last people on Earth-"

"I mean, we kind of are, but that's not the point-"

"Now is not the best time," she insisted.

"It's the end of the world! It's the only time. I had to tell you."

"I ... don't want to talk about this right now."

Alex ran a hand through his hair and turned away. "Okay."

Georgia continued her path towards the car. "Hey guys, everything alright?" she said cheerily.

"Yeah, yeah," Kami waved a hand. "Let's just go."