Hive Island - The Awakening | Open Novella Contest 2020

Chapter 7 - Escape

"Do you think it's them?" Cooper said and took a couple of steps towards the stairs. "The zombies?"

Oliver ignored Cooper as he stood and walked over to Claire. "You drank the water."

She nodded. "I do, every day. It's not terrible." A tear slipped down her cheek that she wiped away with her sleeve. 

"Guys, we need to go," Cooper hissed as the sound of another window breaking reached their ears

"Claire—" Oliver said..

Claire put a hand on Oliver's arm. "I'm fine, I feel fine. Don't worry about it. I think I would have felt something by now if my water was contaminated." She smiled, locking eyes with Oliver for a mere moment before she walked over to Cooper.

"Follow us," Cooper said over his shoulder as Claire headed up the stairs.

Oliver took Armstrong's diary from the desk and followed them up the stairs. Above them, he heard the sound of deliberate steps, of items being knocked down onto the floor. As they reached the top of the stairs, Claire opened the door down to the basement less than an inch, then put her finger to her lips.

Moments later, on her signal, they proceeded down the hallway that took them back in the direction of the living room, one step at a time. Just as they approached the living room, a shadow appeared on the other side of the living room. Dressed in stained jeans and a dirty short sleeve T-shirt, what had once been a man in his mid-twenties stared back at them with blood red eye whites. His arms hung straight down, a random finger twitching as he stared at them.

"Move slow," Claire whispered over her shoulder. "Follow me. Back door."

Step by step, they moved towards the door. They were halfway across the living room when they heard a snarl behind them. Cooper spun around, his shotgun facing a dark-haired woman with a red sweater and black skirt. She stared at them with her red eyes, her mouth wide open in a grin, saliva seeping, dripping from the extended tongue. As if by signal, the first man took a step closer, his hand raised partly, his finger stretched out towards them.

"Claire," Oliver whispered and grabbed her shoulder. "We need to move."

She nodded and pointed towards the back door. "Cooper. Slowly. Out the same way we came in."

They continued across the living room towards the back door. Claire pushed the door open and waved Cooper and Oliver out. As soon as she let go of the door, both zombies rushed towards the back door.

"Run!" Cooper said as he fired through the window of the back door. The male staggered backward, his chest exploding with blood. He fell and pulled the woman backwards, but she pulled herself free and charged out the door. By the time Claire and Oliver reached the hole in the fence, she had closed the distance to Cooper and threw herself towards him just as he fired a second shot. By some miracle, the shot missed the woman, and she collapsed on top of Cooper in a pile of limbs.

"Claire! Help!" Cooper struggled with the woman. He tried to push her away as she clawed at his face and eyes, biting his wrists until blood poured.

Claire turned and gasped. She raised her shotgun and was just about to fire when the male rushed through the door, heading straight towards them.

"Claire, we've got to go," Oliver hissed. "Now!"

She hesitated for a moment, then fired at the approaching figure. The shot hit him in the chest. He flew backwards towards Cooper and the struggling woman with a growl. Oliver rushed through the door and ran towards the Jeep as fast as he could, Claire right behind him.

"You drive," she said between breaths as they reached the driveway. She ran around the vehicle to the passenger side while Oliver jumped into the driver's seat.