Hope II

Onwards and Forwards

I pounded my fist against the door three consecutive times until Sam's voice abruptly spoke with stubborn security 'Who is it?' a tone that was violent and slightly intimidating in the way she asked it. 

'It's us' I replied 'Open the door!' 

I heard the sounds of old lock's breaking from their secure mechanism, the rattle of the padlocks releasing eventually leading to the open door. 

We all entered, Bryan immediately shutting the door behind him. 

'We heard gunfire, I had to be sure it was you at the door' Sam explained. I placed my pistol on the table but kept my jacket on. 

'I know, thank you' I praised her for her severity and sense of security. 

'What happened up there?' asked Kate whom I had only noticed now... haven't seen her all morning. 

'A god damn helicopter' Brad snouted, taking his bottle of water from the kitchen countertop and downing the remaining quarter of a litre remaining in the plastic bottle.  

'Didn't they see you?' asked Kate again curiously. 

'Yeah' I replied, getting Brad to pass me some water, catching it firmly with one hand 'That's exactly why we need to get out of here. Now' 

'We're leaving?' asked Ash. 

The cool sensation of the water trickling down my throat instantly relieved me of the pressure I had just felt, realising they could return at any moment. 

'Holly, fill up a back pack with whatever water we have left' I said, then turning my attention to Ash 'I need you to get all the food we have from the cabinets and put them in your backpack, ok?' 

She nodded and got up from the chair, running to her room that I shared with her to grab her red backpack. 

It was only then I saw him for the first time today, Ger, standing at the doorway of Bryan's bedroom. His eyes were bloodshot and his face whiter than the clouds in the sky, barely able to stand. He wasn't bit or infected, but he's got one hell of a flu... I just hope it isn't the same flu that struck the nation before the infection... but every time I think of that I realise that it is long gone, and we have no time to be worrying about his diagnosis right now.

'Ger' Sam said, immediately getting to her feet and walking towards him. She wrapped her left arm around his waist to help support him. 

'Weapon and ammo count' I said to Aaron, moving to the kitchen area and opening the weapon cabinet, taking out whatever weapons we have. 

The three pistols we got off the Ripper are still in our possession, and more than enough ammunition to get us through a week or so. 

Sam has her pistol, and she's handy with knives so she's good for weapons... and then there was the one weapon I had not counted, standing still on its oval body with green squares surrounding it for grip, meeting at the top to align with the silver pin. A frag grenade. 

'Here' I said, rolling the frag slowly towards Aaron. He looked at it, then to me, and nodded his head.

We still have the shotgun that belonged to James before he died. They gave it to Kate back in Atlanta and she hasn't lost sight of it since. It's got about a round in it, one bullet is enough to do damage with that weapon.  

I picked it up and handed it to her 'Take that' I said 'And be careful' 

She took the shotgun in her grasp and moved towards the room she had been staying in. 

'Only two assault rifles left' said Bryan, leaning over onto the table housing our weapons, laid out in front of us along the marble breakfast bar layered in age old dust.