They Walk (9 page)

Oh so slowly, do I raise him up.

I manage to wedge my legs up between us and try to push him off that way. My attempts don’t even budge him. I can feel the blood from his mouth dripping onto my cheek, and I wonder if I’ll be like him after he kills me.

With the last of my strength I raise him up further with me shaking arms. Getting my barring’s I kick at him, on the second kick he falls backwards off me and crashes into the shelves. Panting, I shuffle backwards and pull myself up. Gripping the ax, I run backwards around the front of the truck and try to make my way to the door. Matt’s already pulled himself up and is rushing at me again. Abruptly, I stop. I pull in a deep breath and raise the ax in both my hands.

Right before he reaches me, I swing at him.

This time, I hit the side of his face, and I feel the ax’s hilt shudder as I hit his skull. I gage as he stops a moment and I struggle to pull the ax free. Just as I have it out, he’s moving again, his arms almost reaching me. I step back and swing again, more in attempt to knock him down than to damage. I hit his head for a second time with the flat of the ax, and he falls to the ground. He’s making a wheezing moan, as he tries to get to his feet reaching for me still.

Looking down at him, I raise the ax up.

With a gut retching scream, I slam the ax’s blade into his neck. I can hear his neck snap as I hit bone and the handle shudders in my hands from the hit, but he’s still moving. Screaming still, I bring the ax down again and this time his head comes clean off.

He’s not moving anymore.

I stop screaming when his head rolls towards my feet, and I can’t help but stare down at it. I feel bile rise in my throat, as I see his blonde curls covered in blood. The ax feels heavy now in my hands, but I don’t loosen my grip. I feel myself shaking, but I’m not cold. In fact I’m not anything, I don’t feel upset or scared anymore, but deep down I know I should.

I wonder if this is what shock feels like.

In the quiet I hear someone shouting and footsteps coming closer. At first my whole body tenses, and I grip the ax to the point of pain and raise it high. But then I realize it’s the others from upstairs, but that can’t be right, I think. Surely someone would have come sooner, but I quickly understand that my killing Matt happened faster than I thought. I feel as if the whole things lasted hours and not minutes. Just as I’m lowering the ax someone’s running over the pieces of the door and into the garage, to me.

It’s Daniel.

Chapter Sixteen

Dan slowly makes his way over the rubble of the door with a bat in his hands. Raising it high, his eyes take in the darkened room, and then finally fall on me. I’m not sure what I look like, but his eyes widen. They drift down to the ax still gripped in my hands, then to my feet where Matt’s body lays. Lowering the bat, he rushes over to me, and I can’t help but flinch and take a step back. He stops just inches from me, and looks behind him as Gabe makes his way into the room. He takes the room in the same as Dan, with his fire poker raised high.

He sees Matt first, then the ax in my hands, then he raises his eyes to mine. I feel my eye’s watering as I see my pain reflected on him. He lowers the fire poker, and stops just inside the door. His eyes never leave mine. Dan reaches out his hand and places it on my shoulder, but I cringe back and hit into the side of the truck. I interrupt him before he can say anything.

“
I found a truck for us.” My voice sounds so quiet and hollow, and I can’t imagine it belonging to me.

I feel my insides begin to shake, but I know it’s all of me when the ax starts to slip from my trembling fingers. I refuse to let it fall, even though its covered in blood, I grip it tighter. Letting it anchor me. The guys look to the truck briefly, and then they continue to watch me. I hear shuffling out in the hall, and I start to raise the ax again, fear already pumping in my veins.

Gabe turns, and I see Sam.

With a shuttering little cry, I relax and lower the ax again. My arms remain tense though, and Dan moves closer to me. He’s hesitant now, afraid how I’ll react, and I wonder if they are frightened of me. This seems odd, since every sound is sending me over the edge.

Gabe backs up to the side and I have a better view of Sam, who is holding a butcher knife awkwardly and his eyes are wide. I have an obnoxious thought that maybe his eyes are naturally wide, when I notice he’s not looking into the garage, he’s looking at something in the hall. My eyes follow his, and I see Austin’s dog. It’s barely recognizable, its fur matted with blood. I’d forgotten about the dog, who in retrospect seemed to know Matt was about to turn before I did. I feel shame, and my eyes water again.

Yet, they still do not fall.

I’m about to look away, when Sam makes a high pitched yelp. He’s jumping back into the wall and drops the knife. That’s when I see the dog rise up. It’s making a keening noise so low and gurgled.

I almost didn’t hear it at all. My heart speeds up, and I freeze in place. My arms lock up, and I don’t have the strength to lift the ax. Dan is there then with his bat held high he stands in front of me.

The dog is about to pounce at a defenseless Sam, when Gabe is suddenly upon them. He runs over to them swinging the fire poker, he hits the growling dog. It gets knocked into the wall with a yip, and is about to get up again, now focused on Gabe. He kneels down then and drops the fire poker, and I feel my breath catch, but I don’t have to worry.

His free hand reaches out for the knife on the floor next to him. Just as the dog is almost on him, he grabs its fur and thrusts the knife under its jaw and into its head. It yips and struggles once, but Gabe shoves the blade in further until I can’t see his head holding the hilt under its fur. It stops moving then. He pulls the knife free with a suction sound, and lets the now dead dog fall to the ground.

He shakes the blood off it and stands up.

Stepping away to stare in awe of Gabe, I realize that Sam was plastered to the wall the whole time.

“
Wholly Shit.” He says.

Gabe walks over to the dropped fire poker and picks it up. He tosses it to a surprised Sam, who nearly drops it.

“
Next time, don’t lose the only weapon you have between you and death.” He says as he tucks the knife into the side of his belt. “You may not always have help, so don’t be stupid.”

Sam only nods his head, being too shocked to say anything. Gabe comes back to the door of the garage then, and finds my eyes.

“
Is this what happened to Matt?” he asks.

My breath is coming is shallow pants. My fingers are numb.

With a clang the ax falls from my grip and onto the ground. Startled Dan jumps back and faces me questioningly. But I don’t see them, I see Matt. I see his snarling face as I cut off his head. Bile rises up into my throat again, and I don’t have the strength to push it down. With a cry, I bend over and throw up. I heave until I’m shaking in a cold sweat.

My eyes clench shut begging for the image of Matt to disappear.

Kneeling now, my damp hair falls into my face. I don’t know if it’s dampened by sweat or blood. And for a moment I don’t care, I squeeze my abdomen as I stop heaving. I feel hands on my head, pushing back my hair then. Slowly I look up and see my brother. He looks as though his heart is breaking, and I’m about to ask if he’s alright, when I realize it’s because of me.

I sit back then and let him take me in his arms.

Chapter Seventeen

Even with Dan’s warm arms around me, I should feel safe, but I don’t. I just feel empty, and hollow. I can’t even form the tears to cry, and that just makes me feel like crying more. But they never come. I know I can’t sit here forever, but it’s a scary thought not knowing what is going to happen next. Someone clears they’re throat, and I open my eyes. It’s Gabe. He’s standing just behind us, and seems to be having trouble looking me in the eye. I lean back from Dan, but he doesn’t drop his arms from me. He does however give Gabe a very not friendly look.

If the situation were different I’d probably laugh.

“
I’m so sorry, but we should really check the truck. To see if it runs.”

“
Back off, we have time. Give us a moment.” Dan retorts.

“
I would, but the dead out there won’t wait forever. We need to know if the truck can get us out of here.” He doesn’t look at me when he says this, and I feel a sting in my chest at the words.

“
It’s fine. It makes sense to look it over. I can’t stay in here anymore.” My words are so soft, but they scratch at my throat. I cough to clear it, and wish I had a drink.

“
Maggie,” Dan starts, but I cut him off by touching his cheek.

“
I’ll be alright Daniel, trust me. The sooner we leave the better, okay?”

“…
all right.”

Sam comes into the garage and walks over to the truck, and he too tries to look anywhere but me. Dan gets to his feet, and offers me a hand up. I take it gratefully, and only wobble for a second before I’m steady on my feet. It feels like a small victory, but my stomach is still a little queasy. Dan drops my hand and instead places his arm around my shoulders. I’m about to let him turn me from the room, when Gabe and Sam pull the tarp from the truck. It’s as expensive looking as everything else in the house, and it sticks out being a bright red color. I’m not a big car person, but it looks like a cross between a truck and minivan. It’s as big on the inside, as I would have thought.

I just hope we can get it running.

Instead of tossing the tarp aside, Sam and Gabe carry it over to where Matt’s body still lay. They gently lay it over him, and I finally feel that he’s really gone. I can’t breathe for a second, and can only watch as Gabe comes over to stand before me. He doesn’t say anything, but his expression says it all. He looks so sad, and strangely guilty. His eyes are bright and I wonder if it’s from unshed tears.

He starts to raise his hand up to my face, but lowers it halfway. And before I can beg him to hold me, he turns back to the truck and opens the driver’s side door. Which is furthest from me, and it looks like it’s unlocked at least. Sam stands awkwardly for a moment, then goes to help Gabe look through the truck.

Gabe pokes his head around the door of the truck and looks at Dan.

“
It’s unlocked obviously, but no keys.”

“
Keep looking.” Dan says.

I let Dan turn me back to the garage door, and we make our way over the rubble. He has to steady me a few times, and once on the hall the light feels so bright me. I have to squint my eyes as we walk to the kitchen, and desperately avoid looking at the dead dog on the floor. We stop near the Island, and I lean against it gratefully. Dan goes to the fridge and gets out a couple bottles of water. Setting them on the counter, he opens and hand one to me. I take it and it feels so cold in my hands, that I start to shiver uncontrollably. Dan grabs another bottle and comes over to lean beside me. We don’t say anything for a while, just content to have something to drink. The water actually burns as it goes down my throat. My attention is drawn to what is still outside, and I realize that it’s not any quieter out here.

I can hear the dead at the windows, and it’s almost like they are getting more and more anxious knowing we are waiting in here for them. If I listen closely, and try to ignore the scratching and bumping, I can hear the window’s beginning to crack under the pressure.

It sounds like ice on a pond breaking, and it sends chills down my back.

“
Do you want to talk about what happened?”

Dan’s voice startles me that I almost drop the water bottle. But I turn to him and see that he’s watching me with guarded eyes. I look away and let out a sigh. I don’t know where to begin and just thinking about it hurts too much. So I just shake my head, and distract myself by looking out a gap in the window. I’m surprised to see that it’s dark outside. Just last night, we were all here having fun.

We’re not now.

“
I don’t want to push you Mags, but it would help to know how and why he did what he did.” He says quietly.

“
Just don’t okay. I don’t know how he could have turned into one of them.”

“
He was acting weird earlier, wasn’t he?”

“
We all have been acting weird, Dan. It’s called stress under pressure.”

My heart is starting to race, and I can’t help feeling so angry. Angry at what I don’t know, but right now it’s at Dan for making me think about this. He turns to face me fully, and places a hand on the counter behind me.

“
It’s just that Austin was acting weird too. I mean he’s already an ass, so that’s not new. But, Matt would never treat you the way he did under normal circumstances.”

I know he’s right and even maybe on to something. But I close my eyes as if I can actually block out what he trying to say.

“
If you really thought about it, it kind of makes sense what happened. They were both bit by those things outside.”

My stomach bottoms out, and I feel so dizzy from his words that I sit down on the ground. Dan follows beside me, but he doesn’t stop explaining his epiphany.

“
The bites they got turned them into one of the dead. It’s not just being killed by them that can turn you the bites do the same thing.”