well, but she had never thought he would do something like this. She snatched the baby carrier off the desk chair and laid Elli down on the floor to put it on.
Nate began pounding wildly on the door. “Liv, let me in!”
She wedged the chair underneath the doorknob, hoping to buy enough time to escape. The carrier took a mere few seconds to secure in her adrenaline-fueled frenzy. Elli kicked and howled as Liv struggled to put her in the carrier.
“Liv, let me in!” Nate hollered. “You and I have both seen what is happening out there. You know this is what’s best.”
“No, it’s not!” Her voice was angry as she blinked away tears. “Giving up is never best. You didn’t even give them a choice!” Her arms quivered as she pulled on her shoes and quickly tied them.
“I gave them a quick death.” His voice broke. “There is nothing waiting out there besides pain, suffering, and a gruesome end. Is that what you want for Elli?”
Liv clenched her fist, nails biting into the palms of her hands, but didn’t respond. Instead, she jammed the flashlight into the diaper bag and picked up the heavy wrench.
“Listen to Elli, Liv. How much fear has she felt today? Just in the last few hours? How much uncertainty? The world we knew is gone. If you leave this house now, all you will find is death. You can’t run from it. Wherever you go they will be there waiting for you. Elli will be torn to shreds at their hands…perhaps even by you. Is that what you really want for her?”
Liv jerked the window open and kicked out the screen. She tossed the diaper bag out first and prayed the open top wouldn’t spill its contents everywhere.
“No place is safe from them. They will hunt us until we are all one of them!” There was a brief pause. “Just remember,” Nate whispered from behind the door, “I tried to save you.” There was one final blast on the other side of the door, followed by a resounding thud. Liv scrambled out the window and struggled to find the ground as she slid out feet first.
As she hopped to the ground, she surveyed the surroundings. The infected that milled about the neighborhood had taken notice of the commotion and were moving towards the house. Elli’s wail made them a precise target. Many began to pick up their pace. They grunted and groaned, alerting the others in the area. Liv snatched up the diaper bag, relieved to find that despite the wild throw, it had landed upright and held all of its contents together.
They were closing in and she had to move fast or be forced back into a house that would be surrounded by dozens of the monsters as they all tried to claw their way in.
A narrow path opened towards the tree line to Liv’s right and she dashed for the gap. They swiveled quickly and turned to follow her movement. Liv raised the wrench, its weight a small comfort against the hoard that threatened her.
Without slowing from her sprint, Liv swung as one reached for her. He wore the tattered remains of a business suit. Though at once it had been gray, now it was dark and stained with blood. He snarled and reached for her with dirty, bloodied hands. The swing wasn’t meant to kill—that type of precision would require too much time and energy—but merely to keep them from grabbing her. At the last second, she pulled back on the swing, the darkness heightening her fear of inadvertently injuring the small child between her and them.
Though the swing went wild, it still managed to strike its target. The impact rocked through her arms like she had hit a brick wall. She tightened her grip on the wrench, afraid that it might be ripped straight from her hands like the shovel. As Liv stumbled and regained her balance, more of them moved to intercept her.
Ahead, the trees reared up from the ground like dark, jagged teeth in the mouth of a giant. They waited there too.
Forests and trees had always been a place of peace and serenity to Liv. A place where the worries of the world could be pushed
Nate began pounding wildly on the door. “Liv, let me in!”
She wedged the chair underneath the doorknob, hoping to buy enough time to escape. The carrier took a mere few seconds to secure in her adrenaline-fueled frenzy. Elli kicked and howled as Liv struggled to put her in the carrier.
“Liv, let me in!” Nate hollered. “You and I have both seen what is happening out there. You know this is what’s best.”
“No, it’s not!” Her voice was angry as she blinked away tears. “Giving up is never best. You didn’t even give them a choice!” Her arms quivered as she pulled on her shoes and quickly tied them.
“I gave them a quick death.” His voice broke. “There is nothing waiting out there besides pain, suffering, and a gruesome end. Is that what you want for Elli?”
Liv clenched her fist, nails biting into the palms of her hands, but didn’t respond. Instead, she jammed the flashlight into the diaper bag and picked up the heavy wrench.
“Listen to Elli, Liv. How much fear has she felt today? Just in the last few hours? How much uncertainty? The world we knew is gone. If you leave this house now, all you will find is death. You can’t run from it. Wherever you go they will be there waiting for you. Elli will be torn to shreds at their hands…perhaps even by you. Is that what you really want for her?”
Liv jerked the window open and kicked out the screen. She tossed the diaper bag out first and prayed the open top wouldn’t spill its contents everywhere.
“No place is safe from them. They will hunt us until we are all one of them!” There was a brief pause. “Just remember,” Nate whispered from behind the door, “I tried to save you.” There was one final blast on the other side of the door, followed by a resounding thud. Liv scrambled out the window and struggled to find the ground as she slid out feet first.
As she hopped to the ground, she surveyed the surroundings. The infected that milled about the neighborhood had taken notice of the commotion and were moving towards the house. Elli’s wail made them a precise target. Many began to pick up their pace. They grunted and groaned, alerting the others in the area. Liv snatched up the diaper bag, relieved to find that despite the wild throw, it had landed upright and held all of its contents together.
They were closing in and she had to move fast or be forced back into a house that would be surrounded by dozens of the monsters as they all tried to claw their way in.
A narrow path opened towards the tree line to Liv’s right and she dashed for the gap. They swiveled quickly and turned to follow her movement. Liv raised the wrench, its weight a small comfort against the hoard that threatened her.
Without slowing from her sprint, Liv swung as one reached for her. He wore the tattered remains of a business suit. Though at once it had been gray, now it was dark and stained with blood. He snarled and reached for her with dirty, bloodied hands. The swing wasn’t meant to kill—that type of precision would require too much time and energy—but merely to keep them from grabbing her. At the last second, she pulled back on the swing, the darkness heightening her fear of inadvertently injuring the small child between her and them.
Though the swing went wild, it still managed to strike its target. The impact rocked through her arms like she had hit a brick wall. She tightened her grip on the wrench, afraid that it might be ripped straight from her hands like the shovel. As Liv stumbled and regained her balance, more of them moved to intercept her.
Ahead, the trees reared up from the ground like dark, jagged teeth in the mouth of a giant. They waited there too.
Forests and trees had always been a place of peace and serenity to Liv. A place where the worries of the world could be pushed
Similar Books
