Run: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller by Rich Restucci Page B
Authors: Rich Restucci
Tags: Zombies
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on the top for easy access, but they wouldn’t hold either man when stood upon. Rick climbed on the dumpster and stood on the edge. His hand on the wall, he helped Chris up. As Chris balanced on the dumpster, with one hand on the fire escape ladder, one of the plastic flip-covers burst open, and an undead grabbed Rick’s leg. The creature bit down hard on the back of Rick’s boot, right over his Achilles tendon and Rick yelped, losing his balance, then tumbling to the asphalt of the alley. Chris, standing on the three inch steel balance beam, let go of the ladder, drew the Taurus and fired point blank into the thing’s face. The creature’s head jerked back and red chunks of skull erupted from the back of it. The kick of the gun threw Chris off the dumpster and he landed on his back. Rick fell next to him, landing hard on his knee. A cloud of flies blossomed from the dumpster.
“Ow,” said Chris.
Rick held his knee and rocked on the ground for a second. “You OK?” he asked Chris.
Chris rubbed the back of his head and sat up. “No. There are dead things trying to eat us. I am not OK.” He stood up and held a hand out to Rick. Rick accepted the hand and winced as he stood up.
“Shit, I messed my knee up but good.” There was blood oozing from his pant leg, and it trickled down his boot. “Plan hasn’t changed though, we got to get in there.” Rick flicked the LED light on his AR-15. He slid the side panel of the dumpster open and shined the light inside. The twice dead creature was the only occupant, save about a thousand happy flies. The flies shot out of the panel in another black cloud, zooming away like F14s on a sortie. Satisfied that the dumpster was clear of any more infected, Rick told Chris to go for the ladder. It was locked in the up position. Rick boosted Chris on to the dumpster and Chris gained access. Standing on the first flight of fire escape, he undid the slide lock at the top of the ladder. It came crashing down to the pavement, making a tremendous noise in the relative quiet of the alley. Rick slowly climbed with his wounded knee. When he reached the first landing, Chris pulled the ladder into the locked position. Two undead were at the far end of the alley now, looking at them with hungry eyes, and clawing at the chain link.
The bottom of four floors of windows was locked, so Rick broke it with the butt of his rifle, shining his light into the building. The light showed a short corridor that led to a stairway. The duo climbed in the window and cautiously moved to the stairs. The stairs went up and down, and opened up into a balcony overlooking the theater. It looked deserted, but they couldn’t see the back few rows. Both men moved quickly down the stairs, which ended in a blue double swinging door with a rectangular window. Rick looked through the window into a lobby. It looked clear. He eased the door open and panned the light around. There was a concession stand with a couple of doors behind it, a spiral staircase going up, the doors to the theater, and the exterior doors. The men crossed the lobby to the front doors. The doors were the push-bar type, and Rick listened carefully for a second, then opened one of them wide, leading with his rifle. The Hummer was there, gleaming shiny yellow in the morning sun. Rick told Chris to hold the door open, and he ran to the vehicle.
“C’mon, let’s get inside!” he told everyone. Anna and Paul got out of the car and shouldered some baggage. Rick grabbed Sam and she came along with her backpack. They all got inside before anything unsettling happened.
There were windows ten feet up in the high-ceiling lobby, but none on the ground level. The doors were heavy steel fire doors, but Rick still didn’t feel safe. “We need to make sure this place is secure,” Rick said, “Stay on this floor, and look for any doors that lead outside. Stick together, and don’t go anywhere alone, not even for a second.”
“Shouldn’t
“Ow,” said Chris.
Rick held his knee and rocked on the ground for a second. “You OK?” he asked Chris.
Chris rubbed the back of his head and sat up. “No. There are dead things trying to eat us. I am not OK.” He stood up and held a hand out to Rick. Rick accepted the hand and winced as he stood up.
“Shit, I messed my knee up but good.” There was blood oozing from his pant leg, and it trickled down his boot. “Plan hasn’t changed though, we got to get in there.” Rick flicked the LED light on his AR-15. He slid the side panel of the dumpster open and shined the light inside. The twice dead creature was the only occupant, save about a thousand happy flies. The flies shot out of the panel in another black cloud, zooming away like F14s on a sortie. Satisfied that the dumpster was clear of any more infected, Rick told Chris to go for the ladder. It was locked in the up position. Rick boosted Chris on to the dumpster and Chris gained access. Standing on the first flight of fire escape, he undid the slide lock at the top of the ladder. It came crashing down to the pavement, making a tremendous noise in the relative quiet of the alley. Rick slowly climbed with his wounded knee. When he reached the first landing, Chris pulled the ladder into the locked position. Two undead were at the far end of the alley now, looking at them with hungry eyes, and clawing at the chain link.
The bottom of four floors of windows was locked, so Rick broke it with the butt of his rifle, shining his light into the building. The light showed a short corridor that led to a stairway. The duo climbed in the window and cautiously moved to the stairs. The stairs went up and down, and opened up into a balcony overlooking the theater. It looked deserted, but they couldn’t see the back few rows. Both men moved quickly down the stairs, which ended in a blue double swinging door with a rectangular window. Rick looked through the window into a lobby. It looked clear. He eased the door open and panned the light around. There was a concession stand with a couple of doors behind it, a spiral staircase going up, the doors to the theater, and the exterior doors. The men crossed the lobby to the front doors. The doors were the push-bar type, and Rick listened carefully for a second, then opened one of them wide, leading with his rifle. The Hummer was there, gleaming shiny yellow in the morning sun. Rick told Chris to hold the door open, and he ran to the vehicle.
“C’mon, let’s get inside!” he told everyone. Anna and Paul got out of the car and shouldered some baggage. Rick grabbed Sam and she came along with her backpack. They all got inside before anything unsettling happened.
There were windows ten feet up in the high-ceiling lobby, but none on the ground level. The doors were heavy steel fire doors, but Rick still didn’t feel safe. “We need to make sure this place is secure,” Rick said, “Stay on this floor, and look for any doors that lead outside. Stick together, and don’t go anywhere alone, not even for a second.”
“Shouldn’t
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