swimming in a tank, practically lining up for Eli's next pass.
We went back and forth twice more before Eli finally put the car in park. He was breathing heavily, his adrenaline making his hands shake as he rubbed his face. Roger looked back and forth between the view through the broken windshield and at Eli. "Holy shit, Elijah!"
Eli lowered his hands and looked at Roger. "I'm done being food, man. I'm fucking done. I am not going to run around scared anymore. I'm not a kid hiding in my closet hoping the monsters don't get me. We're men. We have brains. We have tools. We have fucking civilization! I'm not letting this... this... whatever it is! Plague! Outbreak! Alien invasion! Whatever! I'm not letting it make me less than a man! If I am going to leave this world it's going to be the same way I entered it - Kicking, screaming, and covered in blood! Now give me the hatchet, and I'm going to that door."
I didn't even think twice before grabbing the hatchet off of the floor and handing it to him. "Watch your feet," I cautioned, "there's still plenty of them crawling around out there."
He took the hatchet from my hand with a grim not. "Roger, back me up. One gets to close, blast'em."
Roger rolled down the window and pulled himself up, climbing onto the roof of the car, shotgun in hand. I could hear the weak and scattered groans of the broken and mangled things trying to make their way to the car. Eli opened his door. One of them was on the ground beside the car. It hissed and reached with its one good arm, its torso crushed against the pavement. Eli snarled and struck with the hatchet, splitting its head open. He stepped down hard on the thing's skull as he climbed from the car. I heard its head cave in as he rose. The sound sent a shiver down my spine.
Roger fired a round, knocking down one of the things that had managed to get to its feet. I heard the shell casing hit the roof as he cocked the shotgun. "We don't have all day, Eli!"
Eli jogged the few steps to the door of the building, pausing only to kill another broken thing as it moaned on the ground. He went to the metal door and knocked, calling out, "Hey! Anyone in there?"
I could hear something heavy being dragged across the floor from inside. I opened the back door of the car to lean out, watching Eli's back as he waited. Most of the things closest to the building were dead, crushed in the initial assault. I kept my rifle at the ready, watching for movement. Roger shifted on the roof of the car, keeping a vigilant eye on the slow moving, half broken, and crippled things spread across the lot.
There was an echoing clank as a heavy lock was opened. The door opened a crack. Eli peered inside, "Hey, uh, someone? You ok? We're here to help." The door opened all the way.
She was younger than I expected, probably in her early 20's. She was wearing black cargo shorts and a stained t-shirt, spattered across the front with drying blood. Her dark hair was a tangled mess, and her eyes held a faraway stare, haunted and alert all at once. In one hand she help a crowbar, in the other a heavy police-issue flashlight. She looked at Eli, but didn't seem to fully comprehend the situation yet.
"Uh, hey there," Eli said, "we're, uh, we heard your radio broadcast. We're here to help. You get trapped in here or something?"
Roger blasted another creature as it struggled to its feet. "Eli! Enough with the small talk, brother. We gotta go!"
The girl blinked, nodding slowly. Tears welled in her eyes. The crowbar fell from her hand, clattering noisily to the ground.
Eli reached out, taking her by the arm carefully. "Get in the back seat. That's Alex. Roger's on the roof. I'm Elijah, or, Eli for short. We'll get you out of here. With us."
She nodded, letting out a whimper. Her lips quivered. I slid aside so she could sit beside me. I gave her an awkward smile, trying, very clumsily, to reassure her. "Hey."
Eli closed
We went back and forth twice more before Eli finally put the car in park. He was breathing heavily, his adrenaline making his hands shake as he rubbed his face. Roger looked back and forth between the view through the broken windshield and at Eli. "Holy shit, Elijah!"
Eli lowered his hands and looked at Roger. "I'm done being food, man. I'm fucking done. I am not going to run around scared anymore. I'm not a kid hiding in my closet hoping the monsters don't get me. We're men. We have brains. We have tools. We have fucking civilization! I'm not letting this... this... whatever it is! Plague! Outbreak! Alien invasion! Whatever! I'm not letting it make me less than a man! If I am going to leave this world it's going to be the same way I entered it - Kicking, screaming, and covered in blood! Now give me the hatchet, and I'm going to that door."
I didn't even think twice before grabbing the hatchet off of the floor and handing it to him. "Watch your feet," I cautioned, "there's still plenty of them crawling around out there."
He took the hatchet from my hand with a grim not. "Roger, back me up. One gets to close, blast'em."
Roger rolled down the window and pulled himself up, climbing onto the roof of the car, shotgun in hand. I could hear the weak and scattered groans of the broken and mangled things trying to make their way to the car. Eli opened his door. One of them was on the ground beside the car. It hissed and reached with its one good arm, its torso crushed against the pavement. Eli snarled and struck with the hatchet, splitting its head open. He stepped down hard on the thing's skull as he climbed from the car. I heard its head cave in as he rose. The sound sent a shiver down my spine.
Roger fired a round, knocking down one of the things that had managed to get to its feet. I heard the shell casing hit the roof as he cocked the shotgun. "We don't have all day, Eli!"
Eli jogged the few steps to the door of the building, pausing only to kill another broken thing as it moaned on the ground. He went to the metal door and knocked, calling out, "Hey! Anyone in there?"
I could hear something heavy being dragged across the floor from inside. I opened the back door of the car to lean out, watching Eli's back as he waited. Most of the things closest to the building were dead, crushed in the initial assault. I kept my rifle at the ready, watching for movement. Roger shifted on the roof of the car, keeping a vigilant eye on the slow moving, half broken, and crippled things spread across the lot.
There was an echoing clank as a heavy lock was opened. The door opened a crack. Eli peered inside, "Hey, uh, someone? You ok? We're here to help." The door opened all the way.
She was younger than I expected, probably in her early 20's. She was wearing black cargo shorts and a stained t-shirt, spattered across the front with drying blood. Her dark hair was a tangled mess, and her eyes held a faraway stare, haunted and alert all at once. In one hand she help a crowbar, in the other a heavy police-issue flashlight. She looked at Eli, but didn't seem to fully comprehend the situation yet.
"Uh, hey there," Eli said, "we're, uh, we heard your radio broadcast. We're here to help. You get trapped in here or something?"
Roger blasted another creature as it struggled to its feet. "Eli! Enough with the small talk, brother. We gotta go!"
The girl blinked, nodding slowly. Tears welled in her eyes. The crowbar fell from her hand, clattering noisily to the ground.
Eli reached out, taking her by the arm carefully. "Get in the back seat. That's Alex. Roger's on the roof. I'm Elijah, or, Eli for short. We'll get you out of here. With us."
She nodded, letting out a whimper. Her lips quivered. I slid aside so she could sit beside me. I gave her an awkward smile, trying, very clumsily, to reassure her. "Hey."
Eli closed
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