When The Dead Came 2 (6 page)

Avery,
after seeing him pull the knife from his arm and dropping the stars,
could only think,
crap
.
She immediately began to regret throwing the knife blindly and wished
she had aimed at his face, possibly even his eye. She grabbed out the
mallet next, trying to become creative and as soon as he came into
the room, she flung the mallet. The guy raised his arms, blocking the
metal mallet from hitting him in the face, only causing pain on his
arms.

She
grabbed out the fillet knife next and lashed out, cutting his arm
once again. Trevor, not ever fighting a girl before, went ahead and
grabbed out his combat knife and used it to block the brunette’s
moves. He didn’t want to injure her, he usually was the one to
deal with the guys and usually it would be Lucinda or perhaps Jeff or
Will to deal with the women. The two began fighting, Trevor doing
more blocks than attacks. That is until he began to notice she was
starting to slow down suddenly, tiring herself out.

Avery
felt herself starting to feel weaker from lack of food and water in
her system as of late not to mention, lack of sleep. She felt worn
out and with one final move, ran at Trevor with all her strength and
tried to shove him back so she could make a run out of the room.
Instead, she unsuccessfully shoved him, barely budging him, and
Trevor shoved her back. She fell on the soiled bed then they rolled
off the other side, landing on a dead body that released the stench
of death over the two survivors fighting. Both struggled to stand
back up and when they did, Trevor finally grasped the fillet knife
and twisted her wrist, the knife dropping on the carpeted floor and
he dug in his pockets for the zip ties and placed them on her wrists.

No
longer caring, Avery stopped struggling and almost fell over onto the
soiled bed again, Trevor, keeping a grip on her arms, led her around
the ruined bed and returned into the main room.

Charles
slammed Alex against the window, his back shattering the glass and he
sank down to the floor, his back aching so badly as he rolled over
onto his left side. Charles wiped the blood from his nose where Alex
had hit him and he looked at Trevor,” zip tie him too.”
Charles grabbed Avery’s arms while Trevor zip tied Alex’s
wrists now and stood him up. Charles grabbed Alex and shoved Avery
aside, Trevor once again grabbing her arms before she fell over the
coffee table and they watched Charles hit Alex a few times in the
face and then in the ribcage. He watched the young guy double over in
pain and coughing. He picked up his gun while Trevor picked up his
gun and stars.

"You
know you're messing with the wrong group here,” Charles said to
Alex then looked at Avery before they moved out of the building and
went back down the stairs and out into the alley where they saw the
two vehicles still awaiting their arrival. Charles threw Alex inside
the truck while Avery was shoved into the back of the Dodge and both
vehicles left.

Alex,
finally catching his breath, looked out the window then at the two
guys in the front. "Where's our friends at?" Alex asked.
"Why do you have their car?"

"They're
safe and sound, just like the two of you will be here soon," the
guy looked around, seeing the undead in the distance down the street
ahead.

"I
wanted us to ride in the same vehicle if we're going anywhere with
you."

"Look,”
the guy began, looking back at him,” stop worrying, alright.
She’ll be safe with them. Besides, you and she seem to be
putting up a fight like your friends had. Don't need the both of you
teaming up." The guy turned back to look out the front
windshield, Jeff staring ahead, driving them to their hideout.
Charles wiped his nose again to see if it was still bleeding.

Avery
remained silent in the Dodge, still feeling a little weak, but a bit
relaxed after the issues back in the apartment room. Deep down, she
felt thankful for all that ending. She stared out the window and
listened to their plans.

"What
do you think," Nick said to Trevor," think Charles is gonna
kill them?" Trevor was just finishing wrapping his forearm in
gauze where the knife had stabbed him. Finishing up, he glanced at
Nick and questioned in his mind as to why Nick always asks that
question when the response is obvious.

"I
don't know," Trevor responded, looking out the window now.

“I
hope not,” Nick blurted and puffed on the cigarette,” I
know he’s our leader and everything, but we could use the extra
help when we do those supply runs. We need more people to help us. We
even almost lost three people yesterday.”

“It’s
Charles’ job to make the calls,” Trevor said,” so
just let that go. If we die, then we die. He doesn't care and neither
should we.” Avery looked at the two guys and tried holding her
breath each time the cigarette smoke escaped into the back seat. The
car ride began to remind her of the ride earlier that day and she
could picture it now. Keith driving, smoking the Marlboro cigarette,
blowing the smoke out the window but the force of the wind outside
making the smoke join her in the backseat. Alex sitting in the
passenger seat in the front, talking with a bit of order in his tone
while speaking of the plans. Sitting behind Alex was Holly, staring
ahead and off and on talking to the others. Jenny seated in the
middle, only speaking when she felt like it, most of the time she was
messing with that glittered lip gloss she apparently took from a
store. Avery saw no point in fixing yourself up when most of the
world was dead either. Avery inhaled, trying not to smell the smoke
that came into the back seat and she found herself speaking before
thinking.

“…
Since when do you smoke?” Nick and Trevor both ceased their
conversation and they glanced back at her. Nick frowned, still
smoking the cigarette while Trevor looked at her.

“What?”
He asked her, wondering why she said that. Avery looked to her left
and before her eyes, Holly and Jenny vanished like a cloud of smoke
and she looked back at the front seats, the guy in front of her no
longer Keith but the stranger, and the guy in the passenger seat
changed from Alex to the guy she heard was called Trevor. At that
moment, she felt dumb and lost. She shook her head and sat back in
the seat.

“Nothing,”
she mumbled and went back to staring out the window, beginning to
fear she was losing her mind. Trevor looked at her, studied her
expression and knew what was going on. It was something he has always
been quite familiar with. He turned back to look out the window,
passing the streets and he began to no longer feel so alone now since
they found someone else who knows what it’s like to have the
mind and thoughts that he has always suffered with.

Nick
looked at Trevor and recognized that distant look on his face, he
then looked at the girl in the back through the rearview mirror and
noticed the same distant expression then went back to watching
the
road.
Great
,
he thought,
I’m
stuck in the car with two disturbed people
.
He cleared his throat and began making small talk. “What’s
your name?” Avery didn’t look up until he repeated his
question,” what’s your name?”

“It’s
Avery,” she finally answered.

“I’m
Nick and this is Trevor,” he gestured and blew smoke out
again,” how old are you? You look like you should be in middle
school.”

"19,"she
replied," I’ll be 20 in March." Nick looked
surprised.

"Trevor
here is 24 years old," Nick said,” and I’m 27 years
old. Most of us are adults in our group. Well, all of us are. The
youngest is Trevor. We did have another who was young too but…
some things happened. Who’s the youngest in your group?”

“15
years old,” was all Avery said, not really wanting to release
names at the moment.

“And
the oldest?”

“Alex,”
she answered, since they knew him already,” he’s 20 or 21
years old.”

“Our
oldest is Charles,” Nick responded,” he’s in his
late 30s to early 40s.” Avery looked out the window again,
watching the undead walk along, a few attempting to follow the
vehicle down the streets and the turns. “How many you got in
your group?”

“It’s
just Alex and I,” she spoke. Nick and Trevor could tell she was
lying but decided to play along.

“Must
be tough making it out there with just you two,” Nick said,
looking at Trevor,” we have seven. One girl and six guys. Like
I said, there used to be more of us. Were there more in your group?”

Avery
thought a moment and she realized that it's always just been her and
Alex this whole time. Jenny and Holly had drawn away long ago, back
in Oklahoma when Joel and Zackary had joined the group. And Keith had
been long gone after Kansas happened. They've changed and there's no
fixing that. She stopped thinking and spoke,” there was. But
they're gone now. They just do their own thing now after the group
leader disappeared. So that's why it's just been Alex and I.”

“
Understand that,” Nick responded,” it's hard losing
people that begin to matter.”

“Sure
it is,” she mumbled, staring out the window once again.

They
slowed as they drove under a bridge, finally coming to a stop. Avery
looked out the window, and saw a paddy wagon parked; she could see a
woman and guy leading Keith and Holly into a dark area, dimly lit as
she squinted before realizing it was an underground tunnel opening.
She instantly began to realize they caught her lying when she claimed
it was only her and Alex. The two men with Alex got out, the one
named Jeff pulling Alex out of the truck, basically almost dropping
him face first on the ground and taking their weapons and bags with
them.

The
Dodge stopped as Nick got out and Trevor did. The door on the back
passenger side opened and Trevor climbed half way in and pulled her
out of the vehicle while Nick grabbed up his and Trevor's bags,
Trevor holding Avery's tied wrists as they joined the others in the
tunnel.

Avery
began to survey everything around them. She noticed two guys-a
chestnut haired guy (who also looked a bit familiar) and an older
looking guy- beginning to cover the entrance with sandbags. The
tunnels, along the tops of the walls, were lined with small lamps,
decorating the walls. She noticed the amount of people there: one
woman with blond hair, and at least six guys, just like Nick said.
And finally, she spotted Holly and Keith, sitting on the floor
against the wall, which was where Avery and Alex were also forced to
sit down. Avery noticed Holly and Keith's clothes were stained with
blood. Dried blood was on Keith's face, mainly around his nose and
mouth. And Holly had dried mascara down her cheeks, a small bruise
against her forehead. While Keith and Holly noticed fresh blood all
over Avery and Alex's clothes and hands. They could see small amounts
of glass on their hands, sparkling from the dim light.

Jeff
shoved Alex down, forcing him to sit next to Holly. Trevor took Avery
past Alex, Holly, then Keith, turning her to face him," Sit
down," he ordered and she sat down next to Keith.

"Are
you alright?" Keith asked her after Trevor walked away, seeing
the blood on her jeans," what'd they do to you guys? You both
look like crap."

"All
he did was tie my wrists," she responded," but Alex and I
wrecked. Besides, you two don’t look any better either. In
fact, you look worse."

"They
didn't beat you guys like they did us?" Holly asked, looking
past Keith at Avery then at Alex.

"No
and yes," Alex said.

"One
of them hit Alex repeatedly and fought with him when we almost got
away," Avery added," all that was done to me was a short
lived fight then me and that guy,” she nodded at Trevor,”
rolled on the bed, fell on the floor on a dead body then my wrists
zip tied. And we were shot at." Keith thought about what all she
said and realized some of it was a bit out of context.

"That
sounds a bit wrong," he told her.

"What’s
wrong is these guys attacking us for no reason,” she responded
back.

"Anything
else happen?" Keith asked her, looking from her to Alex.

"No,”
she said and shook her head,” but we need to get out of here or
something.” Just then, they stopped talking and watched the
leader of the group with his people walk up to them.

"Looks
like we have a couple of girls and two new guys," he said,"
we've been in need of some human shields." Holly felt her heart
beat race for a moment out of fear.

"How
long do you plan on keeping us here?" Holly asked, trying not to
cry.

"Don't
know," he responded," usually we kill new people who come
through here 'cause they don't look useful enough for us. But, I hear
you and him," he gestured at Keith while looking at Holly,"
put up a little fight, not a big fight, but one enough to injure my
Lucinda. And you two," he said to Avery and Alex," put us
in a car chase for a bit, wrecked then still tried to fight with us.
I see some use for you four. And besides," he continued,
pacing," Trevor gave me some good reasons not to kill you. But,
I'm going to be a bit professional about this and just discuss it
with whoever is in charge in your small group." They looked at
one another, trying to decide on who exactly would be considered the
leader in their group and that’s when Avery noticed one person
missing from their group.