The Last Alive

Chapter Twenty-Seven - Someone's Not Going Back

Chapter Twenty-seven

Someone's Not Going Back Into the City

"Emma! Don't!" Nathan screamed.

"I'm sorry. I love you, Nathan." I pulled out of his grip and ran to Meaghan's aide.

"Emma!" I looked back as two of the larger men grabbed his arms and drug him back into the fort.

Liz stood there and Taz punched the gate. A tear slid down my cheek as I turned back to Meaghan. She pulled at her hair as more zombies closed in on us.

"I hope you aren't too fond of having long hair," I said to her.

"Why?"

"I'm chopping it off." I pulled my knife out.

"Just don't chop off my head. Okay?" She cringed and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I won't," I said, raising the knife above my head and bringing it down right in front of the zombie's hands.

Both Meaghan and the zombie went flying in opposite direction. She scrambled to her feet and looked around wildly. Her new short hair swung around in her eyes. The zombie slowly got up and continued its quest for fresh flesh, ours.

"Let's go!" she yelled, looking toward the gate.

"Sounds good to me!" I stabbed a zombie through the eye. The decaying eyeball exploded and a bit of the liquid splashed on my face. I choked back the bile that rose in my throat. "Oh that was disgusting. Oh my God that was disgusting."

"Worry about it later! We need to get back to the gate before they close it," Meaghan cried.

"Emma! Behind you!" a man's voice called from somewhere above me. I turned quickly and slammed my knife into the side of another zombies head. It was a sickening thud. The corpse slid to the ground and I yanked out my black-blood covered knife.

I looked up at Nathan who snatched a rifle out of George's hands. He took aim and fired, hitting an undead that was closing in on Meaghan. The hoard seemed to circle me. I couldn't even see Meaghan through them all.

"Get to the gate!" I yelled at her over the groaning.

"You came back for me, I'm not leaving you," she called back to me.

"I'll be fine. Get inside."

"No, Emma!" she cried.

"Don't argue with me. Go. I'll be okay. I have more weapons than you do."

"How many arrows do you have left?" she asked.

"Enough. Now go!"

"I can't," she wailed. "No! No, let me go!" Her father had her arm and was struggling to pull her inside.

I sighed heavily and nodded, someone else ran out for her. At least if we both couldn't make it, she would. A loud bang dragged me out of my happy cloud as it rang out, dropping a zombie right behind me. I looked back as its hands smacked the back of my leg.

"That is too close for comfort," I muttered to myself.

"Stop daydreaming or whatever you are doing, and get your ass back in the city!" Nathan yelled, reloading the rifle.

"I'm trying."

"You're not trying hard enough." He raised the scope to his eye. "Will one of you other guys please help? There's a woman fighting for her life right now."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, sorry," someone called from up above.

Another shot whizzed past my face.

"I got your six, boss lady," Taz shouted from behind me.

"Thanks!"

An arrow sailed by overhead. "Don't think I'm letting just the men get some fun in, Emma."

"I know you're there, Liz."

Shots rang out and bodies dropped. Not enough bodies, but it was getting better. I pulled my last arrow out and nocked it. Breathing slowly, I lifted my bow and let the string go. I hoped that the zombies' heads were soft enough that the arrow would go straight through. I watched as it spun through three heads. I slung the bow back over my shoulder and was left with nothing but my knife.

There is no way I could get through them all. How? I only have my one knife and there are so many of them. So many.

"It's time to run, Emma!" Nathan hollered at me.

"It's hard to run when there is an entire horde of zombies in front of you," I shouted back.

"We'll clear you a path. You run.

"How are you going to clear a path? There are too many."

"We have guns," another man's voice called down.

"Dad?" I looked up at my elderly father who cocked a shotgun.

"Meaghan came and told us. I'm not about to let my last daughter be turned into zombie food. Now haul ass, darling."

I looked up at the man in disbelief for a moment, but did as they said. I ran. Greyish green hands reached for me. The undead were salivating like Pavlov just rang the dinner bell.

Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.

I could only hope the line of men at the top of the fort were all crack shots and would clear a path for me. One of the hands grabbed the back of my jacket and yanked me back. I lost my balance for a moment and fell. Me falling seemed to throw them all into a frenzy. The decaying bodies leapt on me; pulling at my hair, arms, legs, and drooling on me. I swung my knife wildly, making contact with a few. Shots rang out and the undead that surrounded me began to fall; their sticky, bloody splattering my face. I wiped furiously trying to get as much of the vile liquid off as possible. I climbed to my feet and ran again. I was almost there. Another few feet and I'd be safe.

"How are you?" Nathan called down.

"I've been better." I stabbed a zombie in the forehead. "You guys kind of suck at clearing paths."

"Hey, we're doing the best we can!" another man shouted.

"Well if I fall again I doubt I'll be getting back up," I grunted, stabbing another undead in the head. "And these things smell horrible!"

"I don't think they care much about personal hygiene." Nathan shot at another.

"I'm going to take the longest shower. Someone start heating up the water."

"Alright, Emma, a few more feet and you're there!" Dad shouted.

"Thank God." I sighed.

The gate began to open more, but the look of horror on Art's face made my blood run cold. That was not a happy good you're here kind of look. That was an oh shit you're dead kind of look.

Then I felt the arms around my waist and I was falling. The bite came next. I didn't feel pain at first. It was a burning sensation as the zombie sank its teeth into my neck.

"No!" Nathan screamed.

I looked up at him as a tear slid down my cheek.