Jerking away from Sheffield’s grasp on her arm, she reached the baby out to him. “Take him,” she demanded.
“I can take care of this,” Sheffield replied.
“Just take the damn baby,” she said as he reluctantly took the baby up to his shoulder. She turned and walked through a row of tables and came within a few feet of a young man wearing a white-buttoned shirt that had been stained by vomit running down his chest. The infected man’s eyes circled around in cycles, independent from one another, in an attempt to look at Elise. She timed his shuffle toward her and waited until he was in arm’s length.
“Ma’am, please step away from him,” Sheffield shouted, pointing his gun at the man, propping up the baby on his shoulder.
“Don’t use your gun! Would you put it away? We’re going to get swarmed any second,” she said. The infected man took another step toward her. She grabbed the fire extinguisher by the nozzle, with both hands, and swung it upward in an arc, striking the man’s jaw, and making him stumble backward. Her hair became undone from the pins holding it down, with strands now swinging in her face. Moving the hair from her vision, she yelled, “Just listen to what I tell you. I’ve done this before. We’re going to move up those escalators and get to the roof.”
Looking over at the loose mingling of infected people that had now made their way around the escalators, he walked forward. “We have to do it now.”
“Run!” she yelled.
They burst into a dash toward the escalators as the infected crowd flooded the open area. The infected took notice of their movements and groaned at them in frustration, reaching their arms out. Elise saw the same haunting faces she had seen before. They were men and women who had lost the countenance of rationality and who had now only become ghosts in an undead body.
The baby jostled as Sheffield ran, making it wail louder, and drawing the attention of the infected like a swarm of sharks. Following Elise, Sheffield weaved in between the loose crowd of infected as they reached out and turned their clutching fingers toward them.
Just run , she thought, if we stop, we die . “Keep moving!” she yelled back. “Don’t stop for anything.” To her right was one of the infected men from the van, dressed in a bulletproof vest, Army fatigues, and a helmet. The bastards tried to make them last , she thought. She brought the fire extinguisher over her head, her arms extending toward the ceiling. Waiting until the man was directly in front of her, she lunged forward, releasing the extinguisher directly into the man’s face. It squarely hit his forehead, making his head collapse backward from his neck. As the extinguisher bounced off, a vertical tear on the front of his neck opened up, and exposed the white fleshy cartilage of his trachea. The wound released a flood of black, coagulated blood down the front of his vest. The man attempted to lift his head back to an upright position, but only fell over backward, cracking the back of his skull on the floor as his body crumpled.
Elise stepped over the man, pushed another woman who stood in front of her, and sprinted to the escalators that were free of the infected. Sheffield was right behind her as they ran up the steps to the open space of the second floor, void of people.
“We can’t get holed up in a store.” She turned to him. “If we get to the roof, do you think we can get a helicopter to pick us up?”
“Maybe, but I’m not sure what’s going on with other units in the city… There aren’t that many of us here,” he paused, adjusting his earpiece. “There’s so much confusion going on, shit. This is not an isolated event. It sounds like we’re at least one of three spots that have been attacked.” He let out a small breath and looked at her. “We might be on our own for a while. I’m not hearing anything from that agent who was supposed to pick us up.”
Without showing reaction, Elise
“I can take care of this,” Sheffield replied.
“Just take the damn baby,” she said as he reluctantly took the baby up to his shoulder. She turned and walked through a row of tables and came within a few feet of a young man wearing a white-buttoned shirt that had been stained by vomit running down his chest. The infected man’s eyes circled around in cycles, independent from one another, in an attempt to look at Elise. She timed his shuffle toward her and waited until he was in arm’s length.
“Ma’am, please step away from him,” Sheffield shouted, pointing his gun at the man, propping up the baby on his shoulder.
“Don’t use your gun! Would you put it away? We’re going to get swarmed any second,” she said. The infected man took another step toward her. She grabbed the fire extinguisher by the nozzle, with both hands, and swung it upward in an arc, striking the man’s jaw, and making him stumble backward. Her hair became undone from the pins holding it down, with strands now swinging in her face. Moving the hair from her vision, she yelled, “Just listen to what I tell you. I’ve done this before. We’re going to move up those escalators and get to the roof.”
Looking over at the loose mingling of infected people that had now made their way around the escalators, he walked forward. “We have to do it now.”
“Run!” she yelled.
They burst into a dash toward the escalators as the infected crowd flooded the open area. The infected took notice of their movements and groaned at them in frustration, reaching their arms out. Elise saw the same haunting faces she had seen before. They were men and women who had lost the countenance of rationality and who had now only become ghosts in an undead body.
The baby jostled as Sheffield ran, making it wail louder, and drawing the attention of the infected like a swarm of sharks. Following Elise, Sheffield weaved in between the loose crowd of infected as they reached out and turned their clutching fingers toward them.
Just run , she thought, if we stop, we die . “Keep moving!” she yelled back. “Don’t stop for anything.” To her right was one of the infected men from the van, dressed in a bulletproof vest, Army fatigues, and a helmet. The bastards tried to make them last , she thought. She brought the fire extinguisher over her head, her arms extending toward the ceiling. Waiting until the man was directly in front of her, she lunged forward, releasing the extinguisher directly into the man’s face. It squarely hit his forehead, making his head collapse backward from his neck. As the extinguisher bounced off, a vertical tear on the front of his neck opened up, and exposed the white fleshy cartilage of his trachea. The wound released a flood of black, coagulated blood down the front of his vest. The man attempted to lift his head back to an upright position, but only fell over backward, cracking the back of his skull on the floor as his body crumpled.
Elise stepped over the man, pushed another woman who stood in front of her, and sprinted to the escalators that were free of the infected. Sheffield was right behind her as they ran up the steps to the open space of the second floor, void of people.
“We can’t get holed up in a store.” She turned to him. “If we get to the roof, do you think we can get a helicopter to pick us up?”
“Maybe, but I’m not sure what’s going on with other units in the city… There aren’t that many of us here,” he paused, adjusting his earpiece. “There’s so much confusion going on, shit. This is not an isolated event. It sounds like we’re at least one of three spots that have been attacked.” He let out a small breath and looked at her. “We might be on our own for a while. I’m not hearing anything from that agent who was supposed to pick us up.”
Without showing reaction, Elise
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