They walk, p.29
They Walk, page 29
I snort out a laugh, which I try to turn into a cough but it doesn’t work as my parents glare at us, when we finally step up onto the small landing. Gabe is chuckling now two, and I can feel my cheeks flaming. Leave it to him to break an uncomfortable silence with a crude comment. Well, maybe not crude, but certainly embarrassing, for me anyways. And for the record, my butt isn’t scrawny it’s more of a bubble butt in my opinion.
On this landing there is a door to the right and stairs still going up to the third floor on our left. The door is pushed opened just like the one downstairs, and this floor is equally as quiet as the first one. We quickly make our way up the set of stairs until we are at the third floor landing, and find that this door is wide open like the others. My parents step aside and let Gabe and I with the flare walk through the doorway first. The flickering light shines through the hallway, and again I’m filled with despair as I see that it really is empty up here.
When we are fully inside, my parents come in behind us and together we start down the hall and towards the open door at the end of it. I have the sense of that really long never ending hallway from the shinning, and I’m almost expecting those creepy twin girls to come riding down the hall with bloody tricycles. Thankfully they do not, and before we know it, we’re standing in front of Randy and Kelli’s apartment.
“Are you steady enough to stand on your own?” Gabe asks me while staring into the dark apartment.
Nodding, I remove my arm from around his shoulder and take a slightly shaky step away from him. Not looking at me, Gabe uses his free hand and pulls out his hand gun, and clicks the safety off. Without waiting any further, he raises the gun and the flare both, and takes a step into the apartment. I walk in right behind him on unsteady legs, and hear my parents follow behind me.
From the light of the flare, I see that Gabe has stopped walking and is standing in the middle of the room that was once the living room. Now though, I see that the place is in shambles and the supplies that littered the floor before are all gone. There is an echoing silence as I take in the emptiness of the apartment, and I can’t help to notice that no one jumps out and says ‘surprise we’re still here’.
I have to finally be honest with myself, with the fact that we might not ever find my brother in time, and it’s my entire fault. As the others spread out in the room and search for what isn’t there, I walk backwards until I hit the back wall. I can feel my back shudder from the hit.
I’ll probably have a bruise, but I don’t care. Not about anything anymore. Feeling numb all over, I slid down the wall until I sit in a heap on the floor. I hear the ax bang against the carpet. I distantly realize that I’m still holding it, but oddly enough my fingers don’t relinquish it.
Chapter Sixty Seven
My arms and legs are limp, and all I can do is staring out at the empty apartment. My parents have too, come to a stop and stare wide eyed around the room, but not Gabe. He is looking through some paper’s that are littering a coffee table in the middle of the room.
“We never should have left.” I say so softly I’m not sure I even spoke out loud.
But my mother turns to me with tears in her eyes, and I know that I have. She comes over to me then, and sits beside me on the floor.
“Maggie, you guys did what you had to do. And we don’t know for sure if anything bad happened to them, maybe they just left for someplace else.”
I glance at her, but I don’t feel anything inside as I do. She might be right, but what can we do about it now anyways?
“Besides, your father and I would still be stuck at Bates, if you guys thought our empty house meant the worst.”
I just stare at her in silence, because really what can I possibly say to that. I know she is trying to make me feel better, but it just feels like I was forced to choose between them without even knowing about it. Even if the others are hiding some place, we can’t do anything about it now. All we can do now is try to get to the border before the bombs go off. But as I sit here feeling as empty as the building, I have to wonder if we should all just stay here and give up. Not wanting my mother to see this on my face, I force myself to look away from her, and back to the room instead.
My dad is now helping Gabe search through all the papers on the coffee table and I wonder for a moment what they could be looking for. I don’t have to wonder long though, because Gabe holds up a manila envelope to my dad, and they are both grinning like banshees. Gabe turns to me then, and he looks the happiest he’s been in a while, and all I can feel is confusion.
Obviously I’ve missed something, and have no idea what is so good about a freaking envelope.
My mother gets to her feet suddenly, and rushes over to Gabe and my father. The three of them gaze at the envelope, and now I’m feeling something else, irritation.
“It’s addressed to us Maggie, all of us that left here a couple weeks ago.” Gabe says too loud for my ears.
But when it registers what he said, the fog in my mind clears and I stare up at the three of them dumbly.
“…Seriously?”
Still grinning, Gabe nods at me and I finally feel the giddiness that they are all feeling. Maybe they all did leave for some place better after all, and even better it seems they left something for us. Getting to my feet by pushing up along the way, I wave my free that isn’t still clutching the ax, towards the letter.
“Well open it already.”
With shaking fingers, Gabe pries the crease of the envelope apart and pulls until the top is completely open. Holding it up and gazing inside, his grin gets even wider, if that’s possible. He then pulls out two sheets of paper, and the rest of us wait in anticipation to find out what it says. He quickly skims it before finally looking back up at us.
“They did leave for someplace else. Apparently someone that lived here used to work for the county record office, and found out there were tunnels running under the city from the sixties.”
“And?” My dad says, with an annoyed look.
My mother shushes him and smacks him lightly on the arm, whereas I can’t help to think, so what.
“And, that isn’t the only thing under the city. There was a bomb shelter built and then boarded up after the city realized no one needed it. Randy says that they found out where the old entrance of it is, and after sending a scout, they decided to hide out there.”
Taking a deep breath, Gabe pauses, he holds up the other piece of paper that was in the envelope.
“This is a map to where the entrance is, and Maggie, it’s down the street a ways at City Hall.”
I’m grinning now along with them, and I just can’t believe it.
Of all the places for them to flee to, it’s a freaking bomb shelter.
A bomb shelter!
It’s perfect that they are so close, and the entire better to get out of the line of fire when the actual bombs hit. My parents embrace one another, and I can see the tears of happiness in their eyes. Gabe turns and saunters over to me, and when he’s almost within touching distance he stops just shy of me. I gaze up at him, actually feel a twinge of hope that we’ll find Dan and everything will be okay.
“We should get out of here, no?” I whisper to him.
Everything that happens next is like a blur to me, and before I know it, we’re back in the car and leaving the apartments. Lucky for us too, that there wasn’t any more of the dead for us to have to fight with. So the trip to the car was a fast one, and I may not have missed anything, all I know is I didn’t even argue when Gabe offered to help me down the stairs. With a newly lit flare in his one hand and the ax in mine, we quickly followed my parents outside.
I noticed that it was getting lighter when we went through the doors to the parking lot, and it’s getting closer to the end of the clock we’re ticking away on. Back in the car though, Gabe and I are up front again with my parents in the back, by the time I actually feel like myself again. I worry slightly that my headache is causing me to lose time, but I dismiss it, I just think I’m excited that things might be going our way for once. None of says anything, too worked up to know what to say I’m sure, and I just stare out the window and watch the closer we get to seeing my brother.
Gabe is pulling the car back onto the bridge now, and is already speeding through all the debris and heading in the opposite way we came in. The City Hall building is just a mile or so down the road and at the heart of the city. The closer we get, the slower Gabe has to drive, because the road gets more and more littered with things. About halfway there, I notice that there is something in the middle of the road up ahead. No scratch that, nothing something, someone’s and yes, plural.
“Gabe, what is that?” I say in a rushed whisper.
The damn moose we got hit by the last time we were hear flashes in my mind and I squint my eyes and lean forward to get a better look. Gabe slows the car to a slow crawl the closer we get, and I finally have a very clear look for what is blocking our path into Auburn. Standing single file, are a group of men dressed in army gear.
But from the way they point their shotguns at us, and have ski masks on?
I don’t really think that they are affiliated with the military.
Chapter Sixty Eight
“Shit.” Gabe says under his breath as he brings the car to a stop.
The men in front of the car don’t even flinch when we come to a stop right in front of them.
It makes me a little afraid of who they might be.
“Why do you suppose they stopped us?” My father asks.
Gabe only shakes his head, while he stares straight ahead out at the unknown men. His tense posture, don’t exactly make me feel any better either.
“Mark, I don’t think those are army men, not with the way they are just standing there like that.” My mother says in a quiet voice.
Gabe bows his head then, and finally takes his eyes off the men in front of us. No sooner does he, and the men are already breaking formation and approaching the car.
“I think this might be the new law enforcement. Everyone stay calm, we don’t know what they want yet. So do whatever they say, alright?” Gabe tells us quietly.
I remember then that the last time we were here, I thought that some of the destruction outside couldn’t have been done by the dead alone. And from the way these guys are being all ninja assassin, I’m guessing we’re having a run in with our very own marauders. Who would have thought, that after everything people are still going to act like jack-holes. Men, I tell you they REALLY need to get over the whole domination thing, save it for the bedroom for goodness sake.
The men are splitting up and going for each of our doors now, and still there are two at the front and at the back pointing guns at us. I have to hand it to them though they sure are organized for thugs. The men at Gabe’s and my father’s doors, open them with one hand while still pointing their guns with the other. The man at Gabe’s door leans on it when it opens and leers inside at us, or I think he l does, can’t really tell with just his eyes through the mask.
“Get out pretty boy, and don’t try anything stupid. Nobody likes a hero.” The man says at Gabe’s door.
Only nodding his head and not even looking at the rest of us, Gabe eases out of the car door. He keeps his hands out in front of him and his head down. For all appearances he seems calm, but I know better. From the way his muscles bulge just under his shirt at his shoulders, I can tell right away how afraid he is. Not that I blame him, it would be extremely stupid to not be wary of the men with the guns.
As Gabe is getting out, the man at my father’s open door waves his gun at him, signaling for my dad to get out I guess. My dad follows suit, and like Gabe he keeps his hands in sight and his head down. I share a quick look to my mother, but her eyes are all for the man at her door, who is pointing him gun right at her. Turning back around, I peak around my hair and look out my window. Sure enough, the other man is stationed there and aiming his 9mm right at me.
I don’t even flinch though, because really? Did these guys not get the memo?
You know, the one where there are large amounts of bombs coming to blow us to bits, apparently not.
“Turn around and place your hands on the hood of the car, both of you. Place your feet apart too.” The man with Gabe says.
Turning back to Gabe, I watch at as he faces me and does what the man says. His eyes lock with mine, and I know right away that he wants to resist. But he doesn’t. And so the men pat down he and my father, and they collect the handguns and the knives they were carrying. When no other weapons can be found, the men force Gabe and my dad to turn back around by taking hold of the back of their necks.
It doesn’t appear to be gentle either and they don’t seem to be in a hurry to release them. The men guide them off to the side, and force them to stay where they are with guns pointed at their heads. The man with Gabe nods his head in my direction, and at first I think he is trying to get me to do something, though I have no idea what.
Then I remember the other two men.
My door gets yanked open, and now I flinch and face the man that is reaching inside for me. He doesn’t ask me to get out slow like Gabe, no this one is very hands-y. His large hands latch onto my forearm and he physically removes me from the safety of the car. I stumble out, and would have fallen if the man still didn’t have a hold on me.
He steady’s me for a moment, and I glance to my right to see my mother getting the same treatment.
Almost at the same time, the men force us to face the direction of the car and push us up against it. We both gasp at the abrupt change of position, and at the moment I’m thinking the worst. From the sudden movement, my head is spinning and I can already feel the dull throbbing pulse behind my eyes. It doesn’t help matters, when they lean into the both of us and literally move our hands and force them on the hood of the car.
My whole body is shaking, and I know I don’t have the strength to fight anyone off. Still watching my mother, I can see that she is struggling, and the man holding her isn’t going to let her go anytime soon. In an attempt to, I know, bust us all free? I also struggle and squirm trying to keep this large man with his fat hands away from me. He laughs then, and leans in closer to me, and makes me stop my movements.
“I wouldn’t do that princess; your prince over there is already losing control. If you try anything, he’ll be forced to make a move, and we’ll have to kill him. No one has to get hurt, just relax and it’ll be over soon.” The man at my ear whispers so that only I can hear him.
His hold on me loosens some, and he moves back half an inch from me. As his hands lightly begin to search my body for the zero weapons it has on it, I have a feeling he was trying to help me. He isn’t being forceful now, and I swear from the way he pulled back but still stayed close, it was like he was playing on the allusion of force. Maybe not all these thugs are bad, and maybe we’ll make it out of this alright then. Of course that thought evaporates, when the man searching my mother actually smacks her on the back of the head when she tries to move away from him.
To her credit though, he was trying to cop a feel and around her bottom region.
Where I know for a fact are no weapons.
When my mom slams against the car with a cry from the hit, I can hear my father roaring across the street. Turning to him, I find that he and Gabe are both struggling against the restraints holding them, i.e. the men. Needless to say, the men stay true to their word about any funny business. I can only watch helplessly as both the men holding them, use the butts of their guns and drive them up into their stomachs with such force, it leave Gabe and my father both hunched over and grunting.
My body tenses, and I grit my teeth in an attempt to stay still and not run to them. I can hear my mother crying now, and I know these men won’t just let us go after taking our stuff. If only we could get them to listen to us, so that we can explain. For some reason though, I don’t think they’ll even give us the chance to talk.
Go figure.
“Alright Missy Miss, let’s get you over to your lover, hmm?” The man holding me says, as he lightly takes ahold of my forearm and pulls me away from the car.
The other man mimics us and pulls me mother away from the car, though more violently and I can her intake of breathe from the movement. They guide us across the road now over to where Gabe and my father are waiting, and I notice my steps become a struggle of their own. My head is spinning so strongly, that I have the feeling of being in a large toy top stuck in a never ending cycle. My world tilts as black spots dance before my eyes, and I would have fallen over if not for the man tightening his hold on me.
“Easy there Missy.” He whispers in my ear.
His words sound very faint, but when he comes to a stop and steady’s me further, I shake my head and clear it. Blinking my eyes and taking a deep breath, I look up and find Gabe watching me intently across the way. His face tells me he wants to rush to me, but I shake my head again.
He would only get hurt, and besides, the spinning is already slowing.
Chapter Sixty Nine
As I come back to myself, a weak version of myself, I notice that the man with my mother is already with the others. The men with them seem to be glaring at the one with me, who coughs and shakes himself to stand up straighter.
“Alright princess, get a move on we haven’t got all night. Bip, bip, bip.” The man holding me says loud enough for the others to hear.
He gets me moving again, and before I know it we’re standing beside Gabe and my mother. I watch as the other four men with guns go about searching the car now. I can’t help to feel anger, as I see them taking out my ax and one of them flings it over his shoulder. The men dig through our belongings, and even scavenge around the items in the trunk, which sends Gabe over the edge.
Turning to the man holding him, he says, “Listen you guys can take whatever you want we don’t care. You have to know though, that there are bombs coming in less than a day to wipe out the dead. It’s not safe here anymore.”
