Before You

I spared no time. Taylor was no longer standing silently in the doorway. Her breaths became growls and drool fell from her chin. I turned my gun and shot her in the head just as she lunged forward. Silence fell. There were three bodies on the ground, one of which was still breathing. We had no time. We needed to leave.

“Foolish girl,” Elexus said, lowering her weapon. Bree died to save someone who was technically already dead. The heart made people do stupid things, and its times like these I’m glad I don’t have one.

In all the commotion it was no wonder that anyone had woken up. Their guns had silencers, but from all the unnecessary yelling and caring it seemed that Ande and Aiden haven’t woke yet.

“We need to get moving, but god knows when then next time I’ll find water is. I’m going for a shower. Gather anything else we need because as soon as I’m done, we’re leaving,” Elexus said, and I couldn’t have agreed more. The sun broke just over the horizon but the tree’s still shaded most of the building. It wouldn’t be long before everyone was up. What would they say when they found a dead girl on the floor, Ian knocked out and a rotting child?

I went back into the sleeping quarters and grabbed Ian and Bree’s bags they had packed. Any food or water would be useful for our trip. Aiden and Ande were still fast asleep but the light from the windows was getting brighter by the second. I did one last scope of the place, grabbing anything that could be useful and found myself outside the showers. Steam escaped through the opening indicating the hot water that must be pouring over her skin..

I stopped myself. No use in letting my thoughts travel down a road I know nothing about anymore. I leaned my back against the wall and slid down until I was sitting on the floor. Quite frankly I’m impatient, and my eyes continuously dart to the wall clock just across the hall. It had already been thirty minutes, what could be taking so long?

Before I knew what I was doing, I was on my feet and walking into the shower room. It was humid from the water and thick steam made it hard to see very far. There were rows of lockers and a few benches and I started walking between each of them. Listening, looking, taking shallow breaths. All of the sudden it became silent. Elexus must have turned the water off. However, even without my now improved hearing, I could detect something odd. Scratching, tearing, walking.

I held my gun ready as I turned the corner, prepared for anything.

Elexus, draped in nothing but a towel held her own weapons, poised for something to jump out at her any second. “I heard it too.”

Her usually wavy black hair now hung in heavy dark tendrils down her back and over her shoulders. Water beaded on her scarred skin which was oddly beautiful. The scratching continued. It was close now. I walked further down and stopped right where the sound was coming from, but saw nothing. Something crunched under my feet. It looked like drywall? No, pieces of ceiling. I looked up. It seemed to have been scratched off by something. A sudden realization hit me just as gun shots rang out.

I flew around the lockers and saw Elexus standing next to a corpse. She was covered in blood and brain matter and some other bodily fluid I couldn’t distinguish. I walk over to where she is standing and look down at what was left of the corpse. Only this one was different. Its body was smaller, but its arms and legs were longer. The nails on its appendages had grown in length and curved in, making them look much like claws. It didn’t even look human anymore. From my guess, it was responsible for the marks on the ceiling.
It was climbing on the ceiling.

“I’m going for another shower,” Elexus sighed, wringing blood from her hair. I nodded and headed back out. It was on my way out that I noticed the shattered glass from one of the windows. We were at least three or four stories up. That could only mean one thing. They’ve mutated.

I sat back in the same position before in the hall. How could they have mutated? I guess it made sense. Food is scarce, only the strong survive. Natural selection more or less. It needs to be able to adapt to its surroundings. Which happen to be very tall buildings.

“Lane?” I barely heard her come up beside me. “May I sit with you?”

This is it. She’s going to ream me or tell me I’m on lock down or something. “I had to, you know.”

Ande looked confused, “had to what? I just came to ask if you’d seen Ian or Bree.”

“You mean you didn’t?” Now I was confused. She had to walk right by Bree and Taylor’s body to get to the stairs, but she seemed like she had no idea what I was talking about. I shot up and headed down the stairs. I found myself shocked by what I saw. Or what I didn’t see, rather. No bodies, no blood, not even Ian unconscious on the floor.

Did the coward get up and run? Why would he clean the mess? What did he do with the bodies? There were tons of questions but time was running out.

“I’m going to go ahead and finish packing the rest of my clothes, tell me if you see them okay?” Ande passed by me, heading back to the sick bay. I went back upstairs to find Elexus coming out of the showers, fully clothed this time.

“They’re gone,” I said in a low voice to her. “Ian, the bodies, they’re gone.”

Elexus furrowed her brows.

“We need to get moving. Ian may have bought us a little time,” she said and we both took off toward the ground floor. Aiden was awake and packing his bags along with Ande. Elexus and I finished gathering our things.

“Hey, what’s that outside?” Ande said, looking at the windows just above ground level. I saw a pair of legs shuffle past and for a second, thought that maybe it was Ian. But then I saw another and another.

I heard them before I saw them. There were about six or so outside the main glass doors. Beating on them, scratching, trying to find a way in. It seemed like every time I blinked, two more joined them. In a matter of minutes there were tons gathered, and more kept on coming, pressing against the glass. What was going on? Why were there so many of them? It was then I heard it. Ever so subtly. Cracking. The glass was starting to give under the pressure of all the bodies pushing against it.

“Go!” I turned just as the glass shattered, allowing the horde to pour in. We headed up the stairs, running as fast as any of us could. They seemed to be keeping up fairly well. Another side effect of mutation? I reached the final staircase, the one that would lead us onto the roof. It was our best chance. I took stairs two at a time and shoved the door open, allowing the light of the sun to pour in. As soon as everyone made it onto the roof I shut the door and hope their brain capacity to turn doorknobs is still the same. The door bows as they beat on it and I know it won’t hold forever.

“What about Ian and Bree?” Ande asked frantically.

“Lane,” Elexus interrupted. “Look.”

Elexus was by the edge of the building looking down. I followed her gaze. The undead had the entire building surrounded but that isn’t what she had meant. I could see blood smeared up and down the walls. It was clearly intentional. Ian had used Bree’s blood as bait for the undead.

“That bastard,” I said through gritted teeth.

Should’ve killed him when I had the chance..