Chapter 78: The Jewelry District Part 3

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: The Jewelry District Part 3

The alarm echoed between the buildings like a beacon.

More figures began emerging from side streets.

Some staggered out of luxury boutiques.

Others climbed over abandoned vehicles.

A few wandered out of the underground parking garage across the street.

Kai looked over his shoulder and felt his stomach sink.

"There has to be at least fifty now."

Killian didn’t bother counting this time.

The exact number no longer mattered.

There were too many.

"Ten more meters," he called.

The jewelry store stood directly ahead.

Its massive glass entrance reflected the flashing lights of abandoned cars and the silhouettes of dozens of approaching zombies.

It had never looked so far away.

A security gate had already been lowered halfway across the entrance, leaving only enough room for a person to squeeze underneath.

Erik pointed toward it.

"That’s our way in!"

A zombie security guard staggered out from beneath the half-open gate.

Its torn uniform still bore the store’s embroidered logo, and a ring of keys hung from its belt, jingling softly with every uneven step.

Killian didn’t hesitate.

He rushed forward to meet it, knowing that if the guard blocked the entrance for even a few seconds, the entire group would be trapped outside.

Behind him, the growling grew louder.

The dead were closing in from every direction.

Killian had no time to hesitate.

The zombie security guard had barely taken another step before Killian closed the distance between them. His left hand shot forward, grabbing the creature by its uniform while his right hand drove the machete upward beneath its jaw. Bone cracked as the blade pierced through its skull. The zombie’s body went limp almost instantly.

Without slowing down, Killian shoved the corpse aside and reached for the ring of keys hanging from its belt.

"I’ve got the entrance!" he shouted.

Erik stepped in front of him before another zombie could reach the doorway.

"Then hurry!"

Three infected rushed toward Erik at once.

The first reached him only to have its wrist caught in a crushing grip. Erik twisted sharply, snapping the zombie’s arm before driving his hunting knife into its temple. He kicked the body backward, forcing the second zombie to stumble over it.

The third managed to reach him.

Its yellowed teeth snapped inches from his face.

Erik raised his forearm, allowing the creature to crash into him instead of the others. Using its momentum, he pivoted and slammed it against the side of an abandoned sedan. The impact dented the car door.

Before the zombie could recover, his knife plunged into its eye.

"Penelope!"

"I see them!"

Two more zombies broke away from the growing horde and charged directly toward Killian’s exposed back.

Penelope intercepted them.

She met the first with a downward swing that buried her machete into its shoulder. The blade stopped halfway through the bone.

The zombie barely slowed.

It continued clawing toward her.

"Damn it."

She planted one boot against its stomach and shoved with all her strength, ripping the machete free. As the creature staggered backward, she stepped in again and brought the blade down a second time.

This time it split through the top of its skull.

The corpse collapsed.

She barely had time to breathe before the second zombie reached her.

It lunged wildly, its fingers brushing the sleeve of her jacket.

Penelope twisted her body just enough to avoid its grasp and slammed the pommel of her machete into its nose. The creature recoiled, giving her the opening she needed.

One clean strike.

The zombie dropped.

Behind her, Ben’s heart nearly stopped.

A little girl wandered out from between two luxury cars.

She couldn’t have been older than seven.

Her pink dress was stained with blood.

One of her shoes was missing.

She looked...

Normal.

Until she smiled.

Ben froze.

"Ben!"

Kai’s shout snapped him back to reality.

The little girl sprinted.

Far faster than her small body should have been able to.

Ben instinctively threw himself sideways as she crashed into the spot where he had been standing only a heartbeat earlier.

"What the—"

Kai tackled the child zombie before she could turn around.

The force sent both of them rolling across the pavement.

The little girl’s teeth snapped repeatedly as she clawed towards his face.

Kai struggled to keep her pinned.

"Ben!"

Ben scrambled to his feet.

His hands shook so violently that he almost dropped the machete.

"I can’t!"

"You have to!"

The child looked exactly like she had that morning.

Small.

Fragile.

Innocent.

Everything inside Ben screamed at him not to do it.

Then Kai grunted in pain.

The girl’s teeth came within inches of his neck.

"NOW!"

Ben shut his eyes.

He swung.

The machete struck.

Silence.

Kai remained lying on the pavement for several seconds, breathing heavily.

Finally, he looked up at Ben.

"...Next time," he said between breaths, "try doing that before I almost become dinner."

Ben’s face had turned completely white.

"I..."

Kai slowly stood and picked up his own weapon.

"You saved my life."

Ben looked down at the small body lying on the pavement.

Tears welled in his eyes.

"It was just a kid."

Kai rested a hand on his shoulder.

"No."

His voice was gentle.

"It was somebody’s kid."

Neither of them spoke again.

"Inside!" Killian shouted.

"I’ve got it open!"

The security gate rattled upward just enough for a person to crouch beneath it.

One by one, they sprinted toward the opening.

Erik entered first and immediately turned around, covering the entrance while Penelope ducked underneath. Ben followed close behind, nearly tripping as Kai shoved him forward.

"I’m coming!" Kai yelled.

The growling behind him had become deafening.

Dozens of zombies poured into the parking lot, drawn by the fighting.

Kai dove beneath the half-open gate just as grasping hands reached for his boots.

Killian grabbed the bottom of the metal gate with both hands and pulled with everything he had.

The heavy steel crashed against the floor with a thunderous bang.

The entire storefront shook.

Outside, dozens of hands immediately slammed against the glass.

The pounding echoed throughout the darkened jewelry store.

No one spoke.

Everyone stood there, breathing hard, their chests rising and falling as the dead clawed at the entrance only inches away.

For the moment...

They were alive.