The Dead Will Walk - Part 4

The next morning everyone woke bleary eyed, scared, and tired. They had been rudely awakened by the sound of something clanging in the alleyway below them. Jim bolted upright, scrambled to his feet, and ran over to the edge of the roof. One of the freaks was banging what seemed to be a metal pipe against the emergency ladder they had climbed up the night before. The dumpster was shoved almost to the other side of the alley.

"Guys we have a problem here." Jim said as the others crowded around where he was.

Kathy looked like she was going to scream again so Jenny covered her mouth with her hand dragging her back. "No more screaming from now on, okay?" Kathy nodded slowly.

"Now what?" said Donovan.

"Let's go back into the diner, I'm starving," said Jim, and he jogged to the twin metal doors leading to the stairs down. He opened the left door just enough to peer through and found himself face-to-face with James. The former cop still had murder in his eyes, but he seemed to have recovered well from the wounds inflicted on him. The cut on his neck was gone and hadn't even left a scar. Jim counted five more freaks behind James and quietly shut the door.

He turned back to the group. "Well, that's not an option."

"Another other bright ideas?" asked Oliver in a weary voice.

Jenny suddenly pointed to the building behind Jim. "I bet we could make it to that fire escape." She walked over to the edge. "It's a bit far, but I think we could make it if we had a running start." Jim joined her at the edge and looked down. The fall wasn't very far, but there were a couple of shambling figures that Jim would rather not introduce himself to.

"What is that building, anyways?" asked Oliver.

Donovan answered. "I'm pretty sure it's just an old apartment building. I don't see any lights on, so it may be unoccupied. Since we apparently don't mind raiding people's belongings, we may find some food or other supplies."

A sudden realization hit Jim. "Oh, speaking of raiding people's belongings..." He removed the two pistols from his belt. "We were able to score some pistols, a shotgun, and a first aid kit from the pawn shop." Luke hadn't touched the shotgun since he reunited with his suitcase, and it lay neglected on the ground.

"I'll take this," said Donovan as he walked over and retrieved the shotgun. Luke didn't object to losing it as he couldn't even hold the gun as long as he carried his briefcase, and anyways he still had the pistol they retrieved from James.

Oliver took one of the extra pistols as he had lent his to Jim for their expedition, and Jenny took the last pistol and held it uneasily in her hands.

"Sorry, Kathy," said Jim, but the woman seemed to be in her own little world as she stared off into the distance. Jim rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I really didn't take you for much of a fighter anyways."

Luke gave the shotgun shells to Donovan, and Jim handed out the pistol ammo until they all had at least a full clip. "Remember, these are for emergencies only."

After making sure everybody was ready, the group walked over to the edge closest to the apartment building. Jim made the jump first and easily grabbed the red ladder of the fire escape. Donovan tossed the shotgun to him before making the jump. After he had safely made it across next was Jenny, then Oliver, then Luke, and finally Kathy. They then climbed the rickety stairs up until finally they found a window that was unlocked. They flew it open and entered the apartment one at a time.

Jim searched through the apartment they ended up in. It was a small apartment with one bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a small living space. What anyone would expect of an apartment. Whoever lived here must have been away when the black goo hit last night, because there were no signs of anyone having been there for a few days. Jenny popped her head out of the kitchen.

"Dad there are some ingredients for breakfast." She said before disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Well I'll start breakfast. The rest of you try and think of a few plans." Donovan said before going to the kitchen to join his daughter.

Jim sat with Oliver, Luke, and Kathy in the middle of the room to brainstorm some ideas.

"I think we should just find somewhere to hide out for a while." Kathy said looking scared and glancing to and fro.

"I think we should face them. After all, they killed my partner." Oliver said angrily.

Luke shrugged indifferently, holding his suitcase close to him.

"Let's not get hasty," said Jim to Oliver. "There seems to be a lot of those freaks out there, so fighting them is probably out of the question."

Oliver looked at his feet. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe we should head to the outskirts of town. Maybe this is just happening in Seattle."

Jim thought of his mother over in Gambier and wondered if they had been hit as well. Then he remembered the road block. "If this is some crazy military operation or demented experiment, then I doubt whoever's behind it all will let us leave."

Oliver looked up with raised eyebrows. "You think our government would experiment on its own people? That seems a little far fetched. Anyways, if they were going to, they would have tested it on some small town nobody's ever heard of, not Seattle."

Jim decided to dismiss his conspiracy theories and listen to the voice of reason. "Then I guess we're heading to the outskirts. Unless anyone else has a plan?"

Kathy's eyes abruptly widened and her hand flew into the air. Jim gave her a quizzical look and said uncertainly, "Erm, yes Kathy?"

"Well it's just... I almost forgot. Last night I couldn't sleep because... well because of everything. And while I was awake I saw a flare light up at the top of a skyscraper. I think it must have been the Aspotose Life Center."

Jim's face lit up. "That's one of the tallest buildings in the city. If people are gathering there, then that's where rescue will be."

Oliver however didn't seem so sure. "That's in the middle of the goddamn city! Surely the hordes of those creatures are more congested near the center. I still think our safest bet would be to head away from the city."

Jim suddenly realized Jenny was standing in the door way to the kitchen listening to the conversation. "What do you think, Jenny?" he asked her.

"Um... I'd have to agree with Oliver on this one," she said with an apologetic look. "Heading to the middle of the city just sounds too risky."

Jim found himself feeling betrayed at her decision to side with Oliver. He was about to argue further, mostly out of spite, when Donovan's voice called from the kitchen. "Come and get it, everybody. I hope you like scrambled eggs."

They had all sat down with their food and were enjoying their breakfast, when over the clinking of silverware hitting plates they heard a loud crash outside, like wood splintering. The group froze, nobody daring to make a noise. Jim gingerly laid his plate on the coffee table in front of him and stood up. He crept slowly and deliberately towards the door and placed his ear against the wood, listening carefully.

Jim heard Donovan's barely audible whisper behind him. "More of those freaks?"

Jim shook his head and whispered back, "I think I can hear... voices."

"It must be other survivors!" Kathy said silently to nobody in particular.

Jim opened the door just enough to peer outside into the hallway.