Killing Corpses (zombie novel)

Chapter Sixteen

After the scenario on the roof, we decided it would be better for the state I was in if we continued on the ground below. Seth didn't seem to mind, because we'd left most of the Reapers that had been in the square on the convenience store roof.
So we plodded along the square again, which was now empty, making our way to the subway station which was only a few feet away.
We walked side by side, my arm dangling in pain. I winced every-time it swung back and forth, and convinced myself it was at least dislocated. If it was fractured or broken, I was stumped, because there were obviously no health services around anymore.
"Does it really hurt that bad?" Seth asked as he noticed my facial expression. I nodded.
"Oh," he said. "I thought you were only kidding back there on the roof, about the dislocation."
"Nope," I puffed, trying to hold back my pain again. "Not kidding."
There was a short silence, and we continued to walk.
"It isn't much further. Just this opening here." I pointed out, gesturing to the stairs leading down. He nodded.
"Are you sure your group will be cool with me jumping in on you guys like this?" He asked as the descended down the stairs, into darkness again.
I could see the shutters were still pulled down, but lights were on.
"Shit." I said out loud accidentally, avoiding his question. I stopped.
"What is it?" He asked, obviously thinking I was responding to his question. "If it's not okay I can hit the road. Wouldn't want to trouble you, you know, after saving your life and all-"
"Its fine." I rolled my eyes at his obnoxiousness. "I only mean they might kill me first."
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"Copsyn? Is that you?" I heard Abbie's voice echo through to the door.
"It's me." I answered. I turned around to Seth. "Wait. Here." I said it quietly and sternly. He got the message. I nodded.
I walked through to Callum and Abbie, and they both looked relieved. Abbie got up and ran over to me, hugging me.
"We didn't know where you had gone!" She gushed. "We woke up and you weren't here, and Your rifle was gone- what happened to your ARM?!"
"I'm fine." I laughed. "Really. I... Went on a run."
Callum stood up at this point. "Well... We appreciate it Copsyn but seriously - don't do it again. You gave us a heart attack."
"Aye aye." I responded.
Callum raised one corner of his mouth up so slightly, some may not even have considered it a smile. But I did.
"One other thing." I said. "I found another person."
Their faces filled with shock.
"Really?" Abbie said.
"Really." I smiled. "Seth," I called through. "Get out here."
He sauntered trough, scuffing his shoes as he walked, his hands in his pockets. He waved in a kind of salute at the two of them. He was acting as if his friend was letting him stay at his house when he was drunk, not asking for shelter from zombies.
Abbie smiled and welcomed him as she usually does. Callum wasn't so easy.
"You good with guns?" Was the first thing he asked Seth. Seth nodded slightly.
"I could shoot basically any gun you gave me." He smirked.
"Confident guy, huh?" Callum mused, squinting his eyes slightly. He strode up to Seth and towered above him, despite Seth's impressive height himself.
"Listen here, tough guy." Callum growled. "You dare, hurt or attempt to steal from any of us, and you're going down. Fucking hard. Got it?"
"I get it, jeez." Seth raised his hands up in mock surrender.
Callum nodded. "Good."

"Now that's sorted," I butted in. "Does anyone know how to de-dislocate an arm?"
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"Jeez Copsyn, hold still." Seth whined, trying to grab a hold of my arm for about the forty millionth time. Callum held down my legs and Abbie had a hold of my torso. Try as they might, there was no way they were going to manage to hold me down again.
"No way!" I struggled, fighting away from them. "It felt like you were dislocating it even more! I'll do it myself!"
Seth sighed. "Do you even know how?" He questioned.
"You do?!" I retaliated. "It sure doesn't feel like it!"
Callum and Abbie continued to try and hold me down, but I kept fighting.
Seth rolled his eyes. "Okay. Keep her like that, I can work with it." He spoke to Callum and Abbie. They nodded.
"Not again..." I whined.
"I'm not going to lie," He half smirked. "This might hurt a little."
I squeezed my eyes shut, as if that would somehow ease the pain.
"Okay." I said through gritted teeth. "Do what you gotta do."
I stopped struggling and let myself fall limp, dreading what was about to happen. Lets just hope he actually knows what he's doing I thought to myself.
The room went slightly silent, but before I knew it, a pain unrecognisably overpowering overcame by body, and we all heard a satisfying click. I wont lie... I screamed.
"OWWWWWWWWWW-" I yelled, but. I was soon cut off by Callum shoving a dirty cushion into my face to quieten me down a bit. It didn't help much.
Abbie started to worry. "Copsyn, remember noise attracts them..."
I quietened down when she reminded me of that.
"Oh yeah... Of course... Owwwwwwwww..."
"Try moving it around." Seth ordered. I did, and it felt normal, like it was never dislocated in the first place.
I stared at him in disbelief. "How did you-"
"I know a few things." He shrugged modestly.
I sat up, the group surrounding me. "Thanks..." I said sheepishly. They all brushed it off, as if it was no big deal. I let it go.

Everyone got up and did their own thing, mine was sitting and 'resting up' as Abbie had insisted upon. To pass time, I just took in the surroundings.
I sat in the office chair beside the shutters, peering out of the small holes which let the sunlight stream in. Although, there was no sunlight just now. It was around 10 o'clock at night, I guessed. It was pitch black, and there was no noise to be heard whatsoever. No cars, no horns, no people bustling around.
Well, technically there were people bustling around, they just weren't... Alive.

Everyong was doing their own thing.
Abbie was sorting out the cans of food and bottles of water I had managed to bring back with me. Callum was checking our barricades and protection, making sure I hadn't damaged anything when I got out. I couldn't help but notice how he kept eyeing Seth up every two minutes.
Seth sat and sharpened his knife.
It was really unnerving.
"Hey Copsyn," Abbie said, finally finished counting the cans. "You never actually told us why you were in the city in the first place. What brought you to the most infested part of the map?"
I sighed. "Well, before I realised what had started, you know, the Reapers and all-"
"Reapers?" Seth interrupted.
"Yeah," Abbie said. "We call them Reapers."
Seth shrugged. "They shouldn't be given a name in my opinion."
"Well that's your opinion, isn't it?" I bit back.
"Just saying." He shrugged again.
"They were people once too, you know." I sighed.
"Yeah," He replied, peering into the reflection his knife gave off. "But the point is, they aren't anymore."
I didn't say anything back, because he had a point. There was a short silence.
"Anyway," I continued. "I only came to the city looking for my brother."
"Because of the apocalypse?" Abbie asked.
"No," I said. "I passed out while the whole thing had started. I missed the broadcasts on the T.V, the news, everything. I woke up in a cabin, with a dead guy in it. Then I got here, found you guys and... Kind of forgot all about it..."
Seth's head snapped up as I spoke. "A goal? We can get out of the city?"
I shrugged. "Maybe. Its up to Callum and Abbie, they're the ones who took me in."
At that moment Callum walked through.
"What are we talking about?"
I filled him in.
"Well... We have a goal now. We aren't just gonna be stuck here, I guess. Maybe get somewhere safer."
Seth and I nodded in agreement, but all of the plump colour drained from Abbie's face.
"L-leave? Move? But... Why? I mean... We have a great system going. There's plenty of un looted shops around, we could still live here for a few weeks, months even..."
"Abbie," I said softly. "You know we can't stay here forever... Right?"
Everyone looked at her. Even Callum wasn't sticking up on her part, he knew Seth and I were right.
She gulped. "Y-yeah... Totally."
I nodded. "Good." I planned on talking to her about it later.
"Right now," Seth said. "Lets start planning this out, we need to be organised. If you aren't prepared its a death trap out on the open road. Trust me, I know."
I kept forgetting Seth had been surviving by jumping around, travelling. He was probably an expert on the Reapers by now.
"Okay." Callum said. "Good idea."
I smiled. We were all getting along good. I felt like I was part of a team for once, which felt pretty weird. But it was good weird.
"Alright." I said. "Abbie, put some canned beans on the fire," I laughed. "Were gonna be in for a longgggg night."

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Hi guys!

Idk why i keep saying guys, theres probably only like two of you :~
O wellllll
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Thats all really, enjoy the chapter!

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