Forgetting the Apocalypse

47. Narrow Escape

Riva's Pov*

"MAARRA!" I heard my brother cry out for her.

I couldn't turn around to look event though I desperately wanted to. I just hoped that she had everything under control at her end because right now gramps and I had problems of our own. These crazy little bastards managed to chew through the bottom of the door. At first it was just a small hole, no bigger than a small ball but as more were fighting their way in the more the door splintered and broke in. Of course the fact that both gramps and I are using shotguns may have also added to the damage.

It was like shooting fish in a barrel. The little waves of their bodies being thrown back by the blast of the shots. Of course there were some that would be fast enough to scamper on through but we just stomped or kicked them away. They didn't look right. Some of their hair was missing or they were completely bald. So I was not about to have my boy Duke risk getting bit or taking a bite out of them and get blood in their mouth. Gramps agreed with me because he also called Blackie back where Saphira and Jack were seated.

Their collective whimpering made me look back thinking that maybe a rat had gotten passed us or had found another way in. That was a bad idea because as soon as I saw all four in the middle of the room a couple of the fuckers began climbing up my legs.

"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!"

"Riva!?" Fredi called out to me.

I was trying to shake and kick them off. "Just keep shooting!" I told him. I made the mistake of looking away and stopped shooting which was more than enough time to let them advance. If he stopped shooting too then we'd be overrun in a matter of seconds.

Fuck, no wonder why we thought this apartment seemed picked clean of any remains!

Using the end of my gun, I swing away finally managing to get them off my legs. Thank God for thick jeans! Free at last I resumed shooting while gramps reloaded. That's when Roone called out for all of us. Not willing to make the same mistake twice, I didn't turn around when I heard the girls go out the window followed by Jack no doubt. Instead I kept shooting, slowly backing up.

My brother shouted to us once more, "Riva, Fredi, get out now!"

"Blackie, out the window boy. Riva go first!" gramps insisted.

I fired one last time before grabbing my pack from where Mara put it, taking hold of Blackie's collar and rushing towards the window. As soon as I stepped out I gave Roone Blackie's leash before turnignt right back around to cover gramps. He was still inside.

"Gramps!"

He ran as the mob no longer had anything stopping them from coming. Quickly switching to a pistol I shot passed him to stop them from jumping at his legs until he launched himself outside. He landed hard on the fire escape but recovered just in time to run down the stairs as I shut the window. The glass was not going to last long. Already it was cracking.

As I ran down the stairs I heard the girls scream. Rushing faster I see them. At the corner of the building, some middles have appeared. Giving the whistle, Dukino joined in with Jack and Blackie in attacking their legs. He went straight for the one that was on top of Kailee who was holding off another who was trying to bite at her midsection.

Returning the favor of her saving my life, I fired one shot from my pistol and hit it right in the head.

I ran towards her as she repeatedly stabbed the other one. Hastily pulling her to her feet, I held on to her hand as I pulled her towards the others as we made our way far from here. In the distance, I heard glass shatter but no way was I turning around to look.

We kept on running for the better part of two hours. Long after we left the buildings behind and made a left into the woods. By the time we came to a stop, the sun was going down and couldn't hear anything besides a couple of birds and crickets.

For a while, no one said anything. We just took the time to take a breath and look over our things or ourselves. In that time, Mara and Boaz were setting up a quick fire to make breakfast. Deciding against going out hunting, we used some of the goods we've gathered.

I took the time do a shell count. With how many times I reloaded, I felt like I spent the majority of my ammo just like when we first encountered crawlers. As I was going through my pack for all the shells, I also dug into my food. I took out two cans of black beans. My last ones.

I tossed them to Boaz so he can add it to whatever meat stew they were cooking. I didn't even think we had any canned meat left but guess I was wrong. Mixing that with the beans might give us a little bit of a stomach ache but as long as it wasn't actually spoiled food and it filled out bellies then I didn't care. And right now, I was really hungry.

Five minutes later, breakfast was ready. Reusing the cans from which it was originally packaged in, we got our own servings which ended up being perfect because once everyone filled their can there were no leftovers.

We even ate in silence. All you could hear were the birds, crickets and our utensils scraping against the tin. Once breakfast was gone, we packed all our things again and went off to relieve ourselves. After kicking the fire out, we got moving.

"Besides what I think is the fifth rude awakening we've got, it seems as though we have shortened our path to the next town by at least 50 miles." Boaz had taken up to reading the map.

With a nod, we kept going in the same direction we were originally running in.