A World Alone - A Zombie Novel

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Logan P.O.V

Nobody moves.

A stiffening stillness falls over everyone on the bus as we listen to the silence that follows. It looms over us as we stare down the road, struggling to place the source of noise. After a minute, Aaron begins to stand, rising from his seat with a slow precision so as to make as little noise as possible. He turns to look down the length of the bus, twisting his torso so that he can address everyone.

"Get low, and be quiet." He whispers, his words  so hushed that I wonder if Stella and Joey can hear him from the back. Shuffling sounds of movement implode within the confines of the bus, deafening amidst the silence.

Aaron waits until the commotion has dissipated before turning to Rocket, reaching an open hand out towards her. "Weapon." He nods.

Without a word or gesture, she reaches down the side of her seat and pulls out a golf club. It clatters against the side of the bus as she pulls it up, the sound forcing her to still a second, before finally handing it to him. He takes it from her, his fingers wrapping around the grip, his knuckles turning white. I glance at his face, and notice that his eyes have hardened to their usual stoney regard. The lines of his face have even smoothened out, his lips pressed into a thin, concentrated line.

He must have made up his mind.

He must have chosen to keep going. Any evidence of the weak and hopeless man that had been sulking on that seat no more than a minute ago, has entirely vanished. He stands straight, his other hand coming round to grip the golf club as all his muscles tense tightly beneath his shirt, stretching the material.

The bus groans as Rocket opens its door, squealing lightly before fading off. Glancing out the window a final time, he steps down, dropping silently onto the road. He crouches down by the side of the bus, and begins inching forward. Disappearing momentarily from my view, I wonder if someone should have gone with him.

I throw a glance around the bus, noticing everyone ducked down behind their seats. It doesn't look like anyone's going to help him. I look to Rocket and consider asking her to go after him, but quickly think better. If things go wrong, she needs to stay and try and start the bus up. A small sigh flees with a heave of my chest as I stand up from my seat and limp towards the door of the bus. Rocket gives me a look, her brows shooting together, but she doesn't say anything.

The pain in my leg has numbed itself with pins and needles, making it easier for me to jump down the steps without making too much noise. Aaron jumps at the sound anyway, his shoes scraping against the gravel as he spins around, holding the golf club up.

His expression settles when he sees it's just me. He begins to lower the club when his eyes widen again.

"Duck!" He yells, heaving the golf club back into the air. I drop to the ground as he swings it down, a blunt crunch filling the air as a warm mist settles on the back of my neck. Another crunch as he pulls the club free and a heavy thud as the body slumps to the ground behind me.

Pushing myself off the ground, I turn to look at the infected man, blood already pooling from the hole in his head. How was he so quiet? He hadn't made a sound, not even a snarl.

"You alright?" Aaron asks, his voice still a whisper. I turn to him with a nod, reaching up and running a hand along the back of my neck. I pull it back to find a dark red smeared across my palm. Grimacing at the sight, I wipe it off on my pants. He nods back and moves to the front of the bus. I follow after him.

The bright headlights of the bus throw out two, thick streams of light. Illuminating the road with a steady yellow glow as the sunlight slowly fades. The light is comforting, but I only dare to think of the things it may be attracting towards us.