After Life

Chapter Nineteen

Lee

"Ty! TY!" He loses consciousness near the top of the narrow steps. He almost tumbles down the stairs if is were not for Al who is behind him and catches him. Al drags him to the roof out of my sight. My dad is behind me, urging me to go on.

"Go. we'll find a way to get Ben, as long as he doesn't leave that room or make a sound, he'll be safe." I go up the stairs and reach the roof, Ty has been laid near the ladder and Al is a few feet away securing the ladder. I look towards the stairs to see my dad behind me and another small figure behind him. Ben.

Ben, pushes past my father onto the cement of the roof. My dad follows and closes the metal doors. We all go to Al.

"Is it ready?" Dad asks him, indicating the ladder that has now been slightly more secured than it was before.

"I think. We should probably start light. That way, if someone weighs too much, everyone else won't be trapped over here."

"Lee, you go first." My dad says.

"What? Why me?"

"Ty can't, Ben probably will not want to go first and I want you over there incase something happens. Besides, your experienced and can take care of anything that may be in there." I sigh and nod my head, I grab my bag, as do the others. I climb up onto the ladder and and walk. It's a lot harder than I anticipated it to be, I look down. There are some walkers down in the alley, they are closely watching me, waiting for me to fall, but I don't. Not yet.

The wind starts to blow, whipping some loose hair across my face. The ladder rattles, and I almost lose my balance. I have to remind myself to breath, I do not want to pass out like Ty, I do not want to fall. But, I don't have to keep my balance, I don't have to live in this messed up world, I could fall right now, and no one would be able to catch me. No one would be able to stop me. I could be with Mom, Leah and Kennedy. I can't do it though. Step Step. Step. I'm at the gas station. I get off the ladder and face my dad. The reason I am still here.

"Your turn Ben." Al says. He looks scared. Al sees it, picks the child up and places him on the first step of the ladder. Ben is shaking so much it looks like he is shivering. He looks at Al, Al says something I can't make out. Ben nods and steps onto the next rung. Than the next. He doesn't break eye contact with me. His steps are slow and controlled, use one foot to find the next rung, step, repeat.

The child looks down. He sees the walkers that are eyeing him like he is a fresh piece of chicken. A squeak is set free from his mouth and in a split second he loses his footing and hugs the top of the ladder. His eyes are shut tight, he is within five feet of me and I try to grab him. My arms aren't long enough. So I climb onto the ladder so I could retrieve him. The minute I step on, the ladder shudders.

"NO! Don't come on!" he screams at me. I get off slowly, careful not to move what is keeping him suspended in the air.

"Ben! Listen to me. You have to crawl to me. I can't reach you."

"No! I- I'm scared. Please, don't make me." I become aware of the fact that Al and my father are starting to have trouble keeping the door of the motel roof closed

"Ben. You have to. Please, just, just look at me." He opens his eyes and looks at my pleading face. He nods and slowly starts to crawl on the ladder. He is slowly coming within my reach and I provide my hand, he takes it and I pull him to me. I wrap him in my arms he has started to cry loudly. "Shh, shhh, it's okay. You're okay."

"Lee!" My dad calls to me, "We're going to send Ty over, what I need you to do is hold that side of the ladder, Al is going to hold this side, and I'm going to carry Ty over."