Caught In The Crossfire//A 10k Story

Chapter 28

No one argued with him but we could all tell he was furious. He speed walked in front of us all, determined to find this building.

Warren nudged me and gave me a 'he needs to calm down before he does something stupid' look. I nodded tightly and jogged to catch up with him. "10k stop, we need to talk," I said seriously, hoping the tone of my voice would let him know this was urgent.

He kept walking without replying. "10k, I mean it, stop before you get yourself hurt! Z's could be hiding behind the trees!" I spoke a little louder than before. He stopped and turned to me. The others stopped and gave us some space.

"I know what I'm doing, Jaime," He growled through gritted teeth but I could see he was scared behind his eyes.

"I know you do, 10k, but your not thinking straight! Your angry for no reason and it could get you hurt! I'm not letting you get hurt for me," I said calmly and assertively, looking him straight in the eyes. His eyes flickered to the ground before back to my eyes.

"No good reason? Jaime, have you seen your face? It looks like you were hit with a god damn hammer, right across your whole face. I let someone hurt you when I promised I would never let that happen... and it did," He argued, seeming to get more and more flustered. Maybe my face did look worse than I thought, but he was still being reckless.

"10k, you couldn't help it. I was the one who convinced you to drink that drink and it was my fault that we got ruffied!" I continued walking, tears threatening to spill, and he didn't say anything. I hated arguing with 10k, just like any teenage girl hated arguing with their boyfriend.

I breathed heavy through my nose and I heard Warren, Doc and 10k talking. I couldn't hear what they were saying but I could guess what the topic was.

Growling filled my ears and I pulled out my machete, that Warren has graciously given back to me, and prepared to fight. I pivoted on my feet, searching for the monster. I located him, staggering towards me from my left. With my swollen nose prohibiting my sight slightly, I took a few moments to prepare myself. I moved towards him and twirled my blade in my hand to ready myself.

"Alright fucker, lets do this," I muttered before swinging my weapon forward and chopping into the beasts arm. Like I said, my sight wasn't as best as it could have been. I swung again and the arm fell to the floor. I stepped back to avoid the undead hand reaching out towards me. I stretched my back to avoid the long sharp nails attached to it's only hand. I swung my machete twice and the other arm fell a few feet away from the other. Better to go with my mistake than get annoyed at myself.

"Jaime, you okay?" Doc asked as he appeared behind me. Why did people keep asking me if I was okay? I was sick of people thinking I couldn't handle myself in this world. That I couldn't handle killing a single zombie. That I couldn't handle getting drugged. That I couldn't handle the apocalypse. I grunted in frustration and plunged the end of my blade into the soft flesh of the Z's skull. "I'm peachy!" I shouted and continued walking. Everyone stares at me as I strolled away.

We all stop at the fence surrounding the building. "Alright Boss, how do ya wanna handle this?" Doc asked. Warren she hummed and turned her head to the side.

"We go in from the front, straight in, find Murphy, kill them bastards and leave. Simple plan." She stated simply and started towards the front gate. I stopped to check my gun was loaded.

"Jaime, I'm sorry I got angry it's just, I...I," His voice cracked and he looked away from me. I looked up at him, his face was hurt and I couldn't help but feel guilty. "If anything had happened to you and I wasn't there to help you, I would have never forgiven myself. And I swear if I see the guy who did this to you I'm go-," . I pressed my lips to his, cutting him off. It was a short, sweet kiss.

"If he is in there, he's all yours," I smiled sweetly and he smiled back. All the tension was lifted and we caught up with the others hand in hand. I smiled, happy that our little dispute was over.

"Okay, 10k, can you climb up there and cover us?" Warren whispered, pointing up at the tall tree looming over the court yard. "Follow in after us but wait a few minutes, be careful okay!" She continued. He nodded his head and squeezed my hand tightly before running away, glancing over his shoulder and mouthing 'Be careful,'.

Inside, we panted for air and leaned against the heavy industrial door. "That...was...close," Doc huffed between deep breaths. None of us expected that we would have to outrun Olympian speed Z's. Warren hummed in agreement and we all straightened up, ready for whatever was waiting inside.

We slowly started to fan out around the dark warehouse. "C'mon, just hurry up and load up the truck so we can get out of here!" A unfamiliar voice ordered from the darkness. I peered over a stack of crates, the two men and Murphy were stood at the open back of a white van in a dimly lit open area.

One of the men was carrying boxes into the back of the van, it looked like crates of OxyContin and hydrocodone, along with other strong pain killers and medicine from the warehouse. The other man, the one who hit me across the face, was stood with a gun to Murphy's head.

I stood and watched them as the guy heaved more crates and the other stood watching. I waited until I saw Warren and Doc behind the crates on the other side.

I felt someone behind me. My hand whipped to my gun and I spun around, raising my gun and clicking off the safety in one swift movement. My eyes took a moment to focus in the darkness. I stood up fully and took a step forward.

"Jaime," 10k whispered from the darkness and I dropped my arms back to my side. I motioned for him to come over. I crouched back down and he joined me. I felt his eyes flick between the two men then back to me, well more accurately my face. "The one with Murphy," I grumbled, I already knew what he was thinking. He nodded tightly and we waited for Warren's signal.

I saw Warren's head pop back up over the boxes on the other side, sending me a slow nod before readying her gun and jumping out. Doc did the same, so did 10k and I.

"Stop right there and drop your weapons!" Warren commanded, showing her military side. The guy with Murphy dragged Murphy up the stairs and into the control room before any of us could do anything. I knew he couldn't leave through there so I didn't bother shooting. Waste of a bullet, I thought.

"I don't want any trouble!" The guy whined and his arms shot up into the air. Warren walks forward, her gun still aimed at the man, and grabbed the pistol attached to his belt. "Smart choice," Warren warned him.

She looked at Doc and he instantly walked forward and approached the man. "You two come with me," She started to walk up the steps and we followed, keeping our eyes out for Z's.