Chapter Three

Chapter 3

"Shit!" Tom cursed as he put his radio away. The large rifle he held shook in his hands as he used his hand to wipe away perspiration on his forehead before turning to her. "Look, the longer we stay in here, the worse our chances are of us getting out. Those... things seem to be drawn to this place, probably from all the gunshots. Is there a back door or something?" Tom asked as he rolled the sleeves up on his uniform. She shook her head.

"There's just a storage room, but we can get to the roof from there." The soldier grinned.

"I'd sure as hell feel a lot safer up there, for the time being." She nodded. Tom slung the rifle over his back and pulled out his sidearm and flashlight. "Lead the way, I'll cover-" There was a loud crack that echoed throughout the store, they both cocked their heads in unison as the front window shattered and the undead came pouring in. "Take this, secure our route to the roof and I'll hold them back." The soldier said, shoving the large handgun and light in her hands. It was heavy, but it made her feel a little confidence.

"But-"

"Go!" His rifle was already out, he open fired as she turned and ran to the back of the store, the moans making her move faster. She let out a curse as she was engulfed in darkness. Her grip tightened on the handgun held out in front of her, guiding the way. The light illuminated various crates and boxes of clothing, purses yet to be displayed, cosmetics still wrapped up. Her heels clicked loudly on the concrete, sending a chill down her spine. She wished she didn't take off her running shoes before she showed up for work. Actually... this store did sell shoes.

Katharina quickly made her way over to the shoe section, sweeping the area with the gun first. She quickly shined the light over different pairs until she came across a pair of black converse. She grabbed the box in her size and made her way over to the stairwell door, amazed she didn't encounter any trouble. The metal knob was unusually cold as she turned it and jogged up the stairs, kicking her heels off at the top.

"Tom! It's all clear!" She yelled down as she opened the door to the roof- and was grabbed by one of the undead. Katharina screamed as it slammed her against a wall, her head cracking against it. The handgun clattered away on the roof as it slipped from her hands. She moaned in pain as the zombie leaned forward for a bite. "No!" She cried, grabbing it by the hair and scratching at its face. Its cheek was ripped off, chunks of rotten flesh ruining her manicured nails. If the zombie felt any pain, it didn't show it as a hiss emitted from its throat and it leaned forward again, taking her to the ground. It clawed at her shirt, ripping it at the shoulder as she struggled and screamed. Katharina turned her head in search of the gun, crying out when she saw it was out of reach. But her heel wasn't.

Her hand gripped the shoe and brought it down on the zombie's skull, the heel piercing through its temple. Blood spritzed out as its body jerked on top of her once before collapsing on her, dead. She quickly pushed the body aside and ran over to the gun, holding it close to her as she quickly looked around the roof, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw it was empty. Turning around she went over to the doorway and peered down into the darkness. All that could be heard was moans, and the gunfire from below had stopped.

"Oh no..." She squinted into the darkness, the light had fallen at some point in the struggle and she wasn't about to go back and look for it. "Tom?" Her voice was lost to the moans of the dead as she called out again. Tears welled up in her eyes, she did not want to be alone. She could hear a commotion coming her way. Katharina took one step down the stairs, ascending into darkness. "Tom?" No answer, she took another step down, shaking with fear. "T- oof!" The air was knocked out of her as Tom slammed into her. She fell back but was caught as Tom grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the roof.

Katharina looked down and saw hordes of the undead just a few feet from the opening. Tom ran forward and slammed into the door, chopping off a few fingers as the horde reached forward. He locked it before sliding back against it, out of breath. He didn't look good. His uniform was covered in gore, his vest had a large tear in it and his rifle was missing, probably lost in the skirmish. Tired eyes looked up at her as he slowly stood up and took the handgun from her, placing it in his hip holster.

"Are you ok?" She asked. He shook as head as he brushed past her and walked over to the edge of the roof, looking down at the chaos in the streets below.

"We're only two stories up, if we jump we could make it." He finally said after a long pause.

"Are you crazy? They'll get us!" She exclaimed.

"How long do you think that door is going to hold?" Tom asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I risked my ass saving yours and went against orders. I'm not about to die up here." He said. Katharina looked away, hurt. Tom stepped forward. "Look, I didn't mean it like that. Let's just get out of here, ok? This place is a hot zone for them, our best bet is to get off this place and regroup with my team. I'll make sure you make it to the evacuation center." She nodded. Tom walked back to the edge and looked down as he unstrapped his torn vest. When it was off he removed a few items then tossed it aside, placing everything else in his utility belt. As he did this, she quickly laced up and put on the sneakers. Tom let out a grunt as he stretched his arms, she noted the camo t-shirt tight against his fit frame, and was wondering why he signed up for the army.

"Hey, look over there!" He pointed down the street. An eighteen wheeler was out of control. Cars were demolished as it smashed them out of the way. The undead and a few people alike were crushed as the semi swerved and slammed into the building across the street, there was a loud crash as debris went flying everywhere. Tom grabbed Katharina and dove to the ground, a large chunk of debris barely missing them. They slammed on the roof, her knees scraping against it hard. A wave of pain shot up her leg, Kathy gritted her teeth. Tom quickly stood up and peered over at the wreck. The zombies that had crowded in front of the store were now stumbling over to the wreck.

"Now's our chance, come on!" He yelled as he helped her up and led her over to the edge. She did not want to jump, she had always been afraid of heights growing up.

"Tom, I don't know-" Before she could protest any more, he grabbed her and jumped. She screamed as they fell onto bags of trash, cushioning the fall. But not completely, her ass hurt.

"Come on, we need to move." She was helped up as Tom pulled out his M9 and slowly jogged down the alley, stopping with his back against the wall. With the gun aimed down, he peered his head over the store to make sure it was clear before motioning her forward. "We need to make it past Times Square, my unit is stationed there." He said. Kathy shakily nodded, goosebumps creeping over her skin. A scream nearby made Tom look back into the street again. "Ok, let's go!" Tom ran out first with the gun aimed forward, only stopping to fire a once and down a lone shambler in front of the store. She followed quickly behind, inwardly thanking herself for her morning runs. They ran by the store and past the wreckage; a man was being pulled from the cab by three creatures that had managed to pry to door open, his throat was torn out but he still looked with it enough to feel the teeth clamping down on him.

She heard Tom's radio garble out something as the dodged over a few shamblers feasting on their victims. The soldier pulled unclipped it mid stride, bringing it to his ear.

"...peat all units fall back!"

"We're almost there!" Tom yelled as they came up on Times Square. Katharina kept close behind, not wanting to end up like the helpless people being devoured. As Tom rounded the corner into the main intersection he quickly stopped, his boots skidding to a halt. "Oh no... no, no, no!" He fell to his knees in anguish. Katharina caught up and looked ahead.

"Oh my god!" Her hands came up to her mouth, knowing very well they were going to die.

Sergeant Tyrell Keyes hopped out of the Humvee when it pulled up to a mass of army and medical tents strewn out across central park.

"At ease." He told his men before he weaved his way in and out of military personnel. The cries of wounded drifted from the medical tents as he came up to a large tent, intent with speaking to his Captain. The Sergeant was pissed, he and his team were sent in with very little information regarding what they were going up against. A single guard stood front of the entrance, looking very bored. As Keyes went to go in, the guard placed an arm out blocking his way.

"Where do you think you're going?" The guard asked. Keyes delivered a swift punch to his face, feeling his nose break when his fist connected.

"Fuck you." He spat as he entered. His Captain didn't look surprised as he entered, cigar in mouth and hands behind head as he lounged in a chair. Captain Scott Hurdleston didn't say a word as he took a long drag on the cigar and exhaled. Keyes stomped forward as the guard stumbled in the tent, blood dripping down his face, nose bent to the side.

"Sum bisch!" He yelled, aiming the rifle at him.

"At ease." Captain Hurdleston said. His guard looked surprised.

"B-but-"

"At ease, Private!" Hurdleston barked. The guard stomped out of the tent. "Yes, what is it, Sergeant?"

"You informed my team with incorrect intel. We were told this was a medical evac, not a fucking war!" He yelled. Captain Hurdleston stood up, short in comparison to him but still held an aura of power that seemed to surround him.

"At the time that's what we thought it was. Only minor casualties were expected, but every one of us is trained to handle these sorts of situations, it's what we signed up for, Sergeant."

"Minor casualties? Half my fucking team is dead! None of us are trained to handle whatever is going on out there!" Keyes yelled. He was very close to each and every member of his team, and he wasn't looking forward to writing the letters to their families. "I refuse to have my team back out there." He said. His Captain took a step forward and took another drag on the cigar before blowing it up in his face.

"Don't worry, they won't. We're all pulling out. New York City has been lost."