Between me and the jeep were several ghouls, all intent on me now that I had announced my presence so blatantly. The nearest one reached for me eagerly as his fellow converged from the left. Almost instinctively I grabbed his outstretched arm and pulled him toward me, using his weight and momentum to launch myself forward and throw him onto his face behind me. He other seemed almost confused by the sudden reversal and it took a moment to realize I was now further away, a fact I exploited to trip him and flip him backwards over the guardrail.
Three more up ahead bore down on me hard, and I moved deftly behind a sedan to avoid their grasping claws. A ferocious woman with a flower printed jacket rounded the corner and hissed as she moved toward me. I kicked her hard and watched her stumble backwards before regaining her balance. Standing on the trunk of the car I climbed over the rook and down across the hood, leaving a trail of monsters following me. The clambered eagerly over each other, desperate to get their hands on me, but I pushed onward toward the Jeep.
As I got close enough I could see that she was gone. "Of course she's gone" I thought to myself. I felt like an idiot. The odds of survival were almost none, especially in a convertible. I was so excited to see something familiar in this new world that I acted rashly, and now my little escapade left me in the middle of the road surrounded by walkers. I looked back at the truck and saw Oliver watching me. He had a worried look on his face and sat quietly on the roof of the truck cab. I quickly searched the jeep for any sign of Tracy's whereabouts. Had she run out of gas or abandoned the vehicle for safer or more reliable transportation? Either way there was no way to tell.
The first walker I had thrown onto the ground now led the pack moving rapidly toward me. A thick black bruise was developing on his cheek and nose where he had hit the pavement. I looked in the back of the jeep and found a fireman's axe. I grabbed it and took a step back, placing more distance between me and the approaching horde.
I looked down at the axe. It was sharp and the handle was well worn. Could I do this? I'd be killing someone. I mean, they were dead, right? Or were they just infected by something? The doctor had explained that the genetic code is mutated to eliminate the body's ability to reason and use finer motor skills, but he never mentioned if the effects were permanent. Had they been the only ones working on a cure? If a solution could be found, killing these monsters would be... Murder. I thought of the other lives I had already taken, wondering who they were, if they had families.
An inhuman moan emanated from the group and I looked up to see them almost on top of me. I thought of Mr. Lawrence, the cranky old man who almost killed my mother. "Mom!" I said out loud, remembering her grisled, knarled face desperately trying to attack me though the glass in that underground bunker. There was no humanity left in her, and she would have killed me if she had the chance. I gripped the handle of my axe firmly and got ready to swing.
"Clank" the sound of metal crashing against a nearby car drew the attention of the group. They stopped moving toward me and shuffled briskly toward the sound. "Clank!" This time it was over to the left, and I looked over to see a can of creamed corn roll under a car. I looked back at the truck but Oliver was gone. Searching the maze of cars I saw his head bobbing in and out between cars. He was searching for the cans we had thrown earlier, and each time he found one he tossed it in the opposite direction, leading the pack slowly away from me. He looked up at me and grinned, beckoning me to return. I smiled back, impressed that a ten year old had saved my life twice now.
I turned back to the jeep, looking one last time for any sign of Tracy. I opened the center console and tried the glove box. I looked under seats and in the trunk. It was completely empty. Of course she didn't leave me a note. She must have assumed I was dead. If not then she never would have left that shop in the first place. Even if she thought I was alive the odds of finding this jeep were slim, right? I took the axe and headed back toward the truck, dodging deftly around the abandoned vehicles and avoiding the lack wandering through the road.
When I got back to the truck bed I climbed up onto it, gesturing to Oliver to come join me. He tossed another can as far as he could and pattered back to me as quickly as his little legs could carry him. I reached down and gripped his wrist, letting his hand wrap around my forearm. With a firm grip, I pulled him up into the air, lifting him from the ground below and resting him onto his feet up on the truck bed next to me.
As soon as I released my grip he wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly. I returned his hug and then pulled away. I crouched down, meeting his eye level and looking directly at him. "You saved my life" I said sincerely. He grinned from ear to ear. "Twice." He looked down at his hammer and then back at me, as though he was afraid to ask a question. "Who is Tracy?" I stood up, looking out at the fading light of day and the group of walkers bumbling about the road. "A very good friend." I replied. I can tell you all about it later, but for now we need to get this ramp down."
We moved to the back of the bed, and J stuck one side of the axe under the ramp. Prying it forcefully I was able to lift it up several inches. "It's no use" I said, letting it down again slowly. "Even with the axe we can't get this up enough." Oliver brightened and looked at me. "Do it again!" He said, holding up the last can of creamed corn. "I have an idea!"
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