Chapter 65- Down and Out

The moving figure I had seen earlier though the peephole was gone, and I opened the door slowly, craning my head out to see down the hallway.  It was dark, and at least two of the doors were missing off their hinges.  I could see light streaming out of one of the doorways from a window inside, and the other lay loosely in the frame.  I had no way of knowing whether these were occupied by the walking dead or simply abandoned, but I had to get past them.  The ladder to the roof was at the end of the hallway and I had to see what I was up against.

I closed the door of my apartment quietly, thinking through my plan in my mind.  Down the hall, up the ladder, onto the roof.  Look for a safe passage, then come back here for my supplies.  I began to question everything, rolling over endless scenarios in my mind.  What if I was trapped up top?  What if I couldn't make it back here?  I should bring everything I needed now, ready to go at a moment's notice.

I pulled on a second pair of jeans over the ones I wore now, and retrieved a sweatshirt from the drawer.  I wrapped it around my waist and reached for the thick leather coat from the closet.  I wasn't cold now, but I might be in the future, and I would want these items then.  Until that time they'd serve as an extra layer of protection against the teeth and nails of the monsters roaming the streets outside.  I pulled on the black mechanic gloves I used to use when I worked on my Jeep and checked to make sure I could still get my finger through the guard of my pistol.  It fit like...  well, a glove I guess.

I looked in the mirror.  I looked ridiculous.  I could see the beads of sweat on my forehead as I tried to tolerate several layers of clothing on a 80 degree day.  No matter.  I'd be glad I had them in the end.  I looked around my room, hoping to see something I could use as a bludgeoning weapon.  I wished I had a sword or an ax or something that didn't require re-loading.  I kicked the bed frame, wondering if that would work.  No, too thick and unwieldy.  I glanced in the bathroom and pulled down the rod that held the shower curtain up.  "This could work," I thought.  I stripped off the curtain and swung it against the doorframe.  It bent in half easily and I tossed it to the ground.  I went to the kitchen and opened the cupboards.  A large frying pan?  It was the best I could do at the moment.  I looked in the mirror and immediately thought of the Disney movie Tangled.  "Frying pans, who knew, right?" I said to my reflection in my best Flynn Rider voice.  I spun it in my gloved hand and moved to the door.

After checking the peephole once more I opened the door and peered out quietly.  I tossed a half empty bottle of shampoo down the hall and heard it echo in the silence.  I waited for something to investigate the sound but nothing came.  I opened the door wide, standing in the doorframe courageously and waited, listening.  Still nothing.  I took a step out into the hallway, closing the door behind me quietly.  I pressed "lock" on the doorknob and listened as the mechanical lock moved into place.  I turned and cast a glance behind me, making sure I wasn't being followed, and moved slowly up the dark hallway.  I tossed another travel size shampoo bottle far ahead of me, hoping to draw out a would be attacker early enough to give me a chance to fight or flee.  Still nothing.  

I approached the first doorway and debated.  Do I run past as fast as I can, making my way to the roof as quickly as possible?  No, I'd need to come back this way, and I'd rather not awaken some horde of undead monsters to make things more difficult.  I stepped over the broken door carefully, using my left hand to steady myself on the opposite wall. As I cross the doorway I peered inside. The couches were torn to shreds and bloodstains covered the walls. There was no signs of bodies or zombies. 

I moved quietly to the next doorway, this one steeped in darkness. Tossing a small soap bar into the blackness I waited for any sign of movement. Nothing. I stepped cautiously past and moved toward the back of the hall. 

The other two doors were closed, and I didn't bother to try the handles. I needed to make my way up, to see how bad the city really was. I grasped the rung of the metal ladder bolted to the concrete wall and pulled myself up. I heard a trend skis creak that echoed through the darkness. I froze, looking backward for any signs of movement. Satisfied that I was alone, I proceeded slowly and carefully up the ladder.  The walls enclosed around me as I traveled up to the roof. I could hear my labored breath and could feel the sweat pouring down my temples and trickling down my collar. 

I finally reached the roof and pulled on the handle. The hatch was spring loaded and it popped open, flooding the shaft with light.  I took a moment to allow my eyes to adjust and popped my head above the opening. "Don't come any closer!" I heard a gravelly, desperate voice yell from behind a makeshift barricade. "Or so help me I will blow your head off!"