“I’ll come back for you and we can all go to Ford Field together.”
Edward shook his head. “We’re not coming with you. I’m grateful for the offer, but we’ll stay here until help arrives. I’m confident that someone will come to rescue us.”
“No help is coming. Trust me, I’ve been out there. Ford Field is your best shot.”
Edward stuck out his hand. “Good luck to you, Cage.”
“Please reconsider.”
“We’re safe here. We’ll wait until the rescue operations arrive.” He reached into his lab pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Here, take these. They belong to the department. You need them more than I do. It’s a long way to Detroit on foot. The vehicle is parked in the lot outside. You can’t miss it — it’s a blue and yellow painted short bus.”
“Thank you, Edward. Good luck to you.” Cage shook his hand and turned to the kids. “It was nice meeting you two. Take good care of each other.”
Finn shot to his feet. “Wait! I’m coming with you!”
“You’ll be safer here, Finn,” Edward said.
“No, I want to go to Ford Field.” Finn ran to the ladder and placed his foot in the first rung. “My parents might be waiting for me there.”
Edward looked at Finn skeptically. “I don’t know.”
“I have to find my parents! You can’t make me stay here!”
Edward frowned. “Cage, would your group allow Finn to come along?”
Cage knelt down to Finn’s eye level. “Are you sure you want to do this? A lot of zombies are out there. It’s going to be scary. I will try my best to protect you, but I can’t guarantee anything.”
It was harsh, but the kid deserved the truth.
Finn swallowed. “I want to go with you to Ford Field.”
“Okay.” Cage patted Finn on the shoulder. “But, first we have to find my friends.”
Chapter Six
It probably wasn’t Rachel’s smartest plan, but she couldn’t think of another. They had to find a way to clear out the fifth floor and using themselves as bait was the best she could come up with on such short notice.
Adam jerked her out of the doorway. Rachel turned and ripped the fire extinguisher from the wall. She placed the extinguisher in front of the door to prop it open, giving the zombies better access to chase after them.
Adam looked at her like she was crazy.
“What?” She shrugged. “We need to make it easy for them.”
Adam rolled his eyes. “Come on!”
They rushed down the stairs with the horde closing in. A mob of zombies crowded the stairwell. Snarls and howling filled the air as they raced after Rachel and Adam. Uncoordinated limbs tumbled down the stairs.
“Get to the fourth floor!” Adam reached the landing and swung his pipe into a quick-moving zombie. The stairwell filled with the dead. Growls and moans echoed off the concrete as a mass of death flooded over them.
~ ~ ~
Cage wasn’t a fan of the airshaft. Finn was about three feet behind him. The kid had tons of space and easily crawled through the tunnel.
He didn’t know exactly where he was leading Finn, but he figured any type of action was better than sitting in a hidden utility closet. He needed to find Rachel and the others. Or at least receive some type of confirmation that they had left for Detroit. How much time had passed since Lindsay’s attack? An hour? Two? How long would they look for him in an infested dormitory?
Not very long.
Cage crawled through the vent, straining to hear the sounds below him. The moaning was so loud that it felt like the zombies were in the tunnel with them. Cage continually checked behind him out of reflex, but only Finn’s dark shadow was visible.
They crawled for what seemed like miles through the tunnel until Cage heard an odd groan. It wasn’t a zombie groan or even a human groan. He stopped to listen for the noise. It came again and Cage’s breath caught in his throat. Metal groaned beneath him.
The airshaft.
“Quick Finn!” Cage crawled. “Hurry!”
The metal groaned louder.
Cage rounded the corner as a shriek filled the tunnel. Cage looked over his shoulder, just as Finn fell through the floor.
~ ~ ~
Snarling mouths breathed down Rachel’s neck. The faster zombies trampled their slower counterparts. Adam was by her side as they raced down the stairs to the fourth floor. They entered the same room they had broken into. They ran past the open luggage on the bed, then hopped out the window and onto the ledge.
Adam kicked a zombie that had gotten too close before leaping onto the ledge beside Rachel. She saw the others on the fire escape below them before she jumped to the metal stairs.
Morgan’s eyes widened as the mass of zombies reached the window. Good. Most of them had followed them down to the fourth floor.
Adam and Rachel climbed up to the fifth floor. Adam shattered the window and they entered the empty room. Had their plan worked? Rachel followed Adam to the door that led to the hallway. It was hard to tell how many zombies were out there because of the constant growling reverberating through the entire building. Adam opened the door.
Rachel grabbed a fistful of Adam’s T-shirt. “Wait! Did you hear that?”
He looked over his shoulder. “Hear what, growling?”
“No, I think I heard someone. It sounded like ‘win’ or ‘fin’ or something like that.”
“Win or fin?”
“I don’t know, maybe it was just growling.”
“I didn’t hear anything,” Adam said. “Let’s do a quick sweep of the hallway.”
A handful of zombies lingered at the door to the stairwell, but the floor was mostly clear.
“There it is again,” Rachel said. “Someone just said fin. I’m sure I heard it.”
“Like a shark fin?”
“Dunno.” Rachel started jogging. “This way.”
She raced down the hallway. The remaining zombies on the floor were incredibly slow, so she didn’t have to take any of them out. As soon as the zombies reacted and reached for her, she ducked out of the way. Why couldn’t they all be this easy to get away from?
Rachel followed the voice. Hope spread through her. She knew she heard someone. The voice sounded again.
Cage.
“It’s Cage!” Rachel sprinted down the hallway.
Adam and Rachel followed the sound into a room. A boy, about the age of twelve, dangled from the ceiling. Three zombies had his legs and were trying to pull him down.
Adam reacted first, smashing one of the zombies over the head with his lead pipe.
“Adam?”
Rachel’s heart swelled. “Cage?”
She ran to the center of the room and looked up. Cage was holding on to the boy’s hand for dear life.
“Rachel,” Cage said. The corner of his mouth turned up. “You came back for me.”
Chapter Seven
“Look at that! You’re alive!” Nicky said. “I would’ve lost a hundred bucks on that bet if I had money on it!”
Cage smiled. He had to admit that he missed the guy, even if he was a smart ass. “Thanks, Nicky.”
“Cage!” Lindsay dropped Nicky’s hand and hugged Cage. “I thought you were dead!”
Cage patted Lindsay awkwardly on the back. “I’m glad you’re safe, Lindsay. I knew you’d find the others.”
“Who’s this guy?” Selena asked.
Cage put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “This is Finn. He’s coming with us to Ford Field.” Cage introduced him to the rest of the group.
Morgan smiled. “Hi, Finn. I remember seeing you on the bus.”
“We should go,” Adam said. “We have to get as far away from this dorm as possible. There are too many zombies around.”
“How are we going to get to Detroit?” Rachel slung her backpack onto her shoulders, but left the bloody baseball bat out. “It’s a long walk from here.”
Cage pulled out the keys that Edward had given him. He dangled them in the a
ir.
“Where did you get those? Do you know which car they belong to?” Rachel asked.
Cage smiled. “It’s a long story, I’ll explain later. And it’s a bus, not a car.”
“A bus?” Lindsay said.
“A blue and yellow bus that belonged to the Microbiology Department. It should be parked down in the lot. I was told we couldn’t miss it.”
Adam clapped him on the shoulder. “Nice job, Cage.”
They descended the fire escape. The rusty stairs switched back and forth making Cage dizzy. He ignored the creaking metal and how it sounded exactly like the airshaft before it collapsed.
Rachel stayed by his side. He fought the urge to say hell with it and just make out with her in front of everyone. She had sacrificed for him. She risked her life — even after she’d found her little sister — for him. He knew he would’ve done the same for her.
Cage pulled her in for a quick kiss.
The fire escape abruptly ended eight feet from the ground. The drop was significant, especially for the kids, but it had to be done because the metal was protesting their weight. They had eight people in their group now, with the addition of Morgan and Finn, and the fire escape wouldn’t hold them much longer.
Adam lowered himself down the ladder until he dangled by his arms. He winked at Selena before he let go, falling nimbly to the ground without a sound. Adam slung off his backpack and reached up for Selena.
Cage lowered each person down one by one and Adam caught them on the ground. Cage was the last to go. He released his grip and landed on his feet just as athletically as Adam had.
The fire escape had dumped them on the west side of the dormitory, near the edge of the parking lot. A row of dark green hedges separated them from the building’s front lawn. Cage could still hear the growling, but he was thankful to be out of that building.
The parking lot was full of cars. A few zombies shambled in between them, but there weren’t enough of them to worry about, especially after the sheer number they had faced upstairs. Cage felt a slight sense of relief for the first time in hours. They were going to make it out of here.
The sun rose behind the smoking city, turning the sky a rusty shade of orange-pink. He’d never really appreciated sunrises, but it was a beautiful sight. After what they’d faced, it struck a cord. Somehow, if only for a second, that magnificent sunrise made the threat of the end of the world a little less terrifying.
“What are we looking for? A bus?” Nicky asked. “How do we know which one is ours?”
“Over there.” Finn pointed to the far end of the parking lot. Illuminated under the orange street lamp was a small dark blue bus with “U of M” painted in yellow along the side. “That’s the bus.”
“Sweet,” Nicky said.
“Does anyone know how to drive a bus?” Lindsay asked. “Don’t you need a special license or something to operate one of those things?”
“Does it matter?” Rachel scanned the parking lot. “It’s the bus or on foot.”
“We can pretend it’s a long-ass car,” Nicky said. “It can’t be that much different. The bus only has four rows of seats. I’ll drive.”
Adam made a face. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Nicky.”
“Whatever, dude. I’m a good driver. I’ve never had a car accident in my life.”
Cage handed Adam the keys. “Here you go.”
Nicky rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on! Adam smashed the Suburban like an empty can of soda. Yet, I’m not allowed to drive. What hypocrisy.”
“Nicky, it was your idea to ram through the pile-up,” Lindsay said.
“Thank you for reminding everyone, Lindsay.”
“You drive, Adam,” Selena said. “Let’s get away from this dorm. I can’t take that sound anymore. I’m never going to be able to get that horrible growling out of my head.”
“Everyone stay together and keep quiet,” Adam said. “Move in a tight huddle. No stragglers. We’re not going to lose anyone again.”
Rachel grabbed Morgan’s hand and Cage took Finn’s. Cage wanted to keep the kids in the middle of the group. Morgan was terrified. According to Rachel, the poor girl had been holed up in a closet during most of the outbreak. Morgan wasn’t accustomed to seeing the zombies yet.
Not that you ever really grew comfortable seeing a reanimated corpse.
The group moved in a tight pack and ducked behind a pickup truck. Cage counted six zombies — that he could see — wandering the parking lot.
Adam motioned them forward and they hid behind a sleek white Mercedes. One of the zombies turned in their direction. Everyone froze. The six zombies in the lot weren’t a problem, but if they started growling, they’d alert the hundreds of zombies in Peabody Dorm and even more prowling through Ann Arbor.
Adam crouched by the tire. He turned to Cage. “Do you know which key it is?” He held up the dangling chain, which held over twenty keys.
“I have no idea.” Cage hadn’t thought to ask Edward. He was too worried about finding Rachel at the time.
The bus was parked thirty yards away at the edge of the lot because it was too long to fit in a regular spot. Nothing was near the bus to hide behind. From this point forward, they’d have to expose themselves to get on the vehicle.
“Should one of us get the bus and bring it over here to load everyone?” Rachel asked.
Adam shook his head. “We might attract too much attention once the bus is running. It might not be safe enough to stop and let everyone on if we attract a swarm.”
“We have to go together,” Cage said. “It’s the only way.”
Adam handed the keys to Lindsay.
“Wait, Adam, what are you doing?” Rachel’s eyebrows rose.
“Yeah, what are you doing?” Lindsay held up the keys like they were filthy underwear.
Adam leaned in. “We’re going to move as a group. We need to make a protective circle around Lindsay — she’s going to find the right key to get us inside the bus. Selena, you’ll be next to Lindsay with the kids. Rachel, Nicky, Cage and I are going to keep our backs to the bus and take out any zombies that get too close. Okay? Everyone has a job to do.” Adam turned to the kids. “Even you two, you help Selena keep watch. If you see a zombie, point it out and we’ll get it. We can all do this if we work together.”
“Great,” Lindsay muttered.
The orange parking lot lights switched off as the sun rose in the sky. The growling from the zombies in the dorm and the surrounding area constantly echoed in Cage’s eardrums. Like birds chirping or morning rush-hour traffic.
“On three,” Adam said. “One.”
Rachel kissed Morgan on the forehead and ruffled Finn’s hair. “Get ready.”
“Two.”
Cage shuffled closer to the edge of the Mercedes’ bumper. Two zombies moved near the bus.
Selena squeezed Adam’s hand.
“Three.”
Adam launched into a sprint with the rest of them on his heels. Their shoes pounding on the pavement sounded like a freight train. How could eight people make so much noise? The two zombies near the bus swiveled in their direction.
Cage gave Finn’s hand to Selena before he raced forward. He lodged his tire iron into the zombie’s skull, but before Rachel could reach the second zombie, it growled. Loud and clear. It was as if the zombie was calling out to the others. Alerting them to fresh meat. Ringing the proverbial dinner bell.
Rachel killed the second zombie, but the sound was enough.
Movement flickered to the left and to the right. Behind them. Near the dorm. On the other side of the parking lot. Zombies shambled out of their hiding places. First five. Then fifteen. The numbers grew exponentially by the second.
“Shit!” Nicky slashed a zombie with his fire axe. “How’s that key coming, Lindsay?”
Lindsay huddled near the driver’s door, shoving key after key into the hole. Her hand trembled violently. The keys clanged together. “It’s not working!”
The
kids and Selena were next to Lindsay. Cage, Rachel, Adam and Nicky created a protective semicircle around them. The zombies staggered into the parking lot from every direction. Most of them shuffled, but a few of the newer ones broke out into a full sprint.
“Lindsay,” Adam said. “Take a deep breath and try each key. You can do this. I know you can.”
Lindsay shoved her hair out of her face. “What if this isn’t the right bus?”
“It’s the only blue and yellow bus in the lot,” Rachel snapped.
“To your left!” Finn pointed at a nurse sprinting at them from around the side of the bus.
Nicky disposed of the zombie before she could get any closer. The swarm advanced from all sides.
“Lindsay,” Cage said. “Please hurry.”
“I’m trying, I’m trying. None of them fit!”
Morgan screamed as a hand grabbed her from underneath the bus. The girl fell to her knees. The zombie’s hand clenched her ankle and pulled her under the vehicle. Selena grabbed Morgan by her arms and pulled back, creating a tug of war with the zombie under the bus.
Rachel cursed and ran to Morgan.
“Lindsay!” Adam yelled. “Unlock the door!”
Lindsay fumbled with the keys until one slid inside the hole. “I got it! I got it!”
Morgan screamed again. The zombie was missing the lower half of its body. Entrails dangled from the end of its stomach. The thing had crawled all the way under the bus to get Morgan.
Selena and Finn desperately pulled Morgan. Rachel raised her bat and smashed the zombie’s head, squirting bits of slime and brains all over the cement. Selena tumbled to the pavement with Morgan.
Lindsay jerked open the driver’s side door. “I got it! Get in!”
Rachel fell to her knees beside her sister. “Did it scratch you through your jeans?”
Morgan lifted her pant leg. Her skin was pink, but it wasn’t broken. Cage scooped Morgan from the ground. “Time to get inside.”
“Everyone on the bus! Now!” Adam swung his pipe.
Cage jumped over the driver’s seat and placed Morgan in the front bench. “Lindsay, start the bus!” He yanked the lever to open the door and jumped down the stairs to help Adam, Nicky and Rachel.