Co-post (Siksta and Moon)
Andi shrugged at Zeke's question regarding the making of bombs and moved over to Winslow's side to aid him in the endeavor. "Bomb-making 101..." she joked, lending her arm to the injured Sergeant as they picked through the supplies on the roof. They set aside the used oil and some rags, but it was obvious they would need additional items.
"You start tearing up the rags and I'll be right back...just a few seconds," Andi said, glancing briefly at the older man. He nodded, setting to task with a labored and painful grunt. With no comment as to where she was going, she descended the two sets of stairs, pausing to press her ear to the door leading into the gymnasium before unlocking it. She would have a few minutes at most, the sound of pounding already getting louder in the short time since she had arrived.
Without hesitating Andi ran to her classroom and gathered up glass bottles and isopropyl alcohol, throwing them into a bag haphazardly before heading back out. A loud cracking noise sounded, followed by a crash and she froze, her heart pounding in rhythm with the oncoming footsteps. Already she could see them, the distance to the gym equally divided between them. Without a second to waste, she started running, the infected letting out a howl as their prey came into view. Drawing her gun, she fired into the crowd, taking out two of the front runners, and injuring a third. She dove through the gym door, throwing her bundle before her and grabbing at the door as soon as she passed the threshold...but not soon enough. They were inside. Scrambling to her feet, she scooped up the bag as desperate hands pulled at her jeans and she floundered, falling forward. She flipped to her back and kicked out, her gun once again coming into play as she tried to keep back the hungry horde.
"Fuck...fuck...fuck..." she gasped, finally making it to her feet again. In a seconds time she was at the stairs, doubling-timing it upwards, her breath coming in gulps. She threw her weight against the second floor doorway, driving her key into the lock and pausing to catch her breath. Five sets of eyes regarded her. Swallowing back bile, she nodded to the next set of stairs.
"Get on the roof...they're right behind me. This door isn't going to hold long." Already she could feel the door vibrating against her back. Pushing away she followed them up, wiping the sweat from her forehead and trying to regain her composure as she climbed. When she dropped the bag at Winslow's feet, she looked over at Zeke. "How long did it take me?" she asked with sarcasm. "Next run is yours."
Zeke chuckled yanking the pin off the grenade and walking to the door listening to the horde thundering through and up the steps. "Haha didn't know I was supposed to time you, but you are damn fast." He winked at the woman and popped the spoon letting the grenade cook for three seconds before he quickly cracked open the door and tossed the grenade down the steps. No sooner had he released the grenade, shut to door and jumped away, then a loud explosion was heard and the sounds of the Undead screaming and being blown to bits could be heard. Lucky for all of them the door was heavy and metal so it absorbed enough of the blast to save them, but by the sounds in the stairwell the grenade hadn't rekilled all of them. "Well that did some good, but we ain't outta the woods yet. This roof have a fire escape or something?" He asked Andi looking around the roof.
"Yeah...come on, I'll show you," she replied, leaving Winslow to finish up the Molotov's as she walked around to the other side of the roof with Zeke. Metal stairs led down, the frames hugged in close to the brick building. The last set was pulled up from the ground with a spring-loaded release. "We're going to have some problems..." she said barely above a whisper. "Not everyone can move fast---they were planning on staying here until help came, but..." She shrugged. "I can help the Sergeant, but the pregnant lady is about to burst...and she hates me already...long story...don't ask. ...and the older couple...damn it...we can't just leave them here. Not now." She rubbed at her eyes as a headache started pushing at her temples. "They only survived this long because they were already in the gym when the first group of those....things...got inside the high school. We lost almost everyone in the first few minutes. How the hell are we going to get them to climb down the fire escape and run for a vehicle?"
Zeke patted her shoulder giving a carefree smirk, this was almost fun for him. He quickly looked between the fire escape, the people, and the bus. "Ok, ok, ok....uh they can take the bus. There's that airport and maybe a military base nearby. But first we gotta deal with the rest of those deaders." He moved back to Winslow and nodded approvingly at the wounded man's progress. There was enough here for two bombs. "Alright y'all listen up, these bastards are tough, but we can beat them. We rig these cocktails up as a trap and then...we run?" He said not 100% sure, but it was still fun for him.
Andi felt her hackles rise when the cowboy put his hand on her again...glaring at him once his back was turned and he was detailing his "plan". He actually seemed to be having fun when there were lives at risk. The sergeant had been in charge until his health started declining, and for lack of a better choice, Zeke now seemed to be running the shots.
She sighed and resigned herself to the new leadership. "Humphrey is one of our drivers...he has the keys to the bus...hopefully it's in running condition."
Zeke nodded.
"Alright I like where this is goin'. Ok folks here what we're gonna do. Y'all head for the fire escape. I'll rig up a surprise and give these deadheads a bit of Southern Hospitality. Then I'll join ya and we can take the bus and my jeep while the dead heads get a personal look at the Colonels extra crispy recipe." Winslow finished the bombs and handed them to the cowboy and began limping with the others towards the fire escape. Zeke slung his bow over his back and pulled his hood up and cutting some cordage from his pack. He quickly tied a bottle to a light above the door keeping the other in his coat. The first bottle would be enough to slow them down and give him the time to pick more off with his bow, but it sounded like there were too many for a single bottle to kill. He would use the second one to cover his own escape once everyone else was safe.
Zeke ran after the others and knelt down drawing his bow and readying another arrow. "Ok start bookin' it y'all!" The group needed no further urging and began moving as quick as they could down the fire escape. The door finally gave way and the bottle burst in an impressive explosion actually killing the first three, but there was at least ten more behind them. So taking a deep breath Zeke began sending arrows down range dropping dead heads both on fire and not.
Andi was only half way down the fire escape, Winslow leaning heavily on her shoulder, when the Molotov exploded. Her pace was set by those in front of her, but the youngest in their group, a teenager in his senior year, was already running for the bus. Despite his age, the bus driver, Humphrey, was close behind, pulling his wife along by her hand. In front of Andi, puffing and holding her stomach, Melanie...or just Mel...as she was fond of saying, was taking her time, carefully navigating each step.
"Keep moving..." Andi urged, growing impatient after the pregnant woman stopped for the third time. The woman let out a groan, clutching hard at the hand rail, her knees starting to buckle. "No..no you don't. Get up Mel. Come on. There's no time for this." Andi came up behind her, trying to help her stand upright, but the woman let out a squeal, slapping at her hands. "Fine...get your pregnant ass eaten...let us through." ...and Andi tried to get past her, but between Mel's extra passenger, and the Sergeant on her shoulder, there wasn't enough room. "Bloody hell!" she exclaimed, finally bullying herself up and forcing her arm under Mel's elbow and directing her forward.
In the lot, the bus roared to life, the engine catching quickly as Humphrey pumped the gas pedal with his foot. He had everyone on board except Andi and her crew...and of course Zeke...but his door was now shut, the infected already starting to pound their hands against the glass. He honked the horn several times, keeping the undead's attention focused on him, then put the bus in gear and started rolling slowly forward.
Zeke looked back and decided it was enough playtime. He jumped over the ledge and scrambled his way to the ground, quickly grabbing Mel's hand and leading her, Andi, and Winslow to his jeep. He threw the last cocktail and freed the bus from the clinging zombies before he roared the jeep to life and motored away from the school, hanging his hand out the window to tell the bus to follow him. He wasn't sure if the airport or military base was closer, but he knew his way to the airport, so hopefully that'd be the safest bet to escape to. Once the pair of vehicles were up to speed and gone Zeke looked back at Andi and the woman who seemed to be going into labor. "Andi, I got a high-end med kit under the backseat...grab it. Winslow I assume you got CLS training in the military?"
The wounded man nodded weakly. "Some yes, but unless you got some morphine or blood clotting powder I'm not gonna make it." He let out a rough cough and the hick chuckled. "Oh don't you worry fella I got you covered. I have morphine, blood clotting powder, and damn near anything you could want. Give him a quick shot Andi, I'm heading for the airport...hopefully we can get there quick like."
Co-post (Siksta and Moon)
Andi reached under the seat and pulled out the med-kit, opening it up on her lap. She went through the contents quickly, losing some to the floor as the jeep took a sharp turn. Huffing, but keeping her curses to herself, she grabbed a morphine pen and pulled off the top. Leaning forward she grabbed the Sergeants arm in her hand and rolled up his sleeve. He gave her a nod and she dosed him, tossing the spent cartridge to the floor. She then passed up the clotting powder and sponges.
"I hope you got this Sarge...not much more I can do from back here." She spared a glance at Mel beside her, the woman continuing to groan with her eyes squeezed shut. How she ended up with this baggage she had no idea, but the arrangement couldn't have been worse considering...and just as she had that thought, Mel looked at her.
"This is all your fault!" she screamed, spittle flying from her lips. It was obvious she needed to direct her discomfort on someone, but Andi was having no part of it...not today after all they had been through. At first she just stared at her with disbelief, then she pointed a finger at herself.
"Me? How is this my fault? I didn't knock you up."
Mel swung at her then, managing to hit her once on the arm, before she starting gulping in breaths. She started sobbing and her gasps became more like hiccups. Andi feared she was having contractions...hopefully they would last long enough to make the airport. She sure as hell wasn't delivering a baby.
"Faster damn it!" she called to the front before returning her attention to Mel. "You're breathing wrong..."
"Fuck...you!"
"Tempting...but really...more like this," and she tried to demonstrate the appropriate method. ...and much to her surprise Mel started laughing, but not with humor.
"I don't know what...he saw...in you. Fucking bitch..." and then she started screaming in earnest, her hands going to her belly. "Get...it...out!"
Zeke stifled laughter as he floored the accelerator. "Haha your wish is my command girly. Hope those fellers at the airport know what to do here." The jeep roared with power the bus behind them matching the speed. Zeke did his best to remember where the airport was, but he wasn't sure if they'd make it in time.
Andi scoffed, both at Zeke's humor and his comment regarding the men at their destination. "They better...or you're delivering this baby," she returned, glancing sideways at Mel as she spoke. The woman was crossing her legs now and she bent forward in the seat, letting out a loud groan.
"Holy shit!" Andi gasped as Mel's water broke. "Drive faster Zeke...take the next left at Main..."
Zeke couldn't go much faster without risking a roll-over, but he'd do his best, pushing the grey jeep to 70 miles an hour. He could see the airport on the left. The Deaders were thick, but he could see people running towards the helipad. He laid on the horn announcing their arrival. He motioned for the bus to pull up alongside and between the two heavy fast moving vehicles they mowed down large swaths of the dead and formed a quick barrier in front of the helipad. Zeke jumped out shouting at everyone on the chopper.
"HEY WE GOT A PREGNANT LADY READY TO POP IN HERE! MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY!" He quickly ran around and opened the door showing them Mel and the wet seat under her.