Apartment 905 by Sahin, Ned (best color ereader TXT) 📗

at us. We all run to the bunker’s fence. Some of the Ricas fall to the escape tunnel. I hear Logan shooting at them.

I throw the shotgun to the other side of the fence. Toshi does the same with the bow.

We try to climb the fence, but it’s hard to hold on to it. It’s almost like climbing to a flat wall.

One of the Ricas catches Kathleen’s foot as she is halfway through the fence.

“No!” Kathleen screams.

Toshi and I make it to the top of the fence. Toshi grabs one of her arms while the Rica pulls back from her foot like a tug-of-war. Another one also tries to grab her foot.

I rotate on the top of the fence and drop my legs on the other side. I lean down with my upper body and extend my hand down with the knife as much as possible.

“Let me go!” Kathleen screams again.

I finally reach the Rica’s hands that were holding her foot and stick the knife to the creature’s palm. I pry the knife up and stab his fingers. He releases her foot. I puncture the knife to the other Rica’s head. He stumbles to his death.

Kathleen finally makes it to the top of the fence with Toshi’s help. I hear them landing on the other side. They grab my legs to help me find my balance to get back to their side.

My feet finally touch the ground. Ricas are grunting and biting the fence on the other side. I see the hunger in their bloody eyes and pieces of meat stuck on their blackened teeth.

I look at the opening of the escape tunnel. Several Ricas are leaning down on it. I hope Logan manages to close the library door to stop Ricas entering the bunker.

We grab the shotgun and bow. We run to the forest before the Ricas realize they can get out of the perimeter by using the gate they used to enter the area.

Chapter 31

“Let’s take a break,” I say. We have been walking at a fast pace for hours.

The dawn is breaking. We have a better vision of our surroundings now. There are no Ricas in sight.

We are on a hilltop with the view of a road laying to the horizon. This doesn’t look like the highway we have been following. We must have headed in a different direction during the night.

Looking at where the sun is rising from, we are on our way to the West, at least.

“Thank you, guys...for saving me there.” Kathleen sits on a fallen tree to catch her breath.

“I don’t know what I would do without you,” she says with tears in her eyes. I sit next to her and put my arm on her back.

“We are a team. We survive together,” I say.

Toshi sits on the other side of her. “How long do you think it will take to get to Salt Lake City?” he asks.

“On foot, probably about a week. I hope we find something to ride on,” I say. The sooner we get there, the better, but I don’t feel like I’m in a rush. If Kathleen’s grandparents managed to survive this long, I don’t see a reason why they won’t for the next couple of days.

When I look at Toshi’s face closer, I understand his concern better. He is not worried about arriving quickly to her grandparents’ home. He is worried about how much time he has left. He got thinner and weaker in the last two days. It hurts me seeing him getting worse hour by hour.

“Any pills left?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “None.”

I take a deep breath and try to come up with a plan to find more drugs for him. I don’t know what might happen to him next. Dying from the virus or becoming a Rica? I don’t want either of the endings for my best friend.

“There have to be some towns on the way. We’ll find a pharmacy...” I say. There doesn’t seem to be any structure along the way from our spot, but I am sure we will eventually come across some small population centers if we follow the road.

While I’m looking at Toshi, Kathleen turns her face to me. I see the sadness in her eyes. There is another emotion hidden in her expression. I think it’s fear. She must be considering all scenarios about Toshi’s next few hours.

“I will take a rest.” Toshi lies down near the bushes.

“I’ll take the first watch,” I say.

Kathleen still looks like she wants to tell me something. I stand up and walk a few yards to be in a higher position for having a better view of the surroundings. She follows me.

“Matt, you know what might happen to him…” she says. I know what she means, but I try to avoid thinking about the worst-case scenario. I don’t want to be in a kill or die situation if Toshi turns to a Rica and attacks us. I’d rather focus on finding a solution to keep him alive and keep him a human being.

“I understand if you can’t do it. I can take action when the time comes,” Kathleen says.

I know that she would do it to protect us.

“Let’s wait until we see obvious changes in his behavior. It’s too early to make a decision,” I say. I know that we are running out of time, but I am not ready to decide for him now.

Each of us sleeps only a few hours before we head down the hill. We still have sandwiches in our bags. I tear off a piece of green mold from the edge of my sandwich with cheese and tomatoes. It’s been a long and humid trip since we left Purple Haze.

I remember Sunshine’s warm smile every time we eat the rations she had prepared for us.

We continue to walk to the West. The sun has been right on top of us, speeding up our dehydration. We drank most of the water in