Chapter 2: Chapter 02: Escape

Shana held her mouth shut with her hand and looked at me while crying her heart out, after hearing the broadcast.

I held her in my arms and started a timer on my watch that would end in twenty-three hours... at least, I hoped I would last that long.

Seeing her crying like this always reminded me of the times, when she would cry in my arms before my deployments.

Luckily I meet such a caring person at the local hospital.

I went there for a checkup, because of a cut I received on my arm during a freaking long deployment.

She looked at my cut while the head doctor watched every step of her. I remember how nervous she was that day and also her heart-melting smile when the head doctor praised her.

We met a few times after this in the hospital, until I asked her out after my last check up and she said yes.

After our first date, we were inseparable and only after a few months, we moved together.

I didn't know what she saw in me, but I knew what I saw in her.

She was the anchor that kept me sane and helped me face every situation, because I knew she was waiting for me to return.

It was more than an orphan who had nothing and no one most of his life could wish for.

After I left the military, we went on this Europe tour and my goal was to propose to her when we reached Paris.

However, this is impossible now...

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when we suddenly heard a gunshot. The only person with a gun was the wounded policeman, which means we are in trouble.

"Shana, stay in the car. I need to check this out." I say and give her the car key.

But she panicked and said, "Wait, you can't leave, it is too dangerous!"

But I stroked her cheek and said, "Don't worry, I will be right back. So please stay in the car."

She nods but doesn't let go of my arm. So I take her hands, kiss them and leave the car.

Next, I go into the trunk and look for tools to change the tires. But there were none... if the guy who rented us the car is still alive, I'll kick his ass.

So plan B, I take two shirts and sweatshirts from my bag and rip them apart, bandaging my hands and arms with them.

If hell breaks loose again, this will protect me from more bites while fighting the infected.

This parking garage had twelve floors. Our car was on the sixth floor and the door we entered was on the eighth floor, while the exit was on the fourth floor.

I returned to the eighth floor again, where I saw many people lying on the ground in various places, while others hid behind cars.

Nearly thirty people of various ages and even some kids were on this floor. Twelve of them were lying on the ground...

The policeman stood there in the middle and aimed at the iron door.

I walk closer to him and ask, "Sir, what is going on?"

"Don't you see her? She is there, yes, standing at the door." says the policeman with a German accent, while turning his head at me.

I looked at the door, but saw no one.

The only thing I saw were his eyes, which started to turn red...

"Sir, please lower the gun. Everything will be OK." I say and move closer to him.

I need to get his gun and ammunition before he turns.

"It's too late. She is already here." he said and his face became completely blank.

Then he places the gun on his head and pulls the trigger, ending his life before becoming one of them.

I walked to him and took his gun and two spare magazines. He sadly didn't have a baton or anything like that with him.

The pistol was a Walther P99, probably the standard gun for the local police here.

When I finished looting him, I turned around and wanted to leave, but suddenly all the lying people began to stand up and look around, with eyes that were blood red.

It was time to leave this floor...

When they saw the other survivors and me, they started their attack.

Two of the infected were running towards me, while the others chased the survivors who tried to escape.

As if they were animals, they started jumping on people and then eating them.

The screams were horrific...

I ignored the screams and shot both infected that were already near me in the head, killing them on the spot. They didn't even try to evade and ran straight into the bullets.

Some infected stopped chasing survivors when they heard the shots and came after me.

I evaded them and wanted to run to my car, but then I saw two small children and their parents being cornered by two infected.

Two cars blocked their way right and left and the wall was behind them, so they couldn't run away.

The father tried to hold the infected off, but they started to bite him and it was only a matter of time until they overpowered him.

Seeing children die was not something I could do, so I ran towards them while three infected followed behind me.

Then I slide over the hood of one of the cars that blocked their way and kick one of the infected into the other car and shoot it in the head afterwards.

After that, I grabbed the other infected and I tried to pull it away from the father. However, it didn't work because its teeth were already too deep in the throat of the man.

So I shot it point blank in the head and it let go of the fathers throat. After the infected fell, the father did the same while coughing out blood.

"Nein Schatz!!!." screamed the mother while crying and running to him.

I could only hope he wouldn't turn immediately because the other three had also arrived.

To avoid them surrounding me, I stayed between the cars where only two of them could approach.

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One tried to jump me, but I grabbed its throat with one hand and held him in place, while I shot down the second one next to him.

Then I threw the one I was holding against the third one, who was the smallest, since it was still a kid... and they both fell to the ground.

Before they could jump up again, I placed my foot on the one who was on top of the other and shot both of them.

I replace the empty magazine and then walk to the people behind me.

The father was still lying motionless, while his family gathered around him.

It is strange that he didn't turned yet but I will also not wait till he does.

So I ask the mother,"Can you speak English? We all need to get out of here and you can come with me if you want"

"Yes, but we... we can't simply... leave him behind..." she says while grabbing one of her husband's hands.

Some survivors ran downstairs and I could hear their screams there already.

I can't wait any longer or Shana will be in danger.

"We must leave now, or your children will be in danger!" I say seriously.

First, she does not respond, but then she nods and takes her children's hands and we start walking.

A few infected blocked our way down by munching on some dead people.

I stop and say, "Close the children's eyes!"

She does that by hugging both of them and I then shoot the infected down.

I tried to move forward, but my head and arm started hurting like crazy. Due to the pain, I fell to the ground on one knee and held my wounded arm, while clenching my teeth.

Then someone began to call my name. Turning around I saw the pregnant zombie standing where the dead father had been.

She smiled while staring at me while blood dropped from her mouth.

"What happened? Are you alright?" asked the mother worriedly, as she blocked my view.

The pain disappeared and when I stood up and looked past the mother, the pregnant zombie was gone too.

"Yes, I'm fine. Let's go." I say and we start to move.

What the hell is going on?

 

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We ran down and evaded most of the infected while I shot down some freshly turned ones.

It seems like if someone dies from a bite, they turn nearly instantly, while bitten people turn faster or slower, depending on how severe the wound is.

When we finally arrived on the sixth floor, I saw Shana inside the car and two people with her, while three infected tried to break into the car.

She probably let the people in to save them, while the infected chased them.

"Stay a bit behind," I say to the mother and walk forward.

"Hey fuckheads, grab some meat here." I taunt the zombies, who hopefully can understand a bit of English.

They turn around and start running towards me.

I immediately shoot two down, but the third one jumps left and right like a freaking frog in an attempt to evade my shots.

That's new... to not waste any more bullets, I let him come closer.

Like nearly all the others, he tried to jump at me like some feral cat. But I dashed forward too and hit him with my fist in the face while he was in the air.

Which made him spin and crash to the ground. Following that, I placed my foot on its throat, preventing it from moving and then shot its brain out.

When Shana saw this, she opened the door, ran towards me and hugged me.

But when she tried to give me a kiss, I stopped her... I didn't want to infect her, by kissing her on the lips.

"Please don't push me away. I was so scared." she said with teary eyes.

I hug her hard and say, "I know, but it's too dangerous. I don't want to infect you."

This made her cry, but we had no time for this, because I could already hear more infected coming from upstairs.

"Everything will be alright, I promise you that." I say and pat her head and we start to walk to the car.

I gestured for the family to follow us and we sat down in the car. There were too many people for a car like this, but when the children sat on their mother's lap, everything was fine.

The people Shana saved were an elderly couple who worked at the mall by the look of their clothes. He held his wife, trying to calm her down, while speaking something in German.

I started the car and we drove downwards, while the remaining infected from the parking garage followed us.

We arrived on the fourth floor and I could see that the exit was blocked through a metal gate and I had no key to open it...

The infected were already near the car when the old man took out a remote control, pressed some buttons and the gate opened. This allowed us to drive out.

It seems like he was also the one who closed it down.

When we drove out, we could see the mayhem outside.

Burning cars, blood and a swarm of infected roamed around, while smoke could be seen in the sky coming from the city.

I press down the accelerator and we drive toward the apocalypse.

 

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