Dystopian zombie era

Chapter 31

Darcy

I hold Noble in one arm while rubbing Coral's back with my free hand. Jay is tending to the fire, finding things to add on to make the flames bigger. Coral's face is red yet she still looks breathtakingly beautiful.

"I didn't even know he got bitten. I saw the purple veins appearing on his face so fast and then-" She hiccups.

"It's okay. Let it all out." I tell her as we sit on the cold concrete near the door. I'm just as sad that Lex is gone. None of us were supposed to die or turn into zombies. We shouldn't have been separated in the first place.

"-then he kissed me." My eyes widen. He kissed her? My heart breaks for Coral. More tears stream down her face. "It was the last thing he did before they-" Another hiccup. Her shoulders slump as she leans against me, sobbing quietly. "-before they got to him."

I feel my own eyes fill with tears. Jay catches my eye and he has a sombre expression on his face.

What did we do to get into this situation. Where is everyone else? How are we supposed to live if we can't get a cure? If we're the last ones left and we die, what happens to the world?

I feel a rush of emotions crash over me and I mainly feel sadness and anger. Sad that we have to live in this world and angry that we're alone and there's no one else to help us.

And what about Noble? I look down at the small baby sleeping soundfully in my arms. This isn't the world I would've wanted to bring him into. I wish he could've stayed in my stomach for a while longer, where he was safe from this world.

I still can't believe how easily I changed my mind. When I saw I was pregnant, I wanted nothing to do with the baby. I wanted to get rid of it. I had planned leaving it behind with the other women back when we woke up in that strange place but there was no one left so I decided to give the baby to Coral or even Halley. I wanted nothing to do with it.

But when Noble was born, something changed inside me. Some part of me saw his sweet, innocent face and it made me want to protect him with all my might.

Coral has stopped crying, just laying limp against my shoulder.

"Do you think the others will be able to spot the smoke?" Asks Jay. I notice how he makes the flames bigger. "They have to." I answer. I look at the door we came through. "I hope they make it here safely."

We sit in silence. Coral is staring out into the distance. Noble has woken up and is looking up at the sky. Jay is sitting the closest to the fire, looking over the building every minute.

There's nothing to be said but we each have the same thing in mind.

That the others will make it here safely. They have to. I strain my ears, listening for any footsteps, any sounds other than shuffling.

I hear something in the distance. Jay and I perk up. "What was that?" I ask as Jay is already making his way to the edge of the building. "It was a gunshot. Must be the others." I feel my heart race and I feel hopeful. They must've seen the smoke cause the gunshot sounded pretty close.

The sound gets louder and louder until it stops altogether. Jay waves his arms high in the air. "Hey! We're up here! Use the stairs!" He yells loudly. He turns back to me. "It's Duncan and Ruby."

I let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness they're okay and still alive. That must mean the rest will show up soon. Jay runs to the door and slowly unlocks it, leaning against it.

There weren't too many zombies when we came up so they should be here shortly. I feel a waterdrop on my face, followed by another one. "Crap." Coral moves her head as more raindrops fall down. I cover Noble's face. "It's gonna rain. What do we do now?" We get up as Jay opens the door. A dead zombie falls face first on the concrete. Jay curses before he moves the body away with his foot.

Ruby and Duncan come into view and I see a couple of zombies behind him. They run through the door and Jay quickly closes it. I hear a bang on the other side of the door. It's drizzling now and I'm panicking. I can't stay out in the rain with Noble. He'll get sick.

"We need to find shelter. Noble can't be out in the rain." I tell Jay. "We can't go inside. There are too many out there." Replies Duncan. I notice him and Ruby wearing clean clothes. They must've gone to a house and changed. Duncan takes off a thick grey jacket that he's wearing and holds it out to me.

"No, you'll get cold." He shrugs. "What did that blonde chick say in that one movie? Somethin' bout the cold?"

"The cold never bothered me anyway?" Asks Ruby and he nods. "Yeah that. Take it." I thank him and take the jacket which is a bit heavy. Jay helps me put the jacket over Noble and we make sure that there's an open space so he can breathe. There's absolutely no shelter out here and I hope it won't rain too heavily.

"Have you seen the others?" Asks Ruby. Coral bursts into tears. Jay walks towards her and rubs her back. Ruby and Duncan both have confused looks on their faces. "Lex didn't make it." He tells them and Duncan's eyes widen.

"No way. How?" He's at a loss for words and Coral cries even harder. Ruby waddles over to me. Her hair sticks to her face from the rain. "Why's she crying? Did she see him die?" She whispers. "They... they had a moment together." I tell her.

"Not gonna lie, I kind of liked seeing them together. They're such polar opposites but they looked good together." I nod. "Yeah." The cold is starting to make me shivering and the rain is falling down in heavy droplets. The fire is out so Storm and the others won't be able to see us now. I just hope they're still alive.

"You know, I had this weird memory. Like a flashback almost." Her voice is lower, more hushed and I turn to her. "About what?"

"About my past. And Jay was there. He was the one that gave me the knife. It was so weird, it felt like a dream but something inside me told me that it was real."

"I had another flashback too. Jay and I were going shopping for baby things. Then we heard a scream and saw blood and a zombie." Her eyes widen. "Do you think we all have amnesia or something? Do you think certain things make us remember?" I shrug. "I have no idea but at least it's something. I wonder if the others had flashbacks too."

We all huddle together except for Duncan. Coral leans against me and Jay has his arm around me. My teeth chatter loudly when I feed Noble. I don't know how many minutes have passed before the rain stops for a while. We're all soaking wet and uncomfortable. Luckily the jacket kept Noble warm and dry.

"Where are we gonna sleep tonight?" Asks Ruby as she moves closer to Coral and I. Duncan has been quiet since he heard about Lex and I have a feeling they knew each other before this whole apocalypse thing. Jay is standing near the edge of the building. He calls Duncan.

"Maybe we should try our luck and go downstairs. Maybe we could find an empty room." I suggest. I'm getting so cold and I'm sure hypothermia will take me out before the zombies do.

"There's too many." Ruby tells me. "We have to go down sometime." I say.

"I think I can see the hospital from here." Jay informs us. "Yeah it's definitely the hospital." Says Duncan.

"Is it far?" I ask. "Not too far." Answers Jay. "Should we go now?" I ask. "We should wait till tomorrow. There's a lot behind that door." Says Duncan. "But it's cold out here. Noble will get sick." It silent for a few minutes. "What do we do?" Asks Ruby. Duncan sighs.