"Pull it up! Use your back damn it!" Bennie said with a grunt. "What the fuck do you think I'm doing huh!" I exclaimed back. *pah *pah

We can hear gunshots from the distance and it's bad. We agree to fire only round in intervals. Abby firing more than once in quick succession is bad. Very, very bad. It means something went wrong. But that isn't the priority now. Malachi's keys worked as intended while unlocking some padlocks that secured the garage door. We inserted the key to the garage and Ben pushed the button to open it.

That is when all went to shit. Bennie pressed again. Nothing. I tried it. I saw some cables and I realized, "It's a fucking electric door!" I said. "What!?" Bennie exclaimed. "Fuck, I thought it would open. But now I forgot that the city was out of power." I said to Bennie.

Without replying he tried to brute force it but without at least a crowbar or something that would be difficult. That's when the next set of shots rang out. We got to hurry. I followed his lead and tried to brute force it too. Panicking, I forgot that garage doors weren't built to be brute forced with only two people. If that were the case, how easy is stealing a car would be?

I stopped and thought for a moment, checking the corners of the garage. "What the fuck are you doing!? Help me out here." Bennie shouted at me. I looked behind us and there, few unclean were drawn back to us. I snapped at Bennie and slapped the back of his head. "Ow! What was that for!" he grunted.

I pointed at the few unclean lumbering towards us. "Let me think and keep them off me," I ordered. *pah *pah *pah. The gunshots are overlapping now. I tuned it out of my mind and focused on the garage door. "Right! In case of emergency! There should be something here." I said to myself. I scanned the garage door again and there. A keyhole on top of the garage door. that should do something.

This was an electric door so it should've had some case of failsafe in case of a power outage. "Boost me up!" I exclaimed. "What?" Bennie called back while looking at the unclean getting closer and closer to us. "I said boost me up!" I said again while pointing at a keyhole on top of the garage door. He understood instantly and lowered himself. I climbed up on his shoulder and with a grunt he stood up. I nearly fell in the sudden jolt of speed but I grabbed his hair. "Fucking hell! I'm not your bitch Richie! Why are you grabbing my hair like that!" he exclaimed annoyed.

"What would you do if you rode a bull huh? Imagine that bull to be you! You think I can handle it without being thrown off?" I cried back. "Fuck. Ok! Ok! I'm gonna get you back for this!" Bennie exclaimed. He walked towards the keyhole of the garage door and I inserted the key. I heard a satisfying click as I turned the key. "Let me down. It's open." I said to Bennie.

With a grunt, we both pulled at the door of the garage. With a slide it opened but it got stuck. It only slid open with enough room for a foot to go through. "Bennie! I need more power here!" I cried. "I'm trying!" he exclaimed back.

With a crunch, I can hear the garage door open now only to a knee level. We were about to let it go when we felt it fall back down. "Fuck! Get inside Bennie! Find the chain or something!"

Bennie laid down and rolled like a vampire again. That really gets me every time he does that. Fuck that, if I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die with a smile. "Clear!" Bennie said. I let go of the garage door and it bashed down. I turned around just in time to see an unclean lunging at me albeit at a slow speed but it was still terrifying.

I kicked the fat bastard wearing a hoodie and he fell onto his back. I held the knife in my right hand, getting a good grip on it making sure it won't slip. Another unclean is in my range now. An old woman. Sniffing off what could only smell of dead carcass and shit, I backed away. "You fucking stink grandma! Didn't your children tell you to take a bath every day huh!" I kicked the old hag and it rolled onto the pavement too. I made space and slowly backed away from the garage towards Malachi's building. This time an unclean office worker tried to lunge at me. "Your fucking late for work buddy!" I said while kicking him. It tried to lunge at my leg but my kick connected first and he lay flat on his back.

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Seeing that the unclean were a bit far apart now, I dashed towards Mr. Office guy and plunged my knife deep into his eyes. I jogged a bit farther away again. I repeated this method for grandma and fatso too until I count 6 dead unclean. With gasping breath, I hold on to my knees. "Jesus, I really need to work out," I said to myself. I count seven of this motherfuckers still coming at me and a few gunshots that are slowly getting farther and farther away. We really need to hasten things up.

I heard the garage door open and I saw Bennie come out with his hands raised and twisting his knuckles left and right. I didn't shout but I spread my arms, turned my head left and right, and mimicked the words what. He pointed inside the garage and mimicked a car wheel. oh yeah right. We don't know how to hot wire a car so he needs the car key. I slapped my forehead and started to look for the keys. It should be here in my pocket.

I feel for it again. Back pocket, empty. Front pockets, empty too. Fuck! Where is it? I'm sure I pocketed it after I used the other keys for the garage door. I look around and there it is. Right in the middle of the unclean slumbering towards me. "You've got to be kidding me," I said with a sigh.

~~~~~~~~~

*craaaaaaaassshhhh

With wounds all over me now from jumping through that window panel, I grunted and looked around me. It was clear.

I tried sticking to the main road for a straight shot to checkpoint three but there were just too many. If I hadn't jumped through the window of this restaurant. I wasn't gonna make it. They would flank me and have my escape route blocked off.

I rushed to the back door and unlocked it. I looked back and saw the unclean pouring from where I was. I peeked left and right as I opened it. Clear. I rushed out and closed the door behind me. I was only at a jog because of my bad leg and that means bad news. Yes, I was faster than the unclean but I don't have the speed to lose them. My heart was pounding like a jackhammer. Another group of unclean appeared in front of me in an alleyway from the main road. I jogged faster and managed to get ahead of them. This is bad. I moved faster, no use in staying silent now.

The gunshot I fired at the teenage girl was like a dinner bell to the unclean that was on the block. Some unclean fell off the windows of the opposite building. Some even crawled under the cars. Some looked at me while still being tied down in their cars. After a few blocks, I couldn't avoid what was in front of me because they were starting to swarm. The sound of other unclean moaning towards something also alerted other unclean. It looked like it set up a chain reaction to specifically find its prey. It was disturbingly, scary yet beautiful.

The order in which they call to each other. It's fascinating. Yes, I can handle at least one unclean but they knew that too I guess. Hence their numbers. I don't know if they can communicate with each other but the way they find me is just fascinating. It's like a puzzle. A few times I broke contact with what was behind me only to find another group already bending at a corner in front of me. I can't go back lest they overrun me. I tried to open another door of what looked like an apartment complex but it was barricaded on the other side.

I tried opening it. No luck. I smashed it with my good shoulder once, twice and the third time pushed away whatever's barricading it. Just blocked with a table. I was surprised by a man in it's 30s lunging at me. He was gonna bite me but I was a bit faster and smashed my helmet to his face. It fell down. Not bothering with it. I closed the door and pushed the table against it again. A loud thud resounded *bam *bam *bam. It was continuously being pounded by the unclean outside the door.

I turned around, grabbed my knife, and stabbed the man in the head. My heart stopped. As I looked up, I saw a pair of eyes peaking at me inside a cabinet under the kitchen sink.