*bang *bang *bang

I pounded the car hard.

*bang *bang *bang

"Bennie! Stop!" I shouted to Bennie who was in the driver's seat. "What!" he shouted back while stopping the pickup truck. I pointed back at the two figures in the checkpoint behind us. He looked at where I was pointing then looked back ahead of us again. I followed his gaze.

At least 500 meters in front of us, I can see a silhouette of a person bobbing and flailing their hands. Thank God Abby is alive. Bennie was looking at her too, but she's gonna be overwhelmed if we don't help her soon. Even the road was gonna be overrun with the number of unclean that were cresting from the hill from our position to her. "The car can't plow that many." Bennie refuted what I was thinking.

Behind us, I can see more swarms congregating towards the parking lot. Whatever's keeping them from overwhelming the checkpoint won't matter very long. In the best-case scenario, those two can survive inside the checkpoint but for how long? The exit gate was busted and we couldn't get through it with the pickup. Too many car wreckages were scattered. Those who tried to drive away but got unlucky. I can even see an even bigger horde behind those two. Like a sea of bobbing heads.

I can see from Bennie's eyes that if he was gonna choose, he was gonna choose Abigail. I like that about him. Once he decides on something, he's going to go with it, and to hell with the consequences.

I looked at him and he shook his head. He wasn't going to agree.

Sad to say I was hardheaded too. I jumped off the back of the pickup. "Hey! Hey, wait! What chances do you think you'll have against those numbers huh!" He exclaimed. "I don't know Ben," I replied.

"I think that's Ambers. She's got a kid with her." I looked at him. "Do what you have to do. Keep Abigail safe. I'm sure we'll see each other soon enough." I said to Ben. I started to jog towards the checkpoint. I'm gonna get swarmed but If I sprinted I can avoid most of the coming horde and link up with them. I didn't look back because if I do, I'm sure one word from Bennie and I'm gonna hop it out of here with Abby.

He is right, the cards are stacked against us. Time was definitely not on our side. Not with the unclean starting to pour out from the incline, creeping slowly down towards the road. We can't drive through them like nothing is wrong like in the movies. That was just bogus.

So why the fuck am I trying to help them. I don't know if was it a sense of justice. Sense of responsibility.

No, not that. It was their sense of hopelessness.

They stood there like they had given up. Not caring about the unclean that was on their backs nor what was in front of them. They just stood there waiting for their end. Don't get me wrong I know I can't save everyone. It just didn't sit right with me. That if I had the power to save someone, especially at times like these. To deny them the hope that my group was able to give? No, it doesn't sit right with me. How could I sleep at night? When my conscience would bug me that I could've saved them? It doesn't sit right for me at all.

It's better to regret after doing something than regret something after doing nothing at all.

I heard the pickup drive away. I stopped. I was hoping Bennie would help me but like he said Abigail too is our responsibility. "Fuck." I cursed. I jogged towards the Ambers. How even sure am I that it was Ambers? Even if I could reach them, what then? "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! FUCCKK!" I screamed as hard as I could as I ran.

Then I heard a screech and an engine roar behind me. I stopped and looked back Bennie was backing up fast. As he stopped the pickup right beside me, he got off. "You motherfuc...." was all I could say to him when his right knuckle hit me in the cheeks. "Your lucky I'm the only one stupid enough to back your ass up," he said while offering his hand. I took it. "Last I checked it was me who always pull you out of the shit," I replied. "I know. That punch was for yesterday," he said as he helped me up.

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"Drive the truck and fast. Pick up, Abigail. Make her drive the car then you help those two." Bennie said while looking at the checkpoint. "I can only buy you 3 minutes Richie. I'll keep the right walkway as clear as I can" he said. I hurried to the driver's seat even without Bennie telling me what to do next. "Give them hell Big Ben!" I screamed as I drove the car away.

~~~~~~

"3 minutes Richard. 3 minutes." I whispered to myself again. I climbed on top of a burnt van and went prone. I removed the mil-bag from my back and used it as a makeshift railing for the rifle. I removed all the spare magazines in the pouches, set them up beside my trigger finger near the mag release, and prayed to whoever was up there to make my shot count.

I double-checked the surroundings. Mostly clear. Unclean hordes are closing in like a tidal wave from the cresting small hills. "3 minutes Richie, 3 minutes." Like a mantra, I said to it myself.

I looked through the rifle sights. I saw a woman carrying a child with a soldier's helmet on in her arms. I can't see them very well with this magnification but their outline was clear. The said woman was carrying the child with only her left hand.

Right hand limping. High probability of injury. Cause: Unknown.

I breathe out. I aimed at the unclean nearest to them and fired.

Missed.

Targets moving.

Fired again. Missed.

*tsk

Fire. Missed. *exhale*.

~~~~~~

I turned around after my salute and stopped dead in my tracks. On my left, I saw unclean scattered like a tidal wave upon the cresting hills. Slowly walking down the main road. Some were even rolling down. I was sure the main road was gonna be impassable soon with that kind of number.

I looked ahead again and what I saw caused me to whimper. At least 400 meters, amidst all the car wreckages, I saw an outline of a pickup driving away.

We were so close.

I forced the tears back as I saw Amy's face clearly for the first time. Her disheveled hair and blue eyes. Her spark of recognition. With a horde to our right, the tidal wave of corpses to our left, and the slowly rising corpses to our backs. She wasn't stupid. After what she had seen on our escapade. She knew these were zombies like in the movies.

We won't make it. "It's okay." Amy gripped my hand tighter. My heart ached. I couldn't even save this child. Fucking pathetic sad excuse of a human being.

I picked her up with my left hand and tried to find anywhere that I could hide her. I don't know how long she will last but I hope she will survive a bit longer. She hugged me back and I could feel wet drops on my neck. I wanted to hug her back but my right arm was busted.

I was about to turn around and go back when I heard a snap! Adrenaline kicked in and years of training overridden any instinct that I had to freeze up. I ducked near a car nestling Amy in my arm. I saw an unclean lumbering too close to us. Probably came from the hill towards us. It was close.

Another snap, and then the nearby sandbag was hit. Then a woman with a missing jaw went over the sand bags and fell flat to the concrete. I limped as fast as I could, I don't fucking care if I lose a fucking leg! I ran with every ounce of my remaining strength.

Another snap and I ducked a bit after I heard a clear twang of a bullet pass over my head, and then a car window broke beside me. Then, an unclean lunged at me from the side of said car.

"COME ON YOU FUCKER! You want your meal! Come and get it!" I screamed from the top of my lungs bashed the unclean with my right shoulder.