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Chapter Seventeen

The Long Walk

Melody's P.O.V

"Well fuck."

Neither of us bothered moving. We just stared at the bridge for several minutes before we finally looked at each other.

"Any plans this time?" Alan asked, a bitter tone underlying his words as he cast a gaze behind us.

"Get out and run like hell?" We'd have to go back a bit to get on the footpath, but at least it didn't look like there were any infected on the footpath, only the road.

"With your leg and me carrying Robyn, we won't be going very fast." He said, shaking his head. "It's like an hours walk to the hospital from here."

"I could hot-wire another car?" I suggested. He glared at me for a few seconds before quietly telling me 'No'.

I looked back at the road. Desperately searching for any gap where the car would fit. Of course there was none though. With the amount of luck we've had I suppose it's only natural that we would run out eventually.

"We could turn around and take one of the other bridges?" I asked, gripping the steering wheel uselessly. He shook his head.

"The roads are blocked." He stated, running a hand through his hair.

"How do you kno-"

"I just do!" He snapped, opening the car door and stepping out. I furrowed my brows at his behavior but decided he must have still been angry with me. He opened the back door and gently pulled Robyn into his arms. I searched the car for anything I could use as a weapon but came up empty handed besides a small, half-empty metal lighter.

"I guess we're walking then." I stated as I walked by his side down the road. The group of infected were approaching us but they weren't close enough to be a threat. If they saw us then we would have needed to panic.

I followed him wordlessly as we rounded the bridge and found our way onto the footpath. My leg began aching slightly but it was nothing I couldn't handle. After walking for five minutes we were finally over the water. The sound of the waves was gentle enough to sooth me yet rough enough to drown out the sounds of the infected. In the distance I could vaguely make out an object that was laying across the path, but it wasn't moving so I didn't worry about it too much.

Neither of us spoke incase our voices alerted them. The last thing we would have wanted was for them to be piling up against the fence that separated the footpath from the road. The moon shone bright in the sky and if it wasn't for the circumstances I would have rather enjoyed this walk. As we neared the object I had notice in the distance, I soon realized that it was part of the fence that had been pulled down. I looked over at Alan but he didn't seem to have been fazed by it. As we drew closer to it I realized many of the infected were gradually filtering through it to get onto the footpath. Luckily none of them had seen us.

I looked at Alan again, his brows were knitted together but he didn't seem to have any plan. I held my hand up to him and gestured for him to wait. As much as it hurt I kneeled down and got onto my hands and knees. Slowly crawling forward until I reached the hole. A tall infected girl who looked to be only sixteen stepped through the hole and stumbled about aimlessly. There were no other infected people near the hole so I waited for her to turn her back to me.

Once she had, I lifted myself up from the ground and pulled the small metal lighter from my pocket. Searching for the nearest car, I soon found one relatively close by. Drawing my arm back I pegged the lighter at the car and dropped to the ground. I missed the window but the impact initiated the car alarm nonetheless. All the infected on the footpath began running back and climbing through the hole as I slowly pushed myself away from them. Once the last of them was through the hole I stood up and gestured for Alan to quickly walk past. We stepped past the hole without any of the infected noticing us. I sighed in relief. That was a lot easier than I had thought it would be.

We made it halfway across the bridge when a long howl erupted from behind us.

I slowly turned around and sighed again when I saw no infected person shambling towards us. A loud bark startled me as a black blur sped towards us. In an instant it was upon me, tackling me to the ground. I barely heard my screams over the loud shrieks of the dog snapping its jaw at my face. I wrapped my fingers around its neck and barely managed to hold it back. I shut my mouth as saliva and blood flew from the dogs mouth, spewing everywhere with its frantic movements. Before it had a chance to bite my neck it was thrown off of me. I crawled backwards away from the dog as it quickly pulled itself up and focused on Alan.

It ran towards him and pounced.

Before it tackled him Alan kicked it in the face, a loud snap overruling the barks of the dog. It's body smacked against the fence and fell still to the ground. A deathly silence followed before the infected began shrieking. Down the bridge we were able to see them running towards us. The commotion of the dog clearly distracting them from the blare of the car alarm.

"Get up! Go now!" Alan yelled as he helped me up before roughly pulling Robyn into his arms. As fast as he could while carrying Robyn and as fast as I could with my leg, we ran across the bridge.

I threw a look over my shoulder and wasn't surprised to see them gaining on us. We reached the end of the bridge and stumbled down the steps. Grabbing ahold of Alan's arm I pulled him with me as we made a sharp turn through a small tunnel under the bridge. We ran through it and into a small park with a kids playground.

"Climb up there!" I wheezed, pointing towards a jungle of ropes that formed a large dome. Without question Alan did as I asked. I picked up a long thick stick that had broken from a branch and limped towards him, helping him up. Eventually he made it to the top with Robyn lying by his side.

"Wait for me here!" I croaked, my throat dry and barely capable of sound from all the running.

"What! Mel no!" He began to climb down just as the infected appeared from the tunnel. I ran over to the nearest metal bin and slammed the stick against it, making as much noise as possible. They hadn't even seen Alan or Robyn yet. I ran down the street towards the waters edge, banging the stick against everything near me. The noise attracted more attention than just that of the infected chasing us. More appeared from inside buildings, joining in the chase.

I ran down along the waters edge, trying to calm myself with the sounds of the water. Although that attempt was pretty much pointless with the thirty or so infected people right behind me. I kept running and soon arrived at the large face-shaped entrance of Luna Park. With no where else to go I ran straight inside the large amusement park. I couldn't find anywhere that I could lose them so I kept running until I arrived at Coney Island. I ran inside the massive building and sprinted towards the moving floors.

As fast and cautiously as I could I moved across the animated floor boards. I stopped once I crossed them for a moment to catch my breath. There was no way the infected would be able to move across the floors. Panting heavily I clutched at my chest. My lungs felt as if they were about to explode. I watched as the infected tried to cross the obstacle, majority of them falling. Even after they fell however they continued to crawl towards me. I cursed quietly and turned around, waking into the maze of mirrors.

In the darkness I was barely able to make out my own reflection as I limped forward. I held my hands out, keeping useless to the side of the wall. using touch alone I managed to make my way out of the maze and found the stairs to the mega slides. I still remembered this place from when I was a kid. Of course it was a lot more fun without the horde of infected people chasing you. I reached the stairs that lead to the mega slide and slowly made my way up them. From up high I was able to see most of the infected still struggling with the moving floors. I sat down at the top of the slide and let my legs dangle off the edge, taking the moment to rest and regain my breath.

When I ran inside I hadn't noticed the bright lights that were beaming forcefully. Leaving no darkness in even the largest corners. The building must have been running on a backup generator. It was the only plausible answer I could think of that explained why the lights were on in here but not out there.

I lifted up my shirt and used it to dab my face and get rid of the river of sweat. Feeling as though I had regenerated a fraction of my energy I pushed myself down the slide. Quickly standing up I ran out of the building before any of them had a chance to see me. I looked around and reveled in the fact that there were no infected around me. I groaned as I stretched my arms in the air. I slowly walked out of the amusement park and made my way back up the hill towards Alan and Robyn.

When I arrived at the park I was greeted by Alan running towards me. He pulled me into a hug before he began checking every inch of my body for a bite mark. When he couldn't find one he pulled away from me.

"Please, don't ever do that again." He whispered, the sincerity and worry lacing his tone tingled my ears pleasantly. I waved my hand at him.

"Next time it's your turn." I smiled as he sighed and smirked at me. Together we climbed up the dome and sat beside Robyn. Her eyes fluttered open as she lifted her arm in the air.

"She woke up when you left. Said something about 'enjoy carrying her fat ass around while we can'." He chuckled at the memory as he began to pick her up and make his way down the dome. The idea of her cracking jokes consoled me a little. I climbed down the jungle of ropes and followed him up the road. Seeing as it was just a street and there was no where for us to really hide we opted to just walk in the middle of the road. The moon served to illuminate our surroundings as all the streetlights were off. Robyn released a low groan that I quickly muffled by throwing my hand over her mouth. I looked at her worriedly as she squirmed around in Alan's arms.

"Think she's gonna be okay?" I asked, my lips drooping down into a frown as her face contorted in pain.

"Yeah I think she'll be alright, the bleeding stopped awhile ago." Knowing that Alan thought she was going to be okay relaxed me. I looked away from her body that had now stilled and focused on the road ahead of us.

With all the panic and hysteria that had followed us ever since we left the airport, I never really had a chance to think. But now, breathing in the refreshing night air that always invigorated me I finally had plenty of time to think. At least until the next crisis began.

My mind wandered everywhere while my thoughts spiraled out of control. I thought about Carl and whether we would meet him at the hospital. I had a feeling that we would but I couldn't think of how the military managed to cross the bridge. I shook that topic away until it dispersed from my mind. Not only was I boring myself but I had more interesting things that I wanted to think about.

Like the children at the Queen Victoria Building. I had watched them the entire time. From the moment they left alive, to the second they came back dead. True my view was partially obstructed but if there was an infected that attacked the children surely I would have seen it? Or at least I would have heard the gun shots of the military. I shook my head. The small thought was annoying me now. Unless one of the children were infected before they went outside? That was the only possibility that I could think of. The only thing that had changed was that it had started to rain.

Another thought wriggled into my mind. Would we really be safe once we got to the hospital? We thought we would be safe when we got to the Queen Victoria Building and that turned into a massacre. Doubts began to form as we continued to walk up the road and finally made our way onto the Pacific Highway. I began recognizing some of the buildings as I had walked past them numerous times when I was younger. It would only be another forty minutes before we got there.

I wanted to ask Alan so many questions, share my thoughts with him. I don't know why but I expected answers from him. I quickly thought better of it. He knew as much as I did and annoying him with my thoughts wouldn't help anything. I let my head fall back and looked up at the night sky. The twinkling stars began slowly disappearing as a menacing black cloud consumed them. I watched in curious awe as the darkness slowly crept along the surface of the moon. The moon's bright intensity quickly being clouded, until it was devoured altogether.

Alan looked up at the sudden disappearance of light. I watched as his face significantly dropped at the sight of the dark cloud. I guess he didn't want to get wet. I on the other hand couldn't wait. Every muscle in my body ached to be bathed in the cool water of the rain. A light shower would even be enough to satisfy me. Anything to wash away the sweat and blood. As thunder roared a bolt of lighting flew across the sky. I could smell the oncoming storm.

"Get inside now." Alan pushed his body against mine as he forcefully shoved us both inside a small chemist store. I psuhed him away from me as I stumbled forward, grabbing onto an aisle shelf to keep myself steady. I turned around and looked at him, already beginning to fume in annoyance.

"What the fuck is your problem? Are you afraid of the rain or something?" I asked as he gently lay Robyn down on the front counter. I moved quickly to brush off loose items. I looked back at him with my harsh glare as he shut the door of the shop and quickly scanned the two aisles that lead to the back. He was acting as if he hadn't heard me and that was pissing me off more. I put my hand against his chest and shoved him back as he tried to walk around me. He looked down at me annoyed but didn't say anything.

"Well?" I held my hands up in front of me as if expecting him to place the answer in them.

"Well what?" He asked. I pouted my lips in annoyance and clenched my fists in agitation.

"Why did you push us in here?" I queried, keeping my voice as level as I possibly could without sounding angry or accusing. He stared at me for several seconds before shifting his gaze to the ground, then back at me. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I didn't want us walking in the rain." He stepped around me and walked up the aisle and down towards the back of the store.

"That's it? Well Jesus fucking Christ I'll grab us an umbrella!" I exclaimed, watching him as he paced up and down the aisle. He kept pacing as if he hadn't heard me. I didn't want to follow him because I didn't want to leave Robyn alone and I couldn't trust myself not to hit him. After shaking in rage for several seconds I decided it would probably be best to calm myself down. I looked out the glass doors of the store and watched as it began to rain. The small droplets quickly picking up in speed and intensity. Soon wind accompanied the rain as thunder roared brutally in the background.

Alright, so it wasn't rain it was a storm. But we still could have walked in it.

Walking behind the counter I slumped down on a high stool that was placed there. Upon the stool I could see the entire store, watch over Robyn and look outside for any trouble. I kept my gaze focused mainly on Alan though as he continued to pace up and down the aisle, his eyes scanning over every hair care product that was there.

"What are you looking for?" I finally asked. He stopped pacing at the sound of my voice and looked over at me.

"Anything that might help Robyn." Looking back down at the shelf in front of him and digging his hands through the products.

"Medicine's usually kept in the back, isn't it?" He stopped searching and looked at me, smiling and nodding his head he began walking towards the back of the store, jumping over the counter and crouching down below the shelves.

I stepped down off the stool after casting one last glance outside, certain that no infected were nearby. I paced up the aisles as Alan had previously done and picked out a few select items. Moving back to the front of the store I sat back onto the stool and placed the items down on the counter beside Robyn. I figured if I felt cleaner I would feel better. I thought about cleaning Robyn but then thought better of it. She probably wouldn't want me smudging whatever makeup she had left. I turned towards a small mirror and began opening the packets, washing my face with small wipes and cleaning my hair with a cleaning powder. Running a brush through my hair I finally felt a resemblance of clean as I looked at myself in the mirror and was actually able to see my face. Somewhat satisfied I did the same to Robyn, unsure at first whether or not she would want me to touch her I decided I might as well. She couldn't hurt me while she was unconscious.

After we were both as clean as we were going to get Alan walked back up the aisle with a small syringe in his hand.

"It's all I could find. Won't help heal anything but at least it should numb the pain." He explained, slowly jabbing the needle into her stomach and injecting the clear liquid. I looked away as he did so, not wanting to watch the sharp point puncture her skin. I looked out the small window, watching as the rain berated the ground with its relentless assault. It didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon.

"Alan we have to walk in the rain. We only have a few hours until morning and it doesn't look like the rain is going to stop before then." He didn't look worried, instead he pulled up another stool and sat down opposite me.

"So what do you wanna talk about while we wait?" He asked, smirking at me mischievously. I frowned at his clear discontent with discussing what we were going to do.

"Didn't you hear me? I said th-"

"I heard you. But you need to stop worrying, the rain is going to stop soon. Trust me." He cut me off and at first it annoyed me but then his words sunk in. There was no way he would know when the rain was going to stop. I figured I would wait ten minutes and if it hadn't stopped by then I would barge out on my own. "So what do you want to talk about?" He asked again. His casual demeanor slightly worried me. He was acting as if he didn't have a care in the world. I shrugged my shoulders at him and shook my head.

"Do you like, music?" He asked. I looked at him curiously, his left eyebrow raised in expectation. His eyes unblinkingly staring into my mine as the corners of his mouth pointed upwards ever so slightly. No matter how hard I tried I would never be able to figure him out.

"Do I like music?" I repeated, more to myself than to him. He nodded his head and frowned at my hesitation. "Do I like music?" I asked again, a laugh building in my throat until it was released, soon adapting into a fit of laughter. Soon after Alan joined in as he lightly chuckled along with me. After our laughter died down I looked at him again as he smiled a me.

"What kind of question is that?" I asked, another short laugh escaping my lips. He shrugged.

"Just trying to make conversation." I smiled and shook my head at him.