Chapter Twenty Three

The Sounds of Silence

Melody's P.O.V

After only a few moments the thud of its blades were audible, quickly accompanied by the shattering of glass. I looked over my shoulder back towards the glass doors. Body after body began to seep out onto the runway.

Like water they dispersed across the tarmac but ultimately kept to the same direction. The pilot faltered in his movements, thrusting upwards so that he hovered above us. I knew it was too good to be true, just like everything else. What happened at the hospital is exactly what was going to happen here. He isn't going to risk his life to save ours, why would he? It was a dull dejection that carelessly flowed through me. I shouldn't haven't gotten my hopes up. I should have learnt my lesson by now.

Hope doesn't do anything, and I shouldn't rely on it anymore. I shouldn't feel it anymore. I shouldn't want it anymore. Hope was dead, and it was about time too.

The strength of the blades spiralled a permanent gust of wind around us as the infected began to swarm. Almost tactically they moved around us, creating a circle and encasing us within. I looked up towards the helicopter, his head tilted down towards us as his expressionless facade surveyed the situation. He leaned forward in his seat, pulling a small device to his lips.

"Get to the end of the runway! I'll pick you up there!" With a layer of static lacing his tone he dropped the device and jerked the helicopter backwards. I watched him recede all the way down the track before slowly and carefully landing, the blades faltering but not stopping.

I pulled the gun from my back pocket and quickly shot the two infected nearest me. Their bodies piled atop each other and created a small enough space for me to get through. Running forward I charged through the gap and knocked over an infected man standing in my way. I ran several metres, desperate to get away from the horde. With my finger tightly wrapped around the trigger I looked back towards the ocean of bodies.

The pale, rotting limbs. The torn, blood stained clothing. The lifeless, grey eyes. It all morphed together into one massive heap of bodies that sporadically stumbled about. The sounds that fled their gaping mouths seemed as desperate as us to escape their presence as their combined dull screams joined together, creating a requiem for the dead.

Their integrated singing almost succeeded in hushing the harsh sound of thunder. Its roar seemingly desperate to join in their song as it stretched out for an unprecedented length. I tilted my head ever so slightly towards the sky, only to wish that I hadn't. Like a stampede the dark clouds ran towards us, alight with lightening. The clouds crept above, engulfing the sun and it's light in its entirety. With every laugh of thunder a slap of lightening would strike, illuminating the army of bodies.

A gunshot pierced the air, followed by several more. In all the chaos, in all the noise, silence seemed to lie in its grave, unwilling to grace the earth ever again. With every shot an explosion of thunder would retaliate, threatening to spill its tears. Another gun shot and a body fell limp, revealing a small gap. Carl ran through while he could, before the other infected closed the small space. The Lieutenants face, alight with panic was the last thing I saw before the bodies once again compressed together and hid him from site. Running towards me he grabbed my arm and pulled me several steps back. My gaze fixated on the swarm of bodies I didn't look at him as he panted beside me.

"Come on, we have to get to the helicopter," he stated, gently pushing me backwards.

"What about the Lieutenant?" I whispered, raising my gun and pointing it towards the horde that had only moments ago engulfed him. He huffed out a breath as he looked at me and then towards the horde.

"Fuck him." He stated, walking away and towards the helicopter. I kept my gun raised as I continued to stare at them all mulling around, singing their song. The behemoth which towered above the rest of them turned his attention towards me. He snarled before placing one of his giant hands on another infected's chest, roughly pushing him out of the way. He stormed towards me, each of his footsteps replicating the booms of thunder above.

Like pins he effortlessly knocked them to the ground as he came barreling towards me. Dropping my arm at my side I turned away from the chaos and began running. There moans and snarls lulled me into a passive state as I ran. I wasn't nearly as fearful as I should have been. With every step I took I would hear two of his right behind me. There was no fighting him and I knew that. The only option was to run and even then, he was running faster than me. Carl looked back, not hesitating to pull out his gun and fire three shots. By the time I reached him he lowered his gun and began running alongside me.

With every step the plane and inevitably the helicopter grew closer and the chaos faded away, but not the noise. With every step the noise amplified into a deafening screech as if all the dead souls were screaming at me in anger. They all screamed at me amongst all the other noises. With every step I was desperate to collapse. It was a miracle I had made it this far but now I just wanted to stop. Every step was agony, agony that only led to further agony and more suffering.

I wanted to stop.

But I didn't want to die.

As I approached the plane I eyed the size of the door. It was impossible to tell whether the monster would fit through the door or not. But if he did, we would be trapped with no other way of getting out. As we continued to run I looked over at Carl who was running a few metres away from me.

"Lead him away!" I huffed, the words strangled by each step I took. He looked over at me and looked as if he nodded. I couldn't tell if he actually understood what I had said but I didn't have the time or the breath to repeat myself.

I curved towards the plane and threw a glance over my shoulder as I reached the steps. The monster opted to pursue me rather than Carl. I pushed myself away from the steps, readying my self to run around the plane but before I could a bullet pierced his shoulder. He stopped in his hunt towards me as ever so slowly he turned his body towards Carl, his back now facing me. The fresh bullet wound joined the others, its only distinguishable trait the fresh blood oozing out. As he began to run once again, I turned back around and continued my race up the steps.

I ran down the aisle towards Alan and wrapped my arms around him as I helped pull him up from his seat. The planes original silence had been ruptured as the chaos from outside was clearly audible within.

"What's happening? What did I miss?" He asked as I linked my arm under his.

"Helicopters here we have to go now." I panted as we trudged back towards the doors.

I spared a moment to look to the right towards the swarm of infected. One by one they branched away from the large group and began drifting down the runway towards us. I looked around for any sight of Carl but failed to see him or the monster. As we slowly descended the stairs the first of the infected grew closer. When we finally reached the bottom they were mere metres away. The nearest one a young woman with blonde hair wearing the outfit of a flight attendant. I shuddered at her uncanny resemblance of Rose. As we turned from her and towards the plane her outstretched hand reached us and grabbed a hold of my shoulder.

As quickly as her grip had tightened, it loosened entirely as a shot blared loudly. I looked over my shoulder in time to see her small body fall to the ground, the Lieutenant standing behind her, his gun raised. His entire frame drenched in blood he huffed out a laugh as he lowered his gun.

"Thought you could get rid of me huh?" He asked, choking out another strained laughed. I shook my head in disbelief, neither relieved nor distraught.

"You are one hard mother fucker." I breathed, not bothering to smile as he broke out into another loud laugh that had me begging for silence. I looked away from him towards the helicopter still some many meters away. Alan ground his teeth together as he glared at the Lieutenant. I nudged him forward as we both began to walk.

I looked up towards the sky as another drum of thunder reverberated throughout the clouds. The smell of rain was distinguishing itself in the air as the clouds began to adopt a darker shade of black, interrupted sporadically by a flash of lightening. A resounding pain pulsated throughout my skull, the agony escalating with every step.

We were so close now. I could see his face in the window, his large black aviator glasses directed towards us.

One step.

Two step.

Three step.

I lost count as the pain amplified to an altogether new level. A thrum of miscellaneous beats that refused to relent and grant me even a second of pure unfiltered silence ran rampant in my ears. That was all I wanted. One moment, even one second of authentic, unaltered silence. All of the surrounding noises dug themselves into my ears and tortured me mentally. The agony of noise overwhelmingly exceeding any physical pain I had suffered. Or yet to suffer. I was willing to make that claim.

Nothing was worse than this.

As we approached the blades began spinning faster, their noise only adding to my torment. When we were metres away the pilot opened his door and jumped out, a black leather jacket hung from his shoulders and constricted his movements as he walked towards us. His lips moved as he looked at each of us, but I couldn't decipher a word he said. He walked ahead and opened the main door of the helicopter, revealing a small space with four chairs on opposite sides of the walls.

He jumped inside and helped pull Alan up. He placed him into a seat before leaning down and offering me his hand. I looked at his outstretched hand as though it was foreign object. Completely alien. I moved my eyes from his hand towards his face. His black glasses stared down at me as he pulled his lips into a smile, wrinkles crinkling his stubble covered cheeks. Everything felt numb as I reached up, placing my small hand in his gloved one. He wrapped his fingers around mine, the warmth of his leather gloves a strange comfort. In a gentle motion he pulled me forward, placing a hand on my shoulder he guided me towards the chair besides Alan.

I thought it impossible but as I sat in the chair, the noise of the blades swirling above grew louder and louder, deafeningly so. I pulled the seat belt over me and tightened it before clasping my hands over my ears and begging the commotion and pandemonium to cease. The Lieutenant turned around and shot three more infected before climbing into the helicopter on his own and taking the seat across from me. As we all buckled in the pilot moved to his seat just as Carl appeared from within the airport. The helicopter began to hover upwards, the movement rocking forwards and backwards ever so slightly.

Alan leaned over me, yelling at the pilot to stop, but he didn't respond. He obviously couldn't hear. As he continued to run the monster quickly appeared behind him. Both of them sprinting I had little hope that he would make it in time. I unhooked my seat belt and stepped towards the door, prying it open I crouched down and locked my fingers around a small handle situated beside the sliding door. I clung onto the handle as I leaned forward as far as I could, my hand stretched out reaching for his. He was still several meters away and the helicopter was hovering above his height now.

Even from a distance I could see his face fall as he seemed to realize he wouldn't make it. I furrowed my brows and screamed his name out, shrieking at him in encouragement. I couldn't hear the words I screamed but it looked as though he could as he scrunched his face in determination. He picked up the pace and when he was a meter or so away he pushed himself from the ground, jumping high up in the air.

As he jumped towards the helicopter his hand stretched out towards mine. With every millisecond he moved closer. I pushed my body out as far as I could in a desperate effort to reach him. With every inch he grew closer, the helicopter would climb higher. He seemed so far away until finally our fingers touched. His fingers slid up, reaching my palm. As I clenched my fist around his fingers he began to lose momentum. Our eyes met, wide in panic as his fingers slipped through my grasp and he began falling back down towards the runway.

As he fell he threw his open palm outwards, his hand smacking against the leg of the helicopter and his fingers clenching around it. The helicopter tilted dangerously as his weight pulled it down.

I grabbed his shirt collar as I desperately pulled him up. He swung his other arm onto the helicopter and heaved himself up. I grabbed his underarm and pulled the rest of him onto the helicopter. Both of us lay down on the floor of the helicopter, our breathing heavy but silent in relation to the blades. I tilted my head towards the door and looked down at the airport. The mass of bodies swarmed the area where the helicopter once was, their arms all stretched out towards us. The monster stood amungst them, his head tilted towards us but his arms situated perfectly still at his sides.

I leaned up from the floor and grasped the handle of the door, pulling it shut I shakily stood up, making my way back to my seat next to Alan. Carl remained crumbled on the floor for several more seconds as he regained his breath before he sat down in the seat next to the Lieutenant. The pilot pointed towards a wall endowed with a rack of headphones. I pulled one down and slid them over my ears as the others did the same. The beat of the blades dulled significantly as a wave of soft static absorbed it.

"Congratulations, you guys are the only survivors to make it out of Sydney." The pilots warm voice echoed through the headphones, his words bittersweet. None of us spoke as we exchanged glances, our faces blood stained, our lips cracked and our clothes torn. There was no doubt that we each held millions of questions, but none of us wanted to ask them, not now anyway.

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice hoarse and unrecognizable to what it once was. The pilot looked back at me in his seat, giving a curt nod before returning his attention towards the controls. I relaxed into the seat, my head resting atop Alan's shoulder as I blankly stared down at the ground.

We made it.

So why wasn't I happy? Because Robyn didn't? Because Zoey didn't? Because the people at the Q.V.B didn't? Everything felt numb as I shut my eyes. Even away from the chaos the hum of static in my ears was enough to entice misery. I dozed in and out of sleep but never received the silence I wanted.

When I opened my eyes I looked up at Alan's sleeping face, his arm resting along my shoulders. He looked so peaceful and carefree. I brushed his cheek with my fingers in a soft caress. I couldn't ignore the feelings I had for him.

I loved him.

It was strange to admit, almost impossible, but I couldn't deny it. I loved him, a man I had only just met God knows how long ago. I barely knew anything about him and yet, I still loved him. I couldn't wait until everything was officially over, so I could properly get to know him.

I looked away from him and towards Carl who was slumped in his seat, snoring softly. I still remembered when I first met him, in the classroom. I didn't think he was really a cop, but he was so brave and he saved my life more than once. I stared at his peaceful face for several seconds before I looked over at the Lieutenant. His large frame looked too big for the seat and his face was pulled into an uncomfortable scowl even as he slept. I didn't exactly like him very much but he did save my life on two occasions within the past few hours.

I looked down at his arms, tightly crossed with is left hand firmly clutched around his right forearm. A fresh stream of blood seeped from under his palm and trailed down his wrist dripping onto the metal floor. It must have been a deep cut if it was still bleeding so much. I unbuckled my seat belt and carefully stepped towards him. Leaning against the door I slid down into a crouch beside him and unfurled his fingers from around his forearm. His grip loosened until his arm fell away entirely, revealing a large bite mark on his arm.

My eyes widened as I gasped unintentionally. His body stirred as I looked up towards his face, his eyes wide open. He shoved me away as he quickly removed his gun from his belt. I stepped back, losing my balance and falling on the cold floor before Alan's feet. He pointed his gun down towards me as a sweat broke out on his forehead.

"I am not, dying now." He hissed, his words buzzing in my headphones and arousing Alan and Carl from their sleep. Carl looked down at me before tilting his gaze towards the Lieutenant. Still groggy it took him a few seconds to realize what was happening. His eyes widened once he did. He unhooked his seat belt and reached for his gun, but not before the Lieutenant shoved his pistol in his face.

"Don't even fucking think about it!" He growled, waving the gun between Carl and I.

"What's going on back there?" The pilot asked, shooting several glances over his shoulder.

"Keep flying!" The Lieutenant roared, stepping past Carl and I and moving closer towards the pilot.

"Why are you doing this?" Carl asked, his hands raised out in front of him.

"He's infected." I stated, before the Lieutenant had a chance to reply. He turned his attention towards me, narrowing his eyes and jabbing the gun through the air. Carl took this chance to pull his gun from his belt and point it towards the Lieutenant. He swung his arm away from me and pointed his gun towards Carl as he stepped back towards the pilot.

Both men stared at each other, not uttering a word. The Lieutenants finger twitched on his trigger before he moved his arm away from Carl and towards the pilot.

"You shoot me, and I shoot him." He whispered, his eyes grazing over the three of us. A smudge of fear and an ounce of despair mixed together to concoct an ugly feeling in my gut.

"Please don't do this." I breathed, scared to even stand up from the floor. He looked down at me and as he did Carl pulled the trigger. The sound confined in the walls of the helicopter blared through my skull as the bullet whizzed through the air and struck him in his temple right after he too pulled the trigger.

The Lieutenants body fell backwards in a bloody heap as brain matter covered the windshields. The pilot fell limp in his chair as he hunched over the controls, the entire helicopter beginning to spin out of control. An alarm beginning to blare as red lights flashed precariously.

Carl ran forward, pulling the pilot away from the controls and trying to take over. But it was too late. The helicopter crashed as a blaze of fire and debris flew through the air. The doors broke open revealing a blur of green as I clung to the floor in an effort to hold on.

My entire body was flung forward as pain infiltrated every crevice.

I felt the blood trickling down, the sharp metal debris piercing my skin.

Everything went dark as the pain slowly receded and the air left my lungs, refusing to return.

The rythm of my heart, slowing to a tranquil melody.

A quiet serenity replacing the noises and caressing me into a paradise of reticent bliss.

And then I heard it.