Free Web NovelChapter 197: Chapter 197 - On the Run
Marybeth, Iyisha, and Aljun moved around the room in silence, each of them preparing without needing to say what came next.
Iyisha strapped her pistol to her thigh and tightened it, then picked up the shotgun and checked it once, more to steady herself than anything else. When she looked up, Malcolm was already watching her, and the weight of that made her chest tighten.
It was dangerous.
But they needed gear if they wanted to reach Manhattan.
She let out a slow breath, trying to steady her heartbeat, then glanced at the door. In a few seconds, they would be out.
They couldn’t use the stairwell. Too many walkers had gathered there after the noise. The fire exit at the end of the hall was their only option.
She gave Malcolm a small smile.
He nodded, but it didn’t look like agreement. It looked like acceptance.
Iyisha glanced at Lance. He was watching them, tense, trying not to show it.
"I can stay alone," he said. "I will be fine."
She shook her head. "No. That is not a good idea. We will be fast," she said, her voice low but clear. "There is a Good Buy two blocks from here."
Her eyes went back to Malcolm. "We will be fast," she repeated, more certain this time.
She stepped closer and pulled him down just enough to press a quick kiss to his cheek.
Malcolm did not react right away. His hand stayed at her back as they looked at each other for a moment longer than necessary.
"Wow," Marybeth muttered, eyebrows lifting.
Lance let out a short laugh.
"Stay safe," Malcolm said.
Her fingers brushed against her own palm as she stepped back.
She forced her focus forward.
She nodded once, then turned back to the two before she could hesitate.
"There are at least ten in the hall," she said to Marybeth and Aljun. "We need to move quietly, or we will draw more of them in."
"Sure," Marybeth said, gripping her machete tighter.
"Got it," Aljun added.
Iyisha adjusted her hold on the shotgun. "We will go to Good Buy first. It is two blocks from here."
"And if it is empty?" Aljun asked.
She took a breath. "Then we will continue further in. We will go to the mall."
They both nodded.
Iyisha gave Malcolm and Lance one last look, then stepped toward the door. Aljun opened it slowly, just enough to slip through.
The hallway was the same as before. Walkers stood scattered along it, barely moving, their attention unfocused until something gave them a reason.
Iyisha moved first, closing the distance to the nearest one and driving her blade in clean, catching the body before it could hit the floor. Marybeth followed without hesitation, quick and efficient, while Aljun came in just behind them, slower but steady, finishing the ones that turned too late.
They worked through the hall together, each movement controlled, each kill quiet, lowering bodies instead of dropping them, keeping the sound down as much as they could.
At the far end, Iyisha checked the window. The fire escape was still there, rusted but intact, the ladder hanging down into the narrow space below.
She nodded once.
Marybeth went out first, slipping through and grabbing onto the metal. Aljun followed after her.
Iyisha stayed a second longer.
She looked back at the door.
At the room behind it.
Then she stepped out, pulling the window as closed as it would go.
And started down.
They dropped from the fire escape into the narrow alley and held there for a second, listening.
Nothing close.
Iyisha stepped out first, keeping low as she checked both sides of the street. The place looked different at ground level.
Trees had pushed through the cracks in the road, branches hanging low over abandoned cars, leaves covering parts of the pavement. The space felt tighter, but it also blocked sightlines.
Good.
But it also meant less visibility.
More places for something to be waiting.
Iyisha gave a small nod and led them out to the main street. The road was littered with undead, most of them still, some shifting just enough to remind them they weren’t dead enough.
She picked up a chunk of debris and tossed it down the street.
It hit the roof of a car with a hollow clang.
Heads turned.
"Now," she said.
They moved.
Low. Controlled. Slipping between parked cars, using the trees and shadows to break their shape.
They stopped again.
A few still lingered ahead. One half-hidden behind a tree. Another near a car with its door hanging open.
Iyisha grabbed another piece and threw it to the opposite side.
The sound pulled them.
"Move."
They crossed.
Closer now.
Iyisha pointed toward a dark blue building in the distance.
Good Buy.
Between them and it—
One wide stretch.
Cars scattered across the road. Enough to hide behind.
Enough to hide something else.
Marybeth pointed toward an overturned truck on the other side.
Iyisha nodded.
Aljun grabbed a chunk of cement and threw it hard down the far end of the street.
The sound carried.
Walkers shifted.
Pulled away.
"Go."
They ran.
They reached the truck and dropped behind it.
Iyisha turned.
Something scraped against metal on the other side of the truck.
She shifted slightly, eyes narrowing.
A shape moved in her peripheral vision.
Then it lunged from the blind side.
Too close.
The zombie slammed into her, jaws snapping.
She drove her blade straight into its mouth, forcing its head back, holding it there as it thrashed against her grip.
The smell hit her.
Rotten. Wet.
Marybeth stepped in without hesitation and brought her blade down hard at the back of its neck.
It dropped.
Iyisha held it for a second longer, making sure, then slowly lowered the body to the ground.
Her breathing was heavier now.
She gave Marybeth a quick nod.
They moved again.
Short distance this time.
Straight to the building.
Iyisha reached the door and pushed.
It gave.
Opened just enough.
She didn’t go in right away.
She looked once at the dark inside.
Then stepped through.
They spread out through the aisles, moving with purpose now.
Iyisha went straight to the back, scanning shelves that had already been picked through, items missing in uneven patches. She pushed past a rack that had fallen sideways and crouched near a lower section where the plastic bins were half open.
There.
Snorkels.
Goggles.
Not many.
She grabbed what was left and stood.
Marybeth came from the other side, holding up one more. "That’s it."
Aljun checked the last shelf and shook his head. "Nothing else."
Iyisha looked down at what they had.
Three.
Her jaw tightened.
"Not enough," Aljun muttered.
She nodded once. "We only have a small window to cross. We all need gear."
Marybeth exhaled sharply. "Then this won’t cut it."
Iyisha lifted her head.
"Then we go to the mall," she said.
They looked at her.
"There’s a Target there," she added. "If anything’s left, it’ll be there."
Aljun nodded slowly. "More chance than here."
Marybeth adjusted her grip on the machete. "More risk too."
Iyisha met her eyes. "We don’t have a choice."
That settled it.
They moved back toward the entrance, slowing as they neared the door.
Iyisha shifted the shotgun in her hands and looked at both of them.
"You ready?" she muttered.
They nodded.
She took a breath.
Then reached for the door.
