They Walk

Chapter Seventeen

Even with Dan’s warm arms around me, I should feel safe, but I don’t. I just feel empty, and hollow. I can’t even form the tears to cry, and that just makes me feel like crying more. But they never come. I know I can’t sit here forever, but it’s a scary thought not knowing what is going to happen next. Someone clears they’re throat, and I open my eyes. It’s Gabe. He’s standing just behind us, and seems to be having trouble looking me in the eye. I lean back from Dan, but he doesn’t drop his arms from me. He does however give Gabe a very not friendly look.

If the situation were different I’d probably laugh.

“I’m so sorry, but we should really check the truck. To see if it runs.”

“Back off, we have time. Give us a moment.” Dan retorts.

“I would, but the dead out there won’t wait forever. We need to know if the truck can get us out of here.” He doesn’t look at me when he says this, and I feel a sting in my chest at the words.

“It’s fine. It makes sense to look it over. I can’t stay in here anymore.” My words are so soft, but they scratch at my throat. I cough to clear it, and wish I had a drink.

“Maggie,” Dan starts, but I cut him off by touching his cheek.

“I’ll be alright Daniel, trust me. The sooner we leave the better, okay?”

“…all right.”

Sam comes into the garage and walks over to the truck, and he too tries to look anywhere but me. Dan gets to his feet, and offers me a hand up. I take it gratefully, and only wobble for a second before I’m steady on my feet. It feels like a small victory, but my stomach is still a little queasy. Dan drops my hand and instead places his arm around my shoulders. I’m about to let him turn me from the room, when Gabe and Sam pull the tarp from the truck. It’s as expensive looking as everything else in the house, and it sticks out being a bright red color. I’m not a big car person, but it looks like a cross between a truck and minivan. It’s as big on the inside, as I would have thought.

I just hope we can get it running.

Instead of tossing the tarp aside, Sam and Gabe carry it over to where Matt’s body still lay. They gently lay it over him, and I finally feel that he’s really gone. I can’t breathe for a second, and can only watch as Gabe comes over to stand before me. He doesn’t say anything, but his expression says it all. He looks so sad, and strangely guilty. His eyes are bright and I wonder if it’s from unshed tears.

He starts to raise his hand up to my face, but lowers it halfway. And before I can beg him to hold me, he turns back to the truck and opens the driver’s side door. Which is furthest from me, and it looks like it’s unlocked at least. Sam stands awkwardly for a moment, then goes to help Gabe look through the truck.

Gabe pokes his head around the door of the truck and looks at Dan.

“It’s unlocked obviously, but no keys.”

“Keep looking.” Dan says.

I let Dan turn me back to the garage door, and we make our way over the rubble. He has to steady me a few times, and once on the hall the light feels so bright me. I have to squint my eyes as we walk to the kitchen, and desperately avoid looking at the dead dog on the floor. We stop near the Island, and I lean against it gratefully. Dan goes to the fridge and gets out a couple bottles of water. Setting them on the counter, he opens and hand one to me. I take it and it feels so cold in my hands, that I start to shiver uncontrollably. Dan grabs another bottle and comes over to lean beside me. We don’t say anything for a while, just content to have something to drink. The water actually burns as it goes down my throat. My attention is drawn to what is still outside, and I realize that it’s not any quieter out here.

I can hear the dead at the windows, and it’s almost like they are getting more and more anxious knowing we are waiting in here for them. If I listen closely, and try to ignore the scratching and bumping, I can hear the window’s beginning to crack under the pressure.

It sounds like ice on a pond breaking, and it sends chills down my back.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?”

Dan’s voice startles me that I almost drop the water bottle. But I turn to him and see that he’s watching me with guarded eyes. I look away and let out a sigh. I don’t know where to begin and just thinking about it hurts too much. So I just shake my head, and distract myself by looking out a gap in the window. I’m surprised to see that it’s dark outside. Just last night, we were all here having fun.

We’re not now.

“I don’t want to push you Mags, but it would help to know how and why he did what he did.” He says quietly.

“Just don’t okay. I don’t know how he could have turned into one of them.”

“He was acting weird earlier, wasn’t he?”

“We all have been acting weird, Dan. It’s called stress under pressure.”

My heart is starting to race, and I can’t help feeling so angry. Angry at what I don’t know, but right now it’s at Dan for making me think about this. He turns to face me fully, and places a hand on the counter behind me.

“It’s just that Austin was acting weird too. I mean he’s already an ass, so that’s not new. But, Matt would never treat you the way he did under normal circumstances.”

I know he’s right and even maybe on to something. But I close my eyes as if I can actually block out what he trying to say.

“If you really thought about it, it kind of makes sense what happened. They were both bit by those things outside.”

My stomach bottoms out, and I feel so dizzy from his words that I sit down on the ground. Dan follows beside me, but he doesn’t stop explaining his epiphany.

“The bites they got turned them into one of the dead. It’s not just being killed by them that can turn you the bites do the same thing.”

I raise my knees up to my chest and lower my head on them. Dan places his arm around me again, and I want so badly to push him away. But I don’t, it’s not his fault that Matt was bitten. It’s mine. And I hate myself for not protecting him.

“If that’s true, then we have a big problem.” A new voice interrupts.

It’s Sam and he’s standing just inside the kitchen from the hallway. Both Dan and I look at him quickly, and I’m sure all three of us share the same horrified expression.

“Oh my God, some of the others have bites.” I say.

“But they haven’t started acting like Austin and Matt though.” Sam says as he comes to stand by us.

“That could be because they aren’t hurt as bad.” Dan replies.

“By that deduction, then I’d say Lucy would be next. She’s been pretty out of it, but she’s just as hurt as Austin was.” Sam says.

I let them talk back and forth I’m just having trouble wrapping my head around everything. It doesn’t seem possible that our friends could turn on us at any moment, let alone Lucy. But I reprimand myself, I should know better than anyone that it’s possible. Gabe walks into the room then, and holds up what I assume is the truck keys.

“We can’t take them with us.” He says as soon as he’s close enough to us, so that he can say it quietly.

Dan and Sam both stop talking and just glare at him accusingly. Dan stands up, and looks like he’s about to argue with Gabe, but I cut him off.

“He’s right. It’s only a matter of time before they turn like Matt did. We can’t risk them being in the truck with us.”

All three of them look at me, and I try not to flinch under they’re judging eyes. Only Gabe looks at me with understanding and maybe sympathy. I’m about to stand up, when the lights in the room go out.