Two Alive, стр. 92
Ben let out a deep sigh, “I want to know Karen is alright and I want to apologize for everything that happened before.”
“I don’t know why you stepped down from being a committee member, maybe it was your conscious or the pressure of everything got to you, but Julia was right. All this started because of you and things keep escalating because of you.”
Ben looked at the captain and lowered his head. “I just want to help… if I can.”
Baker scoffed at him, “Don’t we all.”
When they reached the front door of the store, two of the guards posted there were looking at each other dumbfounded by the banging outside the shutters. When they saw the captain approaching both the men lit up and ran to meet him halfway.
“Captain Baker, there’s somebody outside banging on the door.” Bryant was a nervous wreck, shaking in his boots.
“I think it’s a lady.” Rico’s eyes were paranoid, zipping back and forth from the shutter doors to the captain.
Baker just walked past them and walked through the stores entrance to the steel doors. He looked through the opening and saw Karen hammering away with her fist, clutching her son close. “Karen?” He said.
The banging stopped and the woman looked around, “Hello? Can you hear me?”
“Karen, what’s wrong? How’d you end up back here?” Baker’s voice was low and he made sure to not let his face be seen through the opening.
“You have to let me in! I was in the woods and I heard a gunshot! Those things probably heard it too. Please, you have to let us in!”
“Ok, Karen… I’m going to let you in but I just want to make sure everything is ok. Are you hurt? Did something happen?”
“Is that you Captain Baker? Please captain, you have to let us in! Please! We weren’t trying to come back here! But there are dozens of those monsters in the woods! We had nowhere to go!” She found the hole Baker was talking out of and put her face up to the opening, “Please! I’m begging you! I know what Major Carver thought but my son’s not infected!” The distraught mother ran a hand through the mess of strings on her head that one would call hair. “He was bit a long time ago and still hasn’t changed! He won’t change! Joshua tried to tell you that!”
Baker looked at his two men and pointed to the chains for the shutters. “Open the door.”
Chapter 9
Julia leaned forward and stared daggers at Alana who tried her best to avoid looking back at the woman. “What the hell are you doing out here Alana?”
Alana looked down at the floor.
“I mean… you could’ve been killed! What would you have done if they didn’t show up to save you? What the hell was your plan?”
Alana’s eyes stayed on her feet.
“How’d you even get out of the store? How’d you make it out here?”
“You were smart to climb that tree,” Miles was looking back and forth between Alana and Julia. “It was smart to do that. Lurkers can’t climb and strikers would’ve just ran away after a while.” The boy looked down at his phone and lit up with glee when he remembered it was working again. “Do you like Drake? I got his newest album! Views! Views from the six! I got the whole album!”
Alana looked in Miles’ direction but turned away when she saw Julia’s sharp stare.
“If You’re Reading This… Its Too Late.” Miles was double tapping his phone and bouncing in his seat. “10 Bands, 50 bands, 100 bands, F it man!”
The song started playing from his phone and Julia reached out to hit pause on the screen. “Miles, please. This isn’t the time for music.”
“It never really was.” Manson was talking over his shoulder towards the back of the van.
Julia ignored him and kept on with Alana. “Why did you come out here?!”
Alana squeezed her eyes shut, “I wanted to come out and help find our people!”
“And I told you that it’s too dangerous out here! Does your dad even know you’re out here?”
Alana didn’t respond.
“Of course he doesn’t know! Why would he! He told you you couldn’t go!” Julia was nearly yelling in the backseat of the van.
“We should’ve left all the children.” Manson said, looking over his shoulder and pushing up his glasses.
“Manson! This isn’t the time! Castle turn the van around, we’re taking Alana back!”
“No!” Alana yelled. She turned her whole body to Julia and rubbed her legs against Miles’ who took a breath from the sudden contact.
“We’ve wasted enough time already dealing with side quests from our supposed map.” Manson was flat in his delivery; he expected no argument. “We’re not turning around.”
“I want to go Julia, please! Just let me go.” Alana was begging and put a hand on Miles’ knee. The boy swelled with delight.
“Alana, no. Castle, turn around!” Julia shouted this time.
“We’re already halfway to where our group was last heard from on the radio. It doesn’t make sense to go back now.” Castle was shaking his head with his eyes focused on the road.
“Castle!” Julia screamed.
“We have to keep going! I want to find my wife!” Lance turned around in his seat tempered, but quickly looked away when Julia glanced at him.
“Wait!” Miles perked up, “We have to stop here!”
“What?” Castle was looking back through the mirror, “We’re not stoppin’ so you can look through old boxes and crates kid!”
“We came from that way in the woods!” Miles pointed out to the right as they passed a highway sign that fell.
“So what, we’ll get there on the road.”
“The road doesn’t go that way! We have to go through the woods! It’s the only way! Through