Jake quizzed Chuck about the condition of his vehicle.

“It’s solid bro.  It ain’t pretty but it runs good.”

“That’s good, but I don’t know how well we’re all gonna fit in a little truck,” Kate interjected.

“We have to fit.” And with that Jake double checked his pistol to confirm a round was in the chamber.

“You ready to go?”

“Yeah, Kate remember to calm down.  It’s okay to miss a target that isn’t close to me, but you’re gonna have to steady yourself if I need your help.”

“No problem, I got this.  I won’t miss again…just be careful, and try not to rely on me too much.”

Jake hurriedly checked Chuck’s makeshift bandage, and then abruptly stood up.

“Here we go,” Jake paused briefly and then exhaled. “Be ready to move, people.”  Jake crouched slightly and walked through the tree line and into the clearing of the field.  The grass was tall and would provide good cover should he need to crawl.

Chuck kept his eyes pinned on Jake’s back as he slowly made his way across the field in the direction of the parking lot adjacent to the apartment complex.

“There is still a lot of dead out there.  I don’t think he’s going to make it.” Chuck told Kate.

“He’s the only chance either of us have.  If I was him I would’ve left us both to die.”  As Kate spoke, she kept her cheek pressed to the rifle.

“That’s messed up.  I’m usually all about ‘take care of number one’, you know, but not to leave someone to die like this.”

“So what, you think it’s better if we both die?  You get bit by one of them and it’s done.  It’s over.  I saw it happen.  Some people go slow, some fast.  But that’s it.  No coming back.  Why risk your life if someone else is probably already dead?”

“Because I can’t watch somebody suffer like that.  I’ve done some messed up shit in my life, but even I don’t have the heart to let someone die if I could’ve stopped it.  What made you so cold?”

Kate looked away from the scope and straight into Chuck’s eyes.  “I tried to help someone but she turned before I could even stop her attacker.  She changed in minutes.  As soon as I knocked that thing that was killing her down, she came at me.  She almost…” Kate’s eyes began to well up.  “When you watch the only person you’ve ever loved die like that.  When you see the vacant look of one of those – those fucking zombies in her eye, you’ll change.  Then you’ll know why I feel like I do.”

Kate returned to her duty as the overwatch for Jake.  “He’s right across the street.  The crowd is still trying to make it up the stairs.  There is a straggler or two but I don’t see anything he can’t deal with.”

Almost as if being cued by Kate, Jake began to combat glide out of the ditch and across the street.  He ducked between the cars as soon as they were close enough to do so.  He moved quickly and silently to the truck Chuck had described.  He scanned the area before tucking the pistol in between his arm and body.  He fished out the truck keys and unlocked the rusty early 90’s Chevy S-10.

He carefully lifted the handle, and heard a barely audible pop as the door began to open.  Jake began to bring the door fully open as he checked around for an undead audience.  Three cars over Jake saw an elderly man, with parts of his skull showing.  He looked like a slow mover and not an immediate threat.  Jake hopped into the driver’s seat, and stabbed the key into the ignition.  He pulled the door until it caught, although it wasn’t completely shut.  Jake pushed in the clutch, and rapidly scanned around.  Nobody else had noticed him yet, but the elderly man was getting close.

Jake exhaled loudly, “Here we go.”

The truck started right away, with the higher pitched sound of cheap aftermarket exhaust blasting through the ear drums of every undead within a half mile radius.  Jake slammed it into first gear, as the no seat belt indicator dinged.   Suddenly the radio kicked into life.  Pantera’s “Cowboys from Hell” screamed through the small interior of the truck, and the suddenness of it alarmed Jake so much that his foot slid off of the clutch as he was rounding a turn to get out of the parking lot.  The music still played but the roar of the tailpipes was suddenly gone.

“Chuck the truck died.  Chuck the truck died!  What do I do?”  Kate immediately went into a panic.

“They are going right at him!  Shoot the closest ones!”

Kate sighted in on a blonde woman wearing tight jogging clothes.  She blew out and then slowly squeezed the trigger.  She could hear her heartbeating, and feel the blood coursing through her forehead.  As she watched the woman’s right shoulder was suddenly violently thrown back.

“Hit!” Kate repeated the process again.  This time the round hit the side of the woman’s neck and tore off a massive amount of flesh.  “Hit!”

“Good girl, keep it going.” Chuck encouraged.

In an attempt to shut the radio off, Jake smacked at it several times with the palm of his hand.  As soon as the music died, he began to pump the gas pedal and try to restart the truck.  The starter could be heard grinding to no avail.

“It’s solid bro.” Jake mimicked Chuck in frustration.  A bloody hand suddenly slapped the passenger side window.  “Shit shit shit!”

Jake continued trying to start the truck.  Suddenly the beating on the window stopped,  Jake looked and saw the torso and head of the zombie fall backwards.  Jake grinned slightly, “That a girl, Kate.”

More beating, this time on the bed of truck as the mob of undead continued their advance.  Jake slammed the gas pedal to the floor and attempted again.  The starter caught but the truck didn’t start.  Jake could see a puff of black smoke engulf the dozen dead men in the rear view mirror.   Now the beating was all around.  Several were shoving each other, all trying to get the best view of Jake through the driver’s and passenger’s side windows.  Some were crowding around the front of truck, and making their way onto the hood.

Jake began to scream and fired wildly at whichever corpse looked the most threatening at the moment.  The windshield cracked, and quickly began to cave in.

Jake turned the key, and the beautiful sound of the engine coming to life could be heard.  He stomped the gas pedal and popped the clutch.  The truck lunged forward,  and the surrounding undead fell to the ground.  Several that were on the hood continued trying to get inside, though the windshield.  Jake slammed on the brakes, and watched as the three creatures fell from the front of the truck.  Without hesitation Jake maneuvered the vehicle so as to catch the head of one of the fallen undead with its bumper.  He drove the truck at a medium pace onto the street and to a raised spot of the ditch.  He felt most comfortable taking the truck onto the field this way.  Jake jumped out of the truck as soon as it had come to a stop in front of his two injured companions.

“Get in.” Jake yelled, as he picked up a thick stick about four feet long.  He climbed onto the hood of the truck and shoved the stick into the new opening at the top of windshield.  With one hard push he pried the entire shield forward and it fell, still mostly intact onto the hood of the truck.

An astonished Kate asked, “Don’t you think we’ll need that?”

“I can’t see out of it.  We’ll have to take our chances with it gone.”

Jake slid the windshield of the truck, and it crumpled next to the truck on contact with the ground.  The three of them piled into the truck, and with a loud rumble tore through the field.