Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of Red Dawn

Chapter 9

The days passed with slow and agonising speed. On the first day they watched the sun set with anticipation for the next rising as they moved one step closer to escape, but when the sun rose with such painfully slow speed, it crushed them.

That day - the second day - Michael didn’t ever arrive to let them outside. He never arrived with a tray of food and slight bits of extra or with new hidden messages and secrets provided from Marybeth. They were left to their own devices inside the shop of a prison with each other.

Like all the times before, they stayed seated on the floor, their minds wandering and exploring the vast reaches of their imaginations. Tommy sat opposite Felix, flicking small stones at the wall next to him. Felix sat grounded on the floor un-phased by Tommy behaviour, as he was completely used to it.

The stones clicked as they collected themselves on the ground, bouncing off each other and off the floors. Felix didn’t even flinch as a stone bounced off the wall near his head, his eyes just stayed focused on the ground below him. His fingers softly running over the sharp edges of the glass that laid flat on the dusty ground, but his skin never drew blood.

Milly sat leaned against the wall, her eyes focused on the blurry window in front of her. Her fingers roughly dragged through her hair before plaiting it then pulling it apart and starting again.

Their boredom was evident and the silence was torturous. Michael map stayed flat on the ground near Milly’s grasp, it’s corner bent and layered over with dust. As Tommy threw his last stone - nearly hitting Felix in the process again " he let out a sigh of frustration.

“You’re the one that told us to trust him.” Milly states quickly

“Don’t. Just, don’t Milly. I’m not in the mood.” Tommy growls from his throat and anger and frustration clear in his face. Milly just gave him a quick glance from the corner of her eye before going back to plaiting her hair.

“Hey….” Felix spoke with a small voice “Do you guys remember when we were kids?”

“As in the kids that killed zombies for fun or the kids that killed zombies to live?” Tommy asks, looking over the roof the building, slowly counting the lumps with his eyes.

Pissed off with his mood, Milly grabbed one of the many stones that he had thrown and threw it at him in a random aim, managing to hit him in the shoulder. He rubbed his shoulder and let out a muttered ‘ow’ just before sending Milly a straight glare - Milly just glared back.

“Do you remember that old lady… The one with the checkered blanket and smelled of vanilla?” Felix said, his fingers no longer tracing the glass. Letting go of her knotted hair Milly’s eyes looked over Felix’s expression and the way his head hung low, his blonde strands of hair hanging over his face.

“Pretty hard to forget an old lady with such an ugly blanket.” Tommy spoke, his head looking straight towards Felix, a smirk sitting over his face. Milly couldn’t help but let a smile slip passed her stone wall at the thought of that ugly blanket.

Felix let out a slight laugh at the comment and finally raised his head. His eyes and cheeks red and tears sitting on the lids threating to fall.

“I miss her.” Felix croaked out. Milly and Tommy couldn’t help but let their heads fall down, at the thought of the old kind lady. The old memories flood back to them of their old lives in that old dirtied bunker, under the city. But it was filled with many good laughs and fun friendships. Thinking back to the old days, they can’t help but recall one of the many old forgotten memories.

They remember the feeling of being crowded, the feeling of loneliness even with all those people. The sense of death that hung in the air, that never faded and the air that was drenched in fear.

The walls were white, covered in pipes that travelled from the roof to the floor and dirt sat in all corners of the floor. The floor was cold and the air stale; Michelle remember the feeling of never ending cold, the way she’d hold her arms, rubbing her fingers over her exposed skin, hoping for warmth.

She remembers the sight she saw before her of a young blonde boy sitting just across from her, with nothing warmer than what she had, but seemed to struggle all the same. Michelle felt her teeth chatter, as she opened her mouth, hoping for words to form. But when words did form it came out in wheezes of frosted air.

Holding her skinny arms tight, Michelle stood from her spot wobbling at the sudden movements and light-headedness. But 

nonetheless slowly walked - stumbled - over to the boy, her legs nearly giving out halfway through the short walk over.

Her shadow cast itself over the boy. His head slowly rose from his arms and knees looking up at her. His eyes red and puffing and tears running down his pale cheeks. Michelle didn’t bother to ask the boy permission and steadily as she could slide down the cold white 

wall, his eyes following her the whole way.

When her piercing blue eyes fell on him, when she reached the floor, the boy just looked at the white tiles of the ground. Michelle’s eyes just looked ahead over her, tracing the cracks in the walls, when a small voice broke through her non-existent thoughts.

“Are we going to die here?” His voice was etched with the tongue of an English accent, but it cracked and broke into sobs.

Michelle’s eye’s just looked over the boy and she couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him. Her hand slowly released her arm and placed itself over the English boy’s hand, he just shuddered at the sudden contact, but couldn’t resist the feeling of entangling their fingers together.

 it felt safe.

For hours, they sat together in that corridor, watching that white wall and the occasional person walk by. The boys head rested softly against Michelle’s as they waited. Waited for what? They didn’t really know. Something to happened they guessed.

The slow sound of rolling wheels filled the small space, bouncing off the walls and travelling over the floor. Michelle’s head didn’t move at the sound and she just continued to rest over the boy, her eyes drooping with sleep as the sight of a wheelchair with a hideous blanket came into sight. Her head fell completely onto the boy’s and her eyes drifted close as the woman began to speak.

“Tommy put this over them, will you.” Those words were a complete mystery until Michelle felt the heavy warmth fall over her and all she could really think was ‘I really hope it’s not that ugly blanket.’

Milly couldn’t help but let out a slight laugh at the old memory.

“I really hated that blanket.” Milly said, lightening the mood.

“Didn’t we all? The thing was ugly as hell.” Tommy spoke, flicking another stone at the wall " but not nearly as much strength as before.

Milly let out a sigh and stretched her leg out in front of her - her muscles starting to hurt. Tommy did something very similar, he slid down the wall until he was laying down over the floor, his legs spread out and head lying flat down on the ground. He let out a breath and blew his fringe out of his face, his eyes once again looking over the roof.

Felix stretched his legs out until they nearly reached Tommy’s feet. Again, the boredom had taken over their minds and all they could do was watch the shadow over the roof slowly turned dark and consume the light.

~

The night came and went slowly just like the other two days. But by the late morning, they could hear the loud chatter of voices.

Marybeth was leaving.

Milly couldn’t help but stand at the door and window with Felix trying to listen in on any of the conversations, but it was all for not. Tommy stayed seated on the floor, throwing rocks at the wall - yet again. His boredom and non-curiosity evident.

A shadow cast itself over the window and Milly and Felix moved away from the door and windows and split in opposite directions. Milly kept close to the window, but her eyes stayed concentrated on the rack in front of her.

Felix just kept his distance from the door and went over to Tommy and slide down next to him - picking up a rock or two and throwing them at the wall with him.

They heard the sudden crunching of rocks and couldn’t help but look at the shadows cast over the window of the two regular guards and a third shadow.

The third shadow made gestures with their hands and motioned to certain locations before the two guards started to walk off and out of sight. Milly slowly tracked back to the two boys as the shadow came up to the door and paused, seeming to check around them before twisting the door handle and creaking the door open.

Their eyes narrowed with the blinding light that came in from behind the person. Coming into focus, they took in the sight of 

Michael, standing at the door, his hand resting on the handle. His hair was worse than usual and his eyes looked non-existent next to the dark bags under them. Holding the door with a strong grip, he held himself up and looked at them all with his exhausted face.

“Dude. You look exhausted.”  Tommy couldn’t help but comment - earning a kick from Milly, who stood next to him.

“You’re telling me.” Michael scratched out.

He shakenly ran his hand through his hair pulling back all the dark curls out of his eyes and steadily let go of the door handle - making the door click against his shoe, blocking its path.

“Those two guards will probably be back in about half an hour, so if you want to go now. Now your chance.” Michael motioned towards the streets and open door as he spoke.

Quickly Felix and Tommy stood from their spots and - along with Milly - cautiously walked over to the open door. Reaching Michael, Tommy just stood to the side of the door - grabbing Felix’s wrist - and held his hand out towards the door and bowed slightly.

“Ladies first.” Tommy joked a smirk tugging at his lips as Milly glared at him but walked through anyway.

Cautiously Milly stepped through the gap and out into the sunlight. Her eyes looked over everything before feeling safe and pulling herself completely through. The sun felt so good on her visible skin after two days stuck inside that building.

Standing still in the sun, Milly waited as the three boys came out of the shop. Felix seemed to let out a sigh of relief at the refreshing feel of the soft breeze and warm sun. Tommy had just gone and started conversing over the subway entrance and possibilities.

“What are our chances?” Tommy questioned while following Michael around a corner - Milly and Felix following behind.

“Slim.” Michael stated simply, his hand dipping into his jacket's pocket and pulling out a browned piece of paper “Apologises, I actually forgot I still had this on me.” Michael says holding the map out to them.

“The map?” Tommy slowly says taking it from Michaels' hands and looking it over. Michael’s finger running over it, once it’s opened.

“There're two entrances to this same subway, but one’s blocked off " because it fell in, after the apocalypse. Your only choice is to enter by this one entrance.” Michael point to the spot circled in red marker “This is the one you saw two days ago.”

“However, there were two guards at the front of the stairs and one at the back, regularly checking all the alleyways.” Milly countered, her arms crossed and back leaning against the wall.

“If you come in from the back, though, you can catch him by surprise and that’s one out of the picture. If you go by the front, however, you’ll have no surprise and will have all three on you, bullets flying and guns blazing.” Michael explained.

“So we come in from the back - by taking these back alleys - knock out the single soldier and jump to the bottom of a staircase and hope to get of fire range in time?” Felix put’s the plan into words.

“Basically.” Michael slightly shrugs his shoulders, not being able to come up with anything better.

“We could get killed.” Milly states simply and bluntly.

“Die by a bullet or die by rotting? I think I’ll take the bullet.” Tommy teases.

“I think I’d rather live.” Felix mutters.

“That’s just a chance you’re going to have to take.” Michael says facing Milly - her who’s eyes just narrow in an intimidating manner.

“Come on Mill~ It’s not like we haven’t dealt with near death experiences before.” Tommy play’s, hooking his arm over her shoulders, earning yet another glare from her.

“Fine. But if we die. You two. Do not get to have a peaceful sleep and I’ll personally make sure of it.” Milly warned.

Author's Note

If there are any " of those in places that aren't speech sentences it's meant to be - this instead.

Reviews

[MightyMouse]

It still sounds great. Just gotta do those few grammar edits and it'll be a masterpiece.