Chatty Town

Chapter 22

- P.O.V. SWITCH -

Ten minutes ago, outside the Movie Theater

"Don't you trust me?" slithers out of her peach lips as the movie in my head plays for me. I never got to tell her- like it matters now. As my ear detaches and my blood mixes with his saliva and my waist gets clawed into by a three-year-old's nails I rest in the idea that At least I don't have to live with her death.

I tilt my head up to the sky and take one last look before closing my eyes for the last time. A metal door creaks and immediately I'm deafened by a loud boom and the mutated child falls limp with my ear between its teeth, pulling it further off as the toddler drops to the floor from six feet high. My eyes shoot open and I see V holding a smoking pistol in her hand as she leans against the Theater's door. A thin and bloodied piece of her blue flannel wraps around her left thigh as she keeps the weight off it. Blood trickles down her leg from the two bullet wounds just below the tourniquet and stains her dusty sneakers.

"I'm out!" She sighs as she looks from the pistol in my hand to the bastard ripping my waist apart.

She's always been a fighter. Even before Colt found her. I take a second to regain consciousness, slowing the time down as I wonder why I didn't shoot the last two bastards dead on my own. I grab their head and rip it off my hip, as it takes a chunk of my flesh with it, I pull the trigger on their eye and throw their pliable corpse to the asphalt.

"We should go. There's bound to be more." V heaves as she leans off the door and staggers towards me.

I glance around at the mess around us, my crimson ear in the mouth of a dead chatty and I feel the street spin around like the carnival's carousel. V throws her body into mine and pulls off her sleeve as I struggle to hold her up.

"Here." V wraps her ripped sleeve around my skull and ties it off at my forehead. "Let's grab Lee and get the hell out of here."

"We won't make it far, we're all bleeding out in some way." I lean into the dumpster and look at V, "I can't look. Tell me if she's breathing."

She nods and in a blink she throws the lid open and leans into the dumpster as I turn away.

"Lee? Lee." V taps my arm, "She's breathing, pull her out!"

I glance back and then shove the other half of the lid open. Lee's pale face is whiter than usual and her eyes are sunken and darkened. She doesn't look alive. I think to myself as I step on the dumpster's ledge and push my weight up.

"Hurry!" V nags as I heave as I reach down into the filth and hook Lee's waist under my wrist.

"Start thinking of the quickest way to Lincoln Memorial." I haul her elastic body out of the trash and notice it's lighter than it was when I put her in. She doesn't have long. And she'll need a transfusion, something we can't do.

"Quickest or safest?"

I shrug, "She doesn't have time to waste, V."
"Damnit! Where's Merrick when we actually need him!?" she grumbles as she pushes off the dumpster and starts doing her best to jog along the buildings for support. I walk behind her focusing on Lee's life instead of the pain from the bites and missing skin on my body. She starts picking up speed as we pass the Goliath on the street, it had to be a dead end road.

Footsteps run towards us and I use Lee's feet to stop V from continuing around the corner, "Wait!" I whisper and she turns back to me, "We don't have time to wait!" She hisses and she limps past the corner and a familiar voice calls from there.

"You guys okay?"

Merrick. I relax for a second until I hobble around the brick corner and see Skye and Lo running behind him.

"We came as fast as we could." He finishes.

Lo squeals and pushes him as she runs to me. "Is she?" Her voice shakes, "She's okay; but she doesn't have long."

Skye walks behind her and scans my body and then looks back at V, "Shit. You look like you crawled through hell."

Merrick pushes past the girls and scoops Lee from me, "I'll take her to Lincoln, Lo, she'll need a transfusion."

Lo shakes her head, "I don't think I can stitch her up."

Skye, "Should I get Lynn?"

Lo nods and a tear falls down her cheek. "But hurry, I need you there with me if-"

I look at Merrick and he sighs, "Take the small streets, but keep your wits about you."
"I'll get D, too." She kisses Lo and wipes her tears in a single movement and dashes down the road again.

Merrick glances at V and I, "Which one of you got it worse?"

I smirk at V, "She did."

Lo shakes her head and goes under my arm, "Always the modest one. Come on, we should hurry. I hate this side of town!"

Merrick nods at all of us and starts jogging backwards with Lee in his arms, "I'll go ahead, make it clear, try to keep up. Abacus, Darling, Lemon! Fastest way to Lincoln."

He turns around and we follow him like zombies sauntering on the sidewalk.