Seldom Six Feet Under

Chapter Twelve: A Series of Close Calls

          As they sat and pondered on their next move, Allen couldn't decide whether Noah was an idiot or a genius. It sort of gave him a headache to think of Noah as the latter, so he went with 'an idiot.' Infected beginning to flood the streets and crawl out of their holes had drawn him to that conclusion, because now he and Ruby were trapped inside the florist. Both were crouched by the counter, trying their best to stay out of sight from the outside. They watched the rotting heads of infected as they passed by at a sprinting pace, only increasing the panic within the red haired girl. Even with Allen at her side and her shotgun gripped tightly, she felt incredibly unsafe.

      She allowed herself to draw her eyes from the glass and look towards Allen, who seemed concentrated in watching them fly by. Feeling her gaze on him, he gradually turned his head to face her. His troubled look lightened up a bit, recognizing her emotion just by the look in her eye. He arched his eyebrows and grumbled. "For the record, Noah's getting a piece of my mind-," he then let go of his rifle with one hand and held it up into a fist. "-And fist when we find him."

      Ruby couldn't help but silently giggle at that, playfully shoving Allen's shoulder in a protesting manner. He snickered as well before returning his focus to the chaos outside. "We can't stay cooped up in here all day," he declared in a hushed voice. "Noah will be long gone- If not already. We gotta move."

      Furrowing her brow and narrowing her eyes, Ruby rose her arm up to motion towards the speedy horde. Allen gave a slight nod. "Yeah, I know. But all that noise might've drawn in those hospital pricks, right? Maybe we can catch'em there, hitch a ride," he turned his head back to Ruby, who met his gaze with a frown. "Obviously going through the front is too risky, but there's a back. Hopefully there's access to the roof 'cuz then we'll be able to get a good look from up high."

      Her eyes travelled from him down to the floor in thought. The plan wasn't fool proof, but it was all they had to work with. She had no choice but to put her full trust in Allen like she had done many times before, he had yet to fail her. Her thoughts popped like a bubble when he gave her a gentle nudge with the back of his hand. "You game?" A soft grin spread on her lips and she replied with a nod. The grin reflected onto his face. "That's my girl."

      Allen stood upright cautiously, now keeping his eyes locked on the glass. He stood still, watching intently as the infected continued to pound down the street like a pack of wolves. Not one stopped to look inside the floral shop. Not one noticed them. And to the two survivors- That was a blessing. Ruby joined the man in standing up with backs straight, shifting to view the back of the store. It felt as though it was darker than it was when she had visited previously, but their eyes had adjusted enough to make out the shape of a door. Wary of the shattered pot pieces scattered on the floor, Ruby made her way to the end of the store, trying to navigate her way to the door which she thought of as freedom. Allen listened to her mouse-like footsteps before spinning on his heels to follow. She held her free hand out to reach for the doorknob- Or at least locate it. She let her hand do the searching while her eyes uselessly aided. Once she had reached the outline of the door, she allowed her hand to do most of the work. Gripping what felt like a handle, she gave it a turn and a push. Light spilled into the floral shop, practically blinding the girl. Catching the light, Allen crept over and set a hand on her shoulder. "Let me go first," he said lowly.

      Without protest nor disagreement, Ruby used her arm to shield her eyes as she took several steps back. Allen used his foot to push the rest of the door open, however he did not do so forcefully. He tilted his head to the side and winced at the bright light, staying still and listening. All he could hear was his steadying heartbeat and the faint pitter-patter of the infected on the other side. After he could make out the gateway to the outside, he stepped forwards and embraced it, as did Ruby.