PetrA

Chapter thirty-two: Joachim

If they had been in a cartoon or anime, Joachim was certain that steam would come out of Ellie's ears and her eyes would probably be on fire. The anger and sadness rolled off her in thick waves. She literally smashed two of the zombie's heads, just as he and Henrik managed to kill one each. Leaving one, it was running at Ellie, who stood still watching it come closer. She was at the edge of the building and managed to get around it and then aim a kick at its back sending it over the side of the roof. Shockingly she didn't seem to care that her hands were smeared in blood and smelly body fluids, either that or she just hadn't noticed it. "How are we supposed to get away from here?" Joachim asked looking around, all he saw was rooftops and the streets far below them, with rotten bodies splattered all over the pavement. He didn't want to take the same trip as they had.

Ellie glanced over at the building beside them. He couldn't read her face or body language, but her eyes had a strange light to them. "We jump." She said it as if it was the easiest thing in the whole world. She glanced at the door that was still wide open, "Close that door. There's more on the stairs." She said walking over to the edge closest to the other roof. She peered over the edge, and seemed to measure the distance between the two buildings. "It's not more than five metres. With a little speed it shouldn't be a problem." Henrik closed the door, and joined Ellie by the edge. "This is crazy." He said. Ellie shrugged, "It's either that or let them make human happy meals out of us." Joachim groaned. "What'll happen if we don't make the jump?" He asked. Ellie stared at him as if he'd left his brain on the first floor. "You die, isn't it better dying like this, then becoming one of them?" She mentioned to the dead milling about down on the street. There wasn't anything Joachim could come up with, to argue with what she said. "Fine, but I'm not going first." He said.

Ellie didn't seem to listen to him. She backed up about three metres and steadied herself before taking off running at full speed. She leaped off the edge as if she was born to do it and landed on the other roof; she rolled over the ground and came up standing. She stumbled for a moment before she caught her balance. She glanced over as if to ask, "What are you waiting for?" Joachim glanced behind him at the door and groaned. "She's crazy." He muttered. "Might be, but she's smart." Henrik replied. He took off and leaped over the edge just like Ellie, he didn't have a graceful landing like Ellie, but he rose unharmed. "Your turn!" He called. Joachim steeled his nerves and started running as the first growl reached his ears. He leaped off the edge of the roof, the cold wind was slapping him in the face, and he landed with a loud thud. Ellie and Henrik pulled him away from the edge of the roof, and they continued like this going from roof to roof.

It felt like they were a part of one of those action films where the hero leap from roof to roof trying to catch the bad guy. In a way you could say that, Joachim felt somewhat good doing it, even if it could cost him his life with one bad step. When they finally reached the last roof that was the same level as the others Ellie stopped. She stood over the gap looking down at the next roof. For the next long while, the buildings would get uneven in size and shape. Ellie didn't seem to find it troubling at all, she paced along the edge of the roof and muttered under her breath. Joachim wasn't sure if she'd lost it or not, because it was quite different seeing her like this, almost as if she was doing maths. "Ah fuck it." She grumbled and then she jumped, she rolled several times on the other roof before she stood up, her hands were scraped from the fall, but she didn't seem to care. She just wiped off her hands on her pants and stared up at Henrik and Joachim waiting for them. "Since when did she become a ninja?" Joachim asked. Henrik shook his head, obviously he didn't know. "Come on, we don't have all day."

The landing was the worst part, Joachim's teeth rattled as he made contact with the other roof and he grunted as he scraped his hands. "I don't ever remember seeing you doing stunts like this, princess." He grumbled as he dusted off his hands and clothes. Ellie glared at him, "Don't call me Princess, shit face." g to catch the bad guy. ad guy across the town on the roof eap from roof to roof to get away from his persuers. Joachim glared at her, and Henrik stepped in between them. "There's no need for a fight, I'd like to get out of this city without something eating me, because you can't get along." Ellie huffed and marched to the edge of the roof. You'd think this was something she did for an everyday exercise. Even if she didn't appear to be hurt, Joachim noticed the way she was holding her left arm.