Chapter 3 - Devotion

Screams of all pitches, reverberating through the air. Sounds of destruction littering the city as cars spun out of control, glass broke, and property was destroyed. A true epidemic had fallen upon them. Bodies were everywhere, some moving, some not, and some more human than others. A true shame, but Gingy didn’t have time to worry about others. His wrist viciously clutching Ossy’s forearm - refusing to let go - he ran down the street alongside many other people who had been fortunate enough to evade the hoard's wrath. They couldn’t turn back. Behind them was the ever increasing mob of zombies, hungering for fresh flesh.

“Come on!” he shouted as they continued to run. As they could see up ahead, a man was ambushed by a pair of undead that leapt from the alleyway. One grabbed his right side, sinking its teeth in his right shoulder. The second stumbled on the way there, tripping, but started to rip chunks of flesh from his leg. The bloodcurdling howl, right beside them, was almost too much to bear.

“Help me! Please! Please! I’ll do anything!”

Gingy rushed past him. There was only one objective on his mind – protect Ossy. Stopping for anyone else would only jeopardize that. Heartless, he admitted to himself, but it was a choice he’d make in a heartbeat in order to keep her safe.

He scanned the area. None of the stores were safe. With them being too easy to break into and having nowhere to go after entering, the zombies would have a feast. He needed somewhere secure...

A zombie was crawling towards them with a missing leg. Shot in the leg by the police, perhaps? No time to think. Quickly, he picked up his girlfriend and jumped over it with surprising strength. He was never so thankful of his build until now.

Keep moving. Ignore the lumbering zombies. Find a safe place. The thoughts cycled through his mind as he processed the turmoil around him. That’s when he noticed a building belonging to MSN News, the main source of the city’s information. Surely, it had to be dependable. “Almost there,” he worded to Ossy to comfort her. But almost instantly, he regretted his words.

The building was on a major intersection, and on the road in front of them, a running zombie saw them and began running straight towards them. Gingy let go of his girlfriend’s arm. “Go! Into the MSN News building!” he yelled as the creature continued to blaze for them. She moved with reassuring speed as the man brought himself into a boxer’s stance. The zombie’s mouth opened up and drove for Gingy’s shoulder, but the human was smarter, faster, and well prepared. A picture-perfect duck left the creature biting air, and before it could react, a fist made contact with its chin. Gingy’s uppercut moved like lightning and also shared its power, blowing back the zombie’s head. The moment was a literal blur, both to the uncommon spectator and to Gingy himself. The thrill of fighting was the same for him as always...reading his opponents, waiting to strike. Only this time, a single mistake would mean death.

However, that moment cost him valuable time. The walking zombies were getting dangerously close. Bolting for the building's main door, Gingy almost ran into Ossy, who was banging on it with all her might to get it to open. He placed himself to her right and followed her lead. The doors were tinted, so they couldn’t see anything inside. They could only hope.

“Let us in!” she screamed. “They’re coming!” No answer. Gingy briefly thought of punching away the glass, but perished the notion. If they forced themselves in, the zombies could easily pursue them. He glanced over his left shoulder.

Surrounded on both sides. Bad. Really bad. There was no way he could take them all on now without being bitten, and Ossy would then be vulnerable, too...

He hit the door with a resounding thump. “OPEN THE DOOR!” he screamed. “OR WE’RE GOING TO DIE!”

“Oooauugh...” the moan of a zombie grew near.

“We’re not infected!” Ossy screeched. “Someone, open the door!”

Gingy did a quick one-eighty, raising his fists for the creature growing closer, but at the same time, he could hear the unlocking of a door from the corner of his ear. Ossy’s hand grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him through the door.

“Woah!” he breathed as the wind in his lungs was forced out. The mysterious man that opened the door for them quickly locked it again, just barely shutting out the zombies. Everyone took a moment to breathe deeply, and then Ossy spoke first. “Thank you,” she said sincerely. The words parting Gingy’s tongue, however, were far from kind.

“You were at the door the whole time, and you opened it only now?” he accused, frustration exploding.

“Come on, those doors won’t hold for long.” The man’s voice held no malice, but through it, Gingy realized his mistake. Those zombies would follow their prey, no matter what. If they had the chance, the zombies would simply press against the glass until their weight shattered it. Allowing the two in with the zombies in tow would completely ruin the hideout being unnoticed by those that were once human.

Damn.

“Sorry,” Gingy mumbled as they rushed up the stairs. Looking back, he could see the number of zombies building up against the glass. Damn. Again.

“Why don’t we take the elevator?” He heard Ossy ask curiously. “Most of the building’s power is cut off to save for the future,” the man responded. “Don’t know how long we’ll be here."

A heavy crash. The sound of glass breaking. That many zombies came in such a short amount of time? There was no way they could turn back now.

Dam-

“We’re here,” the man said in that same, flat voice. A giant door which branded the ‘studio room’ was thick and full of locks. Probably to lock in sound, preventing the regular public from getting inside. The man banged twice, paused, and then banged three times more. The door unlocked and a woman opened it up, urging them inside. They ran in with haste, shutting the heavy door behind them and securing it.