“So much for plans,” Ghost reflected.
He handed his shotgun to Amber and started rummaging through his rucksack. She started to reload. The rucksack shifted slightly out of focus as Ghost looked for a reality where he’d decided that that no-one with any sense ever went anywhere without a forty foot length of rope. He found it and pulled the rope out. Fortunately he’d already tied off one end into a lasso – after all it was pretty likely if he needed rope that he’d need to tie it to something.
“Time for running away,” he declared.
Still howling, the zombies started to slowly surge towards them en masse.
Ghost turned towards the back of the shop and started running towards it. Amber handed him his shotgun as they ran. Looking closely at the rusting beams that made up the windows, he levelled it at a particularly worn area and fired twice, gouging a section out of it.
“Take out the window,” he said and looped the end of the rope over the remaining metal section.
Trying not to think about the baying horde behind her, Amber fired her two shots into the glass. Spiderwebs formed through it but it didn't break. They both reloaded. It was a difficult balance to strike. Adrenaline made fine motor control actions like loading a shotgun remarkably difficult. Go too fast and it was impossible. On the other hand they didn't have a great deal of time either.
The zombies reached the end of their aisle. Amber fired again at the window, whilst Ghost discharged his shots into the knees of the closest zombies. They fell forward, but continued clawing and crawling towards them. Fortunately the zombies behind them promptly tripped over them and for a moment there was a large pile of bodies and limbs chaotically thrashing around. Amber swore. The glass still hadn't given way. Ghost handed her the rope.
“You worry too much,” he smiled and tipped up a CD rack placing it at an angle over them, the top leaning against the stubborn window as they crouched down. They heard the crunching sounds of the zombies continued forwards over the two on the floor. Amber could smell the stench as the ones at the front began to attack the rack. However the rest continued to surge forwards pressing them into the rack. There was an ominous sound as the window finally shattered under their combined weight. As the rack collapsed on top of them, Ghost wrapped his free arm around her waist and leapt out of the window.
They arced briefly through the air and stopped momentarily a few feet above the ground. The sudden stop jerked the rope out of Amber's hands and they fell to the pavement.
“Move!” Still holding onto her, Ghost half-helped, half-dragged her to her feet and started running. Behind them the rack fell out of the remains of the window smashing to pieces on the ground, followed by an avalanche of zombies. The first ones were almost instantly killed by the fall, but gradually their corpses started to form a cushion for the ones that followed.
“And now the running Silver mentioned.” He checked she was on her feet and then they were running. They tore down what had once been the High Street, slowing as much as they dared as they passed the Library and then dashed into what they hoped was the safety of the Park.
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