Chapter 24: Chapter twenty-three

Sorry for the update delay, it's been hectic here. Thanks so much for the coments and votes and stuff, you're awesome.This is hopefully a long chapter to make up for it being a couple of weeks since the last update haha. Hope you enjoy. :)

PS.  this will go on for a couple more chapters, just to warn you.

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‘Plan, plan, plan?’ Percy hissed, mortified.

‘Run’ Sam muttered, eyes wide. Taking a second, I glanced over to my brother who looked unsure of anything, clenching his fists tightly - it must have been like waking from a bad dream and being thrown straight into a nightmare for him. When I looked at Keith, he was biting his lip with wide eyes, looking straight ahead. He looked boyish and innocent; he didn’t belong in such a mess, he didn’t deserve it.

‘Where to?’ Lucas asked , shaking the hair out of his eyes which were trained on the infected feet away from us, dragging themselves across the floor.

‘No time!’ I snapped, yanking on the material of the boys clothes and trying to run them forward with me. Unfortunately, there was a screaming pain resonating in my foot so with every step, I had to snap my teeth together to avoid calling out and attracting further infected. I didn’t care for now though and I didn’t let the little dead girl leave my sight as I eyed up the last few metres of space to run through before we were prey to men with guns and to the dead. It was sad that I didn’t even think of the vials of cures just behind me and the idea of trying to do these people some good - we were wrapped up in ourselves right now.

‘Now!’ I yelled, as the crowd of at least a hundred spilled through the doors, snapping their jaws and spitting blood , a few metres behind the girl who was an arms length away from  us. One grab away.

‘Move!’ Sam yelled from behind me and we darted to the right towards the new set of stairs and I pulled the boys behind me, only missing the girl by a millisecond. Darren behind us wasn’t so lucky and when I turned around, that small, innocent person had a hold of him and was trying to sink her teeth into his stomach. I saw him hesitate but with a shout from his friend, he angled the gun, aimed it at her chin and as a shot sounded, blood and gore splattered across the walls and floors.

‘Go!’

We sprinted back up the stairs, hearing the army officers just behind us coming into contact with the infected. Simultaneously, we all seemed to remember the scientists who were with them and not us.

‘Shit’ Keith stopped dead, looking conflicted.

‘Did they try and help me?’ Lucas stopped with him.

‘They tried their hardest’ Keith sighed, looking right at me, ‘You go ahead , I’m gonna catch you up’.

‘There’s no way to save them, man’ Darren frowned as his eyes darted to the empty stairwell then back to Keith. I wasn’t sure what was keeping them, or maybe I knew and I just didn’t want to think about it.

‘Well I’ll soon find out’

‘Oh no you won’t’ I muttered, pushing past the boys straight back down to the bottom of the stairs. Strangely, I wasn’t scared - I expected the infected to be distracted with their new prey but when I dropped to the bottom stair, I pummelled straight into something hard.

‘Bingo’ Bruce muttered as the nozzle of a cold gun was pressed to my temple. I couldn’t protest, he dragged me up the stairs at such speed I couldn’t even process what was happening. Shots fired behind us louder than ever, merged with the screams of wails of dying infected mixed with the cries of dying people who no doubt were being subject to teeth sinking into their necks and flesh being ripped from their bodies.

‘Get off her!’

‘Shut the fuck up and get out of my way!’ He screamed, yanking me up stair by stair. Because I was facing away from him, I was able to see the chilling sight of first the at least ten army officers following us up the stairs, then the two scientists, a few more of the army and then finally several angered, bloodied and terrifying infected roaring and  flailing their arms. We were barely up another stair before a man from the end of the group was yanked backwards and had his arm clean torn off by an infected man. A woman with a severed arm and no eyes then tumbled on top of the man behind him, biting viciously into his face and tearing any skin away as he wailed in total desperation. William was just in front of that man and I gasped as he pushed Santos far ahead of him to safety and struggled away from the teenage infected behind him; a boy who was barely recognisable because of simply how deformed he now was with rotting skin and bloodied flesh. He had been  infected for a long time.

‘Come on!’ Lucas tried to wrestle Bruce away from me as we ran but I yelled that we should just keep going; if we stopped then William would be next. I yelled down to him to hurry, almost sending him off balance - it gave him the boost he needed though because when we all piled to the top of the stairs, united in these moments, we sprinted down the corridor into the only open room.

‘Shut it!’ Bruce dove back towards the door to shut it in the face of the rest of his army and the scientists but was restrained by Keith, Lucas and Percy who pulled him backwards much to his fury. I stood quickly from the floor where I’d been thrown, moving straight towards the entrance when William piled through the opening and slammed it into that brute infected who was chasing him.

‘I can’t close it!’ My hold on the door loosened when I remembered this exact moment back in the bathroom of that hotel - everyone I loved was alive then, even my Skylar.

‘Harley, wake up!’ Percy jabbed me and I shook my head, pushing back all my weight.

‘Someone grab something to shove against the door!’ Keith ordered through clenched teeth. Thankfully, one of the army officers ran to a cabinet and soon, I realised this was mine and Keith’s room.

‘In the bathroom!’ I choked out, ‘Next to the sink there’s a weight, grab it!’

‘Yes ma’am’ Now three of them moved eagerly towards the bathroom and several of the young men had come to help us now that more and more infected were piling up outside. Bruce merely stood and watched and I could see his fingers flicking back and forth to his gun. If we shot him - even if we could - the army men would back off and we’d die. If Bruce shot us, a weight would be lifted from the door and he’d die. It was a catch 22 situation.

‘How on earth do you know that?’ Lucas cracked a strained smile and I was confused until I remembered my comment about the weight in the bathroom. Why weren’t they here yet?

‘It’s our room’ I gasped out.

‘Ours?’

‘Mine and Harley’s’ Keith voice sounded like he was struggling, but held nowhere near as much panic as  mine. No doubt he was taking a bulk of the weight.

‘You’re sharing a room?’ Lucas almost shouted in disbelief, that protective bother voice kicking back into action.

‘Dude, I really don’t think this is the time’ Keith replied and I couldn’t help but laugh, despite the fact my lungs were being strained to their limits already.

‘I won’t forget this’ he growled and I bit my lip and looked towards Keith who had a glint in his eye.

‘I love you, Loo Loo, I missed this’.

‘I bloody didn’t’ he muttered.

There was a heave behind us which took us by surprise, letting the door open enough for a bloody hand to snake through and claw. I had to squeeze my eyes shut and try to breathe evenly, this was all too familiar. It was hard not to panic when I felt myself getting light headed, my body had failed on me and let me black out in these weeks more than it ever had and I felt another one of these moments coming on now. My mind had learned to shut itself off when the bad memories seeped through now and the second that happened, my body shut down too.

‘I think I’m gonna pass out’ I mumbled, already feeling my limbs loosening up and becoming more of a weight.

‘Look at me’ Keith demanded and I did, ‘No you aren’t. We’re here, holding you up’.

‘Are you okay, Harley?’ Percy squeaked out in concern, his body juddering almost comically as he tried to push this door back into its frame.

‘I think I’m fine’ I said, already feeling the world focusing in again. The light headedness faded and was replaced with fresh strength. Right on cue, the three men staggered out with a large white marble sculpture of a block with a male sat precariously on the edge and to my surprise, four other men moved into my eye line with a wardrobe in their arms.

‘Move over on our cue’ A blonde guy said in a quiet voice. I noticed he avoided our eyes

‘Three, two, one… move!’

We all threw ourselves to the side with total trust and fear as the men slammed the wardrobe straight into the door and for a fleeting moment, I wondered if the wardrobe would break straight through the thick wood. Thankfully it held its ground and the infected retracted it’s arm with a wailing growl but when the furniture was lowered, it began to slide across the floor as the door opened.

‘Shit’ Lucas muttered as he ran to push against the wardrobe before we all joined him, ‘We need that statue!’

Instantly, the statue was pushed against the crack of the door and with the wardrobe, it held though through the tiniest gap, the wood kept slamming and chipping into the marble despite my shaking hands leaning over to click the lock.

‘Oh wow, oh wow’ Percy whispered, loud enough for me to hear, ‘Look at me now, mumma. I’m making you proud’.

I smiled, wanting to reach over and pull him into a hug  - I abstained, I thought it might ruin his moment. We had to take our own moment though because everybody but Bruce was stood  in a lopsided circle, panting into the silence, staring into one another’s eyes with grudging respect. They had tried to kill us and we had tried to kill them. We had just saved each others’ lives.

‘I think we all need to talk’ Keith said in a deep, authorative tone and for some reason, tingles spread their way across my arms at this very voice.

‘I think we do too’ Then my brother spoke and very different goose-bumps spread - it took a moment but I launched myself at him, almost tackling him to the ground in an embrace, the first of thousands if I had my way.

‘Steady on’ he laughed and I flashed back to the car as I stepped into the vehicle, saying those exact words to the boys. My little brother - oh how I prayed I’d see him soon. He was fine, I knew it. I felt it.

‘They’re together again’ Percy announced in case nobody understood, much like he would. And finally, the last set of goose-bumps appeared and I smiled into the fabric of Lucas’ clothes - these were goose-bumps for Percy, a person I cared about so deeply, who had turned out so differently to how I’d expected him to. He was my friend, he was a bloody brilliant friend and he understood. Leaning over, I pulled both he and Keith into an embrace and almost let my heart beat into a frenzy at the contact. Keith, who was breathing softly into my neck where he’d kissed me with such passion. Keith, who I didn’t know how he felt, I didn’t know if he would ever feel it. But he was here, he was alive, so were all of these boys.

In the old world, I would be worrying how he felt, I would be worrying if Percy truly liked me or if my brother was irritated that I’d shared a room with another boy. But here? They were alive and I was grateful. That was all that mattered, other than telling the people I loved that I loved them.

That was it.

‘Why are they still alive?’ Bruce broke the spell as he gestured towards us, gun raised into our little huddle. Quickly, Sam and Darren lifted their weapons as we broke apart slowly, suddenly fearful for each others lives again.

‘Raise your weapons, soldiers!’ Bruce snapped.

‘I do believe’ one of the men started, the quiet one, ‘That you were going to shut us outside with the walking dead, sir?’

‘It was these!’ He gestured towards  us with the weapon, ‘They tried to fucking shut the door on you!’

‘No they didn’t’ a slightly older guy spoke up with tired eyes, ‘They actually made sure we got in here safely, sir. Which is more than we did to them’ He turned to us, looking guilty, ‘I have never been so ashamed of myself, firing at such young ones, especially after you just hugged like that… my wife would be destroyed, I’m so sorry…’

‘Just don’t do it again’ Keith said, pulling me into him so I was tucked underneath his arm. I didn’t miss the perplexed expression from my brother.

‘Oh, we won’t’ another man spoke. I feebly wondered where all the women were, knowing already they were probably dead, too slow, not strong enough to keep up with these men. For some reason, the thought angered me - they probably hadn’t been given a fair shot by the likes of Bruce.

‘Yes you fucking will!’ Bruce ordered, shaking with fury, ‘Shoot them before I do!’

‘No’. The quiet boy stood out from the ground, ducked under Bruce’s arm and punched him straight in the stomach till I could practically hear the man deflating. When he fell to the floor, every man in the room apart from our little huddle and the scientists stood next to the door jumped on him, making sure he was pinned to the ground, restrained.

‘Get off you traitorous little shits!’ he bellowed, ‘They’re the enemy you idiots, not me!’

‘Nah, don’t think so’.

‘Wow’ I murmured, watching in awe.

We could only stand and watch for a few minutes and Bruce began to struggle less and less, resigned to the fact he was stuck.

‘Your foot’ Keith stated, pointing to the bed.

‘Sit down, Harley’ Lucas glanced at the door before lightly pushing me onto the bed. My cheeks flamed at the rumpled sheets where Keith and I had lain but thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice. My foot was still throbbing but my leg had actually caused me more pain than this so I wasn’t too fussed.

‘The bullet skimmed the sole of your foot’ Keith said, warmth in his voice. I was genuinely surprised, sure I’d felt a bullet lodged in the skin, ‘Still must have hurt though, Madam Brave’.

‘None other’ I winked, choosing to lean into Lucas’ shoulder where he put his arm round me and kissed my forehead.

‘Oh god, I’m so glad I have you, baby sister’ he whispered and I panicked he’d cry. Hugging him tightly, I noted Keith standing with a smile to us and going off to check that the door was firmly sealed with Percy. I didn’t blame him, I felt horribly exposed with them just one wall away. How exactly would we get out of this? Right now, I didn’t care. We sat for minute after minute, ignoring the bangs, the chaos, just being us again.

It was perfect.

‘As much as I’d like to check you’ve been okay, I think we have a situation’ he raised his eyebrows towards the pile of men who were talking to Bruce and each other in hushed tones. I wanted to believe they were on our side but Bruce was persuasive and without whatever influence we had on them, they could turn on us any second. I has a bullet mark on my foot because of them, my brother seriously needed to be checked out because of them and Keith was shot in the leg because of them. It wasn’t a pattern I was going to ignore.

‘Erm, I hate to be a bother but the door is weakening’ Percy announced and before the words had even left his lips, a crash sounded from the other side of the wood and I practically heard it splintering.

‘Do we have a way out?’ I asked the men who were talking animatedly.

‘We’re low on ammo and  this is one of the few rooms without a balcony - we’re too high to jump’.

‘So we’re screwed?’ a dark haired man piped up.

‘’No’ William spoke for the first time and I felt guilty we’d ignored him, ‘I have a few vials of this cure, we need to get to safety and make sure we can re-create it. We don’t have time to be ’screwed’, as you say’.

‘And what’s your plan for that, scientist guy?’ Bruce hissed. I couldn’t help but smirk when he was hit in the stomach with the back of a gun.

‘Whoops’.

Silence.

‘Well, I don’t have one as such’.

‘Exactly you morons, if you let me go I know this place like the back of my hand. I’ll get us out even though you fuckers don’t deserve it’.

‘I’d rather die’ I spat at him, not breaking eye contact when his gaze scrutinized me completely. He tilted his head as much as was possible while being pinned down and smirked right at me till I got shivers.

‘Don’t’ Lucas spoke calmly to Bruce, noticing his expression. Keith on the other hand was glaring straight at him - Lucas didn’t understand just how awful this man was but with did. If we ever got a spare second, I would fill him in with graphic detail. Maybe. Or not, who knew anymore?

‘Aw, now my gorgeous little nymph has three big old boys protecting her! Oh young man, you missed four eyes protecting Harley here with all of his scrawny might and pretty boy… oh, well he took a bullet for her. Does that rile you up that it wasn’t you protecting her, mate?’

My eyes widened as his smirk lit up his eyes. He was trying to rile up Lucas and after waking from death, I didn’t know how far he would be pushed. Plus, Bruce had seen how desperately I wanted Keith to be okay… in a sense, I didn’t want Lucas to know that because I wasn’t too sure how he’d react. Guilt flooded through my body and Bruce’s words too - when Keith had been shot, I’d been too shocked to consider it was because of me - he’d been trying to protect me, hadn’t he? Oh god, we really needed to talk, we needed to get out of this alive. I wanted Mum, I wanted clarity. Life.

‘Took a bullet for her?’ His voice was calm but I could see the confusion all over his face as he looked between Keith, Percy and I.

‘You’d have done it too’ Keith said quietly from the door to Lucas but he was looking right at me. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

‘But he was dead’ Bruce remained smug, ‘And you see those fucked up sheets you’re sat on? Those two keep us up all night with their noise, crashing and crash-‘

‘Now that one isn’t true’ Keith broke in defensively as I saw Lucas tense up and his teeth clench.

‘Come on pretty boy, if you don’t get on that I will’.

How dare yo-‘

Percy whipped an arm around Keith’s waist before he could move and when Lucas stood angrily from the bed, I took the same role.

‘Do not bother’ I hissed at both of them, ‘He’s not worth it!’

‘Not when you’re dead’ Bruce nodded towards the door which slammed into the wardrobe again, letting out another eerier splintering noise. Percy shook his head frantically and Keith looked around, seeming lost before he looked at me and seemed to come to a realisation. He moved so quickly over to my side of the bed I almost missed his movement and when he dropped down next to me and grabbed onto my hand, I released the breath I didn’t realise he’d been holding. Nobody said a word, we all just stared at the door.

‘Doors here are pretty strong until a whole herd of em’ are smashing up against it like that. Boys, you need me’ he addressed the uniformed officers sat over him  and to my complete dismay and surprise, I saw a couple of them with doubt upon their face.

‘He was going to kill you’ I told them bluntly.

‘We know’ The  quiet one said sternly, staring between the men, ‘We’re right here with you’.

‘Don’t trust them’ Keith murmured to Lucas and I.

‘I don’t’ my brother muttered back.

‘Oh, Christ!’ Percy leapt away from the door as it let out another cracking sound and this time, a large crack appeared in the centre of the wood which sobered us all up instantly.

‘I’ll grab more’ Keith jumped up and moved straight towards our bedside cabinet, lifting it with ease and shoving it against the wardrobe. Percy struggled to pull along the second cabinet till Lucas stood unsteadily to help him.

‘Harley, help me carry this?’ Keith called to me and I did, helping him pull a large plant vase to the door after we yanked out the bonsai tree from the dead soil. It’d been left for so long - that was a thought I hadn’t considered. So many crops would be dead by now, not just the lives of people but their livelihoods too. It was such a heart-wrenching thought.

‘I think it’s time to go Lucas called over to us and as I really looked, I could see the colour moving slowly back into his face. There was hope, wasn’t there? Hadn’t I thought I was infected only days ago? It was just hard to see the hope clearly when this cloud of darkness kept raining on us all the time. If our parents were here… and that pang of awful pain again as the walls which were supressing my feeling loosened up a bit and I felt a fraction of the pain I’d feel if I let myself think too long, if I let myself dwell.

Joel was fine. My parents were freed from this nightmare. They didn’t have to see their son die. Skylar… what was my consolation for that? Oh god my best friend…

‘Harley?’ Lucas was at my side again. My lip quivered as I stared into his eyes and his face softened instantly as he wrapped his arms round him and I smelt home on him, even though he was still in blood stained, days old clothes.

‘Is everything alright?’ I heard Keith ask my brother in a whisper and I gripped harder onto Lucas, feeling guilty for wanting Keith’s arms around me too when I had only just gotten my brother back. I was still getting used to the idea - I was still euphoric that he was here in my arms, that he was breathing and talking and he could make jokes and maybe we could leave this together, that he’d see Joel again…

‘Overwhelmed, I think’ I heard him reply quietly, ‘We all are. Are you alright, man? I never got to ask’ I heard him laugh quietly and smiled into his t-shirt.

‘I’m… fine, actually. Got myself shot but that’s an everyday occurrence now. How are you feeling, you need anything? I can’t believe you’re here’ I heard the boys laugh again and then Lucas spoke.

‘Keith…. Thanks, for looking after Harley when I was gone. You too Percy. I can’t believe you took a bullet for her, man… I just…’

‘She’d have done the same for me’ Keith replied in a somewhat disapproving manner.

‘I was afraid of that’ Lucas’ voice only held a hint of humour.

‘I’d take a bullet for any of you’ I heard Percy cut in and in reaction, my lip quivered again as my face crumpled.

‘I’d do it for you guys, too. I don’t know what you did for me when I was… out … but you’re still here. Harley’s my baby sister and I’ll protect her till this world falls but my god, I’d do it for you two too. Thank you so much for keeping me a sister to wake up to. And keeping yourselves alive too’ he jested at the end but his voice was deepening and that only happened when he was about to cry. I gripped tighter onto him, aware letting him go could mean letting him go forever. I wasn’t ready for whatever was coming.

Time waited for no person though, time didn’t respect us, it didn’t respect our feelings or our circumstances. Why should it? We’re just people and look what people have done to people. We’d ruined each other. The death toll, it would be horrific - would this be considered to be another ‘plague’? Would it be forgotten in a year’s time? What if we died and we were forgotten?

‘Come on morons!’ Bruce cruelly cut through my internal monologue with his brittle voice, ‘I don’t care if you fuckers get your heads bitten off but I’m going!’ His struggling was futile, the men he’d probably trained were too strong to be fazed by his escape attempts. It was almost laughable.

‘Does uh…’ I pulled away from Lucas as he spoke, his face scrunched up in thought, ‘Does this room have any kind of fire escape?’

‘No!’ Bruce twisted impatiently, ‘For fuck sake, no fire escape, no little ladder, no balcony, you picked the shittiest room in the place! We need gun power, blast those freaks into next year!’

‘We don’t have nearly enough bullets to survive’ Darren said bluntly, ‘they’d flood us before we could pull the trigger anyhow’.

‘Stealth’ now Sam spoke, pacing, ‘Stealth is our only option. There’s a helicopter on the roof but it’ll never fit all of us - it was supposed to be for him’ he glared towards Bruce with a clenched jaw, ‘And his buddies but it’s ours now’.

I nodded, ignoring the fact that probably, nobody could fly, ignoring the fact that almost definitely we were hidden inside of four walls which were sure to crumble before we were saved or saved ourselves.

‘Hotel room’ Lucas blurted out and I stared at him, my stomach dropping. His eyes were wide and he was sweating profusely.

‘What?’ I asked him.

‘Hotel room!’ He said loudly again as he gestured to the ceiling. I panicked; Lucas wasn’t like this. He didn’t just shout random things, they’d hit his brain in the wrong place, they’d done dama-

‘Dude, what?’

‘This is a hotel room. They need to keep it hydrated, keep it fresh…’ he waited for us to catch on. I was just hoping he wasn’t losing his mind.

‘Are you okay?’ Percy looked like a deer caught in the headlights as he reached to feel Lucas’ head.

‘I’m fine! Jesus, the vents! This place must have a ventilation system, probably in the bathroom somewhere. A few of us at a time could shimmy through, see if we could somehow get up to the next floor’.

I breathed easy for a second, firstly because he was speaking rationally and then at the realisation what he said made perfect sense.

‘The weight of a human versus the weight of the shaft could be a problem’ Percy pushed his glasses up his nose, much like he always did when he reeled off pure intelligence and sense, ‘If the limit weight is reached, we’ll have an approximate of about two seconds to save ourselves before we crash through the material. Below us would be the monsters’.

‘Quite right’ William nodded approvingly towards Percy, ‘We’d need to find out what type of vents there are, if any. But it’s our best chance - Percy, do you have a job?’

‘Um, no, I-‘

‘Maybe if we get out of here together, you’d be interested in looking at an apprenticeship in our lab? We aren’t just based in London, we have labs all around the glob-‘

‘Yes!’ Percy cried in awe, ‘Of course! Oh god, my Mum will be so pleas-‘ he stopped dead, his face dropping, ‘She… would have been so pleased. I’d like nothing more, sir. Scientist, sir. William… sir!’

‘Nice one’ Keith grinned towards Percy as Lucas slapped him on the back. I wanted a second before pulling him into a tight embrace which he froze at before returning with vigour.

‘I’m checking out the bathroom’ One of the guys said as he moved into the small room with a couple of his friends. I didn’t take note. I wasn’t sure why.

‘Vent up here, just about big enough!’ He yelled in to us after a few seconds of silence.

‘Nothing’s ever that simple’ Keith sighed as he walked into the bathroom, still with the tiniest hint of a limp.

‘Tell me about it’ Lucas pulled me into him with a sigh, ruffling my hair into even more of a mess than it already was.

‘Lucas!’ I batted him away but I laughed all the while. I’d never complain about him anymore, none of the ‘stupid big brother’ jibes would ever leave my lips again. We had each other.

‘Um… This isn’t good, is it?’ Percy asked nervously, gesturing towards the wardrobe which was inching across the floor just the tiniest bit. When I raised my eyes, I saw the door clicking and clicking, the wood threatening to break any minute. The lock obviously hadn’t worked because now the only things separating us from them were a wardrobe and a small statue.

‘Keith!’ I called out of instinct, pure relief taking over when he ran straight into the room.

‘Sunshine?’

‘They’re getting in’ I told him quietly, staring into his eyes. I didn’t blink and neither did he. I felt like he was protecting me, just standing there. I wanted him near me, I wanted to be wrapped up in his arms, those strong arms which would just for a second, shield us from this horrible, horrible nightmare, the kisses which would make us forget. I wanted it, I wanted it right now and when I stared a little deeper, I wondered if he did too.

‘Oh, screw it’ he muttered suddenly before he strode the last two steps towards me, gathering me in his arms and kissing me with more force and passion than I thought was possible in the middle of a room full of people, namely my brother and a man who wanted us all dead. His lips were firm but mine didn’t resist. I knew everybody was there, I knew they were all watching but I was in my own world and they were blocked out as he pulled me tightly towards him and held me only tighter when my arms wound round his neck. I had to stagger back a couple of steps to keep myself upright but he was right there with me, lips in synch with mine, need, fury and passion in the grip of his fingers, the press of his arms against my body and the pull of him against me.

We didn’t stop. Only when I heard the breathing of someone behind me who wasn’t myself or Keith did I seem to remember where we were, did I seem to remember we were in immense danger and now in immense trouble.

I didn’t regret it.

We pulled apart, both clearly trying to slow our breathing. My eyes never left his and as the tiniest smile formed on his lips, I felt a little bit less lost. I couldn’t bear to turn and look at the people around us but I took a breath and turned my gaze towards my brother. He said nothing, just stood staring at us with a clenched jaw and distanced eyes. I’d seen that look before.

‘Get a room! Oh wait, you’re in it and if you don't let me go, you'll die!’ Bruce guffawed at his own nonsensical joke which seemed to drag everyone out of their shock.

‘You uh…’ Percy glanced between us and Lucas, grimacing as he did, ‘Well I never, Keith, you played that role perfectly! See, Lucas, Keith has been rehearsing for this play he wants to…’

‘Percy’ Keith held his hand up with a quiet laugh, ‘Stop, it’s fine’.

‘Fine?’ Lucas raised his head and his piercing eyes met Keith’s confident ones, ‘It’s fine, is it?’

‘That’s not what I meant’ he shook his head, ‘And I’m sorry but I can’t roll along pretending like this is nothing anymore’.

‘What is?’ I asked him, fearful and excited for the answer. He just looked at me with a genuine smile, holding my hand in his.

‘I know you have a sister to protect and I completely understand that, I would have done anything for mine. But now, I have a Harley to protect and I’ll fight for her just as much as you will, Lucas, I’ll fight till my dying breath and I fucking promise that’.

‘You think you will bu-‘

‘No, I know I will. Lucas, she is fucking incredible. If I had a pound for every time this girl has kept me strong, for every time she’s made me smile and every time she’s kept me going, I’d be rich enough to but my own bloody helicopter out of here, alright? I’m not hiding anymore, I respect you so much man, you’ve been the best friend I’ve had in this, you and Percy…’

‘What do you want with her?’ Lucas asked, his jaw now unclenched. I simply stood and watched all of this unfold in awe, ignoring the chips on the door and Bruce’s snide glare. My brother’s stance was almost scary, there was a silent fury in his eyes and it was all directed towards Keith though now the fury had resided and had seemed to morph into plain confusion. I was in that same place, Keith’s words hit a place in me I didn’t know I had and I had to keep reminding myself this wonderful boy was talking about me, he cared, maybe as much as I did. He was stood here defending whatever we were against my brother, threatening one of only few friendships to show he cared.

‘What do I want with her?’

‘That’s what I asked’.

‘All I know is that right now we’re alive and I want to be alive with her. If we’re alive tomorrow, I want to be alive with her. If we’re living in a week’s time, I want to be living with her. A year, I want to be alive with her. Okay?’ He turned to me, ‘You. .. I just…’

‘Don’t get excited love, he’s blatantly gay’.

‘Fuck you’ I hissed with more anger than I knew I had in me, turning back to Keith.

‘Harley!’ Lucas snapped at me before looking at the boy next to me again,  ‘You have a goddamn crush on her!’

‘You’re so wrong’ he retaliated, ‘So, so wrong. Did you hear any of what I said?’ he was getting angrier now, his voice rising, ‘I’m alive for Harley, my family and friends are all dead and I only have you guys left! Do you think I’d fight like this just for nothing? No! I love her, Lucas you blind idiot, I fucking love her!’

I felt my eyes widen then I felt my heart stop. I saw a smug smile on Percy’s face and then I saw the expression on Lucas’ drop. Everything stopped just for a second till I started breathing again and the boy I loved turned to me. The boy who loved me turned to me.

‘I love you and I know my timing is horrible and you don’t want anything out of this which I ge-‘

A splintering crash cut through what Keith was saying and the world stopped once again as the door spun off its hinges and slammed to the ground.

‘Oh god, go, go!’ Lucas tried to shove us all in the direction of the bathroom as the groans and screeches became all too real again, tripping over our own feet as I held onto the arms of all three boys, trying to tug them into the bathroom. We needed all of us alive, we were nothing without each other now. I was nothing without Keith and this was the worst possible time because my stomach was doing somersaults, my heart was still in my mouth. And we could die right here and right now.

‘Get in!’ Keith moved back to shove William and Santos into the room, almost being pulled into the arms of the infected himself who were now swarming the living area. Yanking Keith into the small and incredibly cramped room, we all saw the army officers making a desperate dash to where we were but Bruce kept grabbing men and with his brute strength, throwing them into the arms of the dead to save himself. Darren and Sam made it into the room when Keith and Lucas both leaned out to pull them in despite my protests and they were closely followed by about five more officers, none of whom I particularly recognised other than the quiet man. All the others were being eaten, having their flesh ripped and torn, being completely disfigured. They’d never see their families again.

‘Come on!’ I called helplessly towards a young, dark haired man who was fighting Bruce to be the last man standing. They both had a few more steps towards the bathroom and in a second of conflict, I wondered if we would really prevent Bruce from living, if we would be the reason he died. I’d wanted him dead at my own hands but now I actually had the perfect chance, it didn’t feel right at all. My choice was stolen from me though because Bruce slammed his fist into the man’s head and if the blow didn’t kill him, then the infected who were now tearing at his body would. With little grace or poise, Bruce thundered into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him, wincing with the strain of keeping it closed. With furious eyes, the boys moved to help him and I counted fourteen of us in the tiny room.

‘The vent!’ Darren pointed upwards as he moved to yank the plastic from its confinements, ‘Shit, this isn’t as easy as it says in the movies, I need something sharp!’

‘They’re getting in, idiot!’ Bruce’s yell echoed around the room and just like that, I regretted not killing him when I had the chance.

‘Pull!’ It all happened at once; the vent being pulled open and the plastic clattering to the ground, the triumphant shout of several of us at once, the cries being let out at the strain of holding the door closed and the helpless yells from the other side.

‘Harley, you first’ A bead of sweat trickled down Keith’s face as he nodded towards the vent.

‘No, come on!’

‘Harley, he’s right’ Lucas clenched his teeth, ‘We’re right behind you, just go! Give her a lift!’

‘I’m helping!’ I yelled angrily, panting as I slammed my weight against the door, ‘The scientists need to get out, go!’

‘You’re so bloody difficult’ Keith muttered, a smirk turning up the corners of his mouth.

‘As are you’.

‘Push!’

We watched as William was hoisted upwards and the vent stood firm, a much stronger material than we’d anticipated. We still watched as Santos followed, helping pull up the men from the army and then hoisting up Sam.

‘How the hell do we get you up here?’ he called from above us, moving to come back down again.

‘Don’t come down! I called, ‘We’ll figure it out!’

‘Princess, I’ve got the door, make a dash for it!’ Bruce called to me, almost giving me heart failure.

‘Wha-‘

‘Go!’ They all called in unison and even though I had the mightiest feeling of dread in my stomach, I made a dash for the vent.

‘Sorry babe, no can do’

I was right because the second I tried, Bruce leaned out and caught me in his sweating arms so I couldn’t move. When the boys made a lunge for me, all three of them, the door gave and they were forced to back against it again though without the weight of Bruce, they were struggling.

‘What the hell?’ Lucas belted out, ‘Get your hands off her!’

‘Bruce, I will kill you’ Keith’s voice was calm and ever but his expression meant he wasn’t messing around and I didn’t doubt that given the opportunity, he would do exactly that.

‘Whatever, princess and I are going up that vent, your only job is to hold that door’.

‘No way are you getting out of here aliv-‘

‘If I don’t, I’ll pull open that door, and you know I can, this one will be freak food, got it?

‘You awful man’ Percy shook his head angrily, ‘You leave Harley alone, what do you have against her?’

He snorted with laughter.

‘Nothing, she’s my favourite! But if you boys don’t do exactly as I say, she’s toast. And Keith, I remember what happened the last time we were in this situation mate. This time I won’t shoot you, I’ll kill your fucking girl, alright?’

Bruce would do anything to live. Anything.

I found myself being pulled backwards and I fought as hard as I could with no avail. William and Santos were shouting their protests but none of this hurt Bruce.

‘Please, they’ve done nothing wrong’ I told him, ‘We had the perfect opportunity to make sure you died earlier, but we didn’t’

‘Bet you regret that now, eh?’

‘Get off!’

‘Alright boys, you have three things to do-‘

‘I’m not letting him do this’ I told them in all confidence, noting the fear on Percy’s face and the hatred on my brother’s and Keith’s.

‘Just get yourself safe’ Keith nodded to me, his voice cracking. That was what scared me the most - he was scared. He’d just totally poured his heart out to me, made me feel something that seemed impossible and now what? Why hadn’t I expected this, it was a regular occurrence now - you love and then you regret loving because they’ll disappear.

No, not them. Stay strong.

I didn’t even know the extent to which I cared until he told me he loved me.

He loved me. He fucking loved me.

‘What are your rules?’ Lucas asked quietly.

‘Three things, dead boy. Now, you’re the one I really give a shit about but I’m holding Harley because pretty boy is in love with her, y’know? Don’t take it the wrong way’.

‘Go on’.

‘While I’m holding the girl, I want you to step forward and get up that vent, cool? Count yourself lucky that you’re going up there before me. Right after that, I’m going up, you follow? Then for your troubles, I’ll lift the girl up with me. Hey kid, maybe she’ll fall in love with me’ he let out a throaty laugh which bounced off the walls and seemed to crash into my ears. Percy let out a quiet whimper while Keith didn’t take his eyes off me. He seemed… sad. Beyond sad but he was holding it together, I could see. I wasn’t holding it together, I screamed and demanded to be let go, I sobbed into the open air and made as many bargains with him as I could. He didn’t listen. I begged Keith to ignore him but he just shook his head with a small smile on his face.

‘I meant what I said, Harley. Look after her Lucas, yeah?’

‘Keith, man… Percy…’ he trailed off, looking angry again, ‘This isn’t happening!’

‘You want the girl to die?’

‘No!’

‘Then do as I say’.

And like a puppet, I let him hold onto me and call the shots.