Free When The Dead Came 2 by Ariana Torralba Page B

responded.
    “Hello?”
    “We
need help, please,” a man on the other end begged,”
they’re after us.”
    “Where
are you,” Avery asked. Trevor stood at the nearest table,
listening.
    “We’re,”
the phone began to cut out, static interfering with the conversation.
She could no longer make out what he was saying to her, all she could
hear now were screams on the other end, the screams cutting out as
well.
    “What
are you doing?” She looked to her left, Jeff took the phone
from her and set it back down.
    “There
was someone on the other end.”
    “I
doubt that,” he said,” this city lost electric a few days
after the zombies came here.” She looked back at the phone and
began to feel like she was losing her mind more each day.
    “I
told you it’s likely nothing,” Trevor said to her and
they were joined with Alex and Nick.
    “Let’s
go,” Jeff ordered and they left the building. Avery curious why
Trevor had told her it’s likely nothing in the first place if
Jeff hadn’t heard the ringing. The group continued walking down
the streets, in search of supplies.
    Charles
led his group down a trashed alley,” here,” he gestured
at Holly and Keith,” my people are going in the search this
building.”
    “What
about us then,” Keith asked him. Charles gestured around,
lighting a cigarette.
    “Dig
through the garbage for anything useful.” Holly dropped her
arms down to her sides in fustration while Keith scratched the back
of his neck, staring at the dumpster across from them.
    “I
don't feel good though,” Holly whined to Keith.
    “Well
then maybe you shouldn't have drank all that beer last night,”
he told her and climbed inside the dumpster, Holly huffing before
joining him in the foul smelling trash that hasn't been emptied for
over a couple months. Charles sat on a few crates, making himself
comfortable to enjoy a smoke break, keeping an eye out for zombies
and an eye on the two teens. Keith threw out old card board boxes,
damaged from likely rain. The day before he, Holly, and Jenny had
come to Cleveland, they had been rained upon through the night.
    Holly
dug around, the smell reaching her and making her stomach turn even
more. She moved aside some bags and found herself peering in a torn
open bag of molded food. It looked to have been half a burger before
it was thrown out; and now there was maggots all over the meat, the
buns a disgusting green color and the cheese smelled horribly.
Finally not able to stand it, Holly felt the vomit coming and she
threw up on the burger. Keith stopped digging.
    “Seriously,
Holly,” he said and jumped out of the dumpster. She spit out
the bits and dry heaved a few times before finally climbing out as
well, leaning against the wall.
    “At
least it was in the dumpster,” she breathed, wanting to get the
taste of the alcohol from last night out of her mouth. Will, Lucinda,
and Drew came out and looked over at them and Charles, who was still
sitting there smoking, silently chuckling to himself at Holly's
vomiting moment.
    “There's
nothing in there worth taking,” Will said to Charles,”
just a few home decorating magazines if you want to do some interior
decorating of the tunnels.” Drew and Lucinda looked over at the
dry heaving and spitting Holly, leaning over. Lucinda gestured.
    “What's
up with her?”
    “She's
just hanging over,” Charles said, putting out the cigarette and
standing up,” threw up in the dumpster a moment ago. Let's go.”
They began leaving the alley, Will and Charles checking out in the
streets first. Drew dug in his bag and handed Holly a bottle of
water.]
    “Rinse
your mouth out,” he told her and they walked on. Holly opened
the bottle immediately and poured water in her mouth, waterfalling it
then swished around before spitting it out. They walked along the
street, their vehicle two blocks down the street.
    “Why
didn't we take the truck down here instead of leaving it parked way
down the street,” Keith asked