Free Die Dead Enough by William Kenney Page A

brother's nostrils. The creatures screamed, their voices echoing eerily as they reached out for them. Those ahead of them grew more insane seeing Conor and Aiden rushing in their direction. Just before the zombies could take them in the clutches, Aiden veered to his right, leaping into the elevator shaft, wrapping his hands around the thick cable that ran up its center.
    His legs swung out wildly, nearly striking the other side as he struggled to retain his grip, his hands burning as he slid. Then Conor was in the air, reaching out for a higher spot on the cable, doing his best to avoid his brother, but nearly causing Aiden to lose his grip and plummet the fifty or so feet that stood between them and the bottom of the shaft.
    "Hang on!" Conor called out, struggling to pull himself higher, while avoiding striking Aiden with his feet. Zombies abruptly appeared next to them, reaching out, trying to grab the brothers, several tumbling awkwardly forward and falling into the elevator shaft to hit the ground with a thud seconds later.
    Conor managed to pull himself up a few feet above Aiden, his arms now burning from the effort, palms of his hands on fire from the cable.
    "They can't reach us," Conor said, breathing heavy. "Use your legs. Squeeze and hang on."
    "Yeah, but for how long?" Aiden asked as more monsters fell, striking the cable, shaking them with its vibration. "Shit!"
    Miraculously Conor still had the canvas bag over his shoulder, but now its added weight was a problem. He would not drop it unless he absolutely had to do so. Who know how soon they would find edible food again?
    Far below, zombies that had fallen were now attempting to climb the cable, broken nails scraping the metal as they slid back to the floor.
    The faces of those in the doorway were only feet away, horrific yellowed eyes, rotten flesh, many crawling with maggots and the stench - enough to turn your stomach. Their arms swung out desperately for living meat, too close for comfort.
    It was almost impossible to believe that they had once been people, with jobs and families, their actions now those of bloodthirsty animals.
    Aiden's hands slipped and he slid down the cable a few inches.
    "Dammit," he said, gripping tighter with his legs, which were now weakening and beginning to shake. "What's the plan?"
    "Wish I had one," Conor replied, staring up into the darkness. "Can't go down, that's for sure. Can't climb up thirty-something stories on this cable either."
    "That's what I thought," Aiden said with a chuckle. "When our arms and legs give out... we are fucked."
    "Seems like it."
    Suddenly a high-pitched scream, that of a young girl, reached them, coming from the hallway beyond the zombies who all turned to investigate.
    Mina? Trish? Could they have made it?
    Another scream and the creatures began to leave the elevator door in pursuit of its owner. The brothers could hear rapid footsteps racing away down the hallway and the petrified shouts fade into the distance. Soon the elevator doorway was empty save for the skeletons that now hung partially inside the open shaft.
    "Now's our chance," Conor said, pulling himself up a little higher on the cable. "I'm gonna jump."
    "Shit. Be careful," Aiden said, holding on tighter as the cable shook.
    Conor climbed another five or so feet and judged the distance with his eyes. How far was it? Ten feet?
    I can easily make that.
    "Here we go..." he said to himself as he gathered his courage. If he fell, the zombies would have him. There would be no escape.
    He took a few deep breaths, stretched his neck and leapt out for the ledge, arms and fingers reaching, teeth grinding as he fell. The canvas bag seemed to drag him down and he did not think he would make it. He hit the ledge hard with his chest, scrambling, his fingers scraping the carpet, his legs kicking desperately.
    "Grab the door, Conor!" Aiden called out. "Grab the door!"
    Conor swung his right arm out, fingers gripping the elevator door just as he lost his