9 Act: 2 Part: 5

Jay pushes through the door, David right on his heels. "Oh come on, more stairs?" David runs past him, taking no time to hesitate, Jay sighs and follows right behind him. David hears the women's footsteps going up the steps, echoing downward. While David catches sight of her, he sees the woman run into a room, slamming the door shut behind herself. Jay catches up behind David motioning for him to go on the other side with it. David moves into position while Jay pulls out his pistol. He then steps infront of the door and kicks at the handle until it breaks, he then throws all of his weight against the door. It bursts open and both rush in, a gun goes off and Jay goes to the ground, David sees where it came from. The woman is laying down aiming her rifle at the door, she hurries to get up to un-holster her pistol, but David quickly tackles her, wrestling her to the ground. He presses his boot against her chest and aim his pistol at her. "Leave my mommy alone!" David immediately freezes, he turns to the corner of the room to see a makeshift tent made up of blankets and bed spreads, a young girl pokes her head out, a latern in her hands.

David looks back at the woman, he raises his pistol, showing he means no harm and slowly backs away. He sees Jay slumped against the wall where they came in, bandaging where the bullet had gone through his arm, he notices David walking up, "It looks bad but the bullet went straight through. I'll be fine." He groans as David helps him up. When they look over at the woman, her daughter runs to her arms, embracing her. The mother holds her daughter tight, looking over to David and Jay, "Listen, I'm sorry for hurting you and attacking your friend, but please leave us alone. I'm just trying to keep her fed and safe..." David slowly walks up and kneels to her, "Hey don't sweat it, you're just trying to survive, my name is David, and that's Jay, what's yours?"

The woman hesitates at first, "My name is Sanya, and this is Ana." David holds his hand out, "It's nice to meet you, I know it's kinda out of nowhere, but if you want, you could always come with us, we have a bigger group, and we can always use an extra hand." Sanya thinks on it, "I'm sorry, but I can't, it's safer how it is now, and protecting her is the most important thing for is right now." David doesn't hide his disappointment, "I understand, it would have been nice to have both along." David makes sure neither him or Jay had lost anything in the altercation, and then head for the door. But before they leave David stops, "Before we go can we ask you a favor?"

They all climb the steps to the roof top, once they reach the flat top of the building, Sanya looks through the scope of her rifle she looks towards the area where she fired her gun into the air. It doesn't take long until she stops, "Found them, they're on the roof of the building beside where we ran from the alley." She hands David the rifle and he takes a look. He sees Ryan laying against the ledge and Ben pacing back and forth deep in thought, under them, alot of zombies are moving through the streets attracted by the noise. "Damnit, it's gonna take some work, but we can definelty get past them."

David thanks Sanya for her help, but before they can leave, she stops them. "So wait, where are you and your group going exactly?" David smacks his forehead, "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention..." David explains their plans, leaving nothing out of the loop. Sanya almost bursts, "Why didn't you say so!? Of course I'll come! You should have told me sooner that you were basically escorting the savior of humanity." David smiles and extended his hand, "Well all in all, we'd be happy to have you!" She happily takes it, "I'll have a lot to pack up, so after you help out your friends, come back back and pick us up." They both nod and hurry to the stairwell.

They make it to the bottom floor, then head out the building, slowly making it down the street, trying to keep as much attention away from themselves as possible. The building isn't to far off, but it takes time considering how much they try and stay away from the undead. They eventually make it to the outside of the building only to be stopped by the wall of zombies walking around. They start brainstorming ideas to get through, none of them really working out. Before they can choose one, a zombie walks infront of the cover they're behind, it staggers toward them before the side of his head explodes. It slumps over before it happens to another, then another, then another. It's not long before a small path is cleared for them. They both look to where the shots are coming from, a shining light reflects from the building they were at before. It's Sanya, giving them support, the both nod in her direction and make a break for the path that was cut for them, weaving through the undead until they're in the building.

Together they slowly make it through the small building, checking corners and rooms, making sure nothing will surprise them until they reach the stairwell. Following it, they make it to the top, seeing that the door it locked, they unlock it and head through. Ben readys his pistol but upon noticing it's them, lowers it, David looks happily to Ben, but then noticed the horrified look on his face. He then looks to Ryan and see the blood leaking from the bite mark in his leg, he falls to his knees. All that they've gone though, all that they've fought for, and this is what kills him? A bite from a brainless walking corpse? David quickly turns to Jay, "We can cut it off right? We can cut it, bandage it up, hurry him home, and we'll cauterize it! It'll hurt like Hell but we can do it right, I mean who needs legs anyway?" David stares at Jay, but he doesn't move, grimace overtaking his face. "No David, we're to late, the infection has gone to far up his leg, and from that wound, even if we did it it off, he'd bleed out before we even get him off of this roof..." David rushes towards Jay grabbing his collar, "There's gotta be something! He's having a kid Jay!" He can't miss that, it's not right!" Jay doesn't retaliate. David let's him go and trudges over to Ryan, his breathing is difficult and raspy, his skin color turning pale, sweat drippijg from his forehead. David puts a hand against his head, it's cold. "David...I need you to do something for me..." David looks into his eyes and nods. "Anything..." Ryan looks towards the sky, "I want you to take care of Lily and the baby for me...I want you to lead the group..." David's eyes widen, "...Don't get panties all in a wad...I trust you to take care of everyone...You've noticed things in the group that I haven't...You can take care of this..." Ryan starts to slowly go unconscious, but David shakes him, "Not yet you son of a bitch, how do you want to go?" Ryan shakingly reaches his hand onto his holster, he pulls his pistol from it and unloads the clip, inside is 3 bullets. He takes 2 out, gives them to David, and loads the clip back into the pistol. He pulls David close, "Give me a good funeral..." David nods and tells Ben and Jay to go down stairs. They go and David walks towards the edge of the building, looking towards the city's beautiful garden.

*POW*

The sound makes David jump, he turns back and sees a small hole in Ryan's head, the pistol still smoking. "Atleast he went out how he wanted to..." David moves towards Ryan's body and picks him up, carrying him bridal style. He makes it to the bottom floor, Jay and Ben are found waiting there, slowly letting the undead through and killing them one-by-one, releasing all their rage into the undead, adrenaline pumping in their veins as that stab and move, stab and move...

With Ben and Jay cutting a path right through the undead, David continues to carry his fallen comrade, carrying him through the awful smell of the undeads corpses. They eventually cut their way through most of the crowd, Ben then starts helping David carry Ryan's body to Sanya's hideout. Once inside they find her and explain what happened, she offers then some blankets to help carry him in, and to hide this face. They accept, wrapping him delicately in the cloth, not wanting to harm their friends body anymore. Sanya and Ana are packed and ready, everyone then begins piling out of the building and heads home.

Considering they're carrying supplies, stuff for a baby, and Ryan, it takes time for everyone to get home. They enter the makeshift camp, everyone excited to see what they had brought home, only to be quickly hushed. Lily is the last to make it over, shoving her way through to find David, Jay, Ben, and two strangers standing there, holding a cloth wrapped body, she goes to the ground, sobbing. David moves to her and brings her into an embrace, trying to help ease her pain. Jay notices all of this bothering Ana, "Hey you wanna see the stream that's close by? There's a bunch of fish in it." A smile returns to her face as Jay leads her away from the stress before them. Lily, still sobbing, turns to David, she whispers in his ear, "Tell me what happened..." David related to her of how they got there, finding the supplies, then going to the babies store, but when he mentions the alleyway and Sanya, she stops shaking. She pulls from his embrace, "Her...?" David looks to see Sonya, she stands there watching Jay show Ana the fish in the stream. "Yeah but she-" Before he can finish his sentence, Lily pulls the pistol from the holster on David's chest and fires. Everyone is stunned, the whole area is completely silent. The only sounds are of Sonya slumping over onto the ground.