Jacqueline Druga - Immune

“Help!” Grace yelled. “Someone help me.” She diligently tried to pull her daughter up.

“Mommy!”

“I have you!” Grace kept her eyes on Candice, assuring her daughter with a look that all would be fine.

Max saw it all. The scaffolding shaking, the support bar breaking, and Candice falling from the edge. Grace was holding on with inhuman strength, a mother’s love the only way it was possible.

Heart racing and a dire sickening feeling in his gut, Max climbed the side of the scaffolding. Only one railing was gone, that was on the level where Grace stood clutching the bar above her.

He begged in his mind for the scaffolding to hold and for Grace to not let go. Finally, he made it to the side, and Candice was within his reach, her life quite literally suspended above the throngs of infected. He couldn’t jump down, and climbing up with her would be almost as dangerous. He had to get her.

The bleachers weren’t far, it was his only hope. One good, nearly impossible leap, and he could make it. Reaching out, he gripped the waist of Candice’s jeans, then peered up to Grace. She returned a grateful look, relieved when she made eye contact with Max.

They had her, they both had her… until a taller infected reached up and grabbed onto Candice’s foot.

She screamed loudly, and Max, one foot on a bar, the other holding on, inched over to her, pulled Candice into his arms, and with everything he had he jumped for the bleachers.

They slammed down hard on the third bench, surely dislocating his shoulder. It still was not quite far enough, and Max had to scurry with Candice to climb a few more feet to safety.

“You okay? Are you hurt? Bit?”

Candice shook her head wildly, her arms gripping on to Max.

When he looked to Grace again, she was crying. “I have her. Meet you at the top!” he shouted.

“Thank you!”

With Candice in his arms, Max climbed the bleachers. Once he reached the top, he could make his way to the top scaffold ledge and the short ladder through the roof hatch. The closer he drew, he saw the set of arms reaching down helping people. It had to be Eugene. No sooner had Max arrived on the top bleachers then, with a creak and multitude of screams, the scaffolding toppled over, throwing everyone on it into the pit of infected.

Candice screamed. Horrified, Max looked to the masses. Where was she? Where was Grace?

“Max!” Eugene yelled and leaned down thought he hatch. “Give me the girl!”

He would have to lift Candice to Eugene’s hands, there was no more ladder. After getting as close to Eugene’s extended arms as he could, Max raised Candice.

Eugene gripped on to her arms, and Max hoisted her up.

“Mommy!” Candice cried.

Once Candice was safely on the roof, Max looked down below.

The screams of the suffering were unbearable. Geysers of blood shot up, fountains here and there.

Yet, he still didn’t see Grace. Many of the infected merged like ants into a few spots and Max knew why. They were fighting over their conquests.

Was it luck? Fate? Briefly, Max saw Grace. She bounced around like a ping pong ball. She didn’t look like she was moving on her own. That glimpse was enough and Max raced down the bleachers and dove into the swarming mass of infected.

He punched them, pulled them, threw them; Max gave his all, then at last he saw her on the ground. Using his uninjured arm he burrowed into the masses and clutched Grace. He lifted her up and pulled her to him. Her legs didn’t move and her head was slumped forward. Bracing her back to his chest, he pushed through to the bleachers.

He made it two rows up and he had to stop. He sat down and brought Grace against his lap. Her head was bleeding, her face was bruised, and what shallow breaths she did take were wheezing.

“Grace, hold on. I’ll get you out of here.”

Her eye lids fluttered and she seeped a pain and tear-filled moan. “Candice.”

“She’s fine. She’s safe.” Max placed his hand on her face.

“Don’t leave her. Please. Take…” a tear rolled down her cheek, “care of her. Promise me.”

“I promise. But I won’t need to. You’ll be there. We have to get you up to the roof now.”

Weakly Grace grabbed for his hand. “Tell her I love her.”

“You tell her.” Max stood, Grace in his arms. He adjusted her and climbed the bleachers. At the top, Eugene peered through the roof hatch.

“Can you lift her up enough for me to grab?”

“Yeah,” Max said. He knew it would be tough and his dislocated shoulder was painful. It was awkward to lift Grace. Yet, there was some hope because she was trying to help.

Eugene secured his hand on Grace’s arms. “Push,” he instructed Max.

Despite the pain, Max did until Grace moved completely away from him. Eugene had gotten her to the roof. Now all that was left was for Max to get there as well.

Once Max had lifted Grace enough, Eugene placed his hands under her arms and pulled her the rest of the way through. He expected her to be injured; what he didn’t expect was for her to go totally limp the second he had her in his arms. He choked on his own breath and swore his heart stopped. There was a peaceful silence that surrounded that moment, one that was broken by Candice’s heartbreaking cries when she realized she lost her mother.

Grace had passed away.

There was nothing left. Bits and pieces of flesh, some hair, a single shoe. Not even a shred of clothing was recognizable. In an instant, so many, too many, were devoured with ease.

It was nothing less than a slaughter.

The infected had massed into the gym and Max slipped out, opting for another stairwell to get to the roof. He cut through the cafeteria area which led him into the hall. Many infected roamed about, though not enough that Max couldn’t maneuver around them.

How had they gotten in? He knew eventually they’d get beyond the barrier, but there was no broken glass and the front doors were still locked.

He made it to the east wing stairwell and eventually to the roof. He followed a trail of blood smeared on the roof and even on the ladder.

As Max took the first rung, he heard Candice’s sobs. They were deep and heartbroken cries, and by hearing them, Max knew the cause.

Reaching the top gave him a street view and it was then he realized most of the infected were inside the building. On the roof, Eugene crouched by Grace, one arm draped over his knees, while Candice clung to her mother’s lifeless body and pressed her head to her chest.

He was so focused on Grace he failed to see Myron, the source of all the blood. He was not far from Grace, his shirt saturated and red as he lay on his side.

“Ah, man.” Max knelt down near him and closed Myron’s open eyes.

Eugene shook his head and stood. “This didn’t need to happen.”

“Where did we go wrong?” Max asked. “I can’t… I can’t comprehend this. Did anyone make it out?”

Eugene pouted and his throat moved up and down as he swallowed. “Seven. They… they took the ladder and are waiting for us.”

Max closed his eyes tightly as if trying to squeeze out the pain. “Myron?”

“Caught in the cross fire.”

“How? I mean, the timing…”

“Paul.”

“What?” Max asked breathless and shocked. “No, he—”

“We couldn’t find him. Someone let them in, propped open the front door with a garbage can. I’m gonna guess he did the same at the south entrance because there was no way they could have gotten in there. He let them in so he could get out.”

Hands to his head, Max screamed out. “Fuck!”

“We have to go,” Eugene said. “We have to go now, while they are in the building and we have clear route.”