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"I–uh–okay," Maddie stuttered. "Are you—are you okay?" she asked, stepping forward and moving her cane until she feltsomething on the ground and knelt down. "Can you get us there?"
Heavy, labored breathing permeated from the woman in front of her. And with it, the far-off murmuring was slowly moving closer. She could hear more detail: soft grunts, groans, sounds that seemed more animal than human.
"Now," the woman hissed.
Maddie stood, then waited for her to do the same. The few seconds it took for her to rise, and the few painful sounds she made, didn't inspire much confidence.
Then a hand that was wet and slick with something she desperately hoped wasn't blood took her own hand and wrapped it around a muscled arm.
And it only took a few slow steps together for Maddie to realize that she might have actually been faster on her own.
The woman's heavy breathing quickly grew louder and more frequent, along with the sounds of the rapidly approaching infected. Then she felt her stumble slightly, and Maddie jumped forward, wrapping her other hand that still held the cane around the woman's torso. She braced herself, holding them both up.
"Switch sides with me," Maddie breathed, quickly moving to the opposite side of the woman and switching her cane to the other hand.
"No, I–" the woman began to protest, but even her voice sounded slightly weaker.
Maddie took her hand and hoisted her arm over her shoulders. Then she looped her other arm around her waist, accepting the burden of her weight.
"I don't—"
"Stop," Maddie cut her off. "We're fine. I got it."
Maddie moved swiftly, retracing every counted and memorized step in her mind. She pulled them up the step on the curb and then immediately found the familiar way along theside of the building. After they’d moved a handful of steps along it, she put her hand against the building, letting it scan for the entrance as they moved.
With each step, the woman's weight increased, and her own breathing labored with the added strain.
"Almost there," Maddie gritted out.
Within a few feet, her fingers finally felt the door frame she’d memorized when she’d left. She let out an internal breath of relief.
They past through the doorway and Maddie immediately began counting the steps.
They made it about halfway before the woman stumbled again, this time losing most of her footing. Maddie grunted under the added weight.
"We’re almost there," she uttered between heavy breaths.
She brought her one free hand over and grabbed onto the front of her torso to keep her from falling. And as she did, the woman let out a sharp yelp of pain. The spot of clothing was slick and wet, just like her hand had been. But the pain seemed to have reawakened her, and she regained most of her unsteady stance.
Maddie knew it probably wouldn't last and pulled them quickly the last few feet to the door she hoped would be there.
A surge of relief flowed through her chest when she reached her hand out and quickly found the cracked open door. She pulled it open further, rushing inside.
"Sit," she commanded, letting the woman's weight slowly drop to the floor. Then she twisted around and felt for the lock on the door, flipping it into place.
And only then did she finally allow herself to take a real breath.
She knelt down on the ground and gently reached her hand forward until it found the forearm of the woman.
"What happened? Are you bleeding?"
The woman groaned, and Maddie felt her pushing herself up slightly against the wall.
"Dizzy,” she muttered.
"Did you hit your head?"
"Mmm," the woman groaned.