Page 39 of The Hollowed
After everything they’d gone through, they needed a win.
“Then let’s do it,” Luci responded, she wasn’t usually this brave but the desperation to get to Arizona before it was too late, demanded a bit of courage. “We break the lock, pull the doors open, and then run up onto one of the trucks. We can shoot them down from there.”
Alex blinked at her, stunned. Then he started slowly nodding with a trace of admiration. “That’s actually not half bad.” His lips pulled into a faint smile. “Okay, but I’ll do the running. You and Luna stay up top.”
Pride swelled in Luci’s chest as she nodded. “Deal, but I don’t think I can carry Luna up there.”
Alex gave a soft laugh and crouched slightly, whistling to get the dog’s attention. “Climb up, girl.”
Luna charged forward and launched herself at the back of the trailer, scrambling up the small ladder in one smooth motion. Luci could only stare, dumbfounded, as the shepherd perched at the top and wagged her tail proudly.
“Your turn,” Alex teased with a smile that made Luci laugh despite herself. She rolled her eyes and made her way toward the semi.
“I’ll be fast,” Alex said, serious now as he checked the magazine in his gun. “But if you have to, aim for their heads.”
The logical part of Luci screamed that this plan was reckless. Still, she scaled the ladder, lifted herself onto the roof where Luna was waiting, and pulled her gun from its holster.
“I’m ready!” she shouted down.
Alex didn’t hesitate. With a fierce kick, he broke the lock and yanked the doors open. The screeches of the infected came like a wave. Without looking back, Alex sprinted straight for the truck as the first of the Hollowed hurled themselves into the open air.
From above, Luci clicked the safety off her gun and tried to aim as carefully as she could before she pulled the trigger. The first bullet landed in an infected’s chest, slowing him down for a second before he scrambled upwards again. Luci took a deep breath before she adjusted her aim and pulled the trigger once more. This time his head snapped and his body fell back with a thud.
“I got one!” she shouted before aiming for another.
Alex was halfway up the ladder now, climbing upward with raw strength. Luna barked furiously beside Luci. She shot down another one of the Hollowed that had nearly reached the ladder’s base and sighed with relief when she realized at least half of their plan had worked.
Alex scrambled onto the roof beside her, sweat dripping down his temples. He gave her one wild, breathless grin. “You’re a natural.”
Luci lowered her gun. Her heart pounded so loud that she thought Alex might hear it. She wasn’t sure if it was adrenaline, relief, or both, but one thing was certain, she’d do it all again if itmeant keeping him alive.
With both of them shooting, it didn’t take long before every last one of the infected hit the ground, but Alex still fired off a few final rounds just to draw out anything that might still be lingering inside the building. When nothing answered, Luna leapt down gracefully. Luci and Alex followed.
“Not bad, Dr. Castillo,” Alex said as his boots hit the pavement. His smile was just wide enough to make the tension in Luci’s chest loosen.
She rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight the corner of her mouth tugging upward as she followed him to the entrance and pulled out a small flashlight from the side pocket of her backpack.
The place had been picked over by desperate hands, and the shelves had been stripped down to the bones. But near the cashier’s counter, Luci spotted a few plasma vessels behind the glass kiosk. Alex raised his gun and shot through the glass before he reached inside, pulled out a vessel, and handed it to her.
Carefully, Luci inspected it under the beam of her flashlight. The plasma had already started to brown, a sign that the chemical stabilizers had begun to fail. It wouldn’t last forever, but it was enough to get them moving again.
She exhaled and clutched the vessel to her chest as though it were something far more fragile than what it was. “It’ll get us to Arizona.”
“You know, I think we make a good team,” Alex said with a smirk, his head tilting in that curious way that made Luci flush.
“Me too,” she admitted softly.
It was strange to think that a tragedy like this had forced them together, but it had. It was even stranger to feel the faintest amount of gratitude for it.
“Why don’t you try to gather some supplies while I get the RV running?” Alex suggested.
She nodded, smiling softly as he pressed a quick kiss to her temple before walking off. Luna padded at his heel while Luci turned down an aisle, sweeping the shelves with her flashlight and collecting whatever had been left behind. Just as she rounded a corner, she caught sight of a faded sign that readshowersalong with a bold arrow pointing down a hallway.
The idea of rinsing the layer of sweat and grime from her body was tempting beyond reason, even if all she found was cold water.
Without thinking twice, Luci followed the sign. She lifted the flashlight higher as she approached the door to the showers, pushed it open, and reached for a switch. The lights blinked to life, casting a pale light across the rows of stalls.
For a heartbeat, the room seemed still.