Snippet #1481676

Alessa didn't answer his comment about the ammo; it was just beginning to sink in that she'd killed something (even something already technically dead), and the thought was causing her stomach to rebel. Swallowing hard, she breathed deep, and pushed the thought away. Now was not the time to be stopping and throwing up.

She followed Sgt. Williams across to the higher roof, waiting as directed as he disappeared from sight. She glanced nervously around at her level, hoping no other 'unfriendlies' showed their ugly faces. By the time Williams came back, offering her a hand up, she was considering the odds for success of taking a running jump and reaching his level.

With her height, those odds were slim to none.

Once up on the higher roof, she let do as he wished with the ladder, taking stock of the new surroundings. The sky was just starting to take on tinges of yellow and orange as afternoon inched toward evening. She frowned — where were they supposed to hole up for the night? With the people who'd contacted him via radio? That was assuming they could find them before dark.

And if they found them after dark, and the others had guns . . . how likely were Sgt. Williams and herself to be taken for zombies and shot?

The crash of the ladder hitting the adjacent roof made her jump, bringing her back to reality. Her eyes went to the makeshift bridge as Sgt. Williams began muttering to himself again.

"Come on, boys . . . I know you're out there somewhere . . . ."

She moved up beside him. "Probably not good to get out on that bridge and have to start shooting," she said, frowning intently as her gaze searched, unassisted, for zombies. "Then again . . . it might be the only option we have. If you went first and they showed up, you'd have to balance and shoot, and that's not conducive to continued living."

Moving up to where their end of the 'bridge' held its perch, she stared along the metal rungs to the opposite end. C'mon, it's just like monkey bars . . . . You used to crawl across the top of those all the time. No problem. "On the other hand, I'm smaller which makes it easier to shoot over my head if you need to. Plus, if there are zombies over there, you can pick them off at your liesure, no sweat."

Flashing a smile over her shoulder, trying not to show nervousness at crossing an urban canyon this way, she mounted the ladder, beginning to carefully pick her way across.

No zombies on the other side. Please don't let there be zombies, please don't let there be zombies, please don't let there be zombies . . . .