Chapter 14
1071 Words
They walked silently for what felt like hours. Jill tried her best to look for an opening in the ceiling but was having trouble focusing.
Layne’s screams and painfilled face were constantly flashing in her mind.
‘I should have done something. I should have stayed with him or made him go with us. Fuck.’
She felt like a complete failure, not just as a lifelong friend, but as a girlfriend as well. After they first met and became friends, they promised to protect each other no matter what. Layne made sure to remind her of that promise. She would always tell herself that she would follow through with it and protect Layne.
It was a promise she wished she could still upheld.
“There!” Billie said suddenly.
His light illuminated an opening in the ceiling. There wasn’t anything blocking it, no glass, wood, or bricks. It was completely void of glass. As if the entire panel had fallen out.
Billie put down his light and trimmer. Jill gave him her rebar pole and he instantly went to work tying an elaborate knot.
“Hopefully it’s long enough.” Reggie said as he held onto the side of his ribs.
“Hopefully.” Billie said with a determined look on his face. “If not, were definitely f****d. Look out.”
Billie held the piece of rebar between his thumb and pointing finger, and aimed it at the opening. He pulled his arm back and almost instantly threw his hand forward. The piece of rebar sailed through the air, but arched back down into the ground. It made an ear piercing ringing when it collided with the tiled floor.
“That was close man, you probably missed it by a foot. Just a little harder.” Reggie said as he retrieved the rebar and handed it back to Billie.
“You good dude?”
“Yeah-mmmm.” Reggie grunted.
He cursed himself as he grabbed onto his ribs again. Jill patted Reggie’s back and told him to rest on one of the nearby walls. Luckily, he obliged and sat down, assisting lighting up the ceiling with Billie’s flashlight.
‘Typical Reggie, always helping out when you don’t need to.’ Jill thought to herself.
Another metallic clash rang out, scaring Jill out of her thoughts.
“That one nearly made it dude! Just one more good throw and you’re over.”
“f**k me.” Billie exhaled as he rubbed his arm and retrieved the rebar. “One more, one more, one more.” He took aim and reached further back than he did previously. “One…MORE!”
The rebar flew across the sky, sailed past the opening, and landed on the rooftop. Billie pulled on the last couple feet of sheets until he anchored the rebar on something. He held onto the sheets and pulled up, putting his full weight on the rope. His smile told Jill everything he needed to know.
They had their way out.
Jill felt happy again, at least for a moment. She couldn’t help but think about Layne and what he would say if he was still with them. It made her upset, but Billie got her attention before she began to think too much.
“Okay. I’ll go first and make sure everything’s safe up there. I’ll radio in and tell you if it is. Then I want you to come up after me Jill, Then Renae, and finally Reggie.”
“Why can’t we let Reggie go up after you? How are we supposed to help him if he gets attacked?” Jill asked.
“I can’t climb up, ‘cause of my ribs. It’ll be easier if all of you group first and then pull me up together. This way, I won’t slow you two down any.”
Renae hugged Reggie tightly. It was out of nowhere, but Jill figured it was her way of saying “thank you” when she couldn’t find the right words.
“Let’s do this.” Billie said as he handed Jill a walkie talkie and retrieved his flashlight from Reggie.
Billie climbed and climbed up the rope like his life depended on it. It wasn’t unsurprising, since he was the second strongest person in their group of friends. Although, now that Jill thought about it, he was the strongest since Jonathan was killed.
Soon, Billie disappeared over the edge of the ceiling and onto the roof. Jill waited a moment before talking on the walkie talkie to let Billie get his bearings and assess the situation.
“Guys? Do you read me?” Billie voice suddenly crackled over the walkie talkie.
“We can hear you Billie.” Jill said into the receiver. “What’s wrong? Do you see anything?”
“No…. No, I don’t see anything. Oh fuck.”
“That’s good right?” Jill asked as she was confused by what he meant by his statement.
“No, I mean I literally don’t see anything. There’s no stars, no moon, no cops, nothing. Hell, I don’t even see anything over the side of the mall.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’m looking over the edge of the mall right now and I don’t see the bottom. My light should be able to reach the sidewalk at the very least, but it isn’t.” Billie sounded distressed. “Guys.”
“What?”
“If there is a way out of this place, it isn’t through the roof.”
Jill felt like her dreams had been crushed. They had spent most of their time trying, and dying, to get to the roof and escape the creatures in the mall. Now, it had all been for nothing.
“f**k f**k fuck.” Billie whispered with a hint of terror in his voice.
“What is it Billie, are you okay?”
“No, im not! STAY DOWN THERE!”
“Billie?... What is it Billie?”
“There’s something flying up her with me.”
- Writer
