16. 16 #3
“The janitor is going to be pissed.” He smirked, but I laughed. A big laugh. It was shaky at first, my breathing not having evened out, but gained in strength. It sent me to my knees, and I resisted the urge to wipe the tears that sneaked out. It was cathartic to laugh like that.
Elias didn’t join in my hysterics, and I realized that he likely couldn’t. He was being stoic for my benefit, not letting on how much he really hurt.
The elevator ride felt shorter this time around, and the doors opened before I was ready, my hands still on my knees.
A single infected man stood near the doors of the elevator, turning around at the ding signifying our arrival. He reached forward, his arms going for my throat, but Elias was faster. He’d always be faster.
Pop. Pop.
Two shots in quick succession took care of the problem.
Elias spoke through gritted teeth. “I’m tired of shooting shit today.”
“It’s almost over,” I said, my hand gripping his waist, the other on the handle of the cooler.
“I hope you’re right.”
The front door wasn’t far, but it took us twice as long to get there than I had anticipated. I slowed before I opened the front door, looking through the glass windows and at the scene outside. We saw the dead guards at the same time.
“Oh, what the fuck is this,” groaned Elias. “They’ve got armored trucks filled with explosives and they couldn’t handle this? I killed half of them myself.”
My mind went somewhere else. “They might have been assassinated,” I said. “We don’t know where Dr. Taylor ran off to. He could’ve done this.”
“You might be right,” Elias sighed. “Well, I guess I can shoot more shit.”
I reached into my pocket, pulling out the flashbang I found earlier. “Would this help?” I asked, holding it out to him.
He gave me a real grin now. “Good find, Cassie.” He stumbled forward on his own, hands against the windows, face pressed against the glass, looking left and right.
“I can see the car from here. There’s a small crowd of infected.
I’m gonna toss this out there then I need you to run to the car. Do you understand?” He asked.
“No, not exactly.” I wasn’t going to the car by myself. I didn’t carry his ass this far to leave him behind. “It sounds like you’re trying to do some self-sacrificial bullshit.”
“Not this time.” He shook his head, the space between his eyebrows creased. “I’m too slow right now, and I can’t focus on walking and keeping you safe. So, I’m going to need you to run ahead of me and wait in the car.”
“I really don’t want to leave you right now.”
“They can’t infect me at this point, I’ll be fine,” he said, exasperated. Neither of us would be backing down easily.
“One of them could still rip out your throat or something,” I said. If two or three of them ganged up on him, they could easily take him down.
His hand went to his forehead, clearly done with this conversation.
“Do I not impress you? Have you not paid attention today? I know I needed you at the end there, I’ll give you that, but did you not see anything else?
” He asked. “I’m kind of good at this. I’m not saying this to be cocky, but this is going to be a cakewalk.
I can push through the pain for a few seconds if safety is on the other side. ”
I stared at him, my jaw tight. Of course, I knew he was capable, but he was seriously at a disadvantage here. “You’re gonna use that?” I asked, pointing to the flashbang in his hand.
“Yes,” he said blankly.
“Okay,” I agreed.
“Now, turn around and close your eyes. And cover your ears. When you hear the bang, get in the passenger seat.” His tone was firm, and I understood that to be an order from the Special Agent.
Elias opened the door, pulled the pin, and threw the flash bang into the group of mutants. I did what I was told, turning away, squeezing my eyes shut, and clamping my hands over my ears. The sound was still loud, disorienting, but I was able to gather my bearings enough to run.
I flew through the front door, easily sidestepping the bodies that swayed on their feet. They didn’t reach for me, and I doubted they could see or even hear me. Elias’s car was unlocked, and I hopped in, fastening my seatbelt.
I watched Elias in the reflection of the side mirror.
He limped behind the car, the infected men and women not even sparing a glance at him.
I really had been worried for nothing. His right hand held his gun, his arm swinging loosely by his side.
A man stood a few feet from the back of the car, and Elias threw a punch, knocking him to the ground.
The back door opened, and Elias reached into his duffle bag, grabbing one of the flip phones, before shutting the door and walking to the driver’s side.
“Told you,” he boasted, getting into the car. He dialed a number quickly, putting the phone to his ear before starting the car and taking off.
“We got it,” he said to the receiver. “But somebody killed your goons outside. I’m going home.
You can come pick it up.” He paused for a moment, listening.
“Sounds good.” He snapped the phone shut, setting it in the empty cup holder.
“They’re a little tied up today, we have the night off,” he smiled.