Thicker Than Blood (Thicker Than Blood #1)(44)

Rubbing my eyes, I moved to sit up straighter when a growling sort of groan sounded from just outside the cabin. Immediately I jumped out of bed, once again clutching my blade.

The sound of my feet hitting the floor woke Alex, his eyes instantly alert and his body rigid. Leisel’s eyes were now open as well, wide and unblinking, and focused on the door.

Another growl sounded, this time followed by a thump-thump on the wall, causing the door and windows to rattle.

“Think we’ve been spotted?” I whispered dryly, already moving toward the boarded-up window.

“It’s the blood,” Alex whispered back. He and Leisel had gotten to their feet and were quietly creeping toward me.

I cursed quietly, silently berating myself for not remembering the trail of blood that little girl had left in her wake. It was probably all through the forest, leading the infected straight to us. I should have covered it, attempted to mask it somehow.

“Shit,” I muttered, peeking through the boards. “This is bad.”

I counted six infected, and that was only what I could readily see through the small gaps between the boards. There could be many more, and probably were. Worse, they clearly knew we were inside, and once they had their sights set on something or someone, nothing could divert their attention.

As Alex joined me at the window, I moved aside, allowing him room to bend down and take a look for himself. He said nothing as he stared through the small space, though his hands curled into fists, his knuckles turning white.

Running his hands through his hair, worry etched on his features, Alex moved away from the window and back to Leisel’s side, his body language fiercely protective. “We’re going to have to run for it.”

“Run for it?” Leisel exclaimed softly, stepping around Alex. “But how many are there?”

Rising up on her tiptoes, she peered through one of the cracks, her breath hitching. Backing slowly away, her shoulders trembling, she looked from me to Alex. “Are you kidding me?” she said shrilly, her eyes as round as saucers. “We can’t make it through that many. They’ll charge the door the second we open it!”

At the sound of her voice, another thump-thump sounded on the wall of the cabin, followed by another and another.

“Leisel!” Alex growled, glaring at her. “Keep your voice down.”

Pulling my hands through my hair, I began to pace the room. They became noisier, more agitated, and the louder they became, the more attention they were going to attract. Soon we’d be blocked in by any and all nearby infected, and who knew how many that was. Fifty? A hundred?

“Shit, what are we going to do?” I whispered frantically.

“I told you,” Alex said. “We’re going to run for it.”

Heading past me, Alex looked at the ceiling, probably for any sign of an alternative escape route. Shaking his head and muttering to himself, he moved toward the back wall, where he gently rapped his knuckles against the slatted wood. The answering sound was a hollow one, especially against the backdrop of all the noise the infected were making.

“Alex?” Leisel whispered. “What are you doing?”

“We make as much noise as we can on this wall,” he said, pointing. “We attract as many of them as possible to the back of the cabin, and then we make a run for it through the door.” Turning, he looked at us both, his expression determined. “It’s the only way out of here.”

Leisel looked terrified, and though I refused to show it, I felt much the same. It was a shitty plan, yet it was the only plan we had.

“Let’s do it,” I said, then lifted the makeshift bag of items we’d packed the night before and strapped it tightly to my back. Gripping my blade in one hand, I handed Leisel the hammer we’d found.

“Leisel,” Alex said. “Be ready to open the door when I say to.”

Holding the hammer like one would a baseball bat, she swallowed hard and nodded. Creeping slowly toward the door, she placed one hand on the lock, ready to flip it open when Alex told her to do so.

Jerking his chin toward the wall, Alex began to bang on the wood, signaling for me to do the same. As his large fists repeatedly bashed against the wall, I both slapped and kicked at it, making as much noise as I could.

“It’s working,” Leisel whispered loudly. “They’re moving, not all of them, but some are moving away.”

We doubled our efforts, banging against the wall even harder and more enthusiastically than before, until eventually a thin sheen of sweat lined my forehead. I found myself envious of Alex’s strength; he wasn’t even remotely winded by the physical exertion, whereas I was quickly tiring. More determined than ever, I gritted my teeth and pounded harder. I would survive this world; Leisel and I would both survive this world.

Soon, we weren’t the only ones pounding on the back wall. The infected were on the other side, their fists pounding in answer to ours, the growls and groans even louder than before.

Looking over his shoulder, Alex glanced at Leisel. “How’s it look?”

“There’s three that I can see,” she whispered back.

Still banging on the wall, he glanced back to me. “On three, we run.” He waited for us both to nod in agreement before beginning to count, “One, two…three. Open the door!”

We grabbed our weapons, Alex pausing to pick up a nearby chair as Leisel popped the lock open on the door.