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We walk through the door and into a small pantry, filled with plates and silverware. A few steps leads us into a long room. One side is filled with empty tables, the other side has chairs, couches and small tables set up in groupings. At some tables, people sit playing games, at others, they read, and one person is playing a harmonica–a sad dirge tune. At the very end of the room, past the group of people is the door.
Slowly, we walk towards the common area. The scene is too normal, too peaceful for everything we have seen so far. The people act like they can’t see us. But that changes when we step into the common area. As if a switch is flipped, they all stand up and start walking towards us.
A tall man grabs Amy’s arm and pulls her towards him. Her panicked screams fill the air as Danny lets go of me to pull Amy away from the man. Fingers grip my arm, pulling me from Danny.
“Danny!” I kick out at the man holding onto my arm, but he doesn’t react. Another hand yanks at my hair, and I scream in pain, lashing out with my other arm to dislodge the person holding me.
Danny drags Amy towards me, and punches the man, holding my arm, in the face, causing him to let go. Amy grabs the woman holding my hair and pulls her arm that holds my hair while kicking her in the stomach. She falls back with a clump of my hair in her hand. Tears pour down my face as I hold onto the back of my head.
“Thanks.” I look at Danny and Amy, we have to get out of here. I look over my shoulder and see the cook standing in the doorway, his cleaver in his hand. That way is closed, we have to get through these . . . these people.
“We have to get out of here, before they start working together,” Danny says, looking around the room. There are three of us and about fifteen of them. Most of them are on the left side of the room, closer to the windows and seating area. “If we go towards the right and run as fast as we can, we might have a chance.”
Amy looks where Danny points and shakes her head. “It won’t work. Look they are already moving that way.” She’s right. Four of the bodies are moving towards the door, while the other eleven move to block us.
Danny looks between us and the bodies moving around, he gulps before speaking. “Amy, Janice, I am going to distract them. You run as fast as you can. Do not stop for anything or anyone. One of us has to get out and get help.”
“Dann–” I start to say, but stop when he shakes his head.
“No this is the only way. If one of you fall, the other keeps going. Got it?”
I nod my head, tears pricking my eyes. “I love you, Danny.”
“I love you too, now go!” Before I can move, he is running as fast as he can at the group of bodies moving towards us. My feet start moving before I make the conscious choice, triggering a muscle memory of my track and field days. I don’t stop to see if Amy is moving, I just run with my focus on the door ahead of me.
Danny screams in pain, but I don’t turn around, even though it kills me. Behind me Amy is panting as she runs, and I hear her trip and fall. It takes all I have to not turn around and help them, but that door and the four guards is just ahead of me. This horrid tour must be almost to an end.
My momentum has me pushing one of the bodies, a woman, through the door and into the hallway. She stiffens as she leaves the common area and doesn’t move. Her body hits the floor like a sack of potatoes. No one follows her. I look back into the room, and it is oddly empty. Not even Danny or Amy are in there.
With trepidation, I push the next door open.