|| Chapter 5 ||

May 2, 2020

Mikayla stared at the body belonging to the man she barely knows.

Meanwhile, Max paced back and forth, back and forth, back and forth trying to find a way off of the roof.

He looked over the same edge for the hundredth time, scanning the long drop below him.

Frustrated, he turned and walked further down, where he looked over the edge, to the front of the building.

Mia's eyes stayed on him, not once leaving this thin, but muscular form.

He's so kind to her, so strong, so calm.

That only makes an unfamiliar feeling bubble up in her chest every time she looks at him.

After looking over the edge, Max turned to face her. He looked at her for the first time since they came up here.

His face says it all: he's frustrated.

Mia quickly looked away from him, terrified of looking at him any further.

Mia sat there, with her back pressed against a wall. Her eyes stayed straight, and that's when she heard him approach her.

Once he stopped in front of her, she looked up at him. He took a deep breath, then he took a seat beside her.

Silence overtook the air surrounding them, but it didn't last long, as the zombies from inside of the building started banging on the door once again.

"Should we wait until they leave?" Mia quietly spoke, glancing over to him.

The light from the newly rising sun lot up some of his face, which gave it a shiny effect.

A long pause went by as he thought about how to answer the younger girl's question.

"No," he answered. "They're not gonna leave, therefore we have to find another way down."

"Well, we're ten stories up," Mia pointed out.

Max looked over at her with a blank face, clearly annoyed. "Obviously," he replied.

"Are there any fire escapes?" Mia asked him, feeling a bit embarassed after hearing his response.

Max gave her a nod. "Yes, but there's a big drop between the fire escape, and the alley below it," he responded.

As soon as the words left his mouth, a scream came from the streets. Mia quickly hopped to her feet as feat settled into her chest.

Mia jogged over to the edge, them she peaked over, to the main street below them.

A woman is running as fast as she possibly can, but not very fast, as her leg is injured. At least seven of the infected, dead people, are chasing her.

She screamed as she tripped over a dead body, then she flipped over and looked at the zombies, which are right in front of her.

Panic built up inside of Mia, she slammed her hand over her mouth as tears formed in her dark eyes.

The woman dosen't have enough time to stand back up and run.

Max's hand rested on her shoulder as they watched the events unfolding right in front of them.

One of the zombies tripped over the body she fell over. It reached forward and started grabbing at her ankle, which caused the woman to cry out.

Max turned Mia around to face him, not allowing her to watch any further. She clung to him, wrapping her arms around to his back.

Mia cried into his chest as she heard the woman scream again, and again, and again.

"I-I-I-," she stuttered. "Sh-She," she sobbed into his chest.

Max gently rubbed her back, attempting to calm her down. He didn't speak at all, probably because he knows there's nothing he could possibly say.

Once Mia started to calm down, Max pulled back. He looked down at her, and scanned her face, clearly worried.

"We have to go," he finally spoke, allowing his hands to rest on her elbows.

Mia instantly shook her head. "N-No," she told him. "I'm n-not going down there. I c-can't, I'm not."

"What do you mean you're not?" Max questioned.

Mia walked by him without another word. She returned to her spot, against the wall, near the door leading into the building.

Max followed her. She crossed her arms across her chest, and stared at his legs as he stopped in front of her.

"You're really gonna stay up here?" Max asked. "With no food, water? You'll die if you don't come with me."

"It-It's better than being ripped open, and eaten alive," she told him, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

Max sighed, running his fingers through his hair, glancing around. "Fine," he finally spoke. "You wanna stay here? Go right ahead," he said. "I'm not wasting my time on some little brat who dosen't want my help."

And with that, Max turned and walked away.

He returned to the edge of the building, where he prepared to hop down, onto a fire escape.

Mia watched him, and fear built up in her chest.

She doesn't want to be alone.

Just the thought of being alone terrifies her, it makes her heart hurt.

Mia quickly stood up, and ran after him. "I'm-I'm sorry," she told him, stuttering. "I'm just scared."

Max glanced back to her, giving her a small once over, then he nodded.

Taking her hand, Max pulled her close to the edge. He looked down for a moment, to the fire escape, then he looked at her.

"I'm gonna drop down, then you'll drop down, okay? And I'll catch you," he said.

Mia looked up at him for a moment, then she reluctantly nodded.

He must have noticed her reluctancy, because he gently squeezed her hand.

"You don't have to be afraid," he told her.

Without wasting anymore time, !ax let her hand go, and lifted his legs over the concrete edge.

Max twisted himself around, so his hands are the only thing holding him stable. His legs dangled below him, and that's when he let go.

Mia immediately looked over the edge, finding Max down in the fire escape. He looked up at her, held his hands up, and motioned for her to jump.

Mia carefully lifted her legs over the edge, and she kept her bottom half firmly planted against the concrete.

Mia looked at Max, and took a deep breath, obviously scared and nervous. "I don't think I can do this," she whispered.

Max simply stared at her, waiting. "It'll be okay," he told her. "Do what I did, and I'll catch you."

A long shaky breath escaped her lips. She simply sat there, debating on whether or not she should trust him enough to take this decision.

"C-Can you say that again?" she shakily asked.

"What?" Max flatly asked.

"Th-That it'll be okay?" she finished, allowing some years to escape her eyes.

"It'll be okay," Max repeated himself.

His voice is so confident, so calm and so believable.

It was more than enough to get her moving again.

Mia twisted herself around, struggling to hold herself up. A gasp escaped her lips as she felt herself slipping.

But the feeling slowly disappeared as Max's strong, muscular and stable hands gripped her thighs.

"I got you," Max whispered.

Mia let go of the edge of the building, and Max slowly lowered her to the ground.

His hands were so gentle.

They moved all the way up her thighs, and to her sides as he lowered her to the ground.

And they lingered there for far too long.

It was as if they froze there for a while, unable to move.

A small breath escaped Mia's lips as her heart sunk to her stomach.

The feeling is so unfamiliar, so different to her...

"T-Thank you," she quietly said, moving away from him.

His hands left her sides, and she turned to face him. His attention was taken elsewhere as soon as she left his grasp, and he started to walk down the stairs on the fire escape.

...

A/n : Thankyou for reading plss vote and comment on this chapter :)

28/01/2021

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