Rachel - Interactive Story - scene 14

Continued from scene 13

Rachel's eyes lock onto Bailey's. "We need to go. We're going out the window, down to the awning." She moves quickly, slipping an arm under Daisy to lift her up. Rachel slips an arm under Daisy, feeling the dead weight as she hoists her. Daisy's head lolls, and her feet drag, but Rachel grits her teeth, muscles straining as she maneuvers them towards the window.

Bailey's eyes widen, but she nods. "Okay, but how do we do it?"

Rachel pulls Daisy to the window, glancing out to assess the drop one more time. "You go first, Bailey. Here's how you do it: Keep your body loose, aim for the center of the awning with your body horizontal to the surface, and roll when you land. It'll absorb some of the impact."

Bailey inhales sharply, her jaw tightening as she steels herself, her eyes narrowing with resolve. She clambers onto the windowsill, her hands gripping the frame. "Alright, I can do this."

Rachel watches as Bailey leaps from the window. Bailey's body relaxes mid-air, and she lands back-first on the awning. The fabric dips under her weight, then she rolls off smoothly, distributing the force of the impact as she hits the ground.

"Good job, Bailey," Rachel shouts, a slight sigh coming with it. "Now get ready to help Daisy." She turns back to the dazed woman, preparing for the next part of their escape.

Rachel kneels beside Daisy, her voice low and tense. "Daisy, you have to jump. Now."

Daisy's head lolls, her eyes half-closed and unfocused. Rachel gently opens Daisy's eyes wider, seeing the full extent of her opioid haze. Her pupils are pinpricks, and her gaze is distant.

Suddenly, the bedroom door shakes violently, the infected outside hammering against it with increasing force. The wood begins to splinter under the assault.

Rachel grits her teeth, slipping her arm under Daisy's legs and another around her back, hoisting her into a fireman's carry. "Hold on," she mutters, more to herself than to Daisy, as she steps onto the windowsill.

She takes a deep breath and leaps out the window. They hit the awning with a jarring thud, and for a split second, it holds. But then, the fabric tears, sending Rachel and Daisy tumbling to the sidewalk below. The impact knocks the wind out of Rachel, and Daisy lets out a sharp cry of pain.

Bailey gasps, her hand flying to her mouth as she looks away. Rachel's eyes dart to Daisy's leg, bent at an unnatural angle. "Damn it," she whispers, realizing the bone is broken.

Before she can react, a zombie slams into the window above, falling out and hitting the remaining piece of the awning. It crashes onto the concrete with a sickening crunch. A few seconds later, it begins rising on its broken legs.

Continue to scene 15