Chapter 31: Elena Bitten
Christopher and Sydney rushed forward, reaching out desperately, but they were just inches short as both Elena and I slipped over the edge together.
"No!" I heard someone scream—maybe it was me.
As we fell, my desperate hands found the frame of an open window one floor down. My fingers closed around the concrete and metal frame with a death grip, my other hand still clutching Elena’s arm. We hung there, suspended over a drop that would certainly kill us, both our lives depending on my ability to hold on.
Just below us, dozens of infected had gathered, drawn by the commotion above. They reached upward with grasping hands. If we fell, we wouldn’t just die—we’d be torn apart while still alive.
Creeeak!
I looked up in growing horror as hairline cracks appeared in the window frame under our combined weight. The concrete was beginning to crumble, and I could feel the metal frame starting to pull away from the wall.
"Shit!" I gasped, feeling Elena’s grip on my arm slipping as well. Sweat made our hands slick, and the awkward angle was putting tremendous strain on both our shoulders.
We were hanging by a thread—literally—and that thread was about to snap.
Gritting my teeth against the pain shooting through my shoulder, I used every ounce of strength I had left to lift Elena up with my free hand. My muscles screamed in protest as I pushed her toward the open window, fighting against gravity and the awkward angle that made every movement feel like lifting a car.
"Come on," I grunted through clenched teeth, "almost there..."
Elena immediately understood what I was trying to do. The moment she was close enough, she reached out desperately and grasped the window frame with both hands, using her own strength to pull herself through the opening. She disappeared into the room beyond.
"Hey, you okay?!" Sydney’s voice called down from above, tinged with panic and fear.