red hill - jamie mcguire

“Miranda” Cooper said.
“Shut up, Cooper!” Ashley and I said in unison.
“Jesus Christ in heaven,” Doris said, holding her hand to her chest.
It was then that I heard the distinct crunching of plastic, and a scratchy moan coming from the
tablecloths covering Jill. Evan stumbled back, flattening himself against the wall. Bob stepped in
front of him protectively; the rest of us stood watching in confusion and amazement.
No matter how many times I told myself it was true, seeing someone I knew to be dead moving
around was unbelievable. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t call out to Bryce. I could only watch as Jill
slowly wriggled out of the tablecloth. Her milky eyes glanced around the room, and then she
awkwardly attempted to stand.
“Whoa, shit,” Cooper said, pulling Ashley behind him.
“What do we do” Doris said.
Evan let out a cry and then moved to the door, frantically clawing at the doorknob.
“No! They’re outside the door!” The words came from my mouth in slow motion. When I started
the sentence, Evan had already reached for the bolt lock and in the next second the door was open. He
poked out his head and the next moment he stood up straight, pushing the door closed. Something was
pushing back, and the familiar moans accompanied arms of various sizes reaching inside.
Skeeter’s rifle went off upstairs, making the grayish arms reaching in even more desperate.
“Evan!” Bob said, rushing to help him. They struggled together to get the door closed, but there
were so many on the other side pushing against it. They knew we were inside, and they were hungry.
April ran into the hallway to wake up the children, making Jill take notice. She took a step in the
direction of the hallway until Ms. Kay stepped around the corner.
Before Ms. Kay could react, Jill charged and tackled her to the floor. The old woman’s screams
sent us all into a panic, but the only way out was up. Bob planted his feet on the ground.
“Go, Evan! I’ll hold the door, you go!”
“No!” Evan said.
Instinctively, I grabbed Evan’s shirt and dragged him into the hallway, following April and her
children up the stairs. Doris, Ashley, and Cooper were trailing behind. Bob yelled and then cried out
in pain. His screams were matched by Ms. Kay’s, and quickly after, Barb’s.
Skeeter opened the door at the top of the stairs, and Cooper shut it behind us.
“What the hell” Skeeter said.
“Jill!” Doris cried. “And the back door is open! They’re all coming in!”
Skeeter’s expression metamorphosed from confusion to determination. “The biters out front will
follow the rest to the back. Y’all can get down off the roof and out of here. I’ve got to take care of
Jill.”
Cooper grabbed Skeeter’s shirt. “The whole downstairs is full. You can’t go down there!”
Skeeter furrowed his brow. “I made a promise to my wife. I’m going to keep it.”
Bryce opened the window, helping April and her kids to the roof while he spoke. “Skeeter,
Coop’s right. Jill wouldn’t want you to get yourself killed.”
Skeeter cocked his rifle. “My two favorite things—my wife and my guns—are downstairs, boys.