Infection: Dying Days

(Desmond's POV)

"Sigh, this is what I get for trying to play the hero...get off of here!"

I say to no one in particular as I kicked down another infected as it tried to climb on the table. 

This is what? The seventh one now? My legs are starting to get tired. There's too many infected wanting to eat me! 

"I need another way out of here."

As bad as it may sound, I can't place all my hope on Faith. In fact, I'm a little doubtful. Who knows if on the way to get help she'll have another mental breakdown and fly off the hinges again. 

Sorry, but I can't place much faith in a person who's like that...no pun intended.

"Hmm? Maybe I can get through there."

After looking around for a couple of minutes, my eyes land on a ventilation vent leading into the ceiling. It's directly above the industrial kitchen stoves. Thankfully, it looks big enough for me to crawl into.

The only problem is how to get over there. Because in between me and my only hope out of here is a horde of infected.

To make things worse, it's all the way on the other side of the kitchen!

Why couldn't it be closer? Why's this table the only one singled out?

Should I pull some martial arts type sh*t and hop across the infected using their heads? 

Nah, that probably won't work. This ain't some wuxia novel. What else can I us-

BAM!

"Ah, sh*t!"

"Aah!"

Due to my mind being occupied with trying to find a way over to the ventilation vent, I momentarily let my guard down and got my right foot grabbed by an infected, leading me to fall.

"F*ck! Let go!"

WHAM!

CRACK!

Using my left foot, I delivered a kick to its already open mouth. And the instant I did, its head jerked back and a few of its front teeth flew out. I also heard a subtle but ear piercing crack, I broke its nose.

"Aah!"

But that didn't deter it. The infected brushed it off and continued to grab my leg. In fact, it got tighter. Their grip strength is out of this world! It's like there's a damn vice grip on my leg!

I can't get out of this!

"Aah!" 

Another infected latches onto my foot and tries to bite it.

WHAM!

I kicked it in the side of the head. And just like the other one, other than jerking its head sideways, it didn't faze it whatsoever. It reeled its head back and continued to try and bite my leg.

AHH!

There were a couple of other infected who attempted to grab me but thanks to how big the table was and the two infected grabbing my leg, they couldn't get closer. The only thing they could do was reach.

Until…

"Aah!"

"Oh no!"

One of them on the far left side of the horde decided to try and climb itself on the table.

...It's not looking good for me.

"If that's how it's gonna be…"

Coming to a bold decision, I take out all the contents from my pockets, most notably, my wallet and Mr. Cole's house and vehicle key and place them into my inner b.r.e.a.s.t pocket, right where my journal is.

After that was done, I quickly unbuckle my belt and unbutton my pants before trying to get them off.

I've come to the conclusion that If I can't get them off my leg by kicking them, then the next best thing would be for me to slip out of their grasp. Which is why I'm taking off my pants.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. And the situation I'm in calls for me to be desperate!

As my pants roll past my knees, revealing a pair of zebra print Ethika Staple b.r.i.e.f.s…

SMASH!

I delivered two more kicks to the two infecteds' face. While doing so I quickly kicked off my loafers and pulled my legs out of my pants. 

By the way, I have Elmo print socks on. I like the show.

Anyways, now that I'm free, I quickly hop up and kick the infected that was three quarters on the table off. But this time, I kicked it with extra strength, causing it to knock two of the infected down as it fell to the floor.

It's kinda chilly in here, is the A/C on?

But despite this, I still needed to get to that ventilation vent.

Hmm, what's that?

In the corner of my eye, laying on the floor directly beside the steel table, I saw a small blue cylinder tank. And looking at the apparatus that was placed on top of it, I instantly knew what it was.

A blow torch!

And what makes this even better is that there's a couple of jugs of flammable degreaser.

I don't know which dumbass would put a blow torch near a bunch of cleaning supplies but I wish I could thank them now.

"Haha, I'm about to have fun!"

After grabbing the blow torch, I grab the gallon of degreaser, open it and splash all its contents over the infected. More specifically, those in the middle. That's the only way to the stove.

If I can't get through them by jumping, I'll get through them by burning! 

Wait, what about the sprinklers? Won't they cut on as soon as the fire gets high and hot enough?

…

"Meh, I'll cross that bridge when I get there. All I need is for the fire to thin out the numbers a little. If it gets big enough for the fire sprinklers to activate, hopefully I'll be gone by then."

After splashing them, the strong smell of lemons started to permeate through the air. 

With a somewhat crazed smile, I twist the valve on the blowtorch and spark the igniter and with a small *poof* a concentrated blue flame appeared.

"Time for you f*ckers to burn!"

I put the blow torch close to an infected's face…

WHOOSH!

"Aah!"

And like a piece of paper catching fire, it's head lit up. This also led to the closest infected to catch fire as well. And like a chain reaction, all those I splashed with degreaser on caught fire. There were also some who stood close to them and caught fire.

AAH!

...The sight of them still trying to eat me while burning is a little unsettling and scary.

As for the burning smell of flesh.

"Ugh!"

It was unbearable! In order to not smell the disgusting stench of roasting flesh, I started to breathe through my mouth. 

Which wasn't fun when you're kicking down infected attempting to climb up on your table.

Not to mention, I think I lost a few leg hairs. I would like to put my pants and shoes on but that's a no go.

Why? Cause they caught on fire the moment the infected did. I accidentally splashed the degreaser on them and the heat from the fire ignited them, bursting them into flames.

Sigh, talk about a bummer.

After about forty seconds of watching and defending myself against the infected.

"Agh!"

"Agh!"

The infected that was on fire started falling to the floor, becoming charred corpses. One by one they started.

"Yes!...ugh!"

I shouted happily before almost hurling...The smell got into my nose. 

After seeing a good amount of burning infected drop, creating somewhat of an disturbing path...

"Here goes nothing!"

I, in nothing but my zebra u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r, Elmo socks and upper part of my uniform, jumped down from the table and started making my way towards the stove.

Ooh, my feet are cold.

"Aah!"

An infected with bubbling blisters on its arm due to the fire gets in my way and lunges at me.

"Hmph!"

"A..aah!"

Using my shoulder like an offensive football player would for a tackle, I shoved the infected out my way. But I didn't stop there, I did the same thing a few more times.

The horde was attempting to converge on me, trying to box me in. And with some of them on fire, this makes their whole action scary as hell.

Hmm, what can I do to get out of here?

…That could work.

Having an outrageous idea in my head, I set my eyes on an infected. To be more specific, one with a petite build.

"Aah!"

"Cough...You're the right person I'm looking for!"

Grabbing the arm of a skinny lunch lady that was trying to attack me, I quickly pulled her towards me. I snatch away her apron and use it to wrap her entire head with it. 

She won't bite me this way.

Next, I turned her around, grabbed her by the collar and waist of its pants and then aggressively pushed forward.

I was going to use her as a shield.

It's illogical of me to think that I could just shoulder truck every infected that gets in my way. That's just a waste of my energy. Not to mention, it makes my shoulder hurt.

Therefore, why can't I use something to take the brunt of the infected for me? For example, another infected? Of course, it's gotta be one I could easily manage and control.

This line of thought led me to take this lunch lady to become my shield. However, if one was to see it from the outside and see me in my u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r, I'd look like a total creep.

"Aagh!"

"Aagh!"

Although, I feel her getting grabbed a few times (due to the infected mistaking it for me) before letting go, so far so good. 

A shield bash here, a shield bash there. Followed by a kick here and a kick there, she's a good shield. Thanks to her, I'm three quarters of the way there.

"And now...cough...for the final push."

All I need to do is get through the outer layer of the horde.

"Aah!"

Ignoring the possible protests of the lunch lady I'm using as a shield, I shift my stance to where I'm leaning forward a little bit and push with all my might.

THUD! 

I fell onto the lunch lady as she hit the floor face first with a muffled thud. But luckily, due to my momentum pushing her forward, me and her slid a few inches. Giving me a small but precious gap of breathing room between me and the horde of infected.

Very quickly, I got up and ran towards the stove. I hopped onto it…

THUD!

"...F*ck!"

And fell off it. My sock couldn't grip the stove's edge. Plus, my throat feels sore and my eyes are getting irritated.  

I think I inhaled too much of that degreaser!

Getting back up, I carefully but quickly get back on the stove. Once I gained my footing, I grabbed the vent by the sides and violently ripped it off, showing a ventilation shaft wide enough for me to fit in.

"Upsy...cough...daisy!"

Going head first, I hop into the ventilation shaft and start to crawl.

I don't know where this leads but as long as it's not here I'm happy.

Cough, man, I need fresh air.