Chapter 72 The Underground Highway

"Everyone ready?"
I nodded at Li and everyone did the same, all our faces have the same expression, the emotions are mixed: anxiety, fear, hope, and excitement as Li work on some complicated switch on the panel, trying to start the engine for the first time after three weeks of being stuck under this skyway.
Greg"s face is full of apprehension when we all look at him, wanting to know how he feels about it. He looks much better after we met him two days ago. His skin doesn"t look filthy anymore and his cheeks have more color now although he really turned so thin of having not enough nutrients and lack of food for almost two weeks. But at least now, he doesn"t look like a depressed raisin anymore, though.
"Do you think you can make this thing work?" Jayson stepped inside the driver"s cockpit and looked in front of the car, the Creepers are appearing slowly one by one their groaning and moaning are already audible inside the vehicle.
"Yes, I think. I have seen a manual. This shouldn"t be too difficult for me." Li answered Jayson convincingly, but it seems like he"s trying to convince himself more as he struggles to turn it on. He turned the key several times but it just doesn"t start.
"What do you think is the problem?" Timothy ask him, his face a little pale and eyes wide with panic, his fear starting to look obvious as he tried to stand but he couldn"t. He still hasn"t recovered yet from being feeling sick last night when he almost suffocated from the retching stink of the dead, fifteen feet away from here.
"Don"t stress yourself too much, I got this," Li assured everyone and I caught Jayson"s stare at me, worried because he knows there is something that is bothering Li. And when Li is looking pressured, that means he is not confident in what he is doing and that means we"re all f*cked up.
"Can you tell us what is happening? Is there something we can help to make it much easier for you?" Roanie asks him, sensing that there really is something wrong.
Li stopped clicking random buttons on the panel and he exhaled in frustration, his eyes on the steering wheel. "I"m sorry. I don"t really have an idea how this thing works. I don"t understand how these buttons relate to turning the engine on. The manual doesn"t work because it"s written in some weird language—"
"I can run this thing,"
All our eyes darted to Greg, whose right hand is raised in the air like an awkward student who only knows the answer to a teacher"s question after the class had turned quiet for several seconds. "I used to help the former driver of this thing and I think I can work on it. I"ll try to remember as best as I can," he said, smiling uncomfortably at all of us.
"Oh, goodness. You should have told us all about it, Greg. I can"t believe you almost made Li pee on his pants out of stress with this thing," Timothy commented on Greg, his eyes looking teasingly at Li trying to annoy the poor engineer who is looking helpless and feeling dumb that he doesn"t even have a single idea how to make us get out of this place.
Li just sneered at Timothy and then Greg tried to stand up but he lost his balance and slumped on the floor but Mona is fast. She had quickly helped him and he walk towards the cockpit. Jayson reached for him to help him step inside and Li quickly stood to give way to Greg and position himself comfortably on the driver"s seat.
"You can do it,. Greg. Get us all out of this place," I tried to encourage him as he push some buttons on the panel, and then went his hand flicked on the right side of the steering wheel, revealing another set of buttons that looked like they are made for passcodes.
"Well that explains a lot," Li murmured, cannot believe what he had witnessed.
Greg just smiled at us awkwardly and said, "I"m sorry I cannot tell you the passcode. The engineers of bunker four made it this way to avoid people from stealing this vehicle, especially in times like these. What you all did is actually correct but without the passcode, the engineers of this vehicle won"t be able to start."
Jayson just pats Li"s shoulder, making him know that this won"t hurt his ego as an engineer because this vehicle is securely designed against people who would try to steal it. It"s understandable because this kind of car would be very useful as a shelter and shield against the creepers and especially, from bandits and bad people who steal stuff and kill.
"He should have told me about it though," Li pouted and sulk in a corner and Timothy grabbed him by wrapping his arm on his shoulder, telling me it"s ok to feel dumb sometimes.
We all just laugh and then gasp and cheered when the lights inside the vehicle went on, the purifier started working, and then cold, clean air started filling our lungs. It made us all inhale deeply, our lips all stretched into a satisfied smile once the cold wind touch our skin.
"Oh god, if this is how it feels to be in this armored car, I will never get out of this place. The air purifying system is just dope." Li commented.
Jayson and I look at each other and then the engine started to roar which made the Creepers around the car stir, their shrieks and screams filled the whole area, attracting more Creepers to come.
"Sh*t! we have to go! Now!" I exclaimed and Greg"s helpless stature a few minutes ago had changed into his fierce look as he focus on maneuvering the car, making us all cheer more in happiness and victory. Greg couldn"t hide the triumphant smile on his face and he look at both me and Jayson while his hands are on the steering wheel.
The engine roared and the entire car started vibrating. I almost lost my balance when it first moved but then stopped, the horror on Greg"s face is so visible when the Creepers started walking towards us, their rotting body looking green and purplish.
"Greg, you can do this. It"s finally the chance that you can get out of this hellhole, buddy. Those Creepers cannot hurt you inside of this vehicle." Jayson tried to encourage Greg more because it seems he"s still traumatized by the fact that his comrades became one of the monsters that want to eat us. "They are beyond saving, Greg. There is nothing we could do about them," Jayson added, figuring out what is in Greg"s mind.
Greg, with his wide eyes and knuckles all white, clutching the steering wheel as hard as he could, had fixed his jaws and lowered his head to glare with anger at the Creepers in front of us. He stepped on the accelerator and all of us yelled and screamed as we tumbled down the floor when the car suddenly moved forward so fast that the Creepers who were on the way went flying forward, knocking their rotting bodies on the concrete ground.
We all heard the crunching and splattered sound of bodies being run under the armored car and Roanie grimaced at the horrible sound which made Timothy look at her teasingly, "First time?"
The rest of us just laughed silently at what Timothy had said, remembering those many times we were desperate to get rid of these Creepers and Jayson had to do the same several times that we had already gotten used to it no matter how terrible and sickening it sounds.
The satisfaction and the revenge that Greg had done for his lost comrades made him smile with tears in his eyes, the melancholic aura on his face suddenly lifted and he smiled at me and Jayson like he was telling us he did it and we both nodded at him, saying he did a great job and he finally has conquered his fear that"s been imprisoning him inside this vehicle.
Greg drives the car to the highway and went straight to an underground highway.
"Wait, we"re going down there? Is it safe?" Li questioned Greg who is now looking calm and confident.
"Yes. It"s the fastest way to enter the border of Zone Twenty eight." He answered Li with newfound self-esteem in his voice. His hands are sure and steady on the wheels and I feel there is nothing to worry about.
"Guys, I think Greg knows what he is doing. Just have faith. I believe Greg knows the way to our destination." I convinced the others and they all just shrugged and nodded at me, as I and Jayson stayed in the cockpit with him, watching the way until we all get inside the underground highway.
"Thank you—"
"Harriet. I"m Harriet." I said although I have already introduced myself to him the first time we met. But I guess he forgot it right away due to so many things that are going on inside his head after we tell him our story that had happened in three weeks that we were gone.
We could hear screeches and howlings as Greg drove continuously, the darkness swallowed us the time we finally entered the only way that could lead us to Zone twenty-eight.
"Dad, Carl... I"m almost there." I whispered to myself.