13
So we ended up going back to the school. A layer of smoke drifted along the ceiling while the smoke alarm beeped for fire-fighters which would probably never come.
Who knew that the school would house the perfect zombie killing weapon of all time?
I turned my head as I broke the glass encasing of the fire axe and then took a firm hold of it with both hands. I looked at it with amazement. This was my weapon of choice. Nothing came close to the sensation of swinging an axe at the undead. It was the most unadulterated piece of weaponry ever made. I could ravel in its perfection all day.
“Can we hurry this along?” Michelle asked.
I stopped admiring the axe for a moment and noticed that she had her one hand covering her mouth and nose. It was only then that I realized that the smoke was getting too heavy to breathe.
“It’s probably a good idea.” I said.
I motioned towards the main entrance and we walked down the hallway; shielding our mouths and noses from the smoke.
When we got closer to the main entrance, I could make out a figure in the distance. A man emerged like a ghost ship from the smoke. It was Mister Anderson, the gym teacher. He was a gigantic muscular man – or used to be. His face was covered in blood – the parts of his face that were still there. His one eye hung from the socket; dangling on a string of nerves.
The upper part of his right arm was completely stripped of flesh and muscles leaving only the bare bone.
I stopped in my tracks and pushed Michelle behind me. When she noticed Mister Anderson, she gasped in horror. Both of us took a few steps back; backing up against the gymnasium doors.
Mister Anderson was walking at a slow pace, grimacing as he approached. I was really getting fed up with the undead trying to eat us. Why could they not eat each other?
“Zac?” Michelle whispered concerned.
I was not concerned by his size or the fact that he was undead. I was not about to let him harm Michelle in any way. I would protect her at any cost.
“Just stay behind me.” I said.
Michelle tugged at my sleeve and I looked around – confounded to see a group of about ten undead students approaching from the other end of the hallway. We were trapped. I could not risk Michelle’s life by going either way. I shoved the axe into my belt like it was a holster for a gun.
“Let’s go!” I shouted
I grabbed her by the arm and we rushed into the gymnasium. My body was getting a boost of adrenaline, making every muscle in my body move like a well-oiled engine and my mind clear as a cloudless sky.
When we got to the middle of the gymnasium floor, we stopped and I assessed our surroundings. Undead were pouring in through the open doors behind us. To the left stood a pile of discus discs, a few dodgeballs and a few feet away a Manila climbing rope dangled from the ceiling with its other end tied to a post against a wall.
“What are we going to do?” Michelle asked worried.
While she panicked, I had time to completely assess the situation and the best possible way to get out of it alive.
I grabbed her by the arm and we ran over to the heap of discusses. I picked up one and flung it at Mister Anderson. The discus sliced through his chest like a warm knife through butter and decapitated an undead student behind him, but he kept coming.
“Damn.” I cussed.
I really thought that would work.
I grabbed a dodgeball and with all my might flung it at his head. The dodgeball smashed into his face and his skull exploded, sending shards of bone and brains splashing in every direction.
Perhaps dodgeballs weren’t such a bad idea.
I picked up another dodgeball and flung it at the approaching group of undead students. The ball smashed right through one undead girl’s head and pulverised the head of the undead boy behind her.
I could never understand why gym teachers liked dodgeball, but I was actually starting to enjoy dodgeball – that was until I saw another twenty undead students pouring through the gymnasium doors like cockroaches squirming out of a drain.
We had to get out of there while I had the upper hand. I grabbed a discus and flung it in the direction of the wall where the rope was tied. I grabbed the rope dangling next to me and twisted it around my left arm before gripping Michelle firmly around her waist with my right arm.
The discus soared through the air, slicing through the neck of one undead boy and then hit the spot against the wall where the rope was tied – cutting it free.
The counterweights dropped to the floor and our end of the rope elevated us towards the ceiling at an incredible rate. I swung my feet forward and propelled us towards the casement window. When I was sure we were aligned just right, I untangled my arm from the rope and we propelled out through the window.
“Zac!” Michelle screamed in terror.
I held onto her as tightly as I could, as we rocketed through the air and landed in the branches of a nearby tree.
I let out a sigh of relief. For a second I didn’t know whether my plan would work. I was just glad that Michelle was alright.
“And we’re in a tree again.” Michelle said and let out a sigh.
14
I stood beneath the tree and assisted Michelle to climb down to safety. There weren’t any undead in sight. We were in the clear for a while.
Michelle dusted herself off and straightened her hair. It was probably the most excitement she had ever had in one day.
“Please warn me the next time you decide to fling me at a tree.” Michelle said, “This is the second time you threw me in a tree.”
“I’m sorry.” I said, “It’s not that I plan to. It just happened. I can’t explain it. When the adrenaline kicks in, I am a completely different person.”
“I can see that.” She said.
She looked around her as if expecting trouble, but trouble did not come. Now that we were clear of the school building I was not sure where we could go. I had no idea where my mother was or whether she was still alive. I had to be realistic. I had to ensure our own survival.
I unholstered the axe from my belt and gripped it firmly with both hands. It was too quiet for my liking. Trouble was bound to be close by. If anything happened, I wanted to be ready.
I motioned for Michelle to follow me closely and we walked down the deserted street. A rumble in a nearby bush made me stop caution. I tightened my grip on the axe handle and anticipated one of the undead to jump out.
A cat pounced out and meowed before running away. I was relieved that it was not one of the undead, but then I realized that this was a classic mistake.
Unearthly growling nearby made me spin around. One of the undead had leaped from behind a tree and darted towards Michelle. She let out a horror-filled scream as the undead man reached towards her neck.
Without thinking twice, I swung the axe at the man’s neck decapitating him. I froze instantaneously and the axe blade came within a mere inch from Michelle’s head. She slowly opened her eyes and stepped back a few feet upon setting eyes on the bloody axe.
I lowered the axe and noticed that the decapitated head was biting at the air as if it would propel itself towards Michelle’s flesh. I lifted my foot and stomped the head as hard as I could; smashing it like a rotten tomato.
“Thank you.” Michelle said softly.
“Don’t mention it.” I said
I looked around for any other dangers and wiped my shoe on the cement.
“I think we should get out of here.” I said, “It is not safe.”
“Where should we go?”
“Anywhere but here.” I said.
We started walking down the street again – not knowing where to go. The streets were in ruins and completely deserted. There were no signs of the undead or the living. It was a terrifying experience not knowing whether we were the only uninfected people left.
As we walked, I stole a glance at Michelle. Even covered in blood she was still the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. I was really glad that
she was there with me. I was really glad we were dating. I am pretty sure that if the world did not end, we would have ended up going to the prom together.
I could just imagine my mother taking a picture of the two of us before we left for the prom. Would I ever have a prom to go to? Probably not.
I was no use dwelling on what might have been. I had to concentrate on the present. I had Michelle by my side and had to protect her from the world of the undead. We would have to find a safe place for the night and food and perhaps even my mother.
It seems like this was the beginning of the end.
TO BE CONTINUED
Zac Zombie: Slayer of the undead Page 11
