A Dead Disappointment

by Birch, S. C.

  Cameron, Emily, Jack, and Lucy

  At three minutes past midnight they left their shelter and travelled down the stairs. Each had a large gun and held it in both hands. The halls were quiet and still. The four walked in silence, clustered together, moving gun first. Lucy overcame her swollen ankle and although limping she was able to keep pace with the rest of the group. Even Maeve was great. She walked with her butterfly knife up and ready to lunge. Reaching the bottom of the flats, they all wandered into the street. Rough grunts and growls sifted through the air.

  Emily stood at the head of the pack, weapon ready and taking the lead. They moved through narrow alleys. Climbing over garbage and wrecks, moving past the remnants of people’s homes and lives.

  The Soldiers had cleared most of the way for them, it seemed. But they didn’t have a clear idea of where they were going and decided it was better to get to the cars later and safer than loudly and dead.

  And as Emily was taking point, whenever they did reach the somewhat deaf undead, she slid out her machete, drove it through a skull, slid it back into her belt, and continued along.

  It should be noted that zombies are fatally attracted to LOUD sounds because loud is all they can hear.

  They turned a corner slowly. Emily could hear zombies ahead. That distinctive snarl was close. She moved forwards. Three undead twitched and stared up the stone walls.

  Emily slid out her machete, Maeve pulled up her knife, and both walked to the dead. Emily tightened her grip, lifted her arm and as she was about to swing an explosion in the distance distracted her.

  The three corpses spun to face the noise, and in doing so found their next meal. They screamed and lunged forwards. Emily sliced two down and Maeve stabbed the other. But snarls and growls wrapped all around them.

  “MOVE!” Cameron yelled.

  The dead piled in. They flung their bodies into walls as they chased food. All five ran through the tight passageways, the Brookers shot in front of them while Lucy and Cameron shot behind and Maeve did her utmost to stab. The noise of the bullets and the screams of famished zombies swept through the city and dragged forwards all from every side. Emily could hear soldiers shooting and screaming around them only just over the growls of the undead closing in and her own bullets. They ran until the narrow space left them and they were in a wide and open street. And still they ran, shooting everything they could.

  Emily’s gun clicked and nothing came out.

  She wrapped her arm around her side and clutched at a magazine. She felt it in her fingers then let go and arched back as teeth sank into her hip. Emily yelled and started falling backwards.

  Jack heard. He roared and ran to her. That’s when a pair of teeth sunk into his hand.

  Emily smacked the ground. She gripped her side tight. It was warm and wet. Her hands slipped in her blood. The pain was immeasurable. She had never felt anything like it. Her flesh felt like it was sizzling under venom and as though shards of white-hot metal were imbedded inside her. It pulsed through her.

  Jack pulled his arm away and dropped to the ground, screaming.

  Cameron heard the screams and saw the two. But he was surrounded. He couldn’t get at them. Fighting with every ounce of his life, Cameron pushed forwards to the Brookers.

  And that’s when something remarkable happened. And it was the first time in history. Both the zombies who had taken a bite out of the twins were doubled up on the street. Choking and retching as black sludge spluttered from their mouths. Cowering over the ground and clutching at it. Dragging their hands along the road. Tearing off their fingers and flaying their skin.

  Then an even more remarkable thing happened. The other undead hurtling towards the twins caught the scent of their blood. And they ran past them.

  Jack grabbed his gun and dragged himself towards Emily as she lay on the ground.

  Emily, in the purest rage she had ever felt, slammed her boot over and again into her attacker’s face.

  It screamed and howled, unsure as to what was more painful; its insides being expelled or its skull caving in.

  Cameron felt a desperate panic course through him. He called to Emily. Abandoning all else and slaughtering everything keeping him from reaching her.

  Emily tried to shout for Cameron, but a zombie grabbed at her throat. It sniffed all around her face, moaning and gnashing. Emily heaved and felt her insides twist from the rancid odour that clung to him. Pain swarmed through her. She wrestled it, trying to free herself. Emily jerked as the Jaw swayed in the air. But her scent sickened him. The rotting creature wrapped his hands on her shoulders and shoved her back before leaping towards the three with a more favourable scent.

  Emily’s head banged the ground and everything but the pain left her. The world looked fuzzy and a high-pitched ringing filled her head. But then, faintly, she could hear her brother. Emily wasn’t sure what he was saying, but that was definitely Jack’s voice. There was just so much noise, and none of it made any sense. Then she was picked up and tripping over her feet, being pulled back. And god how it was excruciating. An arm was wrapped around her waist. And bullets were hurtling past her face. Emily thought she was going to die from the pain. Her consciousness was slipping away from her. Everything was dark and noisy. But her hearing cleared just then. Then her vision came back into focus. Her senses found her again. The pain, growing ever violent, forced its way out of Emily and made her scream.

  Jack was dragging his sister backwards to anywhere that might be safe. He kept shooting while Emily writhed in his grip. Jack was running out of time. As a corpse dropped, another appeared behind it.

  Cameron reached the Brookers. He stood in front of them and roared in an unparalleled rage as he shot anything still moving while Lucy stood to Emily’s side and s hot in the same manner.

  The mass of rotting-dead grew and grew. This diseased swarm trying to devour them, like a rushing wave crashing forwards.

  Emily could hear them shouting her name, but she was concentrating so feverously on how to fight back, that she had neither energy nor mind to do anything else. This was not going to be the end of her chapter. She was not going to let herself to die like this.

  Maeve darted forwards, killing as best she could while the others behind her shot the beasts that tried to eat her and screamed for her to come back. Maeve disappeared for seconds before pushing back through with a gun in hand.

  “Kid!” Emily said through her intense pain as she pushed the magazine at the sixteen-year-old.

  Maeve took it and while they all tried their best attempt at a run, huddled together, she slid out the old one and rammed in the new one before shooting.

  The five were stuck, surrounded, nowhere to escape to. But that never stopped them. Their Fight continued.

  Emily’s thoughts and rational had been trickling back. She grimaced and braced herself for what she was about to do. She plunged her hand into her bleeding side, drenching it. She heaved and yelped. Blood ran down her legs and dripped to the cobbled ground. And once the pain became more than she could live through, Emily pulled her arm up and wiped her blood-soaked hand on Cameron’s jacket before doing the same to the two girls.

  The undead that charged were confused by the mix of smells and paused as they ran. Only for seconds, they stumbled and stopped in their rampage. But it was enough. The living were able to use that spec of time to widen the gap between themselves and those Jaws.

  Then the Living were winning. The gap between the Dead and the Alive widened. There seemed to be an end to the Dead’s numbers. They could do it. They could survive this.

  Blades ripped through the air above. But inside the helicopter one of them had not been wearing a mask. She died and ate her co-pilot.

  The propellers continued to spin while the helicopter hurtled down. It smashed into the street and careered along the ground, kicking up the pavement and ploughing through the horde of undead. And those dead started to chase the interruption.

  “GET BACK!” Jack yelled and drag
ged his sister out of the way. The group slammed themselves against a shop window and huddled down as the debris from the helicopter flew all around them. Glass shattered and spat out onto the crouching group. Emily cried out as broken glass rained down and sliced her skin. And this is when her Fight devoured her like it never had before. She was fucking furious. Her rage coursed through her veins. Swallowing her whole. Emily ripped out her machete and coated it in her blood.

  Cameron was the first to move again. As the helicopter debris past them, he stood up and hovered in front of his friends, shooting into the horde.

  “GET UP NOW!” he screamed over the carnage.

  Jack went to lift his sister but she pushed herself away from him, flew for a zombie, and tested her theory. Emily slashed at its face. Instantly it screeched and cradled the wound.

  And Jack noticed too. He ran to his sister and shot anything that came near her.

  Lucy and Maeve followed in the three deranged mercenaries’ wake, shooting from behind.

  Emily fought her way forwards, slicing, stabbing, and bleeding. Feral and wild like the beasts she was killing. The Fight pushed her forwards. Then she saw it. Towering over all else. The Glass Building. The Tomkins Hotel. And by now Emily was tripping over her feet. She reminded herself of those zombies right at the beginning of all this at the supermarket. But Emily was so close. She just needed to keep putting one foot in front of the other and she could make it.

  Lucy grabbed Emily’s arm as she fell and pulled her along the road and to the carpark. All three cars were still there.

  “GET IN AND GO!” Cameron barked as he continued to defend them.

  But Emily couldn’t. Having reached their goal, she collapsed. Her knees collided with the ground and crunched as she hung her head and swayed. Jack stood at her back, spun round and shot everything coming forwards. Lucy tried to lift Emily to her feet again but couldn’t. Emily lay limp and heavy.

  “JACK!”

  Jack scrambled to Lucy and swapped their roles, she shot while he carried Emily. He dragged her to the front seat of the Mustang.

  From the front lines Cameron screamed, “JUST GO!”

  But Jack, Lucy, and Maeve refused. They continued holding their ground, until the zombies started being launched to the side. Jack looked up the road; Owen, Grace, Daniel, Blondie, and Handlebar were running to them. Jack jerked towards them and cleared the route.

  Owen ripped his way through the horde and into the carpark. “LEAVE NOW!”

  Jack nodded and ran into the car with Lucy and Maeve. He wanted to stay and help. But he couldn’t. Emily was jerking in her seat, grunting, and clutching at the hole in her side. Jack needed to get her the fuck out of there.

  He slammed his foot on the pedal and drove through the horde. Lucy rolled down her window and shot into the streets. Jack spun the car around in manic circles, killing the dead around him.

  And Owen used this. He jumped into his car and once Daniel, Grace, Handlebar Moustache, and Blondie were in, he roared forwards.

  Cameron was the last to leave. He ran to the car and screeched it into life.

  Jack craned his neck around; all three cars were in motion so he spun the wheel and flew forwards, through the undead until they thinned out. He drove through the city looking for the exit.

  “Em? Talk to me, Em!” he shouted as he shifted his gaze rapidly between the road ahead and his bleeding sister.

  Emily writhed around, still holding her side and shouted, “FUCK!”

  Static emitted from Lucy’s pocket.

  “Is everyone alright?” asked Owen from the talkie.

  Lucy reeled herself back into the car and rolled up the window.

  Maeve grabbed the talkie, “No.”

  “What the fuck happened?” asked Owen.

  “Jack! You need to keep going. Don’t stop for anything! I’m betting that the door out of here is open but those soldier fucks might still be out. Whatever you do, get Emily out of here!” screamed Cameron’s voice from the talkie.

  Emily grunted and shouted in anger.

  “What in the fuck’s happened to Emily?” roared Owen.

  “Emily!” spat Jack over the talkies, “Emily, for fuck’s sakes talk to me!”

  “I’m. Fucking. Trying!” Emily spat back.

  Jack ploughed through the frenzied hordes and past a group of soldiers who were having their faces devoured. The undead ran for the speeding cars but were thrown back and splatted on the road and surrounding buildings.

  “Em? I swear to fuck if you don’t answer me right now I’m going to kill you!” shouted Jack as he took a left and threw everyone around.

  “What’s happened to Emily?” Grace asked. “Someone tell me!”

  Emily closed her eyes and pulled her focus together. She concentrated as fiercely as she could. Being thrown around in the car doubled the pain. But she overcame it using nothing but force and stubbornness. And as Emily opened her eyes and looked through the window, she saw it. The door was open. They were about to make it. They were going to escape this goddamned-fucking city. Emily brought her feet up to the dashboard and pulled her knees into her chest. Using the compression to dull her pain.

  Lucy grabbed the talkie from Maeve, “She’s fine!”

  The Mustang flew past the doors. But no one cheered. They were too focused on Emily. Jack drove through the roads; Owen and Cameron were still following. The tear in his hand burned. He could see smears of his own blood as he turned the wheel of the car.

  “We fucking did it!” shouted Owen from the talkie.

  Maeve burst into tears. She smiled as she looked out the window and at freedom.

  The city started to thin out around them. The zombies still littered the streets. But Jack drove past them. He drove past survivors who were putting up an almighty fight. He could see a helicopter flying ahead but far in the distance.

  “Emily? How you -”

  Emily twisted her body back and watched as a car ripped into Cameron and static came from the radio. Both spun on the road then tipped over. Dust and metal shrapnel erupted out. The car and Cameron skidded along the road, upturned, then slammed into a building.

  “NO!” Emily screamed and dove forwards, pulling up the handbrake. While the car slipped on the streets and everyone in it shouted, Emily threw herself out and started dragging herself towards the wreckage. The Impala had already stopped and Owen was running towards Cameron.

  The undead heard the crash and came hunting.

  Daniel and Blondie were shooting into the streets when Jack and Lucy reached Emily. Lucy stood above her, shooting everything that appeared while Jack ran to Cameron.

  Together, Jack and Owen pried open the door and pulled out Cameron’s limp and bloody body.

  Emily screamed at the sight.

  “Get back in the car!” ordered her brother as he pulled Cameron along the road. Owen shot around them, keeping them alive.

  Jack lifted Cameron into the back beside Maeve.

  Lucy pulled Emily back into the car and threw her in the front.

  Emily scrambled in her seat and tried to get to Cameron.

  “Lucy! Keep her still!” yelled Jack as Lucy slammed her door shut.

  Lucy dropped the gun and wrapped her arms around Emily and the chair. Pulling her in as tight as possible.

  Emily thrashed and moaned as she tried to escape.

  But Lucy kept her pinned.

  Jack shifted gears and sped away from the approaching undead and looked through the mirror to see the Impala gaining on them.

  “Just let me see him!” Emily pleaded as she fought off Lucy.

  “How is he?” yelled out Grace’s voice from the talkie.

  Lucy nodded to the talkie on the floor and Maeve dove forwards and snatched it, “I don’t know.”

  “No!” Emily’s throat crackled under the strain of her screams.

  “Maeve!” demanded the wrestling Lucy, “You need to check for a pulse!”

  Maeve nodded, “Okay.” she
dropped the talkie in her lap as Cameron’s lifeless body slid between her and the door. She pressed her fingers on his soaking neck and felt for something. But she couldn’t feel anything past his warm blood. She couldn’t hear anything over Emily’s screaming. She pulled her hand away and held her fingers under his nose.

  “He’s breathing!”

  Emily burst into tears of relief.

  Jack wiped his hand across his face and scraped away his tears.

  Lucy slid back, leaned behind Maeve, and held Cameron upright, “Maeve! You need to tell them!”

  “Okay.” said Maeve with a nod as she fumbled for the talkie, “He’s still breathing.”

  There was a long wait while the Impala cheered before Owen came back on, “Christ almighty don’t fucking wait that long in future to tell us!”

  “Sorry.” replied Maeve.

  “Kid! Pass on this message.” said Jack, “Tell them that as soon as we are out of this fucking city the next chemist we find, we’re going into.”

  This is exactly what they did. They drove past houses and through deserted streets until they stopped outside a pharmacy. It was empty inside. Jack and Lucy barged in and scooped up as much as they could carry.

  Emily had already forced Maeve to swap seats with her. And Maeve did, although she regretted. Emily’s blood that had pooled on the leather seats seeped through her jeans and jumper.

  Jack pulled his sister out of the car and dragged her to the street.

  “Get the fuck off me!” Emily shouted and tried to break free.

  “Jack!” Lucy said, climbing into the car with a bundle of bandages, “You need to disinfect her bite and wrap it. Use a belt if you need to! I’m gonna sort out Cameron.”

  Jack fought with Emily and pushed away her clothes to examine the wound. Her skin had been ripped under the teeth and she had a ragged circle of torn flesh.