That was close, Mitch thought as the bartender collected their empty glasses and set down four more, two beers for the men and white wine for the ladies. Brian collected his glass and presented Melissa with her wine.
“A toast,” Brian called out. They all raised their glasses.
“To a fantastic night with friends.”
“Here here,” Mitch said. He raised his beer to his lips.
“Even the zombie ones.” Brian’s voice was pitched low, under the swell of music starting to filter in from the dance floor. Brian winked as he took a sip of his drink.
Mitch glanced over at Sharon and found her dark eyes staring at him as she raised the wine glass to her lips. She didn’t drink any.
Oh shit, he thought.
“I’m going to check out the upper deck,” Sharon said. “Mitch, why don’t you come along.”
She set her plate of food down. If possible, he thought her pale fingers were even paler clenched around her wine glass.
“Sure,” he said. “Let’s check out the upper deck.”
“That sounds romantic,” Melissa said.
Please don’t follow, Mitch thought.
“Let’s finish dinner first, babe,” Brian said.
Thank god, Mitch thought. He could always rely on Brian’s stomach to take precedence.
Mitch followed Sharon out of the buffet room and up the narrow stairs to the upper deck. Even with the music filtering up, it was quiet here with the gentle lapping of water against the sides of the boat. While they’d been inside eating, the sun had gone down. Light from the city glowed in the night sky but above it he could see the blackness of space and a few bright points of stars. Definitely romantic, but romance seemed the last thing on Sharon’s mind from the grim look on her face as she turned to him.
“You told him,” she said. She gripped the wine glass with both hands.
“It was right after I found out,” he said. “I didn’t know what to think or what to do. Brian’s my friend. I confided in him.”
“Confided,” she said. “My secret, my life. You didn’t have the right to spread it around.”
“I didn’t spread. I just told one person.”
“Right, and he’s keeping it quiet, obviously!”
“Look, he didn’t believe me. He thought it was a joke or something so he’s just making fun.”
“Making fun of me.” Her hands trembled. Wine sloshed over the sides of the glass, spilling onto her hands. “And who knows who else he’s said it to.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Mitch said.
“A lot of good that will do.” She lifted the glass to drain it.
“Sharon.” He reached for her arm. She pulled away before he grabbed her. The glass tipped and the remaining wine splashed down the front of her dress.
“No!” she said.
He yanked out some napkins from his pocket and tried to dab at her dress. She backed away from him as his hand brushed the fabric. The napkin caught on her necklace.
“Wait,” he said.
“Leave me alone!”
She jerked away. The napkin tugged, tore but held as she moved. The necklace snapped sending his hand flying back. He heard a tinkle as the necklace dropped to the floor.
“Sharon!”
She rushed away from him. The flowing dark purple fabric melded with the darkening night as she turned the corner at the far end of the deck and disappeared.
Dammit, their first fight. He clenched the napkin and banged his fist against his leg. He should go after her, he knew he should but he didn’t know what to say. He shouldn’t have said anything to Brian but he’d been so shocked, so confused. It was all before he realized that he didn’t care, he’d just wanted her in his life.
He had to make it up to her.
But first he should find her necklace.
He didn’t even remember what she’d worn. He hadn’t really noticed. A slim silver chain. Barely visible against her pale skin. Now against the darkness of the deck he couldn’t see it either. He dropped to his knees, feeling around with his hands. All he felt was the wood of the deck, bits of peeling paint along the edges, some sliver nipped at his fingers. Nothing silver.
Maybe he should just buy her a new chain and medallion.
Not a medallion.
A charm.
His stomach clenched.
The first scream drowned out the electronic dance music.
He ran. His hand grabbed the railing. He almost fell down the stairs in his rush. His feet slipped and slide as he hurried. As he rounded the landing, a woman came running up, screaming. Her shriek pierced his ear drums like an icicle. She shoved her way past him, losing a high heeled shoes that tumbled down the stairs in front of him. He followed the shoe down.
Mayhem ruled the buffet room. The buffet table had been overturned. Trays of food splattered on the floor, mixing potatoes and spare ribs, salad and fruit salad. Shattered plates decorated the rug like confetti. People huddled against the walls, mouths open, screaming. They shoved and pushed toward the doors. In the center of the room, Sharon bent over a large man, one of the vice presidents, Mitch thought. Her head yanked up and he saw she was chewing on his cheek. Blood dripped from her chin as she chewed open mouthed. All intelligence was gone from her dark eyes.
He had to get her out of here, Mitch thought, but without the charm would she even know him?
He had to try.
Before he could move, two other men rushed forward grabbing Sharon by the arms. She released the vice president who slid to the floor. He landed face down in a tray of mashed potatoes. His blood pooled inside it like red gravy.
Sharon’s hands grasped as if she didn’t yet realize she wasn’t holding onto the vice president anymore. She swallowed and her mouth opened and closed. Looking for another bite, Mitch thought. Without one forthcoming, a moan issued from deep in her chest. She seemed to realize her arms were being held. The moan became a bellow of rage.
Sharon twisted hard, lifting her arms. The men held on as they moved like rag dolls. She brought her right arm close to her mouth, her teeth snapping. The man shouted and let go. He fell back, landing on his butt, hands sinking into a mound of caesar salad.
In a flash, Sharon leapt on the second man. He screamed as her teeth sank into his shoulder. She chewed her way up to his neck. Blood sprayed as she hit an artery.
Screams filled the room, drowning out the sound of her chewing and the man’s pleas for help. People stampeded for the doors. They shoved Mitch back until he hit the wall. Bodies pushed past him. He tried to wade through them, aiming for Sharon, but he kept getting pushed back. Across the room, he spotted Brian and Melissa huddling against the bar, clutching each other.
Mitch edged along the wall, bumping against a table. He yanked the table cloth and folded it several times into one thick, long piece. As the crowd thinned, he stepped forward to where Sharon had cracked open the man’s skull and was preparing to feed on his brains.
“Sharon,” he said.
Somewhere in the depths of her zombie brain she must have recognized her own name or maybe even his voice. He liked to think it was his voice she recognized. She lifted her head.
He swung the table cloth over her head and face. The thickest part landed in her mouth. She instinctively closed her mouth, chewing at the fabric. He tied it around her head, covering her eyes so she was blinded.
“Brian, help me get her out of here,” Mitch said.
Brian shook his head, clutching Melissa.
“Brian, help me! I can’t manage her on my own. No telling what will happen if she gets free!”
Finally Brian moved forward to take Sharon’s other arm. Unable to see, she seemed more manageable and Mitch was able to lead her up the stairs. On the deck, he pulled her toward the back of the boat. He remembered seeing life rafts there with rope. Maybe if he got her out of here, back to her home where she had brains in the fridge, he might be able to subdue her until he could find another charm.
They manuevered
her to the back of the boat. In the darkness, Mitch could make out the rough shape of a dingy. At least he thought that’s what it was. He found some rope and started looping it around Sharon’s arms, tying them down.
“She’s a... she’s a zombie.” Brian’s voice shook.
“Yeah,” Mitch said. “Help me get her into the raft.”
“Mitch, she’s a zombie!”
“Brian, I know but she’s a tame one, or was with her charm. I get her another one and she’ll be tame again.”
“She ate people! She ate them!” Brian’s voice squeaked in hysteria.
“Shut up!” Mitch said. “Help me or so help me I’ll feed you to her!”
They got her into the raft and Brian helped him lower it into the water.
“Leave her, Mitch, you’ve got to leave her,” Brian said.
Mitch swallowed and shook his head. “I can’t.”
“For god’s sake why not?”
“I love her, Brian. I love her.”
Mitch turned away from his friend, climbed over the railing and jumped into the water.
* * * *
The sun beat down on his head as he stepped out of the refrigerated truck. Mitch checked his watch as he walked around the back toward the gas pump. As usual, his hand automatically tugged on the locked door, making sure it was secure. The lock held. He paused to listen and thought he might have heard a thump from inside but maybe not. He’d just fed her an hour ago and Sharon was always sluggish for a few hours after a good feed.
He nodded at the attendant who ambled out to greet him.
“Hot day,” he said.
“Yes it is,” Mitch said. “Fill it up please.”
The attendant stuck the nozzle into the gas tank as Mitch walked to the front of the truck. He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and checked it.
“Is it far to the Bayroy township from here?”
“Just down the road about three miles,” said the attendant. “Turn left and go another five. You should reach it before night fall.”
Mitch nodded. “Great, thanks. Do you know if they have a garage there? Some place I can plug in my truck? I need to keep it cool.”
The attendant shrugged. “You might be able to use power from the motel. Most of these big trucks can last a night on battery power.”
“I need to be sure,” Mitch said. “My cargo has to stay cold.”
The nozzle clicked off and Mitch settled up with the attendant. As he climbed back into the truck, he gave the man a wave and drove off. The engine rumbled and he headed down the road, counting off three miles before turning. From behind him in the back, he heard a thump and a soft moan.
“It’s okay, Sharon,” he called. “I’m heading to Bayroy now. We’ll be there soon. We’ll find him, darling. This time for sure and we’ll get you a new charm. Everything will be all right. You’ll see.”
She moaned again and he heard her scratching at the door, the way she always did whenever she heard his voice. He imagined she recognized him and felt comforted.
“It’s all right,” he said. “Everything will be all right. I’ll take care of you, Sharon. I love you.”
He turned left and listened to her moan behind him. He wasn’t sure but he thought he could almost make out words in her moans.
He thought she said ‘I love you too.’
Or maybe it was ‘I’m hungry.’
He could never be quite sure.
He twisted around to check the padlock on the door one last time. Locked.
Good. He turned back to face the front. He loved her but he had to be safe.
Just in case.
END
* * * * *
Based in Toronto, Canada, I write horror, science fiction and mystery/crime, often all at once in the same story. Garnering an Honorable Mention in “The Year’s Best Science Fiction” and nominated for numerous Aurora Awards, my work has appeared in TransVersions, Deadbolt Magazine, On Spec, The Vampire’s Crypt, Storyteller, Reflection’s Edge, Future Syndicate and Into the Darkness, amongst others.
If you enjoyed this story, check out some of my other titles:
“Family Business”
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/68492
“In Dwarf Land & Cannibal Country”
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/65722
“The Beginners Guide to the Recently Deceased”
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/65722
“Food for Survival After a Disaster, With Plates
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/68086
“The Art of Embalming”
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/69327
Or my compilations:
“Oh the Horror!: 5 Horror Stories”
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/55872
“Going to Hell: 5 Horror Stories”
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/56364
Visit me at:
Website: http://www.RebeccaSenese.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/RebeccaSenese
LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/RebeccaSenese
Blog: http://RebeccaSenese.wordpress.com
My Girlfriend, the Zombie: A Zombie Romance Story Page 3
