Val: Prequel to The Zombie Chronicles

by Peebles, Chrissy

  “Okay. Then tell me how you got here,” Sammy said.

  “Jack brought me.”

  She raised a brow. “Really? Where’s good ol’ Jack now? I’m dying to hear one of his longwinded lectures.”

  “He ditched me.”

  “Idiot! But don’t worry. We can use Annie’s car,” she said. “It’s about four blocks from here, and she keeps the keys under the seat.”

  “We can’t just take her car,” I said.

  “She won’t need it again,” she whispered sadly. “She’s dead.”

  “Oh. I’m so sorry.”

  “Most friends don’t last these days. It’s a fact of this zombie-infested life.”

  “I’ll last, Sammy.”

  “Promise?” she said.

  “I promise. I won’t ever leave you.”

  “Pinky-swear?”

  I wrapped my little finger around hers. “Yep. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me forever, kiddo.”

  “That’s okay. I like forever.”

  “There’s something I need to tell you,” I said hesitantly, not sure how she was going to take the news. “Jack told me that he and most of the others are leaving next week.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Leaving? Where’re they going?”

  “I’m not sure. I didn’t get the details. Maybe we can stop by and find out.”

  “Do you really think the grass is greener on the other side?”

  “That depends. Honestly, I’d rather water the dead grass I’m standing on.”

  “Until a zombie’s dead, rotting hand bursts through the dirt and grabs your ankle.”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure leaving is the answer.”

  “Hmm. I’m kinda on the fence. Do you think there really are any safe places left?”

  “Jack seems to think so.”

  “So we should listen to that uptight idiot? That dummy would pitch a tent on the rim of an active, lava-spewing volcano.”

  “Yeah, I know he’s made some mistakes, but we all have.”

  “Does he really think we can survive out there with an unstoppable horde of flesh-eating monsters on our butts every second, every minute of every freaking day?”

  “I don’t wanna leave, but it’s getting worse here every day. I just want what everyone else wants,” I said.

  “And what’s that?”

  “Sanctuary, a refuge from all this…hell.”

  A feral snarl caught my attention. When I turned, a grisly eating machine with blood oozing down its face stepped out from behind a parked truck. It looked as if its skin had been boiled off, and it was wearing a demonic expression on its face as it limped on a twisted ankle. It had no teeth, no nose, and only part of a black tongue.

  I sealed my lips tight, then raised my gun and fired. The weapon packed a deadly punch, and blood and biological debris flew everywhere when the hole was blasted in its foul head.

  Sammy continued talking, as if it was a common occurrence; sadly, it was. “I know I shoulda held my tongue back there,” she said, “but those gang members were pissing me off. They killed people right in front of us.”

  “And that wasn’t a clue to keep your mouth shut?”

  “They had no right to just walk into my place and kick me out.”

  “It’s not safe in the city. I warned you. That gang’s nothing but trouble. They’ve been harassing everyone.”

  “They usually leave us alone,” she said, “but since the zombies attacked the other place they were staying, they came knocking at our doors. The gang-bangers do whatever they want, like they own the place.”

  “That’s why I didn’t want you to stay here.”

  “But it’s my home,” she said.

  “Like Jack told me earlier, not anymore.”

  “Don’t say that, Val!”

  “It’s the truth. Even those jerks won’t make it too much longer if they don’t get out. The zombie count is too high. I’ve been telling you that forever. I hate to leave, but we’ve gotta go where there are less of them. They’ve been showing up in your neighborhood pretty frequently lately.”

  “I know, but I’m not sure it’s safe anywhere right now.” She knew I was right; she just hated to admit it.

  Since I wasn’t in the mood for an argument, I changed the subject. “Love your hair, by the way,” I said, walking on, admiring her two turquoise, braided ponytails. Some of our group didn’t get Sammy, but I loved her unique style. She wanted to be different, and that she was.

  She smiled. “Thanks,” she said. She was dressed a t-shirt and denim shorts, and her blue eyes sparkled under her thick, long lashes.

  “That makeup really makes your eyes pop,” I said.

  “A li’l black eyeliner always does the trick.”

  Something crashed, and I lifted my gun. Sammy aimed her gun, too, and glanced around, motioning to me not to say another word. The noise was coming from the alley to the left. She motioned me not to say another word. In a blur, two figures darted past us. Sammy fired once, barely missing two women in ragged clothes, who screamed hysterically.

  “Don’t shoot!” I said. “It’s just survivors.”

  Sammy shot them a look. “You gotta talk. Geesh! I thought you were zombies. Everybody knows you gotta say something.”

  “Sorry,” I said.

  “Yeah, us too,” the younger of the women said, then grabbed her friend by the arm and ran off.

  “You almost blew her head off!” I scolded.

  “Sorry,” Sammy replied, her voice wavering. “I know I gotta be more careful, but I really thought she was one of those freaks. Gosh, what would I have done if I’d killed that poor girl? I’d never be able to live with myself.”

  “I know your nerves are frazzled, but take a minute to think,” I said.

  “I did that once, and my boyfriend’s dead because of it,” she said sternly.

  “It’s a judgment call, Sammy—each and every time.”

  “I think I’m losin’ it, going crazy,” she said.

  “You’re not alone in that. Think about everything we’ve been through. We lost family and friends, people we cared deeply about. We try to carry on, but it’s hard knowing that they were viciously murdered. When we think about that incredible loss we’ve experienced, it’s a miracle we don’t lose our sanity.”

  “But I can’t even…I can’t sleep,” she said. “For starters, I can’t take the nightmares. Then there’s all the sadness. And, finally, I’m scared to sleep because I know they don’t.”

  “I’m in the same boat. I woulda stocked up on caffeine pills if I had known sleep was going to be so terrifying.”

  Cars revved behind us, and shouts cut through the air. My jaw tensed as I glanced over my shoulder to see what the commotion was. Armed men were approaching us on foot, carrying baseball bats and four-by-fours. One man was standing in the bed of a truck, pointing a 9mm at me that sent a cold shiver of fear down my spine.

  “Oh no. What now?” Sammy whispered.

  “I don’t know, but we’ve gotta lose these idiots…and fast, before we’re all zombie food.”

  Chapter 4

  “I see her!” a man shouted.

  “It’s the gang!” Sammy said, horrified. “They’re lookin’ for me. They think I was the one who hurt their friends.”

  I could hear the panic in her voice even through the racing heartbeat drumming in my ears. I grabbed her arm, and we turned the corner quickly. We sprinted down the street, cut down an alley, then turned up another street. “They’ll expect us to take this street out of the city,” I said.

  “And we’re not?” she retorted.

  “No.” I started to pry on a loose board.

  “Stop!” she shouted. “I’m not going in there. These buildings are infested…and I’m not talking about only rats and roaches.”

  “That’s exactly why they won’t expect us to go in here,” I said, pulling the board off, “and they certainly aren’t going to follow us.”

  Her breath came i
n ragged gasps. “For good reason! We might not come out alive.”

  Ignoring her, I reached for my flashlight on my keychain and peered in.

  “Well? Is it safe?” she asked.

  “I don’t see anything.”

  “Yet.”

  I squeezed through the opening and walked through the darkness. A little light shone through from high windows, but I still couldn’t see much. I knew we were taking a dangerous gamble going in there, but I also knew that was what we had to do to survive. There was no way we’d ever outrun all those hoodlums in cars and trucks. I could try and hold them off for a while, but it wouldn’t be long before I ran out of ammo; there were far too many for the two of us to take down alone. They’d just shoot or capture us, do God knew what to us, then kill us. If we crawled into one of those deserted buildings, they’d have no idea which one, because every structure on the street was infested with undead. It was insane to crawl into any of those dark buildings, but I could only hope it was just insane enough to save our lives.

  Pointing my gun ahead of me, I inched inside. My boots crunched on broken glass as I shined the weak light around. A sign read, “Snow Parts and Services.” My boot sank in something as I walked over it.

  Sammy gasped. “Please tell me that’s not a decaying corpse,” she whispered.

  When I looked down, I was relieved to see what it was. “Just salt,” I said, shining my light around at the hundreds of bags strewn everywhere.

  “Huh? Is this a salt factory?” Sammy asked.

  I looked at the plows, shovels, and snow equipment. “It’s a school kid’s worst enemy in the winter, some kind of snow removal service.” Strangely, in that ice-and snow-oriented business, I felt a trickle of sweat rolling down my back. It was an exceptionally hot September day, at least 100 degrees inside the place, and it was like walking around in a furnace.

  Suddenly, Sammy jumped back, startled.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Down there,” she said, wide-eyed and pointing.

  I shined the light on an old, tattered doll covered in dry blood, a pretty disturbing sight indeed. “It’s just a toy,” I said, shaking my head. It was a weird place for a little girl to lose a doll, though, and the thought of any child dying made me want to puke right there. “We won’t go in too deep,” I assured Sammy, “just enough to wait it out.”

  “Okay,” she whispered, pointing her gun in front of her.

  I didn’t hear anything shuffling around in the dark, and I was happy for that, but our luck didn’t last long. A few thudding, clumsy footsteps let me know we were most definitely not alone.

  Sammy gasped and instinctively pointed her weapon.

  “Don’t shoot!” I said.

  “Why not?” she asked, terrified.

  “You’ll blow our cover.”

  “What do you expect me to do? Just dangle my hand around and let ‘em have a nibble while we wait it out?”

  “Of course not!” Just as I was about to scold Sammy for being so sarcastic and sassy, I gasped when I saw a pair of white eyes right in front of me. The thing hissed and let out a moan of death, and my breath caught in my throat. I knew if either of us fired our weapons, it would quickly alert the pursuing gang of our whereabouts. Just as those vicious teeth were about to tear into me, I delivered a roundhouse kick and sent it flying. When it landed on some wooden crates a few feet away, I rushed over and crushed its head with the heel of my boot.

  Another low moan from my left terrified me, and I began to think we might have fared better with the gang outside. We now had to fight an unseen, inhuman force in the dark. The zombies definitely had the advantage, and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to play their game.

  I heard heavy breathing not too far away, and a feeling of dread washed over me like a tidal wave. I couldn’t fire my gun or I’d give away my location, so I frantically searched around in the dark for a suitable weapon. I could just bash its head in with the butt of my gun, but then I found a board with nails poking out of it, the remnant of a dilapidated wall. That’d work and not get guts or brains on my gun.

  The zombie growled, holding a squealing rat up in its bony hand. The zombie opened its mouth, revealing black teeth with fresh blood dripping off the tips. Its black, rotting tongue was pockmarked and shredded, with deep pockets of pus. As the disgusting nightmare lunged for me, I smashed its head in so hard that I snapped the board in half. As it fell, the rescued rodent scurried away for its dear life. I made quick work of kicking the zombie’s brittle skull in, and gore oozed out of it like melted Jell-O.

  “You okay?” I asked Sammy.

  She nodded, darting her eyes nervously around in the dark.

  My body tensed as I strained my eyes to see. I didn’t notice any impending danger, but I knew anything could jump out at us at any given moment. It was worse than walking through a haunted house. At least those illusions were harmless and contrived; these, on the other hand, were not illusions at all. They had real teeth and wanted to dig them into us and devour us bite by bite.

  “I wonder if that gang has passed this place up yet,” I said.

  Sammy shrugged and started to say something, but I held my hand up to silence her when I heard voices and laughter close by.

  It’s them, I thought, horrified. Did they really follow us in here?

  We needed to hide, fast, so I motioned for Sammy to follow me behind a huge, towering stack of boxes.

  “Are you sure they’re in here?” a girl asked.

  “The wood’s all smashed in,” a man said.

  “Any survivor coulda done that,” another argued.

  “Nah. There are fresh footprints in the dirt. See?”

  “Well, where are they then? They couldn’t just have disappeared,” another said.

  “You’re right. They gotta be here somewhere. Let’s find ‘em.”

  As the gang made their way in to search the premises for us, I peered through the dim light and made out another door. I motioned for Sammy to follow me. The gang continued to talk and laugh while we quietly made our way into what I presumed to be an office. I shone my tiny flashlight around, noting all the dried blood and bullet holes that adorned the walls. It was all I could do to keep from vomiting; the place was more grotesque than any crime scene I’d ever been called to. I wasn’t sure what kind of bloodbath had taken place there, but I didn’t think it was smart or safe to stick around. For the time being, though, we had no choice but to hide under the big, oak desk. I tried to still my heavy breathing, but my pulse wouldn’t stop racing. “How many do you think there are?” I whispered.

  “All of them, I think,” Sammy answered. “Maybe twenty. They’re sticking together, and there’s no way we can fight all of them.”

  Hysterical screams, gunfire, and shouts suddenly pierced the air.

  Instinctively, I began crawling out, but Sammy pulled me back.

  “Don’t go!” she said. “This isn’t the time to play last action hero, Val.”

  “If we get boxed in here while zombies are attacking, it’ll be game over,” I argued, then hurried out of my hiding spot and peeked out the door.

  Some of the gang members were wearing hardhats with headlamps in them, but that seemed to be doing them little good. Zombies hissed and growled as the gang desperately tried to fight them, likely lured there by their laughter and loud banter.

  Sammy finally crawled out from under the desk, and we left the office. We found another stack of boxes and climbed up them as far as possible without tumbling over. From atop the horizontal tower, I had a better view and could look for the best escape route. I knew if we ran through the zombie horde, we’d be bitten, scratched, or killed.

  Suddenly, a girl with long, black hair screamed, waving her flashlight around frantically.

  I took careful aim, and just as the charred chomper was about to take a bite out of her neck, I pulled the trigger, sending the thing crashing to the ground without half of its head.

  The girl hurried over to
us and clambered up the boxes. She clung to Sammy, screaming hysterically. “I got Zack’s headlamp!” she shouted to a girl who was still down below. “Take it!”

  “No! How could you pull it off of him like that?”

  “He was dead…and we need to see!” When the other girl refused to take the hardhat, she handed it to me. “Here! Take it!”

  I shot her a quick nod of thanks and strapped it on my head; it was good to have a light source I didn’t have to hold. Sammy and I continued shooting zombies left and right, but there were far more of them than we had bullets for. There was obviously no way we could go out the front, where we’d crawled in through the boarded-up doors.

  Some guys were still alive and fighting, and I continued to take the zombies down as they flooded into the huge room. The girl screamed for her friends, and they bolted over to where we were and scurried up the wobbly tower of boxes.

  “They’re blocking the doorway,” a man said. “If we work together, we can take enough of ‘em out to clear a path.”

  “We don’t have enough ammo,” I said. “There’re too many.”

  “It’s the only way out!” another said.

  “We gotta find a way to get out that door,” I said. I looked around, my mind racing. “Hey! What about that snow plow?”

  “But we don’t have the keys.”

  “I’m sure somebody here’s got some hotwiring experience, right?” I said. “With that thing, we can run right over them and bust through the door.”

  “Hmm,” a guy said, scratching his chin. “I like it.”

  “Me too,” echoed the brunette. “Let’s do it! But who’s gonna go—”

  Before she could finish, I started climbing across the boxes, making my way to the snow plow. Sammy and the others covered me as I sprinted over to the large vehicle.

  A zombie who looked exactly like the pea soup-spitting possessed girl from The Exorcist jumped right into my path. The monster snapped angrily at me, twisting its head from side to side, and I expected it to spin all the way around at any minute. The wild, hunger-possessed thing jumped at me, but I fired, blowing off its head in a shower of blood, bone, and brain matter.