Dying Days 3

by Armand Rosamilia

  He leaned close to the bound zombie, a man about Frank's age, and stared into his eyes. There was nothing but anger and pain there. The hunger was strong in him like in all the rest, but Frank wanted to know how long before he turned and changed and… evolved. "The problem I have, my friend, is that I have no real idea how long it's been since you were bitten and died. Was it a month? A year? I don't even know how long I've been in this state. I can only imagine how long it takes to walk from Canada to Florida." Frank sat down in a chair, even though he wasn't really tired. It was more habit than anything else, like lying down on the pillows and blankets in the Java Joint while he thought.

  Someone was obviously doing experiments on the zombies, and Frank assumed with no real results. He would go through all the journals and notes scribbled on loose pages, strewn on the desks and tables in the room. The school was filled with classrooms converted to makeshift laboratories, with dozens of zombies tied down and marked on.

  Frank toyed with a tray of vials, filled with blood.

  What if someone found a cure for this? If they could reverse what was happening to him… Frank slammed his fist on the table, scattering vials. The only people who would want to stop this majesty were those who didn't understand it. He would need to destroy the school and anyone who wanted to stop the inevitable.

  He supposed there were other setups like this in the world, but one worry at a time. This was too close to home. Frank laughed at the thought this was his home now. He didn't feel part of the Florida landscape anymore than he still considered Canada his home. He just simply existed, and wherever he roamed was now his. Once he destroyed the rest of the zombie population, he would literally be the only one left to rule.

  But rule what? In college, he'd been a voracious reader of science fiction, and the story I Am Legend was his favorite. He'd been disappointed in the movie versions over the years, because they always failed to get inside Robert Neville's head like on the printed page. Now Frank was beginning to see what he was feeling.

  The struggling zombie stopped moving and opened his mouth. A thin rasping sound escaped. Unlike cheesy zombie movies, the undead did not moan and groan and ask for brains for lunch. Was this noise part of the change?

  Frank decided to hold on to this one until the end, when he torched the papers, killed the rest, and set fire to the school and anything which would burn. There would be no memory or research left.

  He pulled one of the notebooks off the table and began reading. Within ten minutes, he'd had enough. The others were rapidly regenerating and showing signs of intelligence. In room 237, there was apparently a talking zombie, spewing profanity.

  "This is not good," Frank said. He tossed the notebook on the floor and went in search of room 237. He was going to have a little chat with this talking-walking pile of meat.

  Chapter Twenty

  They'd only searched three blocks when the sun began to drop and they decided to head back. Darlene knew they were wasting time but what else did they have to do?

  "Did you hear a motorcycle awhile ago?" Abby asked. "I thought I heard an engine but, by the time Eric and I ran up to A1A, it was gone, or never existed."

  John shook his head. "I didn't hear anything, but we spent most of our time inside houses, finding nothing. Sound has a weird way of carrying around here."

  "It's funny what you get used to. The constant background noise of cars, TV and radio, kids playing outside, trains and planes overhead… they are all gone, but sometimes, when I am coming out of a dream, I think I hear them," Darlene said.

  "I dreamt of going to White Castle and the place was packed, and the line wasn't moving," Abby said. "And I remember just being happy there were other people there and people were working behind the counter."

  "All the things we used to take for granted… it makes me sad just thinking about it," Eric said. "So I won't." He looked up at the sky. "It's time to ride home and do this shit again in the morning."

  "Every house and business has been picked clean, three times over. Hell, we were out here a couple of months ago doing this." Abby held up her empty hands. "I guess we have to come back tomorrow, but I don't see the point, especially if we have to start thinking about our future. If these things are starting to wake up or whatever it is they are doing, we're in trouble."

  They got back to the buggies and were about to get in when John pointed to the surf. Four zombies were dragging themselves out of the water and heading in random directions. "How many of them are now more aware of their surroundings?"

  Darlene sighed in frustration. It was bad enough when they amassed and pulled down victims, but individually they weren't that bad. They'd gotten used to stepping around them or driving away, but now they couldn't. Leaving one of them alive was only letting them have another shot at a survivor. "We need to kill them."

  Eric nodded. "If we don't, they have a chance to get smarter and kill us in the future. This is getting frightening, and it was no walk in the park yesterday."

  "Unless we can figure out a way to kill all of them, I think we're in trouble." Abby began to shake. "There are literally millions of them out there. When they all evolve into smart killing machines, we'll be killed. There is no hope."

  Darlene hugged Abby when the woman started to sob.

  John and Eric ran across A1A to intercept the zombies and eliminate them before they got too far away.

  "All this time, I thought they were starving, dying out, just… we needed to outlast them, and eventually rotting corpses would litter the ground, and we could sweep them all away and start again. I thought God would protect us. He'd save the ones who believed in him, and this would all end." Abby hugged Darlene tighter. "But we're doomed to become zombies. What happens when we do? Will we eventually remember, or, at least, know when a gun is pointed at us, to duck? Will we remember this time in our lives? Do they have memories of their lives before all this?"

  "Calm down, Abby. You're starting to scare me. You need to relax and get yourself together. If this is God's will, so be it. But don't have a breakdown now. Shit, we've come so far. We have to keep going no matter what is thrown at us. The only reason we are still alive is because of sheer willpower. Don’t you dare quit on me now."

  "I just want to end this."

  Darlene pushed her away but kept her hands on Abby. "Don't you dare say something stupid like that, again. You hear me? Griff took the easy way out. You've come this far, too far, to let go now."

  "There's no reason to keep fighting."

  "You really believe that shit? I can give you a major reason to stay and fight."

  Abby looked confused. "What?"

  "Me, damn you."

  "You?"

  Darlene pointed at the returning Eric and John as they came up over the dune. "You really think I can hang out with these two idiots alone? I need you to keep me sane. There's no other woman here who isn't a raging bitch to me."

  Abby laughed. "I think you're a bitch."

  "And I take that as a compliment. I need you to suck it up, cupcake, and stop whining like a fucking bitch."

  "What's going on?" John asked as he approached.

  "Abby is sad because the only men around here are you two."

  Eric shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "Beggars can't be choosers, honey. As Bruce Springsteen once said, 'you ain't a beauty but hey, you're alright.' Words of wisdom from the Boss."

  "Eww. How gross can you be?"

  "Oh, you have no idea. Listen, we might not be like these two lovebirds, but I bet we'd have a killer time in the sack. Everyone, no matter how old, needs some loving, right? And some mindless sex would be amazing," Eric said.

  "Keep me out of your bullshit," Darlene said. She turned back to Abby. "Ignore him."

  "I wouldn't have sex with you if you were the last man on earth," Abby said to Eric.

  "You say that now, but it's no longer an abstract term. Very soon I might be the only male left on the planet."

  "Thanks, buddy," John said. />
  Eric winked at him. "Shut up, I'm trying to finally get up enough nerve to ask Abby out on a date."

  "A date? I thought you just wanted sex."

  "Same thing."

  "Go to hell. Let's get out of here," Abby said.

  Chapter Twenty One

  She was young, maybe twenty, and she tried to smile around the bandana covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide but not with fear. Frank pulled up a chair next to her and sat down.

  When he put his hands near her head and touched the bandana, she grew quiet, an expectant look in her eyes.

  "Are you going to scream?" Frank asked. He smiled at his joke. Who would she scream for? The rest of the world was dead or dying. "I'd hate to have to gag you again."

  He removed the bandana and she smiled and licked her lips. "Hello."

  Frank laughed. This entire scene was absurd. They were both zombies, but they were clearly flirting with one another. "Hello back. What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

  "Oh, you know, the usual. Getting tied up and poked and prodded like a common whore. How about you?"

  "Just passing through on my way to burn down the school. How long have you been cognizant?"

  "For a few weeks, I think. It's hard to tell, really." She struggled against the ropes wrapped around her torso, arms and legs. "I know I'm getting stronger. In time, I'll be able to break free and kill the stupid bastard who did this."

  "I don't think anyone is around, anymore."

  She stopped moving and sighed. "I figured that. No one has bothered with me since I opened my eyes again. What's happening? You are also like me. I'm always hungry but I can think again. Are there more of us, or are we unique?"

  "Unique means there is only one. There are two of us. You see the stupidity of the statement?"

  "Fuck you, dude. Untie me."

  "That wasn't asking very nicely. Such a foulmouthed young lady. I should turn you over my knee and spank you."

  "If you have the balls and can even get it hard."

  "Is that a challenge?"

  She smiled. "Maybe."

  "Then I accept."

  "Are you going to untie me first?"

  Frank shook his head. "What would be the fun in that? I might loosen your legs so I can climb up and fuck you properly."

  "Are you always so forward?"

  "Since the day I died."

  "I'm horny all the time. Is that normal?"

  "It was the hunger that drove me crazy in the beginning, but I'm learning to control it with each day. You've been lucky, because all you have is time to lie here and think about things. I'm sure that helps."

  "Not when your hands are bound and the only way to get off is to rub your legs together. I have thought about nothing but fucking and biting people since I woke up. And I want to do both at the same time."

  "This is why I won't untie you."

  "You're going to treat me like a whore?"

  Frank grinned. "Of course. Unless you want me to lie to you and tell you I love you and I respect you."

  "I just want your dick in my pussy."

  "So forward again. I like it. I was married to an Ice Queen for years, who was in love with my doctor's salary."

  "Doctor? Were you an OB-GYN?"

  "No, a surgeon."

  "Too bad."

  "I still know my way around a vagina," he said.

  "Prove it." She smiled. "My name is…"

  Frank put a hand over her mouth. "Shhh. I don't want to know. After I've had my fill, I'm going to break your neck and leave you here to burn in the fire."

  Chapter Twenty Two

  "I heard gunshots," John said, coming down the stairs to Murph's stilt house.

  Darlene walked past him, clearly annoyed. "Fucking Chris Gray."

  "What about him?"

  Darlene stopped and looked John in the eyes. "I shot him. In his face."

  "Holy shit."

  "The idiot left his gate open, and his house was swarming with zombies. He'd been turned, and there was a woman I don't know tied to the bed. He was a sicker fuck than I thought. I hope she was at least alive when he kidnapped her. I don't even want to think he was a necrophilia dickhead."

  "We need to clear it out," John said. If the house was swarming with zombies, they needed to be taken care of.

  Darlene held up her bloody machete. "All done. I asked him if he was going to help us clear A1A of zombies but he had some lame excuse. Now I know why."

  "What? Zombies?"

  "I made it up because I wanted him to actually help us and not be such a lazy bastard. I was pissed and roaming the area, killing zombies, when I saw them walking up the stairs."

  "Next time come get me first."

  "And miss all the fun?"

  "You could've been bitten or killed."

  "Then it would be your turn to shoot me in the face, right? I can kill a few zombies. God only knows how many I've had to fight up to this point. I wish I'd kept track, made a list or marked up a palm tree with each kill."

  "Seriously?" he didn't know if Darlene was joking and he didn't want to know if she wasn't.

  "It would keep me from shaking and crying at night."

  John snorted. "I can't picture Big Bad Darlene Bobich crying herself to sleep at night."

  "What can you picture me doing at night?"

  John turned away. "Forget it."

  Darlene walked up to him and put a finger on his chin, turning her face toward her. "What are you afraid of?"

  "I'm not afraid of anything. OK, dogs… I have this irrational fear of dogs."

  "Not funny." She moved her face closer to his and stared into his eyes, smiling. "I like you. I like you a lot."

  "I like you, too."

  "You're in love with me, aren't you?"

  "Wow, I cannot believe you just asked me that."

  "It's true."

  "That's not the point," John said. He didn't like the way this was going and how uncomfortable this conversation was for him. "You need to go take a shower. You're covered in blood."

  "Look, here's the deal: I know you are still hoping your wife is coming to reunite with you. I really do get it. I would never make you do something you didn't want to do. I value our friendship more than anything. The thought of doing something on impulse with you, one wild night, with the chance of it ruining everything we have… but sometimes, John Murphy, I get sad thinking about all the time we're wasting."

  John nodded, as thoughts swirled through his head. "Are you going to take a shower now?"

  He saw the hurt in her eyes. She nodded. "I'll see you later."

  Darlene got three steps when John cleared his throat. "Mind if I join you?"

  She turned and smiled. "Are you sure?"

  "Let's stop talking about this already." John walked up to her and kissed her, tasting her full lips. He pulled away and wiped some blood off her cheek. "You're beautiful now. I can only imagine what you're going to look like not covered in gore."

  "It's been so long, I don't even remember."

  They kissed again before going up the stairs, hand in hand.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Darlene rolled over and kissed John, who laughed in his sleep. She slid out of bed and went to the bathroom, where she looked at herself in the mirror.

  She'd lost so much weight she didn't recognize herself, but she was now trim and fit. She was still a big girl, with wide hips and broad shoulders, but she maintained the femininity and thought she looked good. John seemed to think so today.

  How many times had she touched herself, thinking of what it would be like with John? It had paled in comparison to the real thing. It was truly magical, and it wasn't awkward. She'd felt the connection. After all this time, to finally let go of all the inhibitions and problems, and make love to John…

  She saw such a loving look in his eyes when they'd been intimate, and she wanted to hold onto it forever and remember it. She wanted to forget about everything else.

  They had star
ted in the shower, kissing and fumbling and grabbing. When he'd entered her from behind, with the water running over her neck and back, she came immediately. Still soaking wet, they'd glided to the bed and continued.

  John fell asleep, exhausted, but Darlene was still too wired to close her eyes. She turned, looking at her naked body, and smiled when she thought of the time right before John had shot her with an arrow. She was doing this same dance in the bathroom of the gas station. Worried then she was getting too skinny, even though now she knew how ridiculous all that was. But she was still a touch vain, and actually liked her accentuating curves.

  "Darlene, coming back to bed?" John called from her room.

  She smiled. "In a second."

  "Are you still naked?"

  "Why?" she called out.

  "Because I want you to be."

  "Your wish is my command," she said, as she stood in the doorway and posed for him with one hand on her hip and the other behind her head, holding up her hair.

  "God, are you beautiful. Get that ass in bed."

  "Maybe." Darlene pranced around the bed, feeling goofy and self-conscious but she didn't want to stop. John was making her feel sexy and wanted. She hadn't been much of a dater before all this, and could count the number of sexual partners, in her twenty-eight years, on one hand. She'd spent her teens and twenties worrying about her father, and using every excuse not to date. She didn't have many chances, either. Men didn't find her really attractive. She was a bit overweight, she rarely wore makeup, despite working at a makeup counter, and she wasn't very friendly to the opposite sex. Some people probably thought she was a lesbian.

  "Hello? Earth to Darlene?" John said and laughed.

  "Huh?"

  "Where'd you go? I lost you there for a second." He patted the empty spot on the bed next to him. "Come back and cuddle with me."

  Darlene laughed. "Are you a chick? You want to snuggle with me?"