Parting the drapes, I stared downward, watching and learning. Dawn was just beginning to lighten the night sky, a pack of zombies or whatever you wanted to call them, scrambled for shelter in a nearby store. One stood out from the rest, seemingly leading them. Their tattered bloody clothing exposing skin the color of ash. Many were mortally wounded, but still up and moving. The main pack was about eight strong, moving down the street in a horrifyingly organized manner. A few stragglers brought up the rear, stumbling and falling; they tripped often and ran into cars. Those at the rear of the pack were caught in the light. They didn’t burst into flames like some B-movie vampire, but they howled in pain. Stumbling and trying to move faster, they finally made it to shelter.
“Fuck, this is bad.” Waiting for the sun to rise completely, I packed the little remaining supplies I had and left my home behind.
I pulled myself back to the present with a shake of my head. No good could come of thinking about this now. The only things left were surviving, one day at a time. Food, shelter, and now, heat. Basic necessities. People used to panic if their social media accounts were down for more than a few minutes or when their smart phone batteries died. Gone were the lattes, smart cars, and political correctness. Those that couldn’t adapt died.
Natural Selection again ruled the earth and Man was no longer the top predator.
Like a giant clock, the death toll had chimed and reset. Some believed God was punishing us for our sins, others believed a New World Order had set it all in motion in order to rise to power. I didn’t know what I thought anymore. Nature wins out, every time. Whether it was a comet or a virus, we were just blips in the grand cosmic plan, no more than a smudge on the screen—easily wiped away.
Chapter Four
I woke to an aching back and a full bladder. A weak, cold sun had risen, doing its best to shine inside. However, the grimy, boarded over windows kept the store shrouded in near darkness. Pushing myself up to stand, my joints popped and creaked. My body was battered and worn out. I’d been on the run in the wild for months now and never stopped or rested for longer than a day or two.
“Fuck this, I can stop here for a bit,” I said, yawning before guzzling an entire bottle of water.
“Ya know, lady, talking to yourself is a sign of ill mental health.”
I’d forgotten about Kelle. Coffee was sorely missed. “Some say it’s a sign of intelligence. You’ll just have to choose which to believe. I need to pee, you have facilities in here?” I was not looking forward to going to outside to piss, no fucking way was I hanging my ass out in this weather.
“Yeah… in the back. It still flushes, just fill the tank with water when you’re done.”
Sweet. Flush toilet, food, and toilet paper. What more could a girl ask for? Oh yeah, coffee.
****
Kelle wiped her hands after breakfast. The baby wipes came in handy after meals, but every two or three days she braved a cold bucket shower over a floor drain in the back. The advantage of being stuck in here was you had everything you needed to survive. Soap, shampoo, and a bucket of water wasn’t a steam shower, but it was better than sitting around smelling yourself or getting an infection. She followed up the wipes with a quick squirt from a bottle of hand sanitizer.
She didn’t know what to think about that lady yet. She wouldn’t go so far as to trust her, but if the woman wanted to hurt her, she would have by now. Maybe she was telling the truth and really did just need to rest for a few days. There was more than enough food here for both of them.
Was she really considering letting her stay? Asking her to? She didn’t need help, she’d been on her own for months now, but having someone else around wouldn’t be so bad. The lady, Molly she’d said her name was, might be good to have in case the dead came. It would be next to impossible to defend this place on her own. Her mind drifted to her family, the pain of their deaths still a fresh wound. She tried not to think about them too much. Her entire world consisted of surviving the day and not freezing to death. There wasn’t much room left for mourning the dead.
“Kid!” Jerking toward the voice, she realized she’d spaced out for a bit.
“What?” Kelle snapped.
“Are you okay?” Concern crossed the older woman’s features. Her short black hair was now wet and slicked back from her face. The blood spatters that decorated the woman’s body last night were also gone, replaced by a new shirt.
“It’s the apocalypse and I’m all alone; everyone I know is either dead or one of those things. What do you fucking think?”
“Look, I realize life sucks right now and it’s even worse for you because you’re full of teenage angst and shit, but keep a civil fucking tongue or I’ll give you a lesson in manners.”
“But you’re allowed to cuss at me? That’s hardly fair.” Crossing her arms over her chest, Kelle tried to pretend she wasn’t enjoying the parental-like attention.
“Cussing is fine, fuck if I care. Miss Manners isn’t exactly going to jump out of the woodwork and cry about the misguided youth of the nation. But, can the fucking attitude, girly.”
“Why should I show you respect? You broke in here in the middle of the night and stole my food. It’s me who should be pissed at you.” Standing and pulling her knife, she faced the older woman. She may be a kid, but she’d survived this long and not all of it by hiding. She’d done terrible things, just like everyone else has had to. Not wanting to think about that now, or ever again, she shoved those thoughts away in a box she’d created in her head.
With a rush of motion, Molly slapped her hand, knocking the knife loose and had her arm twisted behind her in seconds. The shelf scraped her cheek where Molly smashed her face against it.
“Let me go, you psycho bitch!” Jerking against the hold, she earned nothing but a smack to her head. Jolting her face against the sharp metal edge once more.
“What did I fucking tell you, kid?” Grabbing her other arm, Molly pushed her head down and forward. Now both her arms were painfully pulled up behind her back, forcing her to bend over and hang her head. Burning pain in her shoulders kept her from struggling or standing up. “You may think you know something about defending yourself, but let me tell you—” Jerking harder, Kelle hated the scream that was forced from her mouth. “You know exactly dick. Next time you pull a knife on someone, use it. Maybe it makes you feel tough or look cool, but the longer you stand still with your blade, the better chance your opponent has to take it away from you.”
The woman released her arms and pushed hard against her back, sending her stumbling forward. Hot humiliation burned her face and tightened her hands into fists. “Fuck you.” Spinning quickly before Molly had a chance to react, she punched the woman in the face. Twisting her upper body into the motion, she utilized every ounce of momentum she could. Her knuckles split open on the woman’s teeth, the crack of her fist striking flesh was overly loud in the otherwise quiet store.
Staggering, but not falling, Molly staggered backward. Turning her head, she spit blood in an arch. “Better. Much better. Maybe there’s hope for you yet, kid.” Smiling with bloodstained teeth, the older woman walked away.
“Well, fuck! Great, now I’m talking to myself too.” Muttering, Kelle shook out her hand as the pain lessened by degrees. Blood seeped from her knuckles, coating her hand in a fine, red film. Hating the sight and the surging memories it evoked, she grabbed more wipes. Desperate to clean the stain away.
“I’m so sick of blood,” she whispered to herself.
Chapter Five
I rinsed my mouth with water, spitting until the pink disappeared. Checking for loose teeth and finding a few, I was surprised at the girl’s gall and strength, though I shouldn’t have been. She’d been alone for some time; that much was obvious. This world was not for the weak, not anymore.
I used what daylight filtered through the covered windows to assess the security of the store. It wouldn’t be a terrible idea to hole up here for a while. Surviving on the road was horrible eno
ugh, but in winter it was detriment to a long drawn out suicide. We’d have to solve the problem of how to heat the building because winter was here to stay. I could only hope that the cold would have an effect on the zombies. They wouldn’t die of exposure, but if their bodies froze, they wouldn’t be able to move. Or so I hoped.
Heading back out into the store, I found Kelle scrubbing at her hands like frigging Lady Macbeth. “Kid,” I said.
She didn’t stop, just kept on pulling more wipes out of the container. A growing mound of baby wipes already at her feet. “Kelle.” Stepping forward, I gripped her hands, halting her movements. “It’s going to be okay.” Her palms and fingers were bright pink from the thorough cleaning she’d just given them.
“How can you say that?” Her face was twisted with grief and coated with unacknowledged tears.
“Because, you have to believe it. Even if it’s a lie.” Sighing heavily, I released her hands, confident that she wasn’t about to spaz further. “Life sucks. It always has. That hasn’t changed. We have a chance here, a chance to survive in more comfort than most people will see again in their lives.”
“We’re just delaying the inevitable. Those things will get in here and they’ll eat us. They’ll gorge on our bodies until nothing’s left—if we’re lucky. Maybe we’ll just be bitten and we’ll get away. But that would be so much worse. Spending who knows how long, wandering the earth, forever hungry.” She shuddered and closed her eyes. No doubt remembering people she’d lost.
“Do you want to give up? Just end it all now?” I asked. “That’s your choice, but for me a chance at life is better than none at all.” Grabbing my flashlight, I headed to the back. “Come on, kid, we have work to do. It’s cold in here and I don’t want to freeze to death, surrounded by food.” I exhaled white clouds with every breath. Hypothermia was a bigger threat than the undead right now.
“Do you have a plan? Because a fire will give off smoke and draw those things in.” Trudging behind me, she was literally dragging her feet but she was following. I’d take it as a win.
“First things first, we have to make a smaller area to heat. We’ll empty shelves and move them or something.” Passing the meat cases, it occurred to me that I hadn’t asked her who’d cleaned them. “By the way, who cleaned out the meat cases?”
Kelle tripped and stopped in her tracks. “M-my parents, me, a-and my little brother.” Huddled in on herself, she followed me blindly.
Pushing open the stock-room doors with a bump, I saw the cooler again. “Oh, this might work.” Grasping the long silver handle, I gave it a yank.
“No!” Kelle screamed long and loud. Horror unlike anything I’d ever heard came from her mouth.
The smell hit me first. A gust of warm air, heavy with the sweet-fetid stench of rotting flesh slapped me in the face. I had stepped into a horror movie. Time slowed to a minuet crawl. I felt every muscle in my neck working as I turned my head.
Stumbling toward me—too close to avoid, were three zombies. The first two were a woman, with ratty brown hair and a bloody mouth, and a man with a paunch gut hanging over his belt; a gaping bite wound on his face showed where he’d been bitten. Last came a little boy, death forever preserving his six-year-old face. Their ashen skin stretched too tightly on their bones. Starvation finds us all.
My ears rang as the man latched his fingers onto my throat, his dirty broken nails scratching my neck. I fell backwards, helpless to defend myself. Shock and fear froze me, giving me no time to react. Unarmed, I had little defense had I even been able to muster one. His teeth were sharp and pain ripped through my body even as my blood filled his mouth.
Kelle’s terrified, agony-filled screams echoed through the back room. My fingers were numb, I couldn’t lift my arms. The man bit through my collarbone and I screamed until I thought my throat would tear itself apart. The snapping of my bone lost under the volume of my pain. He shook his head back and forth like the animal he was.
The man grunted and moaned in pleasure as my vision went dark. My chest ached and burned—a cracking sound reached my now near-deaf ears. I managed to turn my head towards her, desperate to reach out to her, but was rendered helpless.
Kelle wasn’t screaming anymore. Her mother and little brother had their faces buried in her stomach. Blood and bile poured from her body in a near wave. Their hands were inside her, pulling out organs to be sucked on and slurped down. Smacking their lips with every messy bite.
My body jerked, something lifted me upward only to smash me back down again. Glancing down, I saw that his hands were buried wrist deep inside my chest. The shiny white ends of my ribs poked up where my breasts used to be. Was that my heart?
Darkness swallowed me—my pain disappeared. With a shuddering breath, I closed my eyes.
Chapter Six
Watching from the screen before him, Dr. Sam Henderson was fascinated at what he saw. Three zombies, a family by the looks of it, were feasting on two women. One, a girl not yet out of her teenage years, the other was maybe in her mid-twenties or early thirties. It was hard to guess from the slightly grainy black and white image. The CCTV cameras in the small grocery store were easily hacked. He had his tech crew cycling through as many as they could trying to keep an eye on things in the outside world.
Buried here in this steel and concrete bunker laboratory didn’t offer much in the way of current events.
“Where is this?” Sam asked the technician.
“About twenty miles from here, sir.”
The scene playing out before him sent chills racing down his spine. The zombies left without finishing their meal. Normally they will strip their victims down to bone. Why had they stopped? Moving together, the family backed up and stood near the door as if they were guarding the bodies. His mind sped through all the known possibilities. Could it be?
“Send an extraction team, now. I want them in my lab within the hour. I need to see them turn and document it. Those two ladies are going to be something special, I can feel it.” His palms began to sweat from his excitement. If these two became what he suspected; he’d have many years’ worth of research to keep him occupied. Slicking his hair back with his palm, he did his best to contain his glee and remain professional.
****
Burning, monumental pain throughout my entire body jerked me into consciousness. My eyes popped open, then immediately slammed shut. A florescent light was above my head making me feel like my retinas were flaming out.
I tried to speak, but no words came. Even my scream was no more than a groan. I lifted my arms, only to be stopped short, they wouldn’t raise more than a few inches off whatever I was laying on. Moving my feet produced the same results.
“Please try to remain calm, ma’am. You’re safe. No harm will come to you here,” a disembodied voice echoed throughout the room. Unidentifiable as either male or female, the electronic tones were more robotic than human.
“W-where?” I managed to force out.
“Where you are is of no consequence. Please be patient. I have informed my superiors that you’re awake.”
“Untie me!” I was terrified, the last thing I remember was having my heart ripped out. I could lift my head just enough to see my chest. I was dressed in a bra and shorts, the perfect unblemished ashen skin of my sternum shone dully under the bright lights. Panic unlike anything I’d ever known rose through my body. Why is my skin that color?
“My sensors show you have an elevated heart rate and body temperature. You need to remain calm, ma’am.”
“Fuck you and your calm!” My voice was coming back quickly and my chest ached with my gasping breaths. What’s happening? Am I dead? My ash-colored skin told me almost all I needed to know. I’d turned and oddly, healed. Zombies never healed. They were dead, shambling meat sacks of pus and rot. What am I?
My hyperventilating had finally taken its toll. My vision went spotty and dark. Gratefully, I passed out.
****
“She is astounding.” Sinking his hands
into his lab coat pockets, Dr. Sam Henderson observed the unconscious woman through the two-way glass. The scientist he spoke to simply nodded in agreement. Glancing over at his colleague, for he could not call him more than that, Sam suppressed his disappointment in his partner; something that had become a habit of late.
“You have nothing to say?” Even though he would no doubt disagree with whatever the halfwit managed to get past his vocal cords, any response was better than nothing.
“She doesn’t react in the usual manner,” the scientist finally managed to mutter in reply.
“There is nothing normal about her, Isaac. She heals for starters, and fear is overriding her hunger. Does she even need to feed?” he wondered aloud.
“There’s one way to find out.”
For once, Isaac Jessup said something worth hearing. “Good idea.”
Leaving the observation room and purposely striding down the hallway to the storage room, he tried to mentally predict the probable outcome of this experiment. She would feed, that much was a certainty. None of the undead they’d captured, even the Alphas, had been able to resist fresh meat. There was something very different about this one. That she was an Alpha was absolute, but what kind? Reaching the store room, he pulled on the handle and shivered at the cold blast of air. Carts with prepared meals were lined up neatly, ready to be wheeled out and dispensed. Selecting one with raw beef hearts, steaks, and hamburger, he silently pushed it to her room.
The camera above the door tracked his movements and when he made eye contact, the magnetic locks disengaged with a loud click. Pushing the door inward with the cart, he left it close to her bed. She was still out and secured with thick nylon bands at her wrists, ankles, and lower abdomen. He was fascinated by the changes her body had undergone during her transformation. Her skin was the color of old ash, while her hair remained black as night. Her fingernails and lips were a pale blue. He’d personally witnessed the skin across her chest spread like a flower blooming. It was too slow to observe it move, but each blink showed more growth. Her heart had not been completely removed either, a piece remained like a seed that regenerated over time. He’d stood over her and watched the red muscle regrow and begin to beat. Her lungs had inflated and turned pink with fluid.
Zombie Instinct (Book 1): Molly (The Beginning) Page 2
