Z Day is Here

by Rob Fox

  It's Darcy.

  Day 95

  Seeing Darcy last night for the first time in over three months was one of the happiest moments of my existence. Even covered in blood, she was beautiful. I was completely in shock to see her peering through the door. I was so happy; this is what I have dreamed of for so long. We were finally going to be together again. Things were going to be perfect. However...

  When Alisha approached her, she shined the light directly in Darcy's face. Once I saw it was her, I yelled for her and began running in that direction. Alisha turned to look at me; she was smiling at me, knowing how happy I would be. As I got closer, I saw Alisha turn back to face Darcy. It looked like she wanted to ask her a question or to say something to her. Before she got fully turned, Darcy jammed a butcher knife deep into Alisha's throat, pulled it out, and jammed it in again and again, over and over, until I got close enough to pry the knife out of her hand. Darcy looked directly at me. She had no idea who I was. She then shoved me out of the way and slammed the door shut, locking it and enclosing herself in the shelter again.

  I fell to the ground, grabbed Alisha, and held her as she died in my arms. I told her it would be okay and that I was sorry for what happened. Thankfully, she died quickly without suffering too much. Everyone gathered around us, simultaneously feeling sad and enraged at what had just happened. Jeremiah ran to the door and began screaming at Darcy. If he had the power, he would have ripped the door off its hinges right then and there. Cole and Matthew grabbed ahold of Mego with a death grip that no one would be able to pry open. Ed and Shaughn went to go calm Jeremiah down.

  I sat on the ground, wild thoughts racing through my head. I was covered in the blood of a friend, blood that my lover had drawn. What went through her head? What was she thinking? I know she saw me. Maybe she was scared and didn't know what was going on. I couldn't help but think about her on the other side of the door. As shocked as I was, my heart pounded more because she was near me. We have to get inside. I have to know what is going on. I am scared for her life now, though. Jeremiah wants her dead. I am not sure about how the others feel. I will not allow anyone to hurt her. I will do whatever it takes to protect her…even if it means using the butcher knife myself.

  Day 96

  We buried Alisha in a shallow grave near the entrance to the shelter. Jeremiah stood at the door, staring at it as if he could kill Darcy through the door. He waited and, I am sure, prayed she would walk out that door so he could end her life like she ended Alisha's. He paced back and forth, screaming at the door, and occasionally, he would turn and stare at me, as if I was the one that killed her. I felt like everyone blamed me. I have never felt so alone in all my life. Maybe it is my fault; after all, I had pushed everyone into following me to the base. Maybe I am responsible for Alisha's death.

  After hours of the stares, Tonya went to talk to Jeremiah, to calm him down a little. I could not hear what they were saying at first, then as the conversation went on, Jeremiah's voice got louder and more belligerent. He turned and looked directly at me, pointed his finger towards me, and yelled in Tonya's face, "If that bitch doesn't come out here in the next few minutes, I will fucking kill that bastard who brought us here." At that, I jumped up and went over to him. I was not going to let anyone call Darcy a bitch. I didn’t care how big they were or, in his case, how much military training he had. We got into a screaming match for a few minutes until Mego and Tonya split us up.

  I can see there will be trouble, big trouble very soon. This kind of hostility cannot last forever.

  Cole just yelled about a group of zombies heading our way.

  I’ve got to go hide.

  Day 97

  The looks from the others have almost become unbearable. The only people still talking to me are Tonya and Cole. Jeremiah has convinced the others that Darcy killed everyone in the shelters, including Ed's family. I have no idea what to think. My guess is that she went crazy from all the moans and—I don’t know what you would call them except for “subliminal” messages. All I know, though, is she is not herself in any way. Darcy is the kindest gentlest person I know and has never even been in a fight, until of course she stabbed Alicia to death. Maybe she just didn't recognize me. I haven't shaved in quite a while now, and my hair is out of control. I have been trying to contact her through the call box but have gotten no response. I am going to assume the box is broken.

  Early this morning, after the stares and shitty comments I had gotten from the other survivors, I told them all to just leave me alone. No one left, though. I don't know if they are staying because they need leadership or if they want to see what will happen if Darcy comes out. I am not going to leave. If I have to stay here forever, I will not leave this place without Darcy. It has taken me this long to find her; I am not about to leave her, not now, not ever.

  The zombie sightings have been very low today. Tonya told me she ran into a few earlier this morning while searching for some food but nothing major. The ones from last night were taken out pretty quickly. With every bit of anger and frustration, Jeremiah took out three of them by himself with just a broken piece of fence post. Ed and I took out the other two. They remind me of roaches. As soon as you kill one or two, three or four more take their places.

  I have been busy coming up with a plan on where to go once I get Darcy out of that shelter. There is mountain on the outside of the city, just about twenty miles from here. The mountain sticks out like a sore thumb, because it is the tallest natural "structure" in the entire state. I remember Darcy and me walking up it a few years ago with my sister and nephews. There is only one easy way up that mountain. Every other way is too steep to walk up, and unless the undead bastards learn to climb a mountain, we can completely block off the path and be safe for a while. I remember there is a huge garden located on top of the mountain that we could use for growing vegetables, and there is plenty of wildlife around there for hunting. We could drink the rain water that we collect, so water would not be an issue. It's not the best plan, but it is all I can think of right now. The only major problem is lack of electricity. It will be like being back in the Middle Ages all over again. Tonya and Cole have agreed to go up the mountain with Darcy and me.

  Now all I have to do is get her out of that shelter and away from the others.

  Day 98

  Last night, while we were eating, we were surprised by a small group of zombies. I don't know how they got to us without being spotted. Maybe we were all preoccupied with our own thoughts. Jeremiah couldn't take his eyes off me. I now know the meaning of "if looks could kill." The others looked like they were confused about what to think. I had just opened my can of beans when Cole jumped up and yelled, "Oh shit, behind you!"

  I turned just in time to avoid having the back of my neck turned into someone’s (or some thing’s) dinner. The zombie lunged for me as I stood up. He fell directly face down onto the ground. When he raised himself off the ground, his nose was turned sideways now, clearly broken. As the zombie began getting to his feet, Cole's friend Matthew landed a nice blow to the back of its head with a brick. The blow didn't kill it, but it did knock it down long enough for Mego to drive a steel beam through its skull. Just as that one went down, three more were on us. Ed, Jeremiah, and Shaughn were taking care of those three. As I went to assist, another zombie ambushed me. This zombie appeared to be running! I heard the footsteps before I saw him. That may be why I didn't think anything about it, because it was fast, much faster than any other zombie I had ever encountered. I guess I thought it was someone coming to help. Maybe I wasn't thinking at all.

  The zombie was running towards me so fast that he almost tackled me. By the time I saw him, he was already on me. As I fell back, he brought his mouth down towards my face. Instinctively, I threw my hands up to block the bite. I caught him just under his jaw, successfully keeping him from chewing on me. While I was on the ground, I looked to the left to see if I could find a weapon, anything that may help me get him off me. I looked over long en
ough to see the shelter door swing open.

  Darcy came running out, full speed towards my location, carrying a sword! It was the type of sword that Marines carry on their dress blues. As she ran towards us, sword held up in the air, ready to deliver a rescuing death stroke to the zombie, a single hand reached out from beside her. It grabbed her by the hair, successfully yanking her off her feet, and she sprawled backwards. I could hear her grunt of anguish, pain, and frustration. She was screaming and crying.

  Jeremiah was clearing the hair and scalp from his hand from where he grabbed Darcy. He pried the sword out of her hands. As she lay on the ground, facing up at the sky, Jeremiah filled her line of vision with his body. I could not tell what he was saying to her. I could just see the confusion on Darcy's face. I wanted to be there holding her, helping her through this. Jeremiah raised the sword over his head, ready to drive it through her body.

  I was filled with rage! With a force that even scared me, I shoved the zombie off me and sent him flying into the air. My adrenaline flowed as it has never done before. I saw red. I lowered my head and ran quickly towards them. My shoulder caught Jeremiah in his side, and by the sounds of it, I probably broke three or four ribs. He let out a cry as he hit the ground a few feet away. There I was, standing over Darcy. I could see her eyes, and she could see mine. She recognized me but only for an instant. Then her eyes glassed over, and to her, I was the enemy once again. It was as if I were staring at a stranger.

  I picked up the sword and helped Darcy to her feet. I walked over to the zombie I kicked off and, with one quick swipe, severed his head from his shoulders. Darcy grabbed onto me as if I were her savior. Together, we made our way to a building just across the way from the shelter. I invited the others to join us but warned them not to attempt to harm Darcy in any way. I asked them to give me one night with her before they came to the building; I needed to try to calm her down.

  After hours of crying and screaming, she finally fell asleep, where she has been the rest of the day. She still does not know who I am. She has, it seems, lost her mind completely. I just hope I can bring her back at some point.

  A few of the others are heading this way with their bags. Jeremiah is not with them.

  It looks like we will be heading for the mountain soon.

  Day 99

  Darcy slept most of today. When she was awake, she was completely unaware of her surroundings. She had no idea where she was or who I was. I tried to keep her calm as best I could, though I have to admit I was very thankful when she slept. I refused to leave her side. I know she will snap out of this. She has to.

  While I was busy taking care of Darcy, Mego, Cole, and a few of the others went to find supplies and weapons. While they were out, a few of the other survivors came in to check on Darcy and find out what the plan was. It seems as if everyone has either forgotten what she has done or has forgiven her because of her mental state; either way, I am relieved. As much as people asked, I refused to tell them the plan. I do not want to have to tell everyone individually what we are going to do, and I also don't want to have to argue with anyone about this. People can either go with me or stay here.

  Mego and the others came back about an hour ago. They brought quite a bit of canned food, lots of bottled water, enough weapons and ammo to arm a small country, and best of all, they brought it all in a huge military vehicle. The truck they brought looks like a personnel transporter, but it has plenty of room for everyone and our supplies. With the truck already loaded, all I have left to do is hold a survivor meeting to fill everyone in at once and to map out our plan of action on getting there. We are not too far away from there right now; in fact, I can see the mountain from here. It is a strange sight to behold: a huge mountain almost straight up on all sides except for one; that one side has a very narrow path leading almost straight up itself, but it is possible to hike up it, if you are fit enough...or undead. We have lots of planning to do. I am thinking we will leave in a few days. I want to give Darcy enough time to rest and relax before we confuse her even more.

  Someone is yelling something outside. I cannot make out what they are saying, though. It sounds like they are saying someone is coming. I think that is Jeremiah. Mego just screamed at something or someone.

  It is Jeremiah. He is covered in blood and being followed by a migration of zombies as far wide as I can see.

  We are leaving NOW!

  Day 100

  Yesterday, after Jeremiah got to us, we threw everything and everyone into the truck and took off. Luckily, we were able outrun the migration, though it was a little scary there for a while. Zombies were jumping towards the back of the truck as we drove off. Shaughn and Ed were in the back with the others, shooting zombies as they got close to us.

  All the plans are set in motion. We will get to the mountain by the end of this evening. Once we get there, we are going to set up the explosives around the base of the path leading up the mountain. That should create a large enough barrier and trench that nothing will get past. Just in case something does get past, we are going to set up traps all along the way. We should be okay for quite a while up there as long as we can keep from killing each other.

  Jeremiah has not said anything to anyone since he got back with us. He has sat up front with Darcy and me and has been staring out the window. As for Darcy, the only sounds she makes are an occasional grunt in between hours of crying. She has been sitting beside me for some time now, rocking back and forth and waving her hands in front of her face, as if there were bugs flying around her. Probably the last hour or so, she has sat quietly with her hands in her lap just like she used to do when we would take our long drives to the beach.

  We stopped briefly to get the last few supplies we need before we get to the mountain at a large shopping center. Tonya and Mego took some of the other survivors to gather clothes for the winters and summers to come. The rest of us gathered supplies at the hardware store. We grabbed bags of seeds and quite a bit of lumber, pretty much everything we should need to last us a while.

  As we were putting the last few items in the truck, Darcy turned, looked me directly in the eye, and spoke to me. She actually acknowledged who I was. She asked me for a teddy bear to keep her company. At first I ignored it, thinking it was another wild rant she was on, until she grabbed my arm and pulled me to her. She raised her hand, rubbed the now thick beard on my face, and said, "Please baby, I need something to remind me of you once you are gone." It was Darcy again. She knew who I was. She may not have been all there, but she seemed as though she was getting better, more back to normal. We were done. We didn't need anything else. But how could I say no to Darcy, my love?

  Without thinking, I ran as fast as I could to the closest toy store in the shopping complex. I ran to the stuffed animal section. Never had I ever been this excited. Darcy was coming back to me. I grabbed the best-looking bear I could. The bear was dark brown with a cute smile plastered across his face and a hard plastic nose. I held the bear up to get a better look at it in all its stuffed glory. This was the one! I was too excited, and I got careless.

  I stuffed the bear under my arm and began running to the front of the store. Just before I got to the door, a zombie woman tackled me. There was nothing I could do except try to keep from getting my face ripped off. Her rotting teeth snapped down towards my neck. I moved under her in just enough time to avoid the bite. I could feel her nails as they shredded my shirt and skin. I tried pushing her off, but I was exhausted. Her next attack hit directly where she had aimed, ripping the skin and part of the muscle out of my forearm as if it were bread. My arm felt as though it were on fire. My blood splattered all over my face and began pouring onto the floor. I managed to get her off of me by rolling over onto my stomach and bucking her like a bronco. In the process, I was also bitten on my left shoulder. When she was off of me, I grabbed the closest thing I could find: the cash register. I raised it above my head and brought it down as hard as I could across her face. I continued to bash her with the regi
ster until there was nothing left of her head but a bloody mush.

  I ran to the bathroom and washed and dressed my wounds as best I could. I had to stop the bleeding or I would be one of them before I got out of the store. After what seemed like hours, I had controlled the bleeding to a slow drip instead of a flowing river. Shaking, I went back to find the bear. He was covered in my blood and some brain matter from my attacker. I went back to the shelf to find the perfect bear again. Nothing seemed right. My head was swimming. I couldn't think straight. I grabbed the closest stuffed animal I could find and headed back towards the truck. As I passed my attacker’s lifeless body, I could see a security badge hanging from her belt. I leaned down to pick it up. I had to know who she was. I had to know who damned me and ended my life as I know it. The badge read Stephanie.

  As I approached the truck, everyone could see the state I was in. My shoulder bled through my shirt, and blood ran down my hand from the bite on my forearm. Mego was the first one to me. She slowly pulled out her shotgun, yelled at me to stop, and pointed the gun directly at my head. I closed my eyes. I could hear Tonya and Cole scream my name. I heard running. I fell to my knees, awaiting the blast that would end my life. The shot never came.

  As Mego was about to pull the trigger, Jeremiah stopped her. "He has a few more days left if we can stop the bleeding now."

  As I opened my eyes, Darcy came running over to where I was. She threw her arms around me and began to cry. Together, we walked to the truck. All eyes were on us. I handed her the stuffed fox I had grabbed on my way out of the store. As I handed it to Darcy, she asked me what its name was. "Stephanie," I told her. I gave no explanation and helped her back into the truck.