by Garth Ono
Kate moved up behind the bent over zombie and considered her method of attack. She needed a sword to decapitate. The chance of finding a real sword in Tennyson was between nil and none. Her eyes locked on his spine, quite obvious with his neck craned over like that.
"Die, you bloody rotter!" Kate cried, as she attacked.
She had to use "bloody" because her parents would be told if she said "fucking," which was her first instinct. Damned witnesses. But she didn't have to think about her language long. She closed with the zombie, coming up behind him. Kate lifted the butcher knife with both hands, took careful aim, and… She still missed the spinal column.
The teenager did manage to cut his head halfway off. Halfway doesn't even slow a zombie down. He turned on her, bashing her aside with one arm. That was enough distraction for Harlan to break free and run away.
"A little help would've been lovely," she said, giving his retreating back a dirty look. Looking the other way, Kate noticed those morons Tim, Erin, Jessica, and Wendy managed to get themselves cornered in front of the pharmacy. "Well, at least I won't have to share the hundred dollars."
To her surprise, the day after killing that first zombie, Sheriff Coleman came over to deliver $50. That was the bounty the State of Illinois paid for killing zombies. So if she killed both zombies, then she'd make as much on bounties as she would working two weekend shifts at the diner.
"Hey, zombie, zombie, zombie," she called when his attention was drawn to the terrified screams of the three cheerleaders. "Focus on me, you bug ugly rotter."
He lunged at her, both hands extended. Kate slashed, taking off three of his fingers. It didn't bother him at all, but blood splattered all over her face and chest. For a brief second she thought she would puke.
"You are so nasty," she whispered, still struggling to keep her breakfast down.
Kate juked right, fooling the zombie. She raced around behind him again, and promptly buried the butcher knife between his shoulder blades. Realizing her mistake, and the fact he was too tall for her to chop his head off, Kate lashed out with a foot to the back of his knee. The zombie was forced to one knee.
"Yes!" the dark-haired teen cried. Kate moved up close, grabbed his chin and the back of his head like she'd seen in a movie the night before, and snapped his neck. "Ouch, bet that hurt."
The zombie fell face first to the street and didn't move. She stood over him a second, waiting for him to turn on her again. Then, just to make sure, Kate wrestled the butcher knife out of his back and finished cutting off his head.
"I'm a head hunter now, just like Harley," she whispered with a little smile. "Mum is going to go bonkers."
Standing up with a gory knife in hand, and enough blood on her waitress uniform to be mistaken for a zombie, Kate turned brown eyes on the other rotter. Tim was doing a decent job keeping it at bay. He was obviously terrified of the undead monster, and all of his effort was in defending the three cowering women.
"Moron," Kate muttered as she started toward them. "You'll never win unless you're more aggressive. Maybe that explains why the team has a losing record so far this year."
The second zombie looked like a thirty-something businessman. His suit looked expensive, though now ragged and stained by swimming across the muddy Mississippi, and by blood. His face was all black and yellow from decomposition, but it was his eyes that were the true horror. Demonic rage filled them.
"That's not how you kill a rotter," Kate cried as she charged up.
The zombie surprised her by turning to confront her. From her research, and from speaking with Haley and her zombie slayer friends, the beasts almost never turned away once they were physically engaged with a victim. They were uber focused at that point.
The zombie lunged at her, mouth open wide and both hands reaching toward her throat. She threw her left forearm out and around to block aside his hands. Kate spun around him as she continued moving, back to back with the zombie, as she swung her butcher knife with all her strength and rage. The zombie turned in the same direction to attack, but her blade penetrated his throat just above the Adam's apple. She felt the fine steel slicing into the flesh. The tip struck the spine, dug in deep, and stopped.
"No!" Kate screamed and slammed the heel of her other hand into the knife's handle. The blade was driven through the bone and spinal cord. The zombie dropped like a rock. "That's how you do it, Timmy."
The four students watched in morbid curiosity while she continued to cut, saw, and chop through the bone, cartridge, and flesh. Kate wasn't a hundred percent certain the zombie would rise again until his head was completely off.
"This head is worth $50 to me," Kate said, holding it up before them. She winked as two of them bent over and puked. "How do you like me now?"
Chapter 3
"Oh my god, Kate! You look so wicked!" Morgan cried.
The pretty blonde had changed into a sexy little harem girl for the Halloween after party at Johnny's riverside house. Morgan went to the school Halloween dance as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Daphne wore a red wig, purple dress, and went as Daphne from Scooby Doo. Kate went as a ragdoll.
For the after party, everyone changed into better costumes. Kate got to be a sexy witch: pointy black hat, super tight black spandex dress with strategic rips, black fishnets, and the sexiest black stiletto thigh boots imaginable. She even had a magic wand, though Daphne tried to get her to carry a dildo and call it a wand. Kate wasn't ready to push it that far.
Johnny Tucker was Kate's best male friend, despite being a football star at their high school and giant in the jock clique. Hell, at six foot eight Johnny was a giant anywhere he went. He was also a fun loving party guy. It was impossible to not love Johnny.
His riverside house was Kate's dream house. Johnny's parents moved from town to the big house on stilts about five years earlier. They let their only son have parties on the concrete slab under it whenever he wanted. He wanted almost every weekend. The party was mostly down beside the river where there was a roaring bonfire.
Kate, Morgan, and Daphne were hanging under the house. It was easier to walk in heels on concrete, and they had all paid a lot of money for their fine feminine footwear so were loath to remove them. Most of the food and the DJ were under the house, along with comfy chairs and sofas.
Johnny's parent were upstairs, the official chaperones, but rarely interrupted the party. So everyone was feeling really good. Even the other jocks and cheerleaders were being nice to Kate for a change. Indeed, they'd avoided her since the incident downtown last month.
"Looking hot, Kate," Johnny said as he passed by while heading for the buffet. "One might even say bewitching."
"You're so sweet," she said, feeling her face heat up.
"Go talk to him," Daphne urged. "I think he likes you."
"Of course he likes me. Johnny's been one of my best friends for over ten years," she said.
"No, no, Daphne's right," Morgan whispered, casting mischievous looks at Johnny. "I think he really likes you now. Like a whole nother kind of like, if you know what I mean? You're a badass zombie slayer now."
Kate cringed. As much as she liked being called badass, she didn't feel that way. All she did was what was required. She just understood zombies better than most, since her half-sister was an actual zombie slayer and told her everything. So she kind of knew what to do.
Even her sister, Haley, thought it cool, but wasn't overly impressed by three kills. Plus, there'd been a dozen more zombies that crossed the river and wander through town since, and the Sheriff's Department handled them.
"Shh. He's coming back," Morgan said. "Get him, Kate."
Her friends shoved Kate out into Johnny's path. He stopped and looked her over appreciatively. Kate's breath caught. She'd never seen anyone look at her like that. Was it desire? Longing? Raw lust? She felt woefully inadequate.
Johnny loomed over her. Kate always felt so small next to him, even though she was a little above average height and weight. She had to crane her neck
back to look him in the eyes.
"Hi, Johnny. What, um, what is everyone doing down by the fire?"
His eyes locked on her lips while she spoke. He licked his lips, and then his eyes dropped to her chest. Kate had an athletic build, but she possessed a really nice set. That costume emphasized her bust and deep cleavage. Johnny seemed to get lost in her boobs for a second, before his eyes dropped and lingered on her shiny high-heeled boots. Then he looked away and shook his head.
"You're putting thoughts in my head, Kate," he said. Johnny shook his head. "Down by the fire? Oh, we're having a blast. Come on. You're with me tonight."
He seized her wrist, and then headed for the fire. Kate had no choice but to follow. Thankfully it hadn't rained in a few weeks so the ground was pretty hard and dry. But then, he wouldn't let her fall.
Johnny led Kate down to the bonfire which was on a small rise next to the Mississippi River. It was a respectable fire, too. They had a large stone pit surrounded by a circle of ten foot logs to sit upon. Johnny and his father knew how to stack the wood to make a great bonfire. Waves splashed up against the shore just five feet away from the nearest seat.
Off to one side was chopped wood in stacks, with a double-headed ax sticking out of an upright section of log. She guessed they put the smaller pieces of wood on it to split in half. Kate's mind filled with a vision of a Johnny, shirtless and shiny with sweat, splitting wood.
There was an open space next to Tim and Erin. Johnny led Kate right to it, and she had to sit next to Erin. The high school cheerleader's costume was a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader, and she looked amazing in it. Kate felt like a plain Jane next to her.
"Love your boots," Erin said. "I, of course, also have them in red, pink, white, blue, and purple."
"Ah. Must be nice," Kate said.
She noticed Erin wasn't drinking a soda, but a beer. In fact, everyone around the bonfire was drinking beer. Not only were they not of age, but if caught they could all lose their eligibility to participate in sports and cheerleading. They could lose scholarships. Why risk it in their senior year? In just a few months they'd be free to do what they want.
"Someone give Zomb – " Erin started to say.
"No," Johnny said.
"Sorry. Someone get Kate a beer," Erin said. "Do we have a pint of Guinness for her?"
Before she knew it, a cold bottle of beer was pushed into her hand. It wasn't like she never drank beer, but more the chances they were taking. Kate was mostly concerned for Johnny and his future. Several prestigious universities were courting him and offering full scholarships.
Everyone watched her. Kate didn't have a goodie-two-shoes reputation, but she definitely wasn't known for pushing her bad girl side, either. For a second she was torn. She liked beer, but her parents would come down hard on her if word got out that she was drinking. Of course, if she refused, that might diminish her in the eyes of her schoolmates.
Kate took a sip, and then everyone went back to normal.
Well, that was anti-climatic, she thought. She slanted a look to Johnny. What does he want from me? What is he feeling?
"Hey, everyone," Charlie called as he leapt up and pulled off his shirt. "Let's go skinny dipping!"
She thought he was joking. Though it was warmer than normal for the end of October, it was much too cold to swim.
"All girls strip!" another football player shouted as he pulled off his shirt, too.
That was met with laughter by the women. Kate was relieved to see not a single girl moved to remove her clothes. Three guys did strip down to their underwear and charged into the water. Everyone was laughing, calling them dorks and fools, while the three guys splashed around hooting and hollering.
"What the… Shit! Get out! Zombies!" one of the swimmers screamed.
Everyone fell silent. It had to be a joke. Kate waited for the laughter to begin, but the other two began screaming. Those were screams of pure terror, too. No joking.
The football players came splashing out of the water, with more shapes following. Chaos erupted. Women screamed. Men shouted.
"Johnny, get everyone to safety," Kate said. She turned toward the wood pile. "I'll hold them here."
Kate ran over and pried the ax free. She waited a few seconds to allow the exodus to move past her, and then charged the five figures coming ashore.
The zombies stayed far away from the bonfire. Kate noticed they veered to the north, so she went around the fire to come up behind them. The first one she reached was a slim blonde female in daisy dukes and a tank. She literally leapt into the air to bring that ax down on the back of the zombie's neck.
Severing the spine, and half cutting off the head, killed the undead rotter. Kate stepped on the corpse between the shoulder blades, and then worked her ax free. Two of the others had turned on her.
"Hey, zombies, zombies, zombies!" Kate cried. "Follow me!"
Kate backed away from them as the other two turned toward her as well. The sight of four undead monsters coming after her sent chills down her spine. The teenager wondered what the hell she was doing. She was about to throw the ax down and take off running when one of them rushed at her without warning.
"Yikes!" she cried, and swung the ax without much thought. Kate swung it like a baseball bat, and the keen blade smashed into his temple. The ax sliced through his face, taking out the eyes. "Gross."
That blinded him, but otherwise didn't slow him down or deter the stupid rotter. She dodged aside and he ran back into the water. While that one splashed around, she rushed the next one and took off a leg just above the knee.
"One dead, two crippled, and two to go," she said, feeling rather proud of herself.
"Kill zombies!" Johnny screamed as he charged into the fray.
Johnny brought a baseball bat down upon the head of one zombie. Blood, brains, flesh, and bones splattered everywhere. Pieces splattered Kate's face. And then Travis Benton arrived, followed by Tim and Harlan. They were all armed with bats and hockey sticks. The three of them battered the zombie to the ground, breaking every bone in his body without killing him.
"It's all about the head," Kate shouted. "Destroy or cut off his head."
As if to show them, she turned on the one-legged zombie crawling up to her. She lifted the ax, and brought it down perfectly. The zombie's head rolled away. Her dinner almost came up, due to the brutality of the act and the horrid stench of rotting human flesh.
Travis raced past her to attack the blinded zombie. She watched him bash its head to mush, but not quite enough to kill. So Travis dropped the hockey stick, seized the rotter's head in both hands, and snapped his neck. And that killed him.
"Holy shit," Harlan cried, looking all wild-eyed. "We did it. We killed them all."
"Yes you did," Kate said.
"I helped kill one, and killed another by myself," Travis said. "So that's $50 plus one third – "
"No way!" Tim cried.
The guys got into a heated argument about how to divide the bounties. Johnny and Kate looked at each other and shrugged.
"Guys. Guys!" Kate shouted. They looked at her with angry eyes. "There are five zombies. There are five of us. I say everyone put their heart into it, so everyone gets an equal share. $50 apiece."
Chapter 4
The next Wednesday, Kate was eating a bowl of porridge with strawberries. Her friends called it oatmeal, but it was porridge. She liked it cooked in milk. It was her favorite winter breakfast. Cold cereal was for warm weather.
Since the Halloween after party the weather took a turn for the worse. They had rain, followed by a bitter cold front. It didn't snow, but if the temperature dropped a little more it could. Kate picked out jeans, boots, and a comfy sweater for school. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. The clock showed she had just enough time before classes started to wash her bowl and brush her teeth.
With both parents working at the high school, being late for class was not an option.
And then the house's landline phone rang. Since ev
eryone in the family had cell phones, it rarely rang. Kate almost ignored it, thinking it was some sales call. On the fifth ring she couldn't handle it.
"Hello, Brokenshire residence," she answered. "How may I help you?"
"This is Estelle Johansson. Is this Kate?" the elderly woman asked. Kate knew her, but only casually. Mrs. Johansson was her friend, Teri's, grandmother. She lived three blocks away in a small two-bedroom Craftsman home. "You kill zombies, right?"
"Yes, ma'am, I've killed a few, but…"
"There's a big nasty looking one in my back yard. Could you come over and get rid of it for me please?"
"Ma'am, you need to call 911. Sheriff Coleman will come over right away and…"
"Oh my," she said, suddenly sounding frightened. "No Gigi!"
Kate's heart rate doubled. Heat flushed through her.
"Mrs. Johansson! Call 911!" Kate shouted into the phone.
"Gigi! Come back, Gigi!"
Kate froze. Who was Gigi? She didn't know of anyone named Gigi. Then she heard a small dog barking furiously. Mrs. Johansson dropped the phone, and a second later she heard a door open.
"No! No!" Kate screamed.
Kate hung up and raced for the garage. She found her father's machete and took off running for all she was worth. Hot tears flowed as she raced between houses, dodged trees and loose dogs. There were three dogs following, barking merrily, by the time she reached Mrs. Johansson's home.
The little dog was still barking in the backyard. Kate heard an old woman shouting and sobbing. The teenager ran up to the gate, only to find it open. She went through, machete held before her.
Mrs. Johansson was backed into the corner. She held a long-handled hoe in both hands and was using it to keep the zombie at bay. Her brave little Chihuahua stood his ground between them, barking like crazy. At that moment the zombie bashed the hoe aside and moved in too close for her to continue using it.
"Hey, zombie, zombie, zombie!" Kate screamed as she charged him. He was a six foot black man, with massive shoulders and narrow waist. He looked like a weightlifter. His clothes were tattered and stained, and covered in blood. When he turned on Kate she could see he was missing his eye and ear on the left side. "Come to me, baby. That's right. I look delicious. You don't want them. You want me."
