Zac Zombie 4: Hell on Earth

by Eduard Joseph

TWO

  The rain kept pouring down and the streets started looking more like shallow, muddy rivers; the front lawns of houses we passed were a morass of mud, water and leaves. The sky above was as dark as night despite it being daytime as more and more storm clouds gathered.

  Most parts of town were deserted; people either fled with their families or were eaten by their families when the infection spread. So many lives were lost; so many children lost their parents or siblings. Even if I could find a way to kill this Clairvius bastard, life in Kingston Valley would never be the same again.

  We stood at the edge of the community swimming pool further down the road; it was drained for maintenance work and was about twenty or so feet deep. We stared down at a group of zombies that somehow fell into the empty swimming pool and were unable to get out again. They simply wandered mindlessly back and forth with their feet dragging through the shallow, muddy rain water like I expect old people to wander in the corridors of a retirement home.

  It was a sad sight to behold – this is what became of you once you turned; you became a mindless creature looking for flesh, and when flesh was taken out of the equation you simply stumbled on through this empty world without a purpose.

  “You’re kidding right?” I asked with scepticism.

  “It’s a controlled environment.” James said, “And there are only seven of them.”

  “Yeah,” I said, “And only four of us. What if they get out somehow?”

  “They won’t.” James assured me.

  I glanced back over my shoulder at the chained-up gate behind us; the fence seemed durable enough to keep other zombies at bay and this could be the perfect environment to practice my new powers. I turned to the swimming pool and looked down at the zombies below; none of them noticed us. There was no way this could end well. I let out a sigh of unrest and pushed a strain of hair back behind my ear and shifted my one leg restlessly. It seemed like the worst idea in the long and sad history of bad ideas. But then again, all throughout history great ideas seemed like insanity at first glance. Perhaps James was on to something with his training.

  “You can do it.” Michelle said, trying to motivate me, but she sounded like a defeated cheerleader.

  Having Michelle around made the pain of losing mom a bit lighter, but didn’t take away any of the hurt I felt inside. I nodded at her and then looked down at the zombies in the pool. All I had to do was try and manifest the power; I had to conjure up the level of hatred I felt for them when I first manifested my power. I thought about how the soulless creatures attacked mom, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t conjure up feelings of hate. I felt sad; all I wanted to do was cry, but I couldn’t get myself to shed a tear.

  “It’s no use.” I sighed.

  “Don’t give up so easily.” James said.

  “It’s impossible.” I said.

  “Thomas Edison failed two thousand times before he perfected the light bulb.” James said.

  “You want me to try this two thousand times?” I asked confused.

  “No.” James said, “What I’m trying to say is that you can’t give up. You just need to work at it.”

  “You’ve got this.” Alex said, “We believe in you.”

  I think the only reason they believed in me is because they had nothing else to believe in. If only I could hate the zombies again then I could be the hero they wanted me to be. Fluffy pushed his head up against my hand and I patted his head. I’d fallen in love with Fluffy and was grateful that he was by my side. I envied his spirits; he was a carefree individual that loved to fight with zombies.

  “You just have to believe in yourself.” James said.

  “How can I believe in myself if I keep letting everyone down?” I asked.

  It was easy for him to say to believe in myself – and to a degree I really wanted to, but it felt like I wasn’t only letting down everyone around me, but also putting their lives in danger.

  “You’re just in a slump.” James said, “It happens to everyone. Did you know that Vincent van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime? One… but that didn’t stop him from painting some of the world’s greatest masterpieces. “

  First Thomas Edison and now Vincent van Gogh? I didn’t know what to make of James; one moment he’s a total ass and then the next moment he’s trying his hardest to lift my spirits. James was right; I couldn’t give up this easily. I had to try – for mom.

  I turned to face James and my foot slipped out from underneath me. I plummeted into the pool, but it felt like I was falling forever. I fell into the shallow, murky pool and the water splashed up into the air, but didn’t drop again. I stared at the droplets that hung suspended in the air as I got to my feet and it was only then that I realized that the raindrops hung stationary around me. The zombies all appeared to be frozen; though from the looks on their rotten faces I could tell they knew I was in the pool with them. What was happening?

  I stared up at the others standing at the edge of the pool – they also seemed to be completely frozen in time; Michelle’s hand was outstretched and her mouth open as if calling out. I turned to the zombies again; they were still motionless. I had somehow fallen into some kind of time slip.

  “No way…” I gasped.

  I walked over to the closest zombie. It was the first time I was face to face with one of these fowl creatures from hell and I could actually trace the rotting flesh with my fingers – not that I actually touched the disgusting thing. The zombie stared at me with its frozen face and empty eyes as I scrutinized it from up close. I still wasn’t sure what happened or why it happened, but it had to be some kind of new power.

  I reached out towards the zombie’s chest and tore away the flesh like I was unfolding a blanket. Its ribcage was stained yellow and brown and it had only one lung and the heart left in its chest cavity. The creature didn’t move or flinch as I exposed his entrails; it was still completely frozen in time.

  “Amazing.” I said to myself.

  I looked up and into the zombie’s eyes; they were only dark, empty sockets that stared at me. The creature was robbed of everything that made it human once. He no longer suffered from the human condition with symptoms of love – he was something else. I grabbed a hold of its upper jaw and with little effort I jerked its head right off. The body didn’t fall to the ground; it stayed upright frozen in time like a flagpole.

  If this was a new power, then I loved it. I could kill zombies before they could even smell us. I walked to the next frozen zombie, balled my hand into a fist and pulverised its skull. Fragments of skull and bits of brain splattered and then froze in mid-air around its head. This one stayed frozen upright as well. I moved over to the next zombie and the next until I severed each and every head from its body. The headless zombies all stood in the shallow, muddy water – completely frozen.

  I stood back and stared at the headless zombies for a moment. Did the world slow down, or did I just move incredibly fast? I glanced at a raindrop that hung in the air in front of me; I could see how it slowly inched down towards the ground and as I reached out to touch it with my finger, time wound up again. The rain fell down at normal speed and the headless zombies all collapsed to the floor of the swimming pool.

  “Zac!” Michelle called out.

  I looked up at them. All three of them seemed baffled as to what had happened. Michelle thought she could stop me from falling, but upon seeing me in the pool she retracted her hand in confusion.

  “What just happened?” Alex asked perplexed.

  “I killed them.” I said proudly.

  “How?” Michelle asked.

  “I’m not sure what happened.” I said, “It’s like time itself stood still.”

  “Wow.” Alex gasped.

  I noticed James seemed a bit perplexed, but not surprised.

  “Is it another power?” I asked.

  “Could be.” James said, “As far as I know none of the other slayers could slow down time. This is a first.”

  “The
re’s always a first for everything.” I said.

  I feel ashamed to admit this, but at that moment – as I stood in the pool surrounded by headless zombies, I felt happy to be alive again; it felt good to be the hero – swoop in and save the day. It was a feeling I could get used to.

  And for a moment I forgot about mom…

  THREE

  So far, I was able to kill zombies with the power of my mind and slow down time. The only problem was that I had no idea how I did it or how to do it again. I might have been the chosen one, but perhaps I wasn’t cut out for it. Shouldn’t the chosen one be able to conjure his powers when he needed them? Superman takes flight when he needed to save people; he didn’t stand around and concentrate until he started levitating. The same could be said about any other superhero, but then again I wasn’t really a superhero. I was just an ordinary guy… (hang on, I’m pondering about this for a moment)… who discovered… he has special abilities. Shit. I was a superhero…

  I spent the next half an hour trying to recreate the time slip, but to no prevail. It seemed that the powers came and went as they pleased. It was easy for James to say I simply have to master control over the new powers, but doing it was much more daunting. It’s like trying to sneeze when you don’t have to.

  “What did it feel like?” Alex asked intrigued.

  “It felt weird.” I said.

  “I wish I could stop time.” Alex said in awe, “You’re like a superhero. I think you need a superhero name.”

  “That’s just dumb.” James said annoyed at the stupidity.

  “I think it might boost his confidence.” Michelle said, “Perhaps confidence is what he needs to control the powers.”

  “How about Zombieman?” Alex suggested.

  I tried not to laugh and said, “That’s just corny.”

  “Stick with the name you have.” James said annoyed, “Zac.”

  “Zac Zombie.” Alex said as if having an epiphany.

  I didn’t want to burst his bubble by telling him that my friends used to call me that because of my love for zombie movies... well, my friend. Jim. I wonder whether he made it out of Kingston Valley alive when all hell broke loose? I never even bothered going round his place to check. I was a bad friend to him.

  Alex seemed amused and so did Michelle. It was something that didn’t happen often during the zombie apocalypse. Note to self: enjoy the small things. You never know when it will be the last day you’ll get to experience the little things.

  “Zac Zombie…” Michelle agreed.

  “If you are quite done picking superhero names,” James said with a sigh, “You need to focus. You need to practice control over your powers.”

  He was starting to sound like a vinyl player needle that was stuck. Repetition of orders seemed to be what he did best. Perhaps the other slayers didn’t die in battle – perhaps he annoyed them to death.

  “I know.” I said.

  “Focus.” James insisted, “I want you to really focus and stop time again.”

  “I can’t.” I moaned in defeat.

  “You just need motivation.” James said.

  He took a knife from his belt holster and flung it at my head. I gasped and jumped out of the way as the knife propelled by and slammed into a tree behind me. That was a close call; James could have killed me. He was clearly disturbed… normal people don’t do things like that.

  “Are you insane?” I yelled out as I turned to James again.

  James stood motionless with his hand stretched out in front of him while Michelle was frozen halfway in a gasp and Fluffy seemed like he was about to come to my rescue when he froze.

  What if James was wrong? He could have killed me…

  Perhaps that was it – perhaps I could slow down time if my life was in danger? It made sense; time slowed down when I fell into the pool and when James flung a knife at me. Who throws a knife at someone? It was a really shitty thing James did just then. I had to get him back somehow and then it hit me – I could do anything to him while he was frozen in time and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.

  I giggled like a little school girl as I slowly removed James’s shirt and then his pants. I kept staring at him as I removed his clothes; hoping that he doesn’t unfreeze midway. He wore a pair of boxers covered with red lips. He didn’t strike me as the novelty underwear kind of man. I decided to leave the boxers and stood back to admire my prank’s handy-work as the rain started pouring down again at normal speed and then James lowered his hand. He realized he was half naked and gave me a stern look while Michelle and Alex burst out laughing.

  “Real mature.” James said annoyed.

  “That’s what you get for throwing a knife at me.” I said.

  “It worked, didn’t it?” James said firmly.

  “And what if it didn’t?” I asked.

  “Then at least we’d know.” James said.

  And then a new guilt haunted my mind – if only I’d discovered these powers earlier, I could’ve stopped time and saved mom. No matter how you look at it, I was to blame. If only I listened to James from the start and practiced I could have saved her. A feeling of sadness came over me at that moment and all I wanted to do was sit down and cry, but instead I stood awkwardly and fidgeted with my fingers.

  My feelings were probably written all over my face, because Michelle walked over and hugged me. As soon as she interlocked her arms around me, I felt safe in her warm embrace and the tears started flowing again. I hated this feeling. Emotional pain is far greater than physical pain; physical pain has a source which can be treated, but emotional pain was something that stayed forever and scarred the very essence that made you human and separated you from the undead. It was a total conundrum (look at me: using big words like a professional).

  “I know what you’re thinking.” She whispered, “Don’t do this to yourself. It’s not your fault.”

  I looked at her as she wiped away my tears and said, “But it is my fault. If only—”

  “‘If only’ will only give you nightmares.” Michelle whispered, “You have to let it go and accept what happened or it will eat at you forever.”

  I nodded as the rain washed away my tears. She was right. No matter how guilty I felt, I had to accept mom was gone. I had to move on and conquer Clairvius or she would’ve died in vain.

  “You’re right.” I said and took a deep breath, “I have to find the one that caused her death.”

  Slowly but surely feelings of retribution started taking over and pushed my sorrow aside.

  FOUR

  With my new powers, the plan to kill Clairvius seemed much easier; the general idea was that I would stop time and… well; kill him. The question that remained was whether I’d be able to stop time. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to kill the man responsible for mom’s death. I realized that self-pity was getting me nowhere. If I were to kill this thing, I had to blame him for mom’s death; anger would motivate me to succeed. Come to think about it, all superheroes lost a loved one, and it was this loss that shaped their future as a hero. Perhaps I was a hero – the most unconventional hero in history.

  The rain kept lashing down on us as lightning slashed across the dark sky like veins. The thunder bellowed through the clouds, rolled off the mountains and echoed through the valley. It sounded like the heavens were ready to tear open and the battle of Armageddon was nigh. James stared up at the mountains in the distance, trying to figure out how much time we had before Clairvius’s plan succeeded.

  “We should get moving.” James said.

  We left the swimming pool behind and continued through town towards the mountains in the distance. The streets were covered in about two inches of water that rippled as the raindrops impacted with it. The town was dead quiet, except for the sound of the rain and it would have made for the perfect romantic stroll if the world wasn’t ending. Lightning flashed across the sky and illuminated the clouds which made Fluffy whimper. Though he was scared, he stayed at my side wi
th his tail between his hind legs.

  “Why exactly are we heading to the top of the mountain?” Alex asked.

  “Cuz that’s where the storm is brewing.” James said without looking back, “And if you find the storm—”

  “You find Clairvius.” I said humdrum, “You’ve said this already, but how do you know he’s up there?”

  “Because.” James said, “That’s the final resting place of his remains.”

  “Wait, what?” Michelle gasped.

  “What do you mean his final resting place?” I asked concerned.

  “According to the council’s archives,” James said, “His final resting place is at the top of Mount Koning.”

  “Why didn’t they destroy every last part of him back in 1922?” I asked confused.

  “He was cremated.” James said, “And his ashes kept in a silver urn.”

  “A silver urn?” Michelle asked.

  “Isn’t silver only effective on werewolves?” Alex asked.

  “Don’t be silly.” Michelle said, “Werewolves aren’t real.”

  “Zombies weren’t real either…” Alex insisted, “Until a couple of days ago”

  “You’ve seen too many teen vampire romance movies.” Michelle said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

  “All I’m saying is that we can’t rule werewolves out just yet.” Alex said.

  “You guys.” I pleaded for them to quiet down.

  I noticed Michelle still rubbed the back of her neck.

  “Are you alright?” I asked.

  “Yeah.” She said and lowered her hand, “My neck is just a bit stiff, that’s all.”

  James glanced at the three of us and when he was sure the stupid conversation about werewolves and stiff necks was over, he continued.

  “Silver protects against all kinds of evil.” James said, and we all turned to face him again.

  “And why did they place the urn on top of a mountain?” Alex asked baffled.

  “It was the only thing they could do.” James said, “They couldn’t properly dispose of the remains or the ashes, so decided to store the urn out of reach.”

  “Well, that didn’t work out well, did it?” Michelle asked with a touch of sarcasm, which kind of turned me on.

  “I have to admit,” James said, “That if it were me, I wouldn’t have placed the urn on top of a mountain. I would have mixed it with concrete or something.”

  “So what happens if he finds the urn?” I asked.

  James gave me a look that told me everything I needed to know; failure wasn’t an option.

  “The end of everything.” James said.

  With those words, the rain stopped. We all stared up at the sky trying to figure out what happened. The clouds still darkened the sky and looked like they could drop at any moment, but nothing happened.

  “That’s weird.” Alex said.

  “You can say that again…” Michelle said cautiously.

  Out of nowhere a zombie dropped from the sky and smashed into the road a few feet ahead. It lay in a bloody heap of broken bones and intestines. Its one broken arm stood upright like a broken flagpole flapping in the wind as the creature twitched twice.

  “What the hell?” Alex gasped.

  I glanced up at the sky and asked, “Where did it come from?”

  “A plane, maybe?” Michelle asked.

  “When last did you see a plane?” Alex asked, “Never mind a plane dropping people.”

  “Zombies.” I insisted.

  There had to be a distinction between us and them; they were no longer human – they were our enemies.

  “Not people.” I added.

  I approached the squashed zombie with caution, but it appeared to be lifeless. Its blood was coagulated and bubbled as it oozed out of the shattered body.

  “Be careful.” Michelle said.

  “I don’t think it’s getting up again.” I said adamantly, “But just to be sure…”

  I lifted my left foot and stomped the zombie head and it shattered splashing some brain-matter splashed against my pants. As I wiped it off, I found myself thinking about mom for some macabre reason. The image of her lying in the street with a shattered skull flashed into my head. I quickly flung the brain matter off my pants, took a deep breath and turned to the others.

  “Are you alright?” Michelle asked concerned.

  I nodded and said, “I’m fine.”

  “You guys…” I head Alex say.

  He stood with his back to us and stared up at the overcast sky.

  “Are you seeing this?” Alex asked.

  I looked up at the sky, but there was something different about the clouds. You know that saying every dark cloud has a silver lining? Well, the clouds above us had a glowing lining, almost the same glowing one might see at a window of a burning house.

  “What is that?” Michelle asked dumbfounded.

  “Whatever it is,” I said, “It looks like trouble.”

  “It’s trouble.” James insisted, “You can be sure of that.”

  Lightning struck from the clouds, shot through the sky and struck the side of Mount Koning. After that, a constant rumbling of thunder rolled through the dark, yet illuminated clouds. Something dropped from the clouds far off in the distance and impacted with the ground below, but it sure wasn’t rain.

  Without warning another zombie smashed into the ground at our feet. We all jumped back with fright and stared down at it as it lay contorted in a pool of guts. One by one we slowly looked up at the dark sky again – looking for answers.

  “That’s the second one.” Alex said.

  “I think it’s the third one.” I corrected him.

  We all watched as another zombie fell from the sky and impacted with a rooftop a few blocks away. It didn’t get up again, so it figures that the zombie was pulverized by the impact.

  “What is happening?” Michelle asked.

  “It’s Clairvius.” James said.

  “It’s raining men?” Alex asked.

  Despite the pun being uttered by a gay man being funny, I didn’t laugh. Instead, I kept staring at the quiet sky above us – waiting for another zombie to drop down on us, but nothing happened.

  “Tall, blond, dark and lean…” I heard Michelle hum as she studied the clouds.

  “Rough and tough and dead and mean is more like it.” I said with an unsettled sigh.

  I was concerned about what was happening; the sky above seemed quiet – except for the rolling thunder – which was unsettling. I’ve learned in my short career of zombie killing that the quiet can only mean one thing… trouble is brewing.

  Two more zombies dropped from the sky. One smashed into bits and guts as it slammed into the tar road, while the other one landed on its hands and feet. It stood like a demented animal, cracked its neck and turned to look at us as it licked its rotting lips and growled.

  “Did that one just land on its feet?” Michelle gasped.

  “Hands and feet.” Alex corrected.

  Somewhere in the sky lightning struck and thunder followed. As the thunder bellowed and rolled through the valley, at least six more zombies fell from the sky. Four of them landed on all fours and slowly formed a pack that stared at us with their dead and hollow eyes.

  “Wow.” Alex gasped, “Shit just got real.”

  Lightning struck again and more zombies fell from the sky. I counted about ten of them – all of them landed on their hands and feet.

  “Do something.” James insisted.

  I glanced back over my shoulder with uncertainty. What did he want me to do? Do the Thriller?

  “You’re the slayer.” James asserted, “Kill them with your willpower.”

  He had a point. It was all in the mind. I was the slayer and I was a powerful slayer. All I had to do was concentrate and channel my hatred of the undead monsters and I could kill them without lifting a finger, but the more I concentrated, the stuffier my head felt.

  “Concentrate.” James said.

  Three zom
bies crawled on all fours and scurried over towards us with blood dripping from their mouths as they growled. I concentrated as hard as I could, motivated by mom’s death. Precipitously two of the zombies flung through the air and smashed into each other. They shattered like glass and their fragmented remains dropped into a pool of blood and guts in the road.

  “Wow.” I heard Alex exclaim.

  The third zombie still crawled towards us on all fours at an incredible rate, but it didn’t dissuade me from concentrating and channelling my willpower. I held out my right hand and with a flick of my wrist, the zombie’s skull split open and its brain hurled through the air towards me. The brain came to a halt and hovered a few inches from my hand. The zombie still stood upright with its skull cracked wide open and then it dropped to the ground. I balled my hand into a fist and the brain crumpled like paper being crushed by an unseen force. I lowered my hand and the gory brain dropped to the ground.

  “Amazing.” Alex exclaimed, “You are a superhero… what’s the name of the one that can manipulate metal?”

  “Magneto.” I said in a dazed state.

  Alex patted me on the back and then I snapped out of my mesmerized state. It felt amazing to kill the zombies without a sweat. It made me feel powerful, but at the same time I felt powerless because I let mom die.

  I turned around and smiled at Alex as thunder bellowed in the clouds above.

  “Other zombies dropped nearby.” James said, “They’ll sniff us out in no time.”

  “I can handle them.” I assured him.

  I was self-assured. I knew I had the power all along; it was just a pity that mom’s death was what triggered my power’s to manifest.

  I could hear growling coming from the streets in the distance, and then a pack of about thirty zombies came running down the street on all fours like demented animals. These zombies weren’t just any zombies, they seemed different somehow – darker and more evil. They looked like they’d been dead for centuries; trapped away in the darkest corner of hell craving human flesh. They were definitely released by Clairvius as part of his grand scheme of taking over the world of the living.

  “Zac?” Alex asked worried.

  I noticed that Michelle seemed anxious, even more than Alex.

  “I’m on it.” I said, “I’ll try and kill them all with one try.”

  “I don’t think that’s wise.” Michelle said apprehensively.

  Why wouldn’t it be wise? I thought; I was awesome enough to kill them all with a single thought. I did it before and I was about to do it again.

  I concentrated on the pack of wild creatures running towards us; I imagined their heads exploding and their lifeless corpses dropping to the ground. I could feel my heartbeat at the back of my head as my concentration intensified. I felt lightheaded as my mind-power left my body and surged through the air towards pack of approaching zombies.

  “Zac?” Michelle whined.

  When the zombies were about a block away, all of their heads exploded simultaneously and their lifeless bodies fell to the ground. I felt something wet splatter against my neck and spun around just as Michelle’s headless body fell to the ground.

  FIVE

  There are no words in the human language to express what I felt when yet another person I cared about died right in front of me. It felt like my heart stopped completely and my eyes wanted to burst out crying, but I couldn’t. I was too shocked to even move. Everything around me felt hazy; I heard Alex scream like a little girl and James talking to me, but nothing sunk in. All I could think of was the image of Michelle’s headless body falling to the ground. All I could see was her lifeless body lying at my feet.

  I crouched down to examine her, but didn’t quite know what to do. It was useless to check for a pulse as she was clearly dead, but what the hell happened? Was she infected? I noticed a wound on her shoulder and lifted the sleeve to get a better look at it – it looked like a bite mark. When was she bitten? Why didn’t she tell me?

  James said something, but still I didn’t hear what he was saying. His words were muffled and vague.

  I’ve killed my mother and my girlfriend in one day. It was all too much to handle and I could feel myself losing a grip on reality.

  “ZAC!” Alex called out and pulled me to my feet.

  I looked at him and swayed back and forth a little. I still felt a bit lightheaded and couldn’t believe what just happened. Though Alex stood right in front of me, it was as if I was staring right through him… that’s until he slapped me in my face. Alex came into focus and I could see that he was petrified as James barked orders behind him.

  “We need you!” Alex exclaimed, “You need to snap out of this!”

  “What?” I asked confused.

  It was only then that I noticed James and Fluffy were doing their best to fight off a small group of zombies. Fluffy was covered in blood as he chomped down on the attackers while James wielded an axe and cut zombies down left and right, but more kept coming.

  “Any time now!” James yelled out annoyed.

  Reality sunk in, but my body was still numb with shock and disbelief.

  “Do something!” Alex yelled.

  I hated that phrase, do something. It’s all I ever heard since the apocalypse started. I stared at Alex for a moment and then grabbed his prosthetic leg. He wobbled around on one leg and moaned as I lifted the prosthetic with both hands.

  “Are you freaking kidding me?” Alex groaned.

  I walked over to the group of zombies and swung the prosthetic like a bat; I hit two zombies in the face and shattered part of the first one’s face. Both of them fell to the ground and I stomped their heads with my boot over and over again. Another zombie jumped at me, but Fluffy wrestled it to the ground and I bashed another one’s brains in with the prosthetic. I was growing impatient with the undead, so I started dropped the prosthetic and with all my might I started punching zombies left and right with my fists. I hated them so much. I wanted to send them all back to the darkness of hell and just kept punching them over and over as blood splashed onto my torso, arms and face.

  “I hate zombies!” I yelled in between punches.

  A zombie jumped at me and then it froze in mid-air. I stared at its empty eye sockets and noticed that I was in a time lapse again – it must have been triggered by my fury. I could see that the zombie that hovered in front of me was moving at an extremely sluggish pace and then I balled up my fist.

  I wanted every single one of the zombies to pay for what they had done. I slammed my fist into its skull and sent fragments of brain and bone flying through the air; fast at first, but then the speed of the splatter slowed down to the time lapse around me.

  I moved on to the next zombie a few feet away and jerked its head clean off. I tossed the head aside, but it stopped in mid-air and hovered in the time lapse. James’s knife was a few inches from piercing a zombie skull, so I shoved the zombie forward into the blade and then moved on.

  Fluffy was frozen in a wrestling position on top a zombie, but I squashed the zombie’s skull with my boot, bashed another one’s brains in, clobbered three frozen zombies to my left, thumped two over the head and dislocated the skulls and jerked another zombie’s jaw right of its hinges.

  There were no more zombies standing. I scrutinized my surroundings while panting for air and was certain I had killed every last one of them. I glanced back at Alex who was frozen midway in a fall; he’d probably lost his balance at some point. I picked up the prosthetic leg, walked over to him and fitted it to his stump. I eased him into a standing position just as the time lapse ended. Alex grabbed at me as if falling, but then realized he was standing on both his legs again. He and James stared at the quagmire of zombies and guts while Fluffy ran over to me with a wagging tail.

  “Did you do this?” Alex asked.

  I nodded and he smiled with admiration, but I didn’t share in his excitement. It all felt senseless and violent.

  SIX

  We kept walking tow
ards the edge of town and the closer we got to it, the more portentous the mountain appeared with the gathering storm clouds. James led the way while Fluffy panted with his tongue hanging from the side of his mouth and Alex limped hastily next to me. Though he was doing the best he could and not saying anything, I could tell he was growing weaker and needed time to rest.

  “Let’s stop for a moment.” I suggested and stopped.

  James looked back over his shoulder and stopped; his facial expression suggested he was not amused by the break. Alex sat down on the trunk of an unearthed tree that lay on the sidewalk like a casualty of war.

  “Why?” James asked annoyed as he dropped his backpack, “Because your cripple friend can’t keep up?”

  “Why do you have to be such an asshole all the time?” I demanded.

  “He is slowing us down.” James insisted, “I warned you this would happen. I warned you your useless friends will jeopardize this mission, but you didn’t listen to me. You had to go ahead and drag them all along, and what happened? Two of them got killed – that is on you. That’s your fault.”

  Though he was right, I felt insulted by his remark. I don’t know what came over me, but I balled up my fist and hit him in his mouth. He stumbled back while grasping onto his bleeding mouth and nose, but he didn’t cry or shout or anything. He simply straightened himself out and wiped the blood from his lower lip with the back of his hand

  “Does that make you feel like a man?” He asked scathingly, “You know I’m right, but you’re too much of a jerk to listen to me.”

  There was a moment of silence and we both stared at each other with fierce intensity. I awaited him to punch me back, but nothing happened. He was either too scared or too mature to throw a punch.

  He shrugged his shoulders and said, “I’m done.”

  James picked up his backpack and flung it onto his right shoulder.

  “What do you mean?” Alex asked.

  James glanced at Alex with disgust and then looked back over at me.

  “Do what you want.” James insisted, “I’m done trying to help you. Our race was already doomed from the moment you were born as the next slayer.”

  James turned around and started walking away.

  “You’re leaving?” I asked, “Just like that?”

  “Just like that.” James said without looking back.

  “You’re a coward.” I called out after him.

  He didn’t look back. He kept walking away from us and the mountain and seemed very pissed.

  “You’re turning your back on humanity!” I called out.

  He stopped and shifted the backpack on his shoulder, but didn’t turn around. It looked like he was contemplating a remark, and then he continued walking away. I knew I should’ve rather kept my mouth shut. I needed him, though I would never admit it out loud. I was afraid of what might be waiting for me at the top of Mount Koning. I was afraid that Clairvius could defeat me.

  “Please, don’t go.” I uttered, “I need you.”

  I watched as James disappeared around the corner of a building and out of sight; he was being dramatic – no, melodramatic. How could he expect me to save mankind if he wanted me to turn my back on one of our own? And besides, Alex and I had a history and I couldn’t just toss him aside. I let out a sigh of frustration and turned to Alex.

  “What do we do now?” Alex asked.

  I hesitated and said, “We continue with the plan; we head for the top of Mount Koning.”

  “You think he’s there?” Alex asked, “Clair Danes?”

  “Clairvius.” I corrected him, “And yes, I think he’s there. He’s there looking down at all the chaos in the valley and enjoying every minute of it. I’m going to kill him… and you’re going to help me.”

  Alex let out a sigh and clasped his hands on his knees. He looked overwhelmed with everything that happened so far.

  “What can I do?” he asked conquered, “James is right.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked offended.

  “I’m just holding you back.” He said, “I’m of no use to you. Who am I kidding? I’m not up for a mission to kill the king of the zombies. I can barely walk with this prosthetic leg, let alone make it to the top of the mountain.”

  What was going on? This was totally confusing; he jumped at the opportunity to come along and now he simply wanted to give up? Did James’ harsh words actually get the better of the toughest guy in school? This wasn’t the bully I knew…

  “Don’t let James’ criticism get to you.” I insisted, “You’re twice the man he is.”

  Alex snorted at the irony and mumbled, “You mean half the man.”

  “You’re stronger than you think.” I insisted, “You lost your leg, but that didn’t break you. LOOK at yourself… you’re walking and within a day of losing your leg. That is courage my friend. That is strength like nobody’s ever seen. You’re an inspiration on legs – well, you know what I mean.”

  Alex smiled and nodded. I think I might have gotten through to him.

  “I need you.” I said, “You’re all I have left. I have nobody else left.”

  If he were a girl, I could’ve perhaps persuaded him with a kiss. For a moment Michelle’s soft lips popped into my mind and a sense of sorrow came over me. A cold chill ran down my spine and then I shook the thought of her out of my mind.

  Fluffy let out a whimper as if saying, what about me? I looked down at him and patted his head.

  “Alright,” I admitted, “I have you too, Fluffy.”

  Fluffy approvingly wagged his tail and panted.

  I looked at Alex and saw a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes.

  “What do you say?” I asked him, “Are we gonna do this or what?”

  There was a moment of silence and then he smiled as he patted the rock with his hand; motioning for me to sit down next to him. I assessed our surroundings real quick and then sat down next to him as he clasped his hands together and rested his arms on his knees.

  “Before all of this happened, my dad wanted me to go on a fishing trip with him.” Alex said as he leaned forward.

  “You told me.” I said.

  “I thought it was the lamest thing ever.” Alex said with a chuckle, “But it meant the world to him. I couldn’t understand why he so desperately wanted me to go on this trip with him. You see, we weren’t really that close – my dad and I. The only thing we had in common was my mom and she died two years ago.”

  “I’m sorry.” I said.

  He nodded and continued, “Anyway, the morning of the outbreak I went through some of my mom’s stuff like I always do when I miss her, and I found an old photo of her and my dad by the lake. It was taken on a fishing trip they had before I was born and then it hit me – my dad was human and had feelings of his own… he missed my mom and thought that the fishing trip would bring him closer to her. He left early for work that morning and I planned on telling him that I changed my mind about the trip that evening, but that never happened.”

  “I’m so sorry.” I said.

  He smiled, but didn’t look up. Instead, he kept staring at his prosthetic leg and fidgeted with his clasped fingers.

  “I’m not sure why I told you that.” He said.

  “It’s the end of the world.” I said, “You’re alone and vulnerable, but you have me. I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ve let everyone down so far and I’ll be damned if I let you down as well.”

  I stood up and straightened my posture, and in doing so I felt like a new person – a person who was ready to tackle whatever hell or waters high may come.

  “Are you with me?” I asked.

  He stared at me in silence for a moment and then slowly staggered to his feet. I reached out to help him, but he pushed my hand away.

  “I can manage.” He insisted.

  When stood securely on his feet he smiled at me and said, “Let’s do this. Let’s kill that zombie bastard.”

  “That’s the spirit.” I said relieved.

>   SEVEN

  And then we were two… three if you count Fluffy. Many things came in threes; The Three Musketeers, The Holy Trinity, Charlie’s Angels and the sisters from Charmed… All these threesomes have conquered evil, which meant that maybe; just maybe we were finally on the right track? And so what if James left us? Can you think of one foursome throughout history (or Hollywood history) that conquered evil? I didn’t think so. Screw James. We didn’t need a fourth person in our group.

  I’d like to tell you that everything was smooth sailing, but that would be a lie… a big fat lie. Everything went according to plan right up until we got to the town’s border, that’s when the rain started again.

  We stood at the foot of the mountain and stared back at the desolated town that lay in the valley. How many people lost their lives or loved ones? Did anyone even survive the infection? As I stared down at the town, our future looked bleak.

  “Zac?” Alex said.

  He looked up and pointed at the sky. I looked up, but wasn’t prepared for what I was about to see. The clouds not only had golden linings, but the clouds were no longer dark as night. The inside of the clouds were illuminated in a bright shade of yellow and orange which infused with the dark clouds. Lightning and thunder bellowed deep inside the clouds, but no lightning strikes lit up the sky outside the clouds.

  “That’s a worrisome sight.” Alex said.

  “I know.” I said.

  We both kept staring at the strange occurrence in the sky. The clouds seemed heavy and priming for a downpour, and then finally one of the clouds tore open like paper and spewed out what only can be described as liquid fire.

  “Is…that…lava?” Alex asked bewildered.

  “I think so.” I said confused.

  “There’s lava pouring from the clouds?” Alex asked confounded.

  The liquid fire poured down in a waterfall and slammed into a street in the town below. The liquid fire pooled up as more and more poured down and finally it started flowing down the street.

  A churning sound made us both look up at the sky again just as three more clouds tore open and poured down liquid fire in waterfalls of lava.

  “Well, that’s not normal.” Alex said.

  More clouds tore open. Some spewed out liquid fire and others spewed out bony carcasses that fell on their feet and scurried down the streets of fire. Hell’s dead were finally walking the earth. The bony zombies scurried through the liquid fire and got engulfed, but seemed not to feel any pain; they simply carried on scampering down the street looking for human flesh – I hoped to God there weren’t any uninfected people still left in Kingston Valley. If the liquid fire didn’t get them, the ablaze bony zombies would.

  “It’s time we get to the top of the mountain.” I insisted.

  “Zac…” Alex whimpered.

  He pointed to the south with a trembling hand at a group of about thirty ablaze bony zombies which were scampering towards us at an alarming rate; their flames gushed back as they ran, but didn’t extinguish. They had a thin layer of charcoal black skin that covered their bones and balls of red fire in their eye sockets. They would reach us in a matter of minutes at the speed they were running.

  “Shit.” I said.

  “Shit?” Alex exclaimed, “That’s all you can say?”

  What did he want me to say? There were two dozen balls of fire with legs running towards us. I wasn’t prepared for this – I was prepared for normal zombies. Ablaze, charcoaled corpses running at immense speed is something totally different – and quite frankly scary as hell.

  “What do we do?” He cried out concerned.

  “Shut up.” I insisted, “Let me concentrate…”

  I rubbed my side temples and tried to centre my thoughts and calm myself down.

  You can do this, I told myself, just concentrate.

  I concentrated as hard as I could on making the flaming zombies explode, but my head felt like it would explode from the pressure. Nothing was happening. Maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough? Maybe the pressure was getting to me?

  “Zac…” Alex whimpered, “They’re getting closer.”

  “I know.” I hissed.

  I tried again, and this time I concentrated even harder on the group of zombies getting closer, but it was no use. Nothing was happening. They were somehow immune to my powers; they were a totally different class of zombie than what I was used to fighting.

  “It’s not working!” I exclaimed.

  “Well, you’d better think of a new plan!” Alex exclaimed.

  He was right. We needed a new plan. We couldn’t just stand in the country side and await our fate. I grabbed Alex by the collar as he protested and flung him at a nearby tree with all my might. He screamed as he hurled through the air and landed in the top branches.

  “Are you insane?” Alex screamed.

  “Stay in the tree.” I ordered him.

  He clung to a branch and tried to get comfortable. I turned around and readied my stance as the group of fiery zombies approached. They were about fifty metres away and I could hear their growls and the flickering of the flames as they ran towards me. Their bony fingers sounded like tap shoes as they ran on all fours like the demented creatures they were. I wish I had my whip; this fight would have been so much easier if I had my whip.

  EIGHT

  “Throw me your leg!” I called over my shoulder.

  “What?” Alex yelled back from the tree.

  “Just throw me your damn prosthetic!” I insisted.

  “Okay, okay.” Alex said, “Geez.”

  Alex removed his prosthetic leg and tossed it down at me. I caught it with my right hand while keeping my stance and waited for the fiery zombies to reach me. They were close enough for me to smell their charred skin and feel the heat coming off their flames.

  “Bring it.” I said confidently.

  I gripped the prosthetic limb with both hands and lifted it over my shoulder like a baseball bat ready for a pitch. The first of the fiery zombies reached me and pounced towards me as I swung the prosthetic at it and severed its skull. The burning body fell into a heap of bones and flames as the fiery head rolled down the slope of the mountain.

  Another zombie jumped at me and I pierced its skull with the prosthetic and flung it to the left. The zombie tore to pieces as it ripped free from the prosthetic. Another two zombies reached me and I flung the prosthetic at them; slicing one in half and dislodging the head of the second. The zombie with the dislodged head stared at me askew and then I bashed its brains in with the prosthetic.

  More and more of the fiery zombies came at me, but I kept mowing them down without breaking a sweat. They might have been sizzling burger patties from hell, but they went down just as easily as the rest. I just had to watch myself with the flames and not get burnt.

  The prosthetic was sturdy and could withstand the flames and proved to be a formidable weapon. I killed eight, nine, ten… fifteen zombies and they all fell into a fiery heap of bones at my feet.

  “Zac!” I heard Alex call out.

  “I’m a little bit busy.” I said distracted by the slaying of zombies.

  “Zac…” I heard Alex plead.

  I glanced over at him in the tree, and saw that one of the zombies was hugging the trunk of the tree in hopes of setting it on fire. I turned back to the fight and mowed down two zombies as they jumped at me. I spun around, ran over to the tree and bashed the tree-hugger with the prosthetic. It fell to the ground, but the trunk of the tree already caught fire. I swung the prosthetic at the zombie, but it rolled out of the way, setting some of the undergrowth on fire.

  “Lie still, you bastard!” I yelled at it.

  I swung the prosthetic again and bashed its skull to bits before it could roll away.

  “Zac.” Alex said concerned, “The tree is on fire.”

  “Not now.” I insisted as three zombies lashed at me.

  I swung the prosthetic at them and pulverised the skull of one, knocked one to the ground and ju
st pissed off the third one.

  “Zac!” Alex called out, “The tree!”

  I couldn’t help him out of a burning tree; I had to fight off the fiery zombies and they just kept coming. Why weren’t their flames being extinguished by the rain? The angry zombie jumped at me and I pierced the prosthetic through its bony chest. It stared down at the prosthetic that stuck out of its chest, causing the flames to move to the back of its head. I balled my hand into a fist and slammed it into the zombie’s skull, sending fragments of skull and burning skin flying through the air. I shook the prosthetic free and started fighting the rest of the oncoming zombies again.

  I could see from the corner of my eye that Alex was struggling to climb higher as the flames engulfed the tree. He just had to hang in for another few seconds. Only about six zombies remained.

  “Hang on!” I called out as I fought the burning dead.

  “Hurry up!” Alex called back.

  I slayed the remaining zombies in a matter of seconds and when they were all down for good, I ran over to the burning tree. I dropped the prosthetic on the grass and held out my arms.

  “Jump.” I called up at Alex.

  “What?” He cried out cynically, “I’m not gonna jump!”

  “I’ll catch you.” I assured him.

  He seemed reluctant to jump and shifted on the branch.

  “You’re gonna burn to death.” I insisted, “Just jump. I’ll catch you. If I can fight off the undead, I’m pretty sure I can catch you!”

  “Fine!” He called out.

  He shifted again and I held out my arms again. It took him a moment to gather the courage to jump. I’d like to say that I caught him like a true hero, but the truth is I caught him and we both plummeted to the ground and rolled down the slope a few feet before stopping.

  “Are you okay?” I groaned.

  “I’m fine.” Alex said with a sigh.

  We both rolled over onto our backs and stared up at the sky, though we were kinda blinded by the rain. The clouds above all churned and colorized into an ominous shade of yellow and orange.

  “It’s actually pretty.” Alex said in thought.

  I glanced at him from the corner of my eye; he seemed mesmerized by the clouds – the beauty in death and chaos.

  “I don’t think anyone has ever stopped to really admire the clouds of Armageddon.” He said.

  “I doubt it.” I said, “With people being busy with dying and all.”

  He chuckled and reached up towards the sky and retracted his hand a moment later.

  “Nearly dying more than once really opened my eyes.” He said as he wiped the rain from his face.

  I wasn’t too sure what he was talking about, but didn’t ask him about it.

  He turned his head, smiled at me and said, “I’m getting weird. I’m sorry.”

  He stared at me for an awkward moment and then I felt his lips press up against my cheek. He rolled onto his back again and stared up at the sky as if nothing happened.

  “What was that for?” I asked baffled.

  “For saving me.” He said, “More than once. I was a real dick to you in school and yet you saved my life twice.”

  “That’s ancient history.” I said.

  “It happened last week.” He said, “And yet you don’t hate me for it. You’re my hero.”

  Was he crushing on me? I wasn’t sure I could deal with that while trying to save the world. Maybe it’s because I’m always shirtless around him – damn my good looks.

  “I—” was all I could get out.

  “Please don’t ruin the moment.” He said without looking away from the sky.

  We lay in silence for few minutes longer; just staring up at the clouds as if we didn’t have a care in the world. If only we could be this carefree…

  NINE

  The clouds above poured down rain and bellowed out thunder and lightning while some clouds tore open and spewed out liquid fire in waterfalls of lava and fiery zombies. There was nothing left of humanity in the valley. The town of Kingston Valley – my home – was nothing but a fiery wasteland of what once was a beautiful and peaceful place to live. With the clouds that stretched on forever, it was safe to say that hell was pouring down on other parts of the world as well. The key to stopping hell on earth was at the top of Mount Koning and we had to get there before it was too late. With every passing minute, our world became less like home and more like hell.

  We continued up the slopes of Mount Koning and I noticed that Alex was limping more than usual.

  “Are you alright?” I asked, “You’re limping more than before.”

  “It’s the prosthetic.” He said, “You bent it out of shape when you used it as a sledgehammer.”

  I giggled, but quickly constrained myself and said, “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Alex said, “I’ll manage.”

  “Just lemme know if you want me to carry you.” I said.

  “No.” He said with a slight chuckle, “I’d much rather walk than rely on you to get by – no offence.”

  “None taken.” I said.

  “I have a reputation to uphold.” He said and winked.

  A reputation to uphold? Everyone he knew was most likely dead or undead and either way wouldn’t care less whether he walked or got carried.

  The trek up the slopes became more treacherous with every step as we had to climb over rocks and boulders. Alex managed most of the way, but at some points I helped him despite his protests of independence. Sometimes I think even Fluffy wanted to help him in a way.

  “Who would have thought...” Alex said in between breaths, “That the two of us would ever climb a mountain together to stop an ancient evil?”

  I snorted and said, “If you told me three weeks ago that you would be my best friend, I would’ve laughed at you.”

  Alex laughed and said, “And I would have knocked you out for laughing at me.”

  The smile faded from Alex’s face and he scrutinized each step before climbing.

  “You called me your best friend.” Alex said softly.

  I stopped and then so did he. I looked at him and realized that yes, he was my best friend.

  “Yes.” I said.

  I didn’t want to make a big deal about it. True, he was the only person in my life at the moment and I cared about him, but I wasn’t about to create an Oprah moment of it. I started climbing again and so did he. We continued in silence for a while; both of us knew that we were best friends, but we didn’t talk about it. As a matter of fact, we didn’t talk about anything for the next ten minutes or so. Small-talk seemed pointless when you’re climbing to the top of a mountain to stop the apocalypse.

  ‘I wonder what happened to my friend, Jim’ I thought to myself as we climbed over the rocks and boulders. He used to be my best friend. We’d play video games in his basement for hours on end and talk about everything and everything – kinda like Alex and I talked about random stuff while climbing. The last time I saw Jim was when I told him James told me I was the chosen one; the slayer of the undead. When all hell broke loose, I didn’t even think about going round his house to check whether he made it out alive. I was a terrible friend. I was a terrible son and I was a terrible boyfriend. I let everyone down.

  “Something’s bothering you.” Alex said.

  “What?” I asked baffled.

  I was never good at hiding my feelings – I always wore my heart on my sleeve.

  “Nothing’s wrong.” I said.

  “I can see something is wrong.” Alex said.

  “I’m just thinking about everyone we’ve lost along the way.” I said with a sigh.

  Alex didn’t say anything back. He slowed down and then I motioned for him to take a break as I could see he was struggling to keep up.

  “Let’s take a break for a moment.” I suggested.

  Alex sat down on a nearby rock and massaged his amputated leg just above the prosthetic. We were almost to the top of the mountain and the valley do
wn below must have been a breath-taking sight before the world ended, but now it was a wasteland of fires and crawling with fiery bony zombies.

  Fluffy sat next to me and pushed his head underneath my hand to be patted. Even on the worst days a dog could show you love and compassion.

  “We’re almost at the top.” I said.

  “What do you think we’ll find at the top?” Alex asked.

  “I’m not sure.” I said.

  Whatever was at the top of the mountain couldn’t be as bad as it was down in the valley below.

  Alex started giggling and snorting air. I looked over at him with a smile and wondered what he found so amusing.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked amused.

  “It’s just funny,” He said, “The world is about to end and the only guy I ever kissed… is you.”

  Alex burst out laughing, but I could see it was covering some kind of emotional pain he felt. His laughing died down into a little chuckle which surrendered to an uncomfortable smile. He stared down at his prosthetic leg and the smile faded.

  “This isn’t the end.” I assured him, “It’s just a new chapter in the book of life.”

  “I preferred the previous chapters.” Alex said, “Before all of this…”

  He pointed at the valley down below and at his prosthetic leg. He’d said out loud what I was thinking as well. I preferred life before I lost mom and Michelle. I preferred life as we knew it.

  TEN

  Expatriates... That’s basically what we were sitting on a boulder on the face of the mountain. We were refugees from the human race. Our home was destroyed and we had nowhere to go… nowhere except up.

  Alex took a deep breath and staggered to his feet.

  “Let’s go.” He said.

  Fluffy looked at him and then at me with uncertainty. I patted his head and he seemed a bit more at eas;, if only I could say the same for Alex. He seemed eager to continue, but whether he had the mental and physical strength to do so was unclear.

  “Are you sure you’ll make it to the top?” I asked.

  He nodded and wobbled a bit on his feet, but didn’t say anything. He seemed a bit less stable on his feet than before; it was probably the prosthetic that was irritating his stump.

  “You look like you’re in pain.” I said.

  He shook his head and said, “I’m fine.”

  He took a step towards me and swayed like a Weeble-Wobble toy as he shifted his weight onto his good leg. He took a deep breath as if readying himself to continue and then his eye exploded sending blood splashing onto my face. Fluffy jumped up and barked as Alex’s body fell to the ground. An soldier stood a few feet away with his smoking gun still pointed at me.

  “What the hell did you do?” I gasped in horror.

  The soldier lowered his gun and put it back into its holster.

  “That zombie was about to eat you.” The ranger said, “The least you could do is say thank you. I saved your life just now.”

  I stared at him flabbergasted and looked down at Alex’s lifeless body at my feet. My mind was completely blank except for the sheer feeling of shock that embraced my entire body. Alex was the only person I had left, and now he was lying at my feet.

  I looked up at the soldier and my right hand started shivering from shock, so I balled it up into a fist and steadied myself.

  “He wasn’t infected.” I hissed at him.

  “He was walking irrationally like the rest of them.” The soldier insisted.

  “He had a prosthetic leg!” I asserted.

  The confidence slipped off his face and he took a step towards me. He glanced down at Alex and his face perplexed into an expression of “whoops”. I couldn’t believe soldier couldn’t tell the difference between the living and the dead; our skin is alive while zombie skin is dead and greyish.

  “You’re an idiot.” I blurted out, “You killed the last person I still cared about.”

  “Shit, man.” The soldier said, “What can I say?”

  He shrugged his shoulders and then ran his fingers through his short hair.

  “It’s chaos since the dead took over.” The soldier said, “I don’t know what to say. You either kill or be killed out here. You can’t strike up a conversation with someone to see whether they are infected or not.”

  “Really?” I asked in disbelief.

  Was this what we boiled down to? Was this what I was fighting to protect? A world filled with people who shoot first and ask questions later – if there was a later.

  I had nothing else to say to him. I shook my head in disgust and picked up my backpack.

  “Come on.” I said to Fluffy and he followed me.

  “Where are you off to?” The soldier asked.

  “Away from you.” I said without looking back.

  I heard the sound of gravel crunching beneath boots as he ran after me.

  “Wait a minute.” He called out.

  I decided to ignore the man and continued walking along a little footpath with Fluffy at my side. The footpath led up the face of the mountain towards the top, which was about another hour’s hike away.

  “Hold up.” He called out.

  Once he caught up with us, he walked in silence for a moment. I had nothing I wanted to say to him.

  “I’m sorry about your friend.” He finally said, “He looked infected.”

  “He wasn’t.” I said uninterested.

  “Why are you mountain climbing?” He asked.

  I shifted the backpack onto my right shoulder and continued up the footpath.

  “I’m Mike, by the way.” He said.

  It took him a moment to realize that I wasn’t going to introduce myself.

  “Alright…” He finally said.

  I finally stopped and turned to him. He was starting to annoy me and I didn’t like the idea of a trigger-happy guy following me.

  “Why are you following me?” I asked sternly.

  He looked at me for a moment and said, “You’re the first uninfected person I’ve come across.”

  “Where is the rest of your army buddies?” I asked annoyed.

  “My platoon was deployed about two days ago.” He said, “We were on a search and rescue mission looking for survivors in the valley and we went from one town to the other, but all we found were infected people. Our convoy was overrun by a few hundred zombies a few miles outside of town. The troopers, my friends, were all eaten. I barely got away myself. I’ve been wandering around this town since then hoping to find anyone that wasn’t infected. All I came across was zombies. That’s why when I saw your friend wobbling around I thought he was infected. I’m really sorry. You have to believe me. I’ve never killed anyone before now. Hell, I’m still a rookie. I only joined up a few weeks before this all happened. I never thought I’d go around killing people who are supposed to be dead.”

  He looked at me as if waiting for approval which he wasn’t going to get. I shifted the backpack and turned away.

  “Please.” He uttered.

  “Fine.” I said annoyed.

  We started walking along the pathway again and I patted Fluffy’s head. He was the last and only thing I had left in this world.

  “What’s your name by the way?” Mike asked.

  “Zac.” I said, “Zac Zombie. Slayer of the undead.”

  Mike hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Like that Buffy girl?”