by G Sasaki
The bat’s eyes widened, almost like he was surprised. He again exposed his teeth and emitted a high series of painful squeaks.
Hailey proclaimed, “I’ll call you Dave.”
A tender squeeze came from the bat’s fuzzy hand. His eyes relaxed and looked fondly at Hailey. More squeaking noises. It was almost as if he was speaking to her.
BANG.
A gunshot rocked the air and echoed for eternity. Hailey whipped around, worried that Grace may have taken drastic action. Instead, Grace still cowered down, practically shaking in fear. Then where did the shot come from?
Dave released Hailey’s hand and darted his head around, his frantic eyes seeking the perpetrator. His fur stood on end and he whipped around in a full-on panic.
BANG BANG.
Dave bent his knees and leapt straight up. His jump launched him at least a dozen feet off the ground. His massive wings shot out from his shoulders and flapped. The force behind it sent shockwaves of air at Hailey, Grace, and Wolf. As he kept on flapping his wings, his nimble body soared into the air. He kicked back his feet and zigzagged and zoomed effortlessly through the sky, like a fish in the water.
Hailey spotted the gunman in front of the grocery store: a redheaded man. Two other men stood with him and encouraged him to hit the now airborne Dave. So other people did survive. Were they zombies? They stood about thirty yards ahead, too far to see the details of their faces. The man’s extended gun danced around as he tried to get Dave in his crosshairs.
Hailey screamed from the bottom of her stomach and scratched her throat. “Stop!”
BANG. BANG.
The redheaded man didn’t listen. He fired into the sky, narrowly missing Dave. Hailey’s throat tickled from screaming so she wouldn’t yell again. But she would make them listen. Hailey reached to her holster and drew her gun. She aimed toward the large letters hanging above the men and fired.
The three men ducked down, instinctually trying to avoid any shots fired their way. Hailey quickly lined her aim and pointed the gun at the redheaded man. Point the gun at me and I shoot. They gave up on shooting Dave out of the sky by throwing their hands into the air. Hailey’s voice cracked, “Put your gun on the ground!” She glanced toward the sky and Dave looked like a spec, flying safely away.
The redheaded man shouted, “Do you know what you’re doing!? You just let that thing get away!” He bent over, put his gun on the ground, and kicked it away.
The redheaded man yelled, “Can we approach?”
Hailey could only make out their figures. They didn’t seem to be possessed by unpredictable lunacy so maybe they weren’t zombies. Without taking an eye off them, Hailey turned her head and asked Grace, “What do you think?”
Grace reached into the backpack and gripped her gun. “They came from the grocery store… so I guess we have no choice. Hailey… What was that giant bat?”
“I don’t know, Grace.” Hailey glared at the men and shouted. “Walk this way and keep your hands in the air!”
14
As the three men paced closer, Hailey’s gun pointed at the redheaded man. Hailey found herself snarling at him. As they came closer, she could make out his features. His nose stuck out and curled up, like a Who from The Grinch. Freckles dabbed on his pale white skin. He looked to be in his mid-thirties… not old, but the way he carried himself made him seem older. His red hair draped over his forehead and almost tipped his eyes. His belly bounced and protruded through his shirt. Given the circumstances, he was pretty clean.
Grace stepped next to Hailey and joined her in pointing a gun at these strangers. Grace felt riddled with anxiety, to the point of throwing up, but had to keep it hidden. Wolf sat next to Grace and the three of them formed a line. The man stopped a few feet in front of them and kept his hands in the air. He spoke with a voice that sounded surprisingly firm and full of confidence, like a radio host. “My name is Victor. I was a professor before this all happened. I was happy. Life was great. Now everyone I know is dead. I imagine it’s the same with you.”
Hailey analyzed the other two men. They looked older and wrinklier but for some reason, Victor seemed to be the leader. Hailey’s gun aimed steadily on him. “Let me see your fingernails.”
Victor lowered his hands and loosened his stance. He didn’t seem the least bit worried that Hailey or Grace might shoot him. The two others followed suit and lowered their hands as well. Victor ignored their request and said, “Your face is cut up. You must have been attacked. How are you still alive?”
Hailey opened her mouth to speak but before any words could come out, Grace chimed, “Don’t worry about that. Let us see your nails before we kill you.” Grace’s soft, shaky voice sounded strange making such threats.
Victor chuckled. “I see. Not bad for a couple young girls.”
Hailey interrupted him with the sound of a cocked gun.
“Alright,” Victor conceded. “Look.” Victor turned his hands and revealed his normal-colored fingernails. Hailey glared at the other two men and they did the same. Their fingernails had the right color. Hailey and Grace looked at each other and silently agreed. They lowered the guns. Hailey asked, “What do you know?”
Victor responded, “There’s a bunch of us inside. None of us are zombies. We’re all just people who happened to survive. I guess we’re the lucky ones.” Hailey stared through him. They’d been living in the grocery store. That was smart. But just how many people didn’t change? Victor paused and dramatically added, “We caught one of the zombies. Got him just the other day.”
Hailey’s eyes widened. They needed food… but to be able to talk to one of those things, to just observe it, could teach them a lot. Hailey looked at Grace, whose jaw had literally dropped. Hailey asked, “Does it speak?”
“Yes,” Victor responded, “he speaks.”
“Can we see him?”
“He’s locked up in the freezer inside. The electricity here went out a few days ago so we’ve been able to keep him in there alive. If you want to see him, you’ll have to give us your backpack.”
Of course there’s a catch. Giving up their guns was suicide. They were the only reason they made it this far. Hailey couldn’t figure out the trustworthiness of the men. Hailey declared, “We need the contents of that backpack. I can’t give it to you.”
Victor chuckled. “You need guns? We have a stronghold here. No zombies come this way. There are dozens of people here who can protect you. You don’t need to run. This can be your new home.” His smiled and tilted his head just enough to make him seem like a redheaded Mr. Rogers. His warm voice made it hard to distrust his words. If the people inside the grocery store were good, then that could be an invaluable resource, even more than food.
Hailey said to Grace, “A word?” She pointed with her head, away from the men. Grace understood and the two stepped back and turned around, where the men wouldn’t be able to hear. Hailey whispered, “What do we do?”
Grace frowned. “You’re asking me? You’re the one who makes the decisions.” Hailey slanted her head and pursed her lips just enough to tell Grace she needed her help. Grace responded, “We can’t give them our guns. We need them. We’re going to find Alex. Right?”
Hearing Grace say those words brought a conspicuous smile to Hailey’s face. “Plus,” Grace added, “You do realize he’s a ginger. Gingers have no souls.”
Hailey laughed. It was the only remotely funny thing she’d heard since before that night two weeks ago. She almost forgot what humor was. She had sunk to such a depth of misery that to giggle felt so strange. And now that jubilation of laughter spread through her body. Her cheeks puffed and she snickered, trying her best to keep it in. Instead, she snorted, opened her mouth, and burst into laughter. Just as deprived as Hailey, Grace laughed too. They gasped for air and Hailey fell to her knees. Tears crawled from their eyes but for once, they were tears of joy. The ginger joke wasn’t that funny, but just enough to make them erupt. Grace rested a hand on Hailey’s back. “It’s okay
,” she said in spastic breaths. “Just don’t burn yourself.” The remark prompted Hailey to scream further into laughter. Their abs tugged a sore pull and their hollering dominated the silence of the parking lot. “Oh my God,” Hailey said with tears sprouting from her eyes, “Please stop, Grace!”
Victor and his two friends looked on, baffled by their behavior. Victor’s face contorted and suddenly he worried about these girls. “His hair is so red!” Grace belted out. The two girls fell into each other as they tried to keep from tumbling completely over. Hailey didn’t want it to end. “Hey Hailey,” Grace struggled to say, “I love you. I really love you.”
Hailey rose to her feet and between giggles said, “I love you too.” Hailey dropped the gun to her feet and thrust her arms around Grace. “I’ve always loved you, Grace!” Grace still held her gun and the two embraced around a whirlwind of laughter.
One of Victor’s friends mumbled, “Are you sure we want them to live with us?”
Hailey and Grace nearly knocked each other off their feet. “You’re my best friend,” Grace whispered. Hailey rubbed her face into Grace’s shoulder. Even though they were filthy, Grace smelled like raspberries.
Grace whispered, “I’ll get us in.”
Grace gently pushed Hailey away. She faced the three men. Despite what Grace had been through, she still glowed with a delicate beauty. So what happened next came as a surprise to everyone. For the first time since that night, Grace’s voice didn’t waver. “We’re not interested in staying here with you. We’re on a search and rescue mission for someone important.” Grace glared into Victor’s eyes. “We’re not giving you our backpack. We want to talk to the zombie you have. So…” To Hailey’s astonishment, Grace lifted the gun and pointed it at the man beside Victor. “… either you agree to let us see him, or I kill your friend. I’m going to count to five.” Still stricken with giggles, Grace laughed, striking terror into the man who stood behind the barrel of her gun.
Grace counted, “One… two…”
Victor’s eyes dashed at Hailey, as if to say, You’re really going to allow this? Hailey shrugged, shook her head, and silently replied, I don’t know what she’s doing. Before the girls had launched into a fit of paranoid laughter, Victor thought there was no way the girls would shoot them. Suddenly, he had his doubts. Victor pleaded with Grace, “This is a bit much, don’t you think?”
Grace continued, “…three… FOUR…”
Hailey’s eyes grew wide. Is she really going to shoot this guy?
“Alright!” Victor snapped, unwilling to test Grace. “You can see him. If you need a place to stay, you’re welcome to stay the night. Just… please calm down. We don’t need any more blood spilled.” He pushed down on the air with his hands, begging her to stop.
Grace turned to Hailey and beamed. Like she just scored the winning goal, Grace outstretched her arms and once again wrapped them around Hailey. Grace whispered, “I can be tough too.”
“Would you have shot him?”
“I didn’t think that far ahead.”
Hailey chuckled, “You were one second away…”
As Hailey and Grace basked in their triumph, Victor commented to the other two men, “Don’t worry. These girls aren’t going to harm anyone.” Deep down though, Victor was unsure about those words.
These girls were crazy. And now he had to introduce them to the zombie.
15
The backpack snugged Grace’s back as Victor led Hailey, Grace, and Wolf into the grocery store. Dozens of curious eyes gazed at them as they entered. There had to be at least twenty people, with inaudible whispers coming from every one. They looked grimy, with torn clothes and dirt on their faces, but they seemed to be of good health. The actual inside of the store was in good condition; food sat stored on their respective shelves and the aisles sparkled clean. As Hailey analyzed the faces pushing each other for a look at the girls, she noticed they all seemed to be men. There didn’t appear to be a single woman in the group. Weird.
A friendly voice rang out, “Would you like some food?”
Another yelled, “Welcome!”
The men shouted kind words at Hailey and Grace. They surrounded in a tight circle, making it hard to move more than a few inches at a time. Some men stood on the checkout counters, desperate to get a look. Hailey felt like a celebrity surrounded by paparazzi fighting for a picture. Hailey lifted her hand and said to no one in particular, “Hello.”
Victor shoved the men that blocked his way and they toppled over. “Excuse me everyone! We need to get through. Relax!”
The tight circle loosened and with a clear path down the aisle, they headed toward the back of the store. “Sorry about that,” Victor said, “seeing anyone new is not something any of us are ready for.”
Especially if they’re girls, Hailey couldn’t help but think.
They passed an endless supply of food that had only barely been tapped. Canned food, boxed food, and anything that didn’t need to be cooled was still in stock.
“Oh my God!” Grace shrieked. Victor, Hailey, and Wolf stopped to see what alarmed her. “Waffle Cookies! These are the best! Can I have a box, Victor?” For Grace, finding a box of Waffle Cookies was like finding a giant bar of gold.
Annoyed, Victor dropped his shoulders and answered, “Sure.”
Grace snatched the box from the shelf and they continued to the back corner of the store, where Victor flung open two flapping metal doors that led into the normally employees-only area. Victor held one of the doors open and stopped. “The dog is going to have stay behind. I don’t want it going crazy back there.”
Hailey stared at him. That was a reasonable request… but her gut yelled in protest. Everyone in the store seemed nice but something just felt… wrong. But as long as that backpack rested on Grace’s shoulders, there was nothing to worry about. Hailey nodded and looked down at Wolf. “Hey buddy, you’re going to need to stay behind for a little bit, okay? We’ll be right back.” Wolf looked back with his gentle eyes. Over the short two weeks, he had grown close to the girls. And he understood every word.
“What’s his name?” Victor asked.
“Wolf.”
“That’s original.”
Hailey responded, “Just don’t let anyone touch him. It took us a while to get him to trust us. We don’t know what he’s been through.”
Victor nodded.
Grace kneeled in front of Wolf and put her nose against his. “You be a good boy, okay Wolf? Mommy will be back.” Wolf responded by licking her nose. Grace laughed, hugged his thick neck, and rubbed her cheeks against his sleek fur. “Here Wolf, have a Waffle Cookie.” Grace reached into the box to share one of her gold nuggets. Suddenly she felt excited about the prospect of getting him some real dog food from the pet aisle. Wolf snatched the cookie out of her fingers, perfectly happy with his human food diet.
Victor asked, “Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Instead of guiding them, he simply gave them instructions. “Walk through past the old deli to the end of the hall then make a right. He’s in the freezer. The glass on the door is broken so you’ll be able to talk to him. Just don’t mess with the lock. We can’t afford to have him escape.”
“Okay.” Hailey and Grace stepped forward to walk through the dark metallic hallway, leaving Victor and Wolf behind. Grace munched on her Waffle Cookies and as they traveled through the hall, Hailey asked, “Don’t you think it’s weird there’s no women here?”
“There aren’t?”
“No. Everyone out in the front was a man.”
“Hmm. That is weird.”
“Let’s not stay here longer than we have to. We’ll talk to this zombie, take some food, and get out of here.” The dark long hallway reeked of wet rusting metal. The scene reminded Hailey of the haunted house from the theme park. Something could jump out at them any second. But Alex wouldn’t save her this time. She smiled at the memory that seemed to come from another life.
Hailey’s v
oice bounced off the metal walls. “Hello?”
No answer. Hailey and Grace reached the end of the hallway and turned right. A flashlight sat in the middle of the dark room and blasted light upwards. Several feet in front of them lied the freezer door Victor told them about. Monstrously thick, it reminded Hailey of something she’d seen on pictures of a submarine. A circular window toward the top of the door had broken glass on its edges. Behind that door, presumably, was the zombie.
Hailey and Grace cautiously approached the door, as if somehow, it was going to fly open. Of course, that couldn’t happen because at the middle of the door, a thick lever slanted toward the wall and kept it locked. Grace felt her heart race. They had faced these monsters before and here they were, about to talk to one.
Hailey looked at the open circular window and a face filled the void. It was a boy, probably only a year or two older than Hailey. He looked perfectly normal, in fact, he looked better than normal. A handsome face; his blue eyes glowed with innocence but hid a mature tint behind them. His greasy brown hair chaotically flung about. At first glance, it would be hard to classify him a zombie.
The boy’s steady and smooth voice asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m Hailey. And this is…”
Grace intervened, “Grace. I’m Grace. What’s your name?”
Hailey looked at Grace. She seemed a little too excited to be talking to this boy. Grace paced closer to him. Apparently she forgot what he was capable of.
“My name is Mike.”
“Are you a zombie?”
“I guess. That’s what they tell me.”
Hailey asked, “Are your fingernails black?”
“Yes.”
“Have you killed people?”
