Authors: Armand Rosamilia
The struggling zombie stopped moving and opened his mouth. A thin rasping sound escaped. Unlike cheesy zombie movies, the undead did not moan and groan and ask for brains for lunch. Was this noise part of the change?
Frank decided to hold on to this one until the end, when he torched the papers, killed the rest, and set fire to the school and anything which would burn. There would be no memory or research left.
He pulled one of the notebooks off the table and began reading. Within ten minutes, he'd had enough. The others were rapidly regenerating and showing signs of intelligence. In room 237, there was apparently a talking zombie, spewing profanity.
"This is not good," Frank said. He tossed the notebook on the floor and went in search of room 237. He was going to have a little chat with this talking-walking pile of meat.
Chapter Twenty
They'd only searched three blocks when the sun began to drop and they decided to head back. Darlene knew they were wasting time but what else did they have to do?
"Did you hear a motorcycle awhile ago?" Abby asked. "I thought I heard an engine but, by the time Eric and I ran up to A1A, it was gone, or never existed."
John shook his head. "I didn't hear anything, but we spent most of our time inside houses, finding nothing. Sound has a weird way of carrying around here."
"It's funny what you get used to. The constant background noise of cars, TV and radio, kids playing outside, trains and planes overhead… they are all gone, but sometimes, when I am coming out of a dream, I think I hear them," Darlene said.
"I dreamt of going to White Castle and the place was packed, and the line wasn't moving," Abby said. "And I remember just being happy there were other people there and people were working behind the counter."
"All the things we used to take for granted… it makes me sad just thinking about it," Eric said. "So I won't." He looked up at the sky. "It's time to ride home and do this shit again in the morning."
"Every house and business has been picked clean, three times over. Hell, we were out here a couple of months ago doing this." Abby held up her empty hands. "I guess we have to come back tomorrow, but I don't see the point, especially if we have to start thinking about our future. If these things are starting to wake up or whatever it is they are doing, we're in trouble."
They got back to the buggies and were about to get in when John pointed to the surf. Four zombies were dragging themselves out of the water and heading in random directions. "How many of them are now more aware of their surroundings?"
Darlene sighed in frustration. It was bad enough when they amassed and pulled down victims, but individually they weren't that bad. They'd gotten used to stepping around them or driving away, but now they couldn't. Leaving one of them alive was only letting them have another shot at a survivor. "We need to kill them."
Eric nodded. "If we don't, they have a chance to get smarter and kill us in the future. This is getting frightening, and it was no walk in the park yesterday."
"Unless we can figure out a way to kill all of them, I think we're in trouble." Abby began to shake. "There are literally millions of them out there. When they all evolve into smart killing machines, we'll be killed. There is no hope."
Darlene hugged Abby when the woman started to sob.
John and Eric ran across A1A to intercept the zombies and eliminate them before they got too far away.
"All this time, I thought they were starving, dying out, just… we needed to outlast them, and eventually rotting corpses would litter the ground, and we could sweep them all away and start again. I thought God would protect us. He'd save the ones who believed in him, and this would all end." Abby hugged Darlene tighter. "But we're doomed to become zombies. What happens when we do? Will we eventually remember, or, at least, know when a gun is pointed at us, to duck? Will we remember this time in our lives? Do they have memories of their lives before all this?"
"Calm down, Abby. You're starting to scare me. You need to relax and get yourself together. If this is God's will, so be it. But don't have a breakdown now. Shit, we've come so far. We have to keep going no matter what is thrown at us. The only reason we are still alive is because of sheer willpower. Don’t you dare quit on me now."
"I just want to end this."
Darlene pushed her away but kept her hands on Abby. "Don't you dare say something stupid like that, again. You hear me? Griff took the easy way out. You've come this far, too far, to let go now."
"There's no reason to keep fighting."
"You really believe that shit? I can give you a major reason to stay and fight."
Abby looked confused. "What?"
"Me, damn you."
"You?"
Darlene pointed at the returning Eric and John as they came up over the dune. "You really think I can hang out with these two idiots alone? I need you to keep me sane. There's no other woman here who isn't a raging bitch to me."
Abby laughed. "I think you're a bitch."
"And I take that as a compliment. I need you to suck it up, cupcake, and stop whining like a fucking bitch."
"What's going on?" John asked as he approached.
"Abby is sad because the only men around here are you two."
Eric shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "Beggars can't be choosers, honey. As Bruce Springsteen once said, 'you ain't a beauty but hey, you're alright.' Words of wisdom from the Boss."
"Eww. How gross can you be?"
"Oh, you have no idea. Listen, we might not be like these two lovebirds, but I bet we'd have a killer time in the sack. Everyone, no matter how old, needs some loving, right? And some mindless sex would be amazing," Eric said.
"Keep me out of your bullshit," Darlene said. She turned back to Abby. "Ignore him."
"I wouldn't have sex with you if you were the last man on earth," Abby said to Eric.
"You say that now, but it's no longer an abstract term. Very soon I might be the only male left on the planet."
"Thanks, buddy," John said.
Eric winked at him. "Shut up, I'm trying to finally get up enough nerve to ask Abby out on a date."
"A date? I thought you just wanted sex."
"Same thing."
"Go to hell. Let's get out of here," Abby said.
Chapter Twenty One
She was young, maybe twenty, and she tried to smile around the bandana covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide but not with fear. Frank pulled up a chair next to her and sat down.
When he put his hands near her head and touched the bandana, she grew quiet, an expectant look in her eyes.
"Are you going to scream?" Frank asked. He smiled at his joke. Who would she scream for? The rest of the world was dead or dying. "I'd hate to have to gag you again."
He removed the bandana and she smiled and licked her lips. "Hello."
Frank laughed. This entire scene was absurd. They were both zombies, but they were clearly flirting with one another. "Hello back. What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"
"Oh, you know, the usual. Getting tied up and poked and prodded like a common whore. How about you?"
"Just passing through on my way to burn down the school. How long have you been cognizant?"
"For a few weeks, I think. It's hard to tell, really." She struggled against the ropes wrapped around her torso, arms and legs. "I know I'm getting stronger. In time, I'll be able to break free and kill the stupid bastard who did this."
"I don't think anyone is around, anymore."
She stopped moving and sighed. "I figured that. No one has bothered with me since I opened my eyes again. What's happening? You are also like me. I'm always hungry but I can think again. Are there more of us, or are we unique?"
"Unique means there is only one. There are two of us. You see the stupidity of the statement?"
"Fuck you, dude. Untie me."
"That wasn't asking very nicely. Such a foulmouthed young lady. I should turn you over my knee and spank you."
"If you have the balls and can even get it hard."
"Is that a challenge?"
She smiled. "Maybe."
"Then I accept."
"Are you going to untie me first?"
Frank shook his head. "What would be the fun in that? I might loosen your legs so I can climb up and fuck you properly."
"Are you always so forward?"
"Since the day I died."
"I'm horny all the time. Is that normal?"
"It was the hunger that drove me crazy in the beginning, but I'm learning to control it with each day. You've been lucky, because all you have is time to lie here and think about things. I'm sure that helps."
"Not when your hands are bound and the only way to get off is to rub your legs together. I have thought about nothing but fucking and biting people since I woke up. And I want to do both at the same time."
"This is why I won't untie you."
"You're going to treat me like a whore?"
Frank grinned. "Of course. Unless you want me to lie to you and tell you I love you and I respect you."
"I just want your dick in my pussy."
"So forward again. I like it. I was married to an Ice Queen for years, who was in love with my doctor's salary."
"Doctor? Were you an OB-GYN?"
"No, a surgeon."
"Too bad."
"I still know my way around a vagina," he said.
"Prove it." She smiled. "My name is…"
Frank put a hand over her mouth. "Shhh. I don't want to know. After I've had my fill, I'm going to break your neck and leave you here to burn in the fire."
Chapter Twenty Two
"I heard gunshots," John said, coming down the stairs to Murph's stilt house.
Darlene walked past him, clearly annoyed. "Fucking Chris Gray."
"What about him?"
Darlene stopped and looked John in the eyes. "I shot him. In his face."
"Holy shit."
"The idiot left his gate open, and his house was swarming with zombies. He'd been turned, and there was a woman I don't know tied to the bed. He was a sicker fuck than I thought. I hope she was at least alive when he kidnapped her. I don't even want to think he was a necrophilia dickhead."
"We need to clear it out," John said. If the house was swarming with zombies, they needed to be taken care of.
Darlene held up her bloody machete. "All done. I asked him if he was going to help us clear A1A of zombies but he had some lame excuse. Now I know why."
"What? Zombies?"
"I made it up because I wanted him to actually help us and not be such a lazy bastard. I was pissed and roaming the area, killing zombies, when I saw them walking up the stairs."
"Next time come get me first."
"And miss all the fun?"
"You could've been bitten or killed."
"Then it would be your turn to shoot me in the face, right? I can kill a few zombies. God only knows how many I've had to fight up to this point. I wish I'd kept track, made a list or marked up a palm tree with each kill."
"Seriously?" he didn't know if Darlene was joking and he didn't want to know if she wasn't.
"It would keep me from shaking and crying at night."
John snorted. "I can't picture Big Bad Darlene Bobich crying herself to sleep at night."
"What can you picture me doing at night?"
John turned away. "Forget it."
Darlene walked up to him and put a finger on his chin, turning her face toward her. "What are you afraid of?"
"I'm not afraid of anything. OK, dogs… I have this irrational fear of dogs."
"Not funny." She moved her face closer to his and stared into his eyes, smiling. "I like you. I like you a lot."