Authors: Armand Rosamilia
She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, calming her nerves and pushing down the anger. If she dwelt too long on the evil and chaos around her, she’d do something stupid. She just needed to sleep and relax and not worry about anything for one lousy night.
“Did you find anything good?” Bernice asked from the office door, hands behind her back.
Darlene nodded. “Melted candy bars and microwave dinners. You?”
“There’re two waters in the break room for you. Warm but still sealed, which is a score. I found this in the secretary’s desk,” Bernie said and pulled her hands in front to reveal an unopened box of Oreo cookies. “I’m sure they’re stale.”
“I’m sure they’re still delicious stale,” Darlene said and sat up. She grinned. “I have a bag of M&M’s, too.”
“Tonight we feast.” Bernie pulled over a chair and added her dirty boots to the desk. She took a moment to look around the office before her eyes stopped at Darlene.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve sat in a normal room and imagined everything outside these walls was also normal,” Darlene said, knowing what Bernie was thinking.
They opened the box of cookies and Darlene put her nose to it while Bernie laughed.
“You can almost imagine what they smelled like fresh. I can remember buying a box on my way home from work and showing them to my dad, who had done the same thing. We’d polish off a half gallon of milk, eat both boxes of Oreos and watch a bad movie on TV.” Darlene patted her flat stomach. “I was a bit bigger back then. I guess there’s a silver lining in everything, right? I lost weight I could never take off. I gained confidence and got my shit together.”
Bernie laughed. “I never looked at it that way.”
“I’m sure there are people who thought they knew what they’d do if this shit really happened. Women who thought they were going to survive and be bad ass. Guess what? Most of them are dead now. You know why?” Darlene asked.
“They were turned into zombies?”
Darlene laughed. “Obviously. But I mean the real reason why? Because they forgot who they were. They forgot how to be a woman. I don’t know about you but I get excited when I find a pair of clean undies. I’ve been wearing the same thong for too long.”
“I finally gave up and threw my panties away. Not worth the hassle, although some nights I scratch my raw thighs until they bleed,” Bernie said. “But I do know what you mean. Hell, when I see a cute guy I still play with my hair. It doesn’t matter what’s going on. Human nature keeps you alive.”
Darlene nodded and pulled an Oreo apart.
One of the guys came in and traded his bottled water for a small bag of M&M’s and two cookies before leaving.
“He likes you,” Darlene said to Bernie.
“I guess.”
“I guess you don’t like him?” Darlene asked.
“He’s alright, I guess. Not really my type.”
“There aren’t many choices and the gene pool gets smaller all the time,” Darlene said.
“What about you? I saw him check out your stomach when he was in here.”
“Not interested,” Darlene said quickly.
She didn’t want to talk about John and what had happened. She didn’t want to talk about her baby, either. Some things were too personal right now. The wound was still so raw and painful, and she didn’t feel like she was close to where she needed to be in her head and her travels.
How far had Bri gotten? If she’d decided to turn west, Darlene would never find her. Why did she assume they were heading north, anyway? What if they’d gone due west a few miles up the road and were a hundred miles in the wrong direction? They could be nearing Tampa by now.
Darlene knew it wasn’t true, though. She knew she was on the right path and she knew the blood mixed with hers was helping her to gauge in which direction she needed to go. It was a power she didn’t want to think too hard about or else she’d go insane.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, smiling as they took turns stuffing cookies into their mouths. This was a box that would’ve been thrown out a year ago without a thought. Now it was like gold.
Her father would’ve playfully fought her for the last cookie, slipping his fingers slowly into the bag so she didn’t hear the rustle of the packaging.
Darlene always caught him with a laugh and they’d split the last one, Darlene getting the side with the cream filling, too.
“Where’d you start out?” Bernie asked.
“Maine.”
“Holy shit. That’s far. I thought coming from Louisville was bad,” Bernie said. She stuffed a cookie in her mouth and smiled, closing her eyes. “I think I’m going to cry this is so good. I can’t remember the last time I had junk food. If I see another dented can of corn, I’ll scream.”
“It’s amazing what you take for granted. Simple things in life like easy access to food, clothing and entertainment,” Darlene said.
The last two Oreos were eaten and Darlene was ready for a nap on a full stomach.
Darlene didn’t want to play
what do you miss most?
She was satisfied after eating Oreo cookies and thinking about her father. How long had it been?
“What do you miss most?” Bernie asked.
Chapter Six
Tosha swung the axe, but the boxes and junk on the shoe store floor was awkward and she only managed to graze the side of its head, knocking it down with the flat of the blade.
She got her footing and was about to finish it off when she heard the groan, which zombies didn’t do.
Tosha put a foot on the chest of the zombie female and could hear and feel the quick breathing now.
“You’re not a zombie,” Tosha said.
“No kidding.”
Tosha smiled and pulled her flashlight, suddenly shining it in the woman’s face. The same woman who’d been following her for miles, since the diner.
“It would’ve been easier to let me kill you back at the diner,” Tosha said. “Get up… slowly.”
When the woman started to stand, Tosha shook the axe. “On your knees.”
The woman complied but she didn’t look happy. The blood on the side of her head was dripping between her fingers as she tried to cover it.
“Just kill me already,” the woman said.
“I intend to. But first: who the fuck are you?”
“Dana. You people attacked our encampment.”
Tosha shook her head. “I was minding my own business in the diner when
you
people attacked us. I don’t even know where you came from,” Tosha said.
“Toledo,” Dana said.
“I don’t care. None of this matters. You’re the enemy,” Tosha said.
Dana shook her head. “I’m not. We can work together. We’re both still alive, right? We can join forces. Two strong women can accomplish so much.”
“You expect me to trust you?”
Dana put her bloodied hand out to Tosha.
“If we can’t trust the living, who can we trust?”
Tosha snorted and put the axe head over her shoulder, keeping it loose in her hand so she could swing at a moment’s notice. She certainly didn’t trust the woman.
“I survived this long by only trusting half of myself, if that makes any sense,” Tosha said.
Dana laughed, forced and too hard. “It doesn’t make any sense. Where are you from?”
“Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Born and raised.”
“I’ve been to Philly and Pittsburgh,” Dana said.
“Again… I don’t really give a shit where you’ve been to or where you came from. This conversation is over,” Tosha said.
“I don’t want to die,” Dana said and actually curled her lips in a pout.
Tosha knew that bullshit might work on horny guys but it wasn’t working on her.
“Were you going to attack me inside the stockroom?” Tosha asked.
“I wanted to talk to you. I followed you into the mall. Your footprints in the dirt were easy to follow. I just wanted to talk and see if we could work together,” Dana said.
“We can’t.”
Dana shrugged and went back to covering her wound when Tosha refused to take her hand.
“Now what?” Dana asked.
Tosha put the axe back down into her other hand, the cold head slapping her palm. She was about to explain to Dana how she was about to die and ask for any last words when she saw the movement in the main area of the mall outside the store.
“We got company,” Tosha said quietly. She looked at Dana. “Do not get off your knees or I will kill you. Got it?”
Dana nodded.
Tosha knew she probably had a weapon or two on her but right now zombies were the priority. And from the shadows it could be close to a dozen.
The noise and the flashlight beam had gotten their attention and Tosha cursed herself for not just killing the bitch and taking her stuff.
Eight zombies were closing in when Tosha stepped out, shining the flashlight to make sure there weren’t stragglers following.
Tosha swung the axe sideways, aiming for the neck and connecting. The putrid head hit the floor seconds before Tosha was on to the next zombie, hitting it in the chest with the wooden end to push it back. She needed to keep moving and take them out one at a time.
She glanced back towards the store and wasn’t surprised to see Dana, using two long knives, coming to join in the fun.
Tosha would deal with her after the battle.
The next zombie stepped up and she only managed to cut a gash in its chest, putrid chunks of flesh hitting the floor. It was hard for Tosha to swing the axe one-handed while using the flashlight to keep them in sight. She made sure she moved away from Dana and kept her in sight when possible.
Dana had taken the first zombie she encountered down and stabbed it multiple times in the head before moving on to the next one.
The two women made quick work of the undead, keeping their distance from the other while they did their business.
Dana smiled and put her knives away, but Tosha could see they were loose and could easily be pulled in a second.
“I enjoyed that. Back with the group I ran with, they wanted to hide all the time. Restart civilization. I told them you can’t do it until you clean out the zombies, right?” Dana was trying to act casual and keep her distance.
“It keeps you sane to fight. I don’t want to live in a world where it’s back to boring and normal,” Tosha said. “I’m sure in my lifetime there will always be zombies but it gives us something to do.”
“Agreed.” Dana put a hand out.
Tosha stared at her and refused to take it. She balanced the axe on her shoulder.
“I’m not going to follow you anymore. I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want, but I don’t think you do,” Dana said.
“Oh yeah? Tell me what I want.”
Dana pointed at the zombies on the floor. “This. Someone to run with who enjoys this as much as you do. This is my calling in life, and I feel the same about you. At first I was mad at the crew I ran with and wanted to get away from them. When I saw you leaving the party, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I’m sure they’re all dead now anyway. They lacked the balls to do what needed to be done.”
“You’ve been on my ass for weeks. For what? Why not attempt to talk with me at any point?” Tosha asked.
“I was afraid you’d kill me before I could get a word in,” Dana said. “I wasn’t hiding from you. I know you’ve seen me a few times, following. I guess I hoped you’d talk to me first.”
“Now you think we’ll become best friends and kill zombies together,” Tosha said.
Dana laughed. “I guess it does sound stupid when you summarize it like that.”
Tosha shrugged and lifted the axe, tapping the head on the mall floor.
“How do I know you won’t turn on me?” Tosha asked.
“If I wanted you dead, I would’ve tried it already. I know where you were spending your nights sleeping most of the time. Obviously, I kept up with you. I took care of a few zombies following you, too. I wanted to see where you were actually going,” Dana said.
“I’m on the trail of a little girl who stole a newborn.”
“Who’s baby?” Dana asked.
“A woman I don’t really like.”
“Then why go through all this trouble?”
Tosha laughed. “What else is there to do? This was much easier than getting into a situation like you had. I’ve been trapped inside a city before and it isn’t pretty. I go stir-crazy. I need the excitement in order to feel alive.”
Dana nodded. “I completely understand. I say we join forces and rule this shitty world together.”
Tosha took a step forward and extended her empty hand.
“You have to swear you’re on the up and up. If you want to try to kill me, pull the knives now or forever shut your mouth. There’s no time for bullshit,” Tosha said.