Mistakes I Made During the Zombie Apocalypse (16 page)

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Authors: Michelle Kilmer

Tags: #Horror, #apocalypse, #teen, #Zombies, #survival

I have to cross this rushing river of red and rot.

“Come on, it’s just a bit of goo.” Grant would say that to me. He was never squeamish.

I raise my left leg and the foot finds a bare spot of wood floor. The other leg follows, but the foot on its end slips on the rot. I fall down and end up lying face to face with the mess that is Grant. The vomit I suppressed on the stairs, which is mostly stomach acid seeing as how my belly is empty, comes rushing up my esophagus and onto him. It hardly makes a difference.

“If I leave the house, I won’t be able to take you with me, Grant.” I don’t know why I’m telling him this, especially since I’m sobbing so hard my words can’t be deciphered. Especially since he is dead.

“I’m sorry, Grant. You have to stay here,” I say as I wipe the mess from my chin. “This is goodbye, again. Forever.” I pull myself off of the slippery floor and walk the remainder of the hall. I pay no mind and bid no farewell to Lena’s body as I pass the living room. I hope she is rotting in hell as much as she is rotting here.

I open the front door without first looking outside. Nothing is going to stop me from getting to these people. Whoever they are. Wherever they are going. Whatever I have to do.

This could be a trick. I have a brief moment of doubt as my feet leave the deck and tromp through the grass. It could be Keller. He carefully constructed attacks before. Hell, I hope it’s him. One of us needs to die. We can’t exist in this new world together.

Beyond the shade of the big tree in the yard, the sunlight is so bright that I have to hold an arm to my eyes to protect them. My closet was cavelike and my body was already starting to adapt to the deprivation of that place. After they adjust I can make out the group of survivors walking down the street. There is a little boy who holds the hand of a man, perhaps a father and son. Next to them another man, bearded and carrying a gun. Behind him, two women, one of which is armed as well. A Golden Retriever runs circles around the group until it sees me. Then it stops and wags its tail as it stares in my direction. The people stop too and look where the dog is looking, right at me. I can tell, by their hardened expressions and cautious steps, that the dog’s enthusiasm does not extend to the humans that accompany it. The bearded man is most skeptical, as evidenced by his now raised gun, pointed at my head. I must look like death. I know that I feel like it.

I stumble toward them, hoping this isn’t another mistake I’m making in the zombie apocalypse.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michelle Kilmer is a horror enthusiast from Seattle, WA. When she is not writing, she enjoys hiking and camping, playing guitar, lifting weights, dressing up in “full gore” to attend zombie-related events, web design and gaming. Her writing portfolio includes the novel When the Dead, the novel The Spread: A Zombie Short Story Collection, and a writing collection entitled Last Night While You Were Sleeping. Several of her short stories can be found in other books including Roms, Bombs, and Zoms from Evil Girlfriend Media, GIVE: An Anthology of Anatomical Entries from WtD Books, and A Very Zombie Christmas from ATZ Publications.

After many adventures and mistakes, she currently lives in Mill Creek, WA without her lost love, with her twin sister and two attack cats, and with a growing fear of the dark.

ABOUT WHEN THE DEAD BOOKS

When the Dead Books is a small book company run by owner and author Michelle Kilmer. We bring horror, sci-fi, and fantasy fiction from indie writers to you. Check out our complete catalog at whenthedead.com.