2024: Zombies

5

And I didn’t. I never had a good relationship with either.

My father was a chronic cheater, and my mother consumed her life away with work.

I still remember in high school, the Campion College, my father was sleeping with this woman and her daughter would come to school and mock me about it. My mother eventually found out, and she did nothing.

She even allowed my father to hit me, as if it was my fault he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.

After driving past Devon House, I could tell Chrisean that it would be impossible for us to go any further, but I doubted she would want to hear that.

‘’Fuck!’’ she said, hitting the steering wheel after seeing the gridlock of cars before us.

‘’We should just turn around and go.’’

‘’Not because you had a shitty relationship with your parents, meant I did. I am going to look for my mom, so if you want to go, then feel free to do so, but find your own car.’’

I sighed. “I’m coming with you.’’

I didn’t want to, but honestly, I kind of liked Chrisean.

I guess my feelings were because of what was happening now, because on a normal day, she would only be just a one-night stand.

‘’You know, for a rich kid, you sure are miserable.’’

I ignored her and helped Lura out of the truck.

‘’You can’t bring a child.’’

‘’And I sure as hell won’t leave her. People might try to steal the truck, zombies, or whatever.’’

‘’She will only slow us down.’’

‘’Her mother died, ok? And I’m not going to leave her to fend for herself. We have a two-minute walk or so, lets just hope that we can get in and out without the living dead noticing us.’’

But that was wishful thinking.

The men that usually wash the windscreens of passing cars were feasting on someone, or something.

I gagged because of the stench the place had. The hot afternoon sun was baking the rotting corpses and causing the place to smell look, well, dead bodies.

Unfortunately, that caused attention to be drawn to us.

‘’Run!’’ I yelled, and we weaved through the cars that lined the street.

It didn’t take long for us to get to the hospital, and once there, we saw ambulances turned over on their sides, doctors and nurses littering the parking lot and a dog. That was… well, zombified.

‘’I didn’t know it would happen to the animals as well,’’ Chrisean whispered.

‘’I’m sure that if a zombie is desperate, and any animal bitten by it will change. But in this case, it is eating the flesh of a dead zombie.’’ I pointed at the thing laying on the ground.

‘’We just have to be careful to not draw attention to ourselves.’’

“That’s a no brainer.’’

We hurried inside, and I wished I was prepared for what I was seeing now.

People’s internal organs were all over the lobby area, and more dogs were inside eating what they could.

‘’How are you going to find your mother?’’ I whispered.

‘’The intercom.’’

Chrisean led the way to a room that had security cameras, and other things I had no idea what they were.

‘’What now?’’ I asked.

She pushed the dead security, who had an obvious self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, out of the chair and pressed a few random buttons.

Then she hit the correct one. ‘’Betty Wright, Betty Wright. This is your daughter. If you are still here, please come to the security office.’’

I took the mic from her. ‘’We also have a truck, so if there are any other survivor, you can come with us too.’’

And so, we waited for a while.

I checked my phone to see that ten minutes had passed so far.

‘’Maybe they all left already,’’ I said.

‘’No, just give it more time. Maybe mom has to fight her way here.’’

I wanted to tell her that she might be dead, but that would only upset the situation.

Finally, someone came, but it was a man. One who I recognized as a famous radio DJ and party promoter.

Chrisean jumped to her feet and just stared at him, no doubt fan girling over someone who wasn’t even really worth it.

‘’O’Shea!’’ she said.

“The one and only, babe.’’ He gave a bright and dazzling smile.

I tried to hide my disgust.

He wasn’t even all that. The only thing that made women go crazy for him was his piercing grey eyes.

Other than that, he was a dumbass and hardly even had a formal education.

‘’We need to get out of here. I heard you calling for some woman, but I’m the only one alive. I came for my monthly checkup and they brought in this sick person, they he changed and start biting the doctor and everything went to shit after that.’’

Chrisean began to sob, and he placed a muscular arm around her.

I wanted to yell to get away from my girlfriend, but I didn’t think she would take kind yo those false words.

‘’Hello, anyone there?’’ A masculine voice called.

Then a man entered the small room, with someone slung over his shoulder.

‘’Thank God, I heard that you have a truck.’’

‘’We do.’’ I nodded, then looked at the person on his shoulder.

‘’Oh, my friend, got knocked out. I still don’t know what happened, but this dumbass suddenly just fell to the floor.’’ He laughed and pat his friend's ass.

‘’Ok, can we get out of here?’’ I asked.

‘’No, what if my mom comes?’’

‘’There is no one else here, they are all dead,’’ the man with his unconscious friend said.

‘’That’s what he said a few moments ago, but here you are. I know my mother is alive.’’

The man shook his head and worked the security feed.

‘’Take a look girl, the only thing alive apart from us are those things. N-‘’

But he was cut off by a growl.

I looked at the dog that had blood dripping from its mouth, and flesh stuck to its teeth.

‘’Shit!’’ Chrisean yelled.

The dog jumped forward with its mouth open; the man shot it and its head exploded.

I looked back at him to see a glint in his eyes, and wondered if we could trust him, because when did he take my gun from my waist?

‘’Come on, I really don’t want to be dog chow.’’

He stepped out first, scanning the area for any threats, then looked back at us. I could see the look of determination in his eyes.

I wanted to know who this man was, because I didn’t trust his rugged look, the scar running down the right side of his face, or his steadfast attitude.

I guess Chrisean and O’Shea were feeling the same type of way, because neither of them made a move and neither did I.

The lines in the man’s face creased, as he said.

‘’Listen, I want to survive this as much as the next man. Now, can we go before those things find us?’’

 ‘’We didn’t get your name,’’ Chrisean said. 

His face got angry, and he gave a curt reply. ‘’There is no time for formalities. Don’t you want to live?’’

I said nothing and helped Lura to my back. She wrapped her arms painfully around my neck, and I had to loosen them a bit.

‘’Wait, but my mother, what if it will just take a while for her to come?’’

I could see his face twisting with frustration. He grabbed Chrisean’s upper arm and shook her.‘’Little girl, don’t be stupid! We can’t risk our lives trying to find one person that might be long dead. Have you seen those things out there? They will literally eat you alive!’’

Tears welled up in Chrisean’s eyes and even though I wanted to yell at her like that, I couldn’t help but feel bad for her.

‘’I won’t leave without my mother,’’ she said, and I could hear the anguish in her voice.

"Listen, if you want to stay, then fine, but you won’t survive a second by yourself. Those things are fast and smart. You have to focus on yourself, and who knows, maybe your mother already got out and is looking for you out there.’’

‘’But-‘’

‘’I am not going to risk it. I have my friend here to worry about, so I am not going out of my way to help people I don’t know.’’

O’Shea stepped up. ‘’I agree, I just want out and I’m not going to follow behind some chick.’’ 

I placed a hand on Chrisean’s shoulder.

‘’You have to listen to them; we can’t risk it.’’

Chrisean pushed my hand off her.

The man looked pissed, and I knew he wanted to leave as soon as possible, and I guess that’s why he grabbed Chrisean’s hand and forcefully pulled her along with him, but he had to let her go because carrying his friend, the gun and holding Chrisean’s hand seemed too much for him.

‘’I would like my gun back,’’ I said, and he gave me a look.

‘’Why? You don’t even know how to use it. If not for me, we would have been eaten.’’

‘’How did you even pull it off me like that?’’

‘’I am an ex-marine. I came to this country on vacation, but what a nightmare that turned out to be,’’ he said.