Adam’s ears rang so hard that he had to shake his head to be sure that he was not going deaf.He looked to his side to see Layla struggling to remove her seat belt.There was a cut on her head where she had hit it against the window.“Fuck!” she muttered under her breath as the seatbelt stuck fast to the bolt, despite how hard she pulled it.“Hold on!” Adam told her as he successfully pulled his seat belt free and turned towards her.“Tell them that,” she said bad-temperedly.Adam could see the zombies snapping and shrieking beyond the window.His sisters were making keening sounds beneath the hands that they used to cover their mouths.“Look away from them,” Adam said as he released the seatbelt.The front of the Jeep had crashed through the front glass door of the pharmacy, and there were glass showers on the car fender.Still, the car windows were intact, and the car was still upright.Adam knew that was just for the moment, though.The zombies had surrounded the Jeep again, just a
Adam used all his strength to push the zombies blocking the door back.He held on tightly to the car door and pushed.“Duck!” Layla shouted.Adam automatically bent his head.His ears rang with the succession of gunshots she fired.The zombies at the front fell hard against each other.Adam quickly took advantage of the space they created.“Lock it!” he yelled as he shut the door.To distract the zombies, he ran as far as possible from the car.They all followed him.He wished the people in the car had already disguised themselves.When he could feel his lungs burning from too much running, he turned back and started picking out the zombies one after the other.The Claymore sword danced, slashed, and cut into flesh as the growls and snarls around Adam became so much that he couldn’t differentiate where one started and another ended.Core after core rolled out of the zombies, and the storehouse increased.Adam didn’t give a damn anyway because he was busy fighting for his life.Once th
It took Adam a moment to realise that he was still breathing.He was alive!“Hey you…”Then a thud sounded behind him.He twisted his neck in his uncomfortable position to see a zombie fall behind him.Its widened, dead eyes stared into Adam’s.Its twitching hands still stretched towards Adam, as if it still wanted to grab him even in death.The bite on his legs became hotter and more painful.Adam gritted his teeth against the pain as he turned back to Layla.Her footsteps were silent as she moved closer to himThe gun was pointed directly at his head.The deadly intent was still there.Adam knew he was just one step away from death.“Hey, hold on!” he said as he desperately moved away from her.“I do not want to do this, but I have to. I know how this works. They bit you; you become one of them and then you will bite others and then we are all screwed.”“No, you…”“Thank you for saving me and all but..."“Just shut up and listen, for God’s sake! I have survived their bites! I…”Her
Layla is a mad woman.Adam was sure of it by the time the car finally slowed down, more than an hour later.She had driven out of Spartan like she was done with life and wouldn’t mind dying while behind the wheels.Adam could hear the muffled voices coming from the interior of the carIt would be raised in an argument at some point.It would in turn be cut short by a tinny cry.Then silence.Then a blast of shots as Layla shoots at random zombies on the road.She was speeding over road bumps and potholes.Adam knew when they entered Maradoit.There were a few potholes in the road that residents filled from time to time with sand and cement before they got swept away and needed refilling again.Every resident of Maradoit knew to automatically maneuver their way around those potholes.Layla rammed the car into and over those potholes, not minding what was going to happen.The car rocked, groaned, and jolted as she drove.Adam felt each bump and jolt.By the time the car stopped, he ache
Adam thought fast.He knew something must have happened in his absence, but he needed to get into the house to know what it was.“Yes, I…we were passing by and we wanted to see if we can take shelter here before going on our way.”The others turned to look at him in surprise.The look on Jeremy’s face was beyond astonished, and Adam hoped he wouldn’t spoil his plan.It was Nina who said, “What? Jeremy said...""We would appreciate your hospitality a lot if you could help us!” Adam said loudly to cover Nina’s voice.The men looked at each other as if communicating without speech.Then they turned back to Adam’s group.“No, I am sorry. No visitors are allowed for now. Get a move on,” one of them said with a dismissive wave.Adam’s brains whirred fast.“Oh, please. You see, I must not have introduced myself very well. I am a cousin of the Troys. My father was the brother of Sir Troy Snr., and before he died, he told us to come here. He has already made the arrangement with them, sir. You
They were surrounded immediately. Adam didn’t even have the chance to draw in a breath before more men came out of every door on the first floor and surrounded him. They all looked away from the group and stood as straight as military men. Awaiting their leader's orders. “So, it is you,” the man said with a twist to his tone. He continued walking down the staircase. Gloating and satisfied with herself, Missy followed behind him. She raised the wide skirt of the gown she had on and raised her nose into the air like royalty. When she tried moving closer to him, his men subtly blocked her approach. She snorted and tossed her head, but she maintained the distance. “So you are a killer?” the young man said as he moved closer to Adam. He had a distinctive cologne that Adam had never perceived before. Notes of oud and musk tickled his nose as the man looked closer at him, like he was inspecting a bug. The tiny, rimmed glasses he had on gave him the impression of a school headmast
“I told you she was a bitch!" Lisa said, for the umpteenth time as she paced the underground room where the guards had tossed them. “No, actually, you yelled it at her. Now, please shut up and let me think,” Adam said as he rubbed hard at his forehead. He could feel a raging headache coming on. Lisa glared at him, but she sat down on the cold, rough ground as she muttered, “Think. As if that would make any difference now.” Adam’s body was still not settled yet. He didn’t know exactly, but he knew a change was happening to his body. His weakness was gone. Then, as if a hose of slowly running water, was opened above a dry swimming pool, he could feel a strange energy slowly filling his body. If only it was not messing with his system so badly. He could also feel the onset of hunger. The worst thing was that he did not have any food left in the storehouse. They had food left in the Jeep, but that was out of the question now. Adam realized that he was more terrified by the ove
There was no point in trying to fix the door back in place again.It was curved inward at the point where Adam’s fist had smashed it.He couldn’t understand what had happened as well, so he didn’t bother to answer when Nina whispered in astonishment, as if she were afraid that their abductor would hear her from the house.“How did you do that, Adam? That shouldn’t have been possible.”Lisa had the same questions in her eyes as she turned back to him.She had been bent over the motionless guard before.“No time for that,” Adam said as he urged Jeremy to come along quietly.He glanced at the guard on the floor.“Threadbare pulse, but he is still alive,” she said.“Come along,” Adam said, not showing the relief he felt that he had not killed another man.He laid his ears against the hay store door.His sharpened hearing could pick out every sound outside, including the shuffling sounds of ants going about their business.Yet he couldn’t perceive the breathing of a human.He couldn't beli