switch on the side of the gun. I aimed at the infected, he was right in front of me. I shot, the gun kicked up and jerked back towards me like catching a hard baseball. The sound shocked me the most, my ears were ringing. The bullet ripped through the air and tore into his arm. My son would have made the shot. I adjusted, placed the gun against his head and squeezed the trigger again. BANG.
My eyes blurred, ears ringing, I stumbled back. The floor rushed up at the bloody man who’s head I sent splattering into the air. Girls hands grabbed at the gun, I swung my fist out but stopped before I hit Izzy. She had her hands up hiding her face.
I breathed out, “sorry.”
“You killed him.”
I looked back at the corpse, that was just walking towards us.
“He was already dead.”
“Lets get going,” Ethan said.
“SHUT UP Ethan,” Izzy shouted.
“I don’t have time for this, my family is at home. I need to get to them,” I said.
“Izzy, lets go already.”
“I don’t want that guy with us,” she said.
I stared at Izzy, down her neckline in that sweetheart sweaterdress. Her skin had a slight glow to it. Her blonde hair dangling over her cheek, she chewed on her lip begging her Ethan with her best puppy dog eyes. My tongue felt dry and chalky, I could just sink my teeth into Izzy. Fill my mouth with her flesh and blood, it would sustain me. Those thoughts couldn’t be mine.
“Once we get outside, I’m going my own way.”
Gurgling called out, strange breathing. Everyone spun around shining their lights looking for the infected. I moved closer to Izzy, her body was emitting a lot of heat, I wanted it. My hand reached out and grabbed her arm. Izzy screamed and swung her rubber flashlight into my head. I don’t know what I was doing or why I went for her. My heart racing and mind wheeling, I calmed myself. Everyone was looking at me, their lights focused on us. I had to do something.
“We can’t stay in here. Lets get outside, hopefully there’s lights out there.”
Izzy stared at me, she looked at my hand still firmly gripping her arm.
“My wife and children are waiting for me at home, I will get to them.”
She nodded her head, “your hand is ice cold.”
I released her and looked at my tingling fingers.
“Bad circulation.”
Izzy squealed. I looked at her. A man missing part of his face had her in his grasp, his fingers were only bone, flesh eaten right off. I aimed the gun, the monster brewing inside me directed my actions. I shot. She screamed and threw herself to the floor. The infected had a nice new hole in his head, he wanted her so bad. He stepped forward but was dead on his feet, hopefully for good. His infected body crumbled to the ground. Izzy heaved on the ground, her shining flesh begging me to have a taste.
“Get up,” I growled.
Ethan grabbed Izzy and we all ran, I was right behind her. I don’t know if I wanted to escape or take her into the shadows and have a bite. There was fitness equipment ahead of us, we were close to sports. One of the guys, tall and lanky was way ahead of us. His flashlight spun in the air and crashed to the floor. His body vaulted and crashed hard to the tiles, bouncing his head off the ground. He didn’t move again, his brains scrambled. We got closer to him, blood was streaked across the floor. Our lights followed it illuminating a swarm of the psycho infected. They were gnawing away on a group of people, children and adults. One looked at us, his dead eyes flickered in the shine of our lights.
“Kill them, oh my god. Shoot them,” Izzy yelled.
I had to oblige, maybe she would let me take a chunk of her, just one, enough to sustain me. I opened fire, shot three times before anyone stopped me.
“Enough,” Victor said. “We’re almost out of this nightmare, lets go.”
The infection, driven to eat flesh what the hell kind of sickness was this. We rushed down the aisle and found the employee entrance. I was shaking at this point, couldn’t stop. Gunshots back within the store, it had to be Morgan, the fake cop coming to kill the infection.
The warehouse was blacked out just like the storefront. This place would be harder to navigate, none of us have been back here before. Stacks of goods and everything I would have expected to see, lined the aisles. There were other doors and big sorting areas. Rumbling of a running vehicle, the most evident sound. We walked around trying to find our way to the loading dock.
“Michael,” a young man called out. “Where are you man? I loaded the tv’s in you car, lets get out of here. I don’t want my supervisor seeing me.”
A teen boy was standing at the loading door, in the glow of his car headlights. He still had his uniform on from his shift. He froze in our judging eyes.
“Uh ... Hey,” he said.
“We don’t work here,” Ethan said. “Just trying to get outside.”
The teen looked us over, “oh okay, doors right here,” the thieving employee pointed to a metal door.
I rushed for it and shoved open the door to freedom. The others close behind me. One guy remained, he was talking to the teen.
“You coming?” I asked.
“Not now, I’m getting a tv for my family. These plastic boxes are damned expensive,” and in the same breath, “A hundred, for a 40 incher.”
“Two fifty,” the teen responded.
“Idiots,” Izzy said.
The heavy door closed behind us, we had a long walk to get around the building. I wanted to call for a taxi but was unsure how the driver would react to my blood drenched clothes.
“My car’s at the restaurant down the street, I could give you all a ride home,” Vic offered.
“No way,” Izzy said.
Ethan was more polite, “thanks for the offer, I’ve got my car out front.”
Bright lights rolled up on us, attached to a big black truck. It stopped and lights on it’s roof flashed on, it was blinding. Something inside me wanted out, my mouth opened and I roared like some alien monster in my son’s console games.
“Take them out,” a voice called out from the vehicle.
Someone’s upper body poked out the side window then his big gun.
“Run,” my voice sounded strange, but I paid it no attention, there wasn’t time.
The four of us took off, Victor stayed close to me, probably because I was the only one with a gun. Ethan and Izzy ran straight ahead as Vic and I charged for the trees. A few shots, I dove to the ground within the forest, right behind the store. Victor beside me. Izzy was screaming, they probably shot her. I looked over, another shot silenced her.
Ethan and Izzy on the pavement, blood leaking from their bodies. These people were here to kill us. I didn’t want to stick around and trade bullets with them. Vic and I ran through the trees, we had a head start and a good chance of surviving the night. I knew this area, last month a neighbor and his kids lost their dog back here and I helped them find it, there was a path, it led to a car park.
The gun wielders sent a few more shots into Ethan and Izzy. They shined their lights into the trees after us. Victor killed his flashlight, the glow of the moon was enough for us to see and would not give away our position.
“They entered the trees!”
“Go in after them, nobody gets out of this. Bring back their bodies.”
Vic and I glanced at each other, we pushed harder then I could have ever imagined possible. Hit the trail and charged down it like an invading army that spotted a weakness in their enemies war-line, or like how I though it was, we were a fleeing army, I do prefer the other.
I clapped Vic’s shoulder and pointed the way out of the forest, the crazy armed men were way behind us, struggling through the trees. There was no chance they could catch us now. Standing way down the street, we looked back at the store, we just escaped. Fully geared people loaded body bags into big trucks.
“That could have been us Vic.”
He was silent, probably wondering what would have happened if we never got out of that place.
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“What do we do now? I’m covered in blood.”
“My place isn’t far from here,” Vic said.
We walked to the very populated restaurant where Victor’s car sat awaiting him to return. There was a gaping scratch down the side of the car’s body. After a few words flew from Vic’s mouth he angrily got in. I approached from the shadows and climbed in the passenger side. It was a quiet ride.
I was glad it was dark, every time we got under a street light or past a car, light shined in at us. My clothes were blood soaked, it looked like I was from a murder scene. Vic had a nice home, it was a bungalow, all brick, with two garage doors. We got inside.
Vic gave me some clothes and directed me to the shower. I kept the gun with me. I got under the water, it was strange against my skin. I quickly cleaned myself and jumped out. I starred at myself in the mirror, a monster in my eyes. I wanted to cry, shout and destroy something, I shoved those feelings down deep, where they will hopefully die. My cell chirped to life, I answered.
“Rex,” my wife said, “are you almost home?”
“Yeah. I met Vic at the store and he wanted me to see his place. I’ll be home in an hour, I promise.”
“Kayla just got back, I gotta run. Love ya,” she chimed.
“Love you too.” We hung up.
This quake rocked through my body, I dry heaved for what seemed like an eternity. The bite on my calf was blackened. I searched his cupboards and used peroxide on the wound. Now I know why my daughter hates the stuff.
“Rex are you good?” Vic asked.
“Yeah.”
I got dressed and met Vic in the kitchen, he had a tv on the wall and was flipping through the channels. He found a newscast that talked about a terror attack on a store from a disgruntled employee, he had guns and shot everybody, no one survived.
“That’s not what happened,” Vic said.
“It is now, don’t tell anyone you were there.”
My body convulsed, vision went blurry and I felt like I was falling. My limbs were numb, body wouldn’t respond. I tried to yell but nothing came. Hunger twisted in my stomach, I wanted to be fulfilled. A surge of energy ripped through my body, I flailed my arms and bit at the air.
I dreamt of a happier time, a family BBQ. I was eating prime rib and everyone I knew was there. My children and wife were not smiling, something was wrong. Something else was here with me, a hunger, a power I didn’t have before. I could taste copper in my mouth.
Vic was standing over me, his mouth was moving but his words faded before they reached my ears. His arm was right beside my head, he was offering up a meal. I lurched at him and sank my teeth into his bare arm. His screams filled me with joy. I tore into his flesh and his blood spurted out. He shoved me back and leapt to his feet, Vic was down the hall heading for his room. I was on him in the doorway, he barely got out of the kitchen. We fell to the floor, he cried out swinging his fists at me. His struggle made the victory so much sweeter. I chewed down to his bone, nothing left of him to get infected, I did you a favor Vic.
My mind throbbed, did I just do that? Kill Vic and eat him? I was shrouded in darkness, with no feelings. I wasn’t hungry anymore but the knots in my stomach twisted and flipped. I wanted to scream, yell and destroy. My mind couldn’t handle these thoughts, it wanted to flee.
Cold brisk air whipped at me, a honking horn. Bright lights shining in my face, a voice, it sounded distant. I was outside, in the street, a car right in front of me.
“Get on the sidewalk,” the guy behind the wheel yelled.
He went around me and drove off. What the hell happened? I don’t remember leaving Vic’s. I looked down at myself, wearing the clothes Victor gave me, sweat pants and socks. I should be freezing, I couldn’t feel my feet. Where was my shirt? A sharp stabbing in my head. I didn’t want to remember, but part of me did. The dark smiling face that was layered underneath my own, a place for it to hide.
I got my bearings and continued walking. Kept my arms wrapped