

### ZAC ZOMBIE

### Slayer of the undead

### Book 2: World of the dead

By Eduard Joseph

Published by Eduard Joseph

Smashwords edition

Copyright 2014 Eduard Joseph

Front cover design by Eduard Joseph

Cover illustration: stock photo

This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are

not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. Any resemblance to any person or

persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All Rights Reserved

The right of Eduard Joseph to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him under the South African Copyright Act of 1978 (as amended).

Twitter: @TheEduardJoseph

#ZacZombie

Facebook: facebook.com/zaczombiebook

To keep up to date with any upcoming books, you can follow the author on his official Facebook or Twitter accounts.

IF YOU ENJOY ZOMBIE BOOKS, YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY THE FOLLOWING BOOKS BY EDUARD JOSEPH:

\- Zac Zombie: Slayer of the undead (Book 1)

\- How to date a corpse

\- The Town*

\- Morgue of the living (Short story)

OTHER FICTION BY EDUARD JOSEPH:

\- Freaks want love too

\- The Thirst

\- When there is blood on the moon (Short story)

\- Trick or treat (Short story)

\- Ultimatum (short story)

\- Welcome to the neighbourhood (Short story)

\- God's gonna cut you down

* Contains Biblical references which might upset sensitive readers
1

It's only been a few hours since the gates of hell spewed out the unwanted dead upon our town, but it felt like an eternity. You could barely walk down the street without at least five of the walking corpses attacking you.

All humanity was stripped from Kingston Valley. Everyone in town was a mere shell of the person they used to be; a shell that now craved human flesh. Mr Peters was no longer the quiet neighbour down the street with the perfect rose bushes, Mrs Cornwell was no longer the town gossip with the freshest stories and the mailman was no longer greeting everyone as he went on his merry way. No; everyone was a hungry, rotting corpse walking mindlessly up and down looking for their next victims.

I could see from Michelle's demeanour that she was still rattled about the undead and being thrown into a tree on two different occasions. Her hair were locks of filth, but she was still the most beautiful girl in the world – probably the only one left alive and I intended to keep it that way.

We walked down Elm Street – yes, our town actually had a street called Elm – and all was quiet around us. The sun had set about an hour earlier, but the streetlamps were not switched on. Our only source of light came from the last few sunrays from behind the mountains on the horizon.

I took a hold of Michelle's hand and she instantly tightened her grip. Her palm was sweaty and her hand was trembling. She kept staring at the trees and undergrowth that lined the street, half expecting the devil to jump out at us.

"We will be alright." I said, breaking the silence.

Michelle turned to me and smiled, though I could see she forced it. She turned her attention to the bushes next to the street again. I found myself also keeping a watchful eye on the trees and bushes around us; things were too quiet to my liking. It was the calm before the storm, but I had no idea when the storm would break.

When we got to number 39, I recognized the beaten up car in the driveway as belonging to Bradley Cross. He was the town nut and always ranted and raved about the end of the world being near. I vividly remember him always stockpiling canned foods at the supermarket in case of an emergency. His house would make a good spot to spend the night.

"We should spend the night here." I said as we got to the front gate.

Michelle stared at the house with scrutiny and I could tell she did not like the look of the house. Okay, I have to admit the house looked more like a military bunker than a house, but isn't that what you want during World War Zombie?

"I know it looks like a torture chamber, but it is our best option." I said.

Michelle sighed, looked at me and gave me an approving nod. She shifted her hand in mine, but never loosened her grip as I reached for the gate. The gate squeaked like cat being trampled as it opened and I stopped halfway listening for any looming trouble. When it was clear that nobody heard the noise, I cautiously pushed the gate open while trying to keep the squeaking down to a minimal. We walked up to the front door and when I turned the knob, the door opened. I have to admit that a chill ran down my spine at that moment. If the door was open it could mean many things, but the most worrying thing could be that the occupants were dead... and walking around in the house.

"Zac..." Michelle whispered, "I don't like the looks of this."

I knew I could not steer her into danger, nor could I leave her outside for the night. I took the axe that hung from my belt like a gun in a holster and gripped it with both hands.

"Stay behind me." I told Michelle.

She quickly stepped behind me, grasped my upper arms and glanced over my shoulder at the open door. It was a nice feeling to be the hero for once. Who would have guessed that a nerd like me would keep a damsel in distress safe from the undead? This was cool... I was cool.

I pressed the head of the axe against the door and pushed it open. The hallway was dark and lined with boxes. I could not make out what boxes they were or how many there were. I could not see anyone, nor hear any movements in the house.

"Hello?" I called out.

Perhaps it was not the best idea to call out into an empty house, the dead will not answer and say: Ah, yes! We are in the kitchen and will be right out to eat your brains.

The house was quiet. I listened for any signs of life (or the lack thereof) and then stepped into the hallway with Michelle closely behind me. The floorboards creaked as I stepped on them, but it was the only sound in the house.

"Is anybody alive in here?" I called out.

Hang on! We said we'll be right out to eat your flesh!

Nothing. The house was quiet except for Michelle's heavy breathing in my neck, which was kind of turning me on, but at the wrong time.

I turned around to close the door and Michelle scuffled along as she clung to me like a barnacle. I closed the door, locked it and put the chain up. Now that I was certain nothing could come in, it was time to explore and make sure that there weren't any dead inside. We walked down the hallway of creaking floorboards and entered the kitchen to the left. Though it was dark, I could see that it was deserted. Towards the other side of the kitchen was a door that led to something. I opened the door and found that it was a pantry – a pantry that was stock to the ceiling with canned food. It was a relief as it meant one less thing to worry about.

We walked through to the living room which was deserted. The living room was simple and had one couch, no TV, a fireplace and an old record player. Bradley was clearly not a man for technology.

Next we checked the bathroom and the two bedrooms which were all abandoned. By ascertaining that the house was safe I saw that Michelle was a bit more at ease. It had been a long day and we were both tired. We needed something to eat and then a nice comfy bed to sleep in – yes, I am a gentleman. I did not contemplate sleeping with her, but rather sleeping next to her.

Michelle got us some food from the pantry while I tried to get a fire started in the living room fireplace. I had never made a fire before and it was not as easy as the movies would like you to think it was, but I finally got the thing going. I stood back and admired my handy work for a moment and then noticed the framed photos on the mantelpiece. All the photos were of Bradley and his Husky. I loved and feared Huskies, because they were dogs, but had human eyes – those icy blue eyes that could pierce right into your soul.

I walked over to the record player which stood on a small table beneath a window and noticed a whining sound coming from outside. I pulled back the curtain, stared out into the back garden and saw the Husky lying next to a man's body with its head resting on the man's back.

I walked to the kitchen and glanced at Michelle as she opened some cans of food.

"What's up?" she asked.

I walked past her and opened the backdoor.

"His dog is outside." I said.

"Do you think it is safe to go out there?" Michelle asked.

I tried not to laugh at her and say I am Zac Zombie, Slayer of the undead. I do not fear anything and just smiled at her.

"I'll be fine." I said.

I stepped out into the backyard and walked over to the dog. It lifted its head as I approached, but kept whining. I looked down at the corpse at my feet and noticed that there was a gaping bullet wound in the back of the man's head. The man was – or used to be Bradley Cross. I crouched down and patted the dog's head and as if bonding immediately, the dog got up and started licking my hand. There was no way I could simply leave the poor dog out there. He was alive in a world of the dead.
2

The wood crackled in the flames of the fire which was our only source of light. Michelle and I sat on the couch and each had a plate of mixed beans for dinner, while the Husky (which I dubbed Fluffy because of his fur) ate his own plate of beans in front of the fireplace. We looked like the perfect little family having a cosy meal during a blackout. If only...

"What do we do now?" Michelle asked.

"We stay here tonight." I said, "And tomorrow we start looking for survivors – and my mother."

Michelle nodded and ate another spoonful of beans. I hated mixed beans. I hated the taste, texture and smell, but it was at least food. We both might have gas later during the night, but who cares during apocalyptic times about gas?

"How far do you think it has spread?" Michelle asked.

She clearly wanted to bring up her mother and speculation of whether she was still alive.

"I don't know." I said, "It could only be our town, or it could have spread further."

"I wish I had my phone so I can call her." Michelle said, "I left it in my locker back at school."

Okay, there was no way we were heading back there and besides, I think the school might have burned down.

"Your mother will be fine." I said, trying to convince both of us.

Michelle picked at her food as if it was a bowl of intestines. The mood in the room was heavy and morbid and I had to change it.

"So..." I started nervously, "Prom is just around the corner..."

Michelle snorted, but tried not to laugh.

"I was wondering," I said foolishly, "When all of this blows over, if you would go to the prom with me?"

Michelle was still picking at her food, but she was trying to hide a blush with a smile.

"Of course I will go with you." Michelle said.

It's difficult to explain the weird feeling I got inside when she said that. It was a combination of excitement, nervousness and warmth that exploded from my heart throughout my body. I had to play it cool. She might not like me if I acted like an excited little child.

I smiled at her and said, "Cool."

I took one last spoonful of the awful mixed beans and decided enough was enough. I placed the plate on the floor and Fluffy ate the rest of the beans. Michelle ate the last of her beans and placed her plate on the table which stood next to the couch. She glanced at me and smiled nervously. It was the first time we were alone together and were not fighting to stay alive. She clasped her hands together and rested them on her lap, seeming a bit nervous.

"Did you just ask me to the prom because I am the only girl left alive?" Michelle asked.

I laughed and said with a stutter, "No... I... We... what I mean is... I like you."

Michelle smiled and tried to hide that she was self-conscious about compliments and then pushed some hair back behind her ear.

"I like you too." Michelle said, "I have a confession to make. I have noticed you in the school corridors before, but I never wanted to... I never could talk to you. I was afraid that if you knew that I liked you that you would reject me."

"What?" I asked shocked, "Why would I reject you? If anything, I would think you would reject me."

Michelle smiled and said, "I'm not like the other girls in school. Yes, I portray this image of being perfect, but I really am not. I do not open up easily to others, but I feel safe and comfortable with you. I feel like I could tell you anything without being judged."

Michele inched closer to me and laid her one hand on the edge of the cushion.

"I feel like I've known you forever." Michelle said, "I am just sorry it took me so long to build up the courage to finally talk to you."

Michelle inched closer and I could feel my heart racing and my mouth got dry. She was so close to me. I could lean in and kiss her. I could kiss her like the heroes did in the movies. Perhaps I was overthinking it? I should stop thinking and just act. My mind was racing through all sorts of thoughts when I saw Michelle leaning in for a kiss. This was it... I closed my eyes and leaned in closer to kiss her. Her tongue was warm and soft just like I imagined, but she was a horrible kisser. Her tongue was all over my lips, which was kind of disgusting.

I heard laughing and opened my eyes to find myself staring into icy blue Husky eyes while Fluffy licked my mouth. I jerked back and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand while Michelle laughed hysterically.

"Bad dog!" I said laughing.
3

We slept on the couch that evening while Fluffy slept on the rug in front of the dying fire. I cannot remember when last I slept as deep as I did that night. It was obviously all the excitement of killing zombies that completely drained me of energy.

I remember thinking about my friend, Jim and my mother – wondering whether they survived the apocalypse. I wondered whether it would at all be possible to find them in this world of the undead. More troubling thoughts popped into my head and then I drifted off to sleep. It was a deep and dreamless sleep brought on by exhaustion.

Somewhere in the early morning hours, a thud that echoed through the house woke me up. My eyes were still burning from fatigue while I tried to see around me. Fluffy sat upright next to me staring at the hallway while Michelle slept. It had to be around six AM, as I could see the sun rising behind the drawn curtains.

"What is it boy?" I asked Fluffy, "Did you hear that?"

I got up from the couch and grabbed the axe which stood up right next to the fireplace. I held up the axe with my right hand and cautiously walked towards the hallway while Fluffy followed me in silence. I was not sure what use this dog was to me, because my idea of a dog was a creature that would run off and defend humans against odd noises. Fluffy was like a little cuddly teddy bear that followed you around waiting for a snack or a hug. He did not seem very useful during a zombie apocalypse.

As I entered the hallway, I treaded lightly hoping that the floorboards would keep quiet. I heard scuffling coming from the kitchen and immediately knew that someone – living or dead – had somehow gotten inside the house.

I raised the axe as I got to the kitchen doorway and was ready to bring it crashing down on the intruder as I came around the corner. In the darkness I saw someone scurrying through the pantry with his back to me. A floorboard creaked beneath me and the person looked back over his shoulder. When he saw the axe, he spun around and gestured with his hands.

"Zac!" The man said, "It's me, Alex!"

I lowered the axe and Alex relaxed a bit. He took a deep breath and put down the cans of food in his hands. Alex was covered in dirt and his shirt was torn across the chest. His facial expression was perplexing, he seemed sad and yet happy to see me.

"Am I glad to see you." Alex exclaimed.

I, on the other hand was still uncertain whether I was glad to see my bully alive or not. Yes, I know that he was a bit more humble in the changing rooms the day before, but I cannot simply dismiss years of torture. One good deed does not undo years of bad deeds.

"Alex." I said baffled, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for a safe place to ride this thing out." Alex said.

"How did you get in?" I asked worried.

"I broke the lock on the front door." Alex said, "I didn't know anybody was here. Don't worry, I barricaded the door again."

I kept staring at him flabbergasted and then he broke the silence.

"You don't mind me staying, do you?" He asked.

"No, of course not." I replied.

Come on. What was I supposed to say to him? I could not tell him to hit the road. We might be the only ones left alive in town. I would feel like a real jerk if I let the only other man left alive go out on his own and he ended up being eaten alive.

"Great." Alex said as he turned to leave, "I'm gonna wash up. I am covered in dirt."

"How—" I said, making him halt, "How did you get out alive?"

"I don't know." Alex said, "Honestly, it happened so fast. I just remember walking down the aisle towards the main entrance of the school building and then the next moment people around me started screaming and eating each other and then I just ran. I pushed everyone out of my way and just ran. I've been running around this town ever since it happened, hoping to find my family."

"Did you find them?" I asked.

"Yes." Alex said, "I found them at home. My mother was in the kitchen..."

Alex drifted off as he spoke, "...her face was gone. My sister was in the living room – eating my father's severed leg."

There was a moment of silence as Alex tried to forget the macabre things he saw in his house.

"I'm sorry." I said sincerely.

Alex snapped out of his dazed state, but did not smile to hide his pain. He simply nodded and walked off to the bathroom. I don't know whether I would ever be able to recover from seeing my family eating each other. It would haunt me till the end of my days, and I had the slight suspicion it would haunt Alex forever. It was actually sad to think one day he was one of the popular kids and within less than twelve hours, he was humiliated and teased and saw the massacre of his entire family. He was clearly not the Alex I remembered and deserved a second chance.

I walked down the hallway towards the bathroom and found Alex drawing a bath. He stood in front of a wooden shelf full of towels. The shelves almost reached up to the ceiling. He was just about to remove his shirt when I spoke.

"Alex," I said, "You can stay as long as you want. We need you just as much as you need us. We have plenty of food and this house is secure."

Alex nodded and removed his shirt. He didn't say anything. He was not arrogant or anything, but I suspected he was mourning his family and wanted time on his own. It was completely understandable and I was going to oblige. He continued to get undressed and I saw it as my exit queue; I saw his package once before and once was enough.

As I left, I heard him whisper thank you.

4

I went back to the living room and found Michelle twiddling with an old wind-up radio while she sat on the couch. She cradled it in her lap like a baby and turned the knob to get a signal. A floorboard creaked beneath me and she looked up.

"Morning." She said with a smile.

My legs went all rubbery beneath me at the sound of her voice. She had a voice and a smile sent from heaven and could sooth any problem like a lullaby.

"Morning." I greeted back.

"I found an old radio in the closet." Michelle said, "I've been trying to get a signal for a while, but find nothing but static. I cannot imagine what is going on out there. Maybe we aren't the only town with the infection?"

I nodded and shifted my hands a bit uneasy. I did not know what to say to her, I mean what if she was right and we were some of the last ones left alive in a world of the dead? How could we ever recover from the end of the world – the end of mankind?

"Did you try AM or FM?" I asked.

"FM." She replied.

"Try the AM frequency." I said and sat down next to her, "The short-band frequency might have something."

She fidgeted with the radio and turned the knob again. There was more static and then a broadcast. At first it sounded like a news report, but we soon realized it was a recorded message;

This is Mayor Green. If you are listening to this you are one of the uninfected. Do not – I repeat: DO NOT try to make contact with any missing loved ones. Stay indoors and if possible, barricade all doors and windows. The infection has spread faster than any other known disease. The origins of the disease are unknown and there seem to be no cure. Reports have come in that the infection has spread as far as New York, India, Hong Kong, London and even Sydney Australia. If you are in a safe place, please stay put and wait for reinforcements to arrive. Make sure you have plenty of water and food.

The message replayed as Michelle and I stared at each other in astonishment. So she was right. The infection was not only in our town of Kingston Valley, but has spread across the entire world overnight.

"What are we going to do?" Michelle asked concerned.

There is a time in every hero's life when he has to stand up and take charge, a time when he has to assess the situation and identify which way forward... a time for leadership. I had to step up and take control of the situation. I had to think about Michelle and Alex's safety. I could not simply think about killing the undead. What if one of them got infected?

Fluffy came in and pushed his snout underneath my hand and I rubbed his head. I also had to think about Fluffy as he was part of the family now.

"We should set out and look for survivors." I said.

"But the Mayor said we should stay indoors." Michelle said concerned.

I looked at her and could see that she was worried; it was written all over her face. I stopped petting Fluffy and took a hold of her hand with both of mine. Her skin was as soft as a new rose petal.

"I will never let anything happen to you." I said, "I would walk through the fires of hell to keep you safe, but what if it was your mother or father or sister out there? Wouldn't you want someone to save them? I cannot ignore the fact that someone out there might need our help."

Michelle stared into my eyes and smiled before pushing strands of hair in behind my left ear. I hated it when my hair hung in my face. Sometimes I think I should just shave my head bald like a jarhead.

"I know." Michelle said, "You're taking on a huge burden and cannot ignore your destiny."

She kept staring into my eyes and I into hers. For a second it almost felt like we were one soul. She slowly leaned forward with her inviting lips. I shifted closer to her and closed my eyes as I leaned in for the kiss.

"You guys!" Alex said interrupting the kiss.

Michelle and I shifted away from each other and looked up at Alex who stood in the doorway wearing only his pants. He had an excited smile upon his face like a little kid on Christmas morning.

"You have to see this!" Alex exclaimed.
Alex led us back to the bathroom. Fluffy was skipping behind me, always staying within a few feet of his new master. There was something different about the bathroom. The wooden towel shelf stood at an angle like an agape door. Behind it were more shelves – hidden shelves.

"I accidentally pressed a lever beneath a towel and it opened." Alex said excited, "It's a secret cupboard."

Michelle and I stared at the now exposed hidden shelves and were amazed and shocked at what we saw. The shelves were full of whips, chains, handcuffs and all sorts of S&M toys.

"Oh my word." Michelle gasped.

"Guess Bradley was into some strange hobbies." I said.

I saw a coiled up bulls-whip and reached for it, but Michelle slapped my hand.

"You weren't seriously going to touch those?" She asked alarmed.

"Why not?" I asked defensively.

"You don't know where these toys have been." Michelle insisted, "They might have germs on them or something."

"People clean their sex toys regularly." Alex said, "Or so I've read."

Michelle and I stared at Alex and nodded. We both knew that he did not read it anywhere.

I reached for the whip and picked it up as Michelle rolled her eyes at me. I always wanted a whip like Indiana. I just loved the sound a whip made when it lashed through the air.

The whip uncoiled and the tip dropped to the floor. The whip had to be at least two meters long and amazed me with its simplistic beauty.

"I love it." I whispered to myself as I studied the finely crafted handle.

"Zac?" Michelle asked annoyed.

I snapped out of my state of awe and glanced at her. She did not seem happy that I had a sex toy in my hand.

"You look ridiculous." Michelle said.

"I think it looks awesome." Alex said in contradiction.

"I like it." I said, "And it might come in handy sometime."

Michelle rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. I could tell she was not very impressed with the whip, but we just had to agree to disagree. I glanced at Alex who was more excited than Michelle and winked at him as I rolled up the whip again.
5

The sunrise was amazing and stained the sky with streaks of yellow, pink and orange. It was the first sunrise since the infection broke and the town of Kingston Valley was completely deserted. We stood in the front yard of Bradley the sex maniac's house and it would have been awesome if tumbleweed blew past our feet.

Fluffy stood next to me wagging his tail and slobbering as he panted. I scrutinized our surroundings for any lingering danger, but all was quiet. Alex and Michelle stood behind me; Michelle armed with a piece of wood and Alex with my blood stained axe. I held the coiled up whip in my right hand and I have to say, the three of us looked pretty bad-ass.

"Where to?" Alex asked ready for action.

Alex was a complex guy; one moment he was grieving for his family and the next he was ready to kick undead ass. I think he got over the mourning period and wanted the dead bastards to pay for his family's infection and deaths.

I thought for a moment as to where we would have the most success in finding survivors. If I were a survivor in a post-apocalyptic world with flesh eaters, I would probably be injured and be looking for medicine.

"I think we should try the hospital." I said, "It's only a few blocks away and we might find people barricaded inside."

Michelle nodded at me and Alex tightened his grip on the axe. We were as ready as we would ever be to take on the dead. I led our trio (foursome if you counted Fluffy) into the abandoned street and we cautiously made our way towards the hospital a few blocks away. The town felt like a ghost town and the silence was deafening. There were no birds in the trees, no dogs barking... nothing. It was an unsettling silence that kept you on the tip of your toes for anything that might be coming for you.

Rattling bushes to the left made me ready the whip as I inspected the bushes. A rat scurried out from the bushes and disappeared into a nearby drain. I hated vermin but was rather relieved that it was not one of the infected.

We passed a gas station on our right and the three of us stared at the car which lay on its roof next to the pumps. The driver side door was open and had a bloody smear against the window. One could only imagine what happened there. The gas station appeared to be abandoned as the door to the office stood wide open. If anyone was inside when the infection hit, they were one of the infected.

"Keep moving." I told them in a hushed tone.

We passed the gas station and approached a children's park which had a few benches, jungle-bars, a few swings and a slide. A dark red, almost brown stain ran down the slide and was the only evidence that some poor victim was dragged down the slide by the infected.

I spotted something moving beneath one of the benches and inspected our surroundings as we approached the bench. The park was completely deserted and we were still in the clear from any infected.

As we got closer to the bench I could see that it was a severed head of an infected person. The head was still biting in the air as if trying to eat something. The head was covered in blood and long, blond hair pooled around it. Fluffy sniffed the ground near the head and I ushered the dog away.

"No." I told Fluffy and pushed him aside.

"Oh my lord..." Michelle gasped.

The three of us stared down at the twitching head. This used to be someone's wife, sister or even daughter and now it was a mindless eating machine.

"We should put it out of its misery." Michelle said.

"It's not bothering anyone." Alex said, "It's peaceful... in fact, it's ahead of the rest of the infected."

Alex chuckled at his little joke and I smiled. I could see that Michelle did not think it was a funny joke. The situation was a bit more serious to her.

"I bet she gave great head." Alex said and laughed, "I bet she was heading to her boyfriend when she got infected."

Alex laughed and I gave a little chuckle. Alex was being silly and it was good to embrace life's little funny moments in a post-apocalyptic world.

"Are you quite done?" Michelle asked annoyed, "It is still infected and could, I don't know, roll down the street and eat someone."

Alex and I burst out laughing while Fluffy barked excitedly – he had no idea what was going on, but he wanted to join in the festivities. Michelle had made a joke without even knowing it. When she finally got the joke, she smiled.

"Fine." I said with a smile.

I grabbed the head by its hair and dumped it into the trashcan next to the bench.

"There." I said, "She's not going anywhere."

Michelle nodded approvingly. It was a bit unconventional to throw a human head in the trash, but it was effective nonetheless. We laughed quite loudly, so once all jokes were put aside, I checked our surroundings for any infected. We were still in the clear, which was a bit unsettling to me. Surely Alex's loud chuckles should have alerted some of the infected of our presence?

"It's too quiet." I said concerned, "We should keep moving."

We kept moving across the park lawn towards the hospital which was situated across the street. The glass doors all seemed intact from afar and when we were in range, I jiggled the doors. The doors were locked.

"It's locked." I said.

"To keep the dead out?" Alex asked, "Or keep them inside?"

"I don't know which one is more frightening." Michelle said.

I spotted a key in the lock of one of the doors. The doors were locked from the inside, so there had to be survivors locking out the dead. If there were survivors inside, they might need help. We had to get inside. I stepped back a few feet and inspected the exterior of the hospital and noticed that one of the windows on the first floor was left open.

"There." I said and pointed at the open window, "I could climb through that window and open the doors from the inside."

"Why don't you throw us up there and we all go with you?" Michelle asked.

"Wait, what?" Alex asked confused.

I could throw them, but what about Fluffy? He could not grab a hold of the windowsill and could plummet down and break his legs.

"I can't throw Fluffy." I said.

"What do you mean, throw?" Alex asked concerned.

"I'll stay out here with him." Michelle said, "Alex should go with you. You do not know what is waiting for you inside."

"I can't leave you here." I told Michelle.

There was no way I would leave her in harm's way.

"I have a bat." Michelle said.

"It's a piece of wood." I corrected her.

"And I have Fluffy to protect me." Michelle said and flashed me a smile, "I'll be fine."

Michelle had a valid point. I had no idea what was waiting for me inside the hospital. Perhaps there were no survivors; only infected inside. I could use some help, but then I would endanger Alex's life.

"I think I should stay with Michelle." Alex said.

He wanted to sound like the noble man staying behind to protect the girl, but he sounded like a scared little kid. I nodded at him. It would be better to go in alone. I hooked the coiled up whip over my head and underneath my left arm. I dusted my hands and took a deep breath while contemplating the jump. I got a running start, stepped against the wall with my right foot and thrust myself up towards the window. I grabbed a hold of the windowsill and pulled myself up while Alex's gasp of 'wow' echoed beneath me. I looked back over my shoulder at the three I left behind and made sure that there were no approaching infected people before climbing through the window.
6

The window belonged to a private room of a comatose patient. The patient lay on his back in the dark while a breathing machine hummed next to the bed. I carefully stepped closer to the patient and studied his appearance. His skin seemed normal and uninfected, but I am no medical doctor and could only speculate.

"Hello?" I whispered next to his face.

How stupid of me. Did I really expect a coma patient to respond? I waited for a moment to see whether he would, but he did not respond. I walked over to the door, opened it and carefully glanced up and down the hallway. It was forsaken. I stepped out into the murky hallway and walked in the direction of the stairs.

To my left I passed a large window and paused for a moment when I saw the empty incubators. There were about twenty incubators which were a cold reminder of a world forever changed. We may never get the chance to raise children in this world. I noticed a tiny hand gripping the edge of an incubator to the far left and I gasped. Someone had left a baby on its own. The poor thing. I had to rescue it. I swung open the door and made my way past the empty incubators towards the one with the little hand. I could hear the baby moaning, but it did not cry. How could anyone leave such a precious little gem behind? Children were our future in this dark new world and every life counted.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I got to the incubator. The baby's skin was blue and its eyes were black as night – it was infected. It moaned as its little head convulsed in the incubator. My heart was saddened by the sight and I wanted to put it out of its desolation, but I could not bring myself to kill a baby.

I heard the door open behind me and turned around. The door stood open, but I saw nothing. It was only when I heard screeching that I looked down and saw an infected baby crawling into the incubator room. It was a sight I was not prepared to see. Two more infected babies crawled in behind it, but they weren't really crawling but rather scurrying like cockroaches and quickly making their way to me. They moved incredibly fast and got to me within a mere second. I kicked the first one and it squealed like a pig as it shot against the wall. I noticed another five infected babies dashing through the door on their little hands and knees, with their toothless mouths biting the air.

I kicked another baby and severed its head from its tiny body. I could not do this any longer. It was the most ghastly thing I have ever done – kicking babies. I grabbed a nearby incubator and threw it at the window, smashing it. I jumped through the window as three more babies hurried into the incubator room. I ran around to the door, pulled it shut and turned the key in the lock and then secured the door. I could hear the babies clawing at the door and shrieking to get out. It took me a moment to get over the shock of being attacked by new-born babies and then I continued down the hallway; always keeping a watchful eye on the rooms I passed. All the rooms were abandoned and so was the stairwell as I went down.

As I entered the lobby I could see Michelle, Alex and Fluffy on the other side of the glass doors. Michelle waved when she saw me. Alex pretended to be the macho man who protected the girl. I turned the key and unlocked the doors.

"Get inside." I said as I opened the door.

They stepped inside and I closed the doors.

"Did you find anyone?" Michelle asked.

"I came across some infected babies." I said still rattled, "That was something else."

I locked the doors and then paused when I saw a giraffe walk down the street. It picked at one of the trees as it walked.

"What the hell?" I gasped.

Both Alex and Michelle turned around and watched in astonishment as the giraffe continued on its way without a care in the world.

"It's probably a zoo animal." Michelle said.

"We have a zoo?" Alex asked confused.

"No." I said, "The zoo is twenty miles north."

We continued watching as the giraffe disappeared around the corner of the building. It was only the third animal I saw since the infection broke (Fluffy and the rat), but perhaps it was safe to say that animals were seemingly immune to the infection.

"Where do you think it's heading?" Alex asked.

"Who knows?" Michelle said, "It's been cooped up in a cage most of its life and has now had a taste of freedom."

"I'm hungry." Alex said abruptly.

"Me too." I said, "We could see if we can find the cafeteria."

"Typical." Michelle said annoyed, "We had enough food back home, but you leave without eating."

"We'll make a quick trip down to the cafeteria." I assured her, "And then we'll be on our way."

Michelle was not convinced that it would be a quick trip. Hospitals freaked her out for a reason I did not know – a reason that was written all over her face. She shifted uneasily and sighed.

"Fine." Michelle said, "Just make it quick."

We walked over to the information board up against the wall and searched for the cafeteria. The board indicated that the cafeteria was on the ground floor to the left, so we headed left. All three of us – and I think even Fluffy – scrutinized the hallway and doors we passed for any sign of trouble. I saw graffiti in blood up against one wall and we slowed down. Only a single word was written in blood, Clairvius.

"What does that mean?" Alex asked concerned.

"I don't know." I replied.

It had to mean something otherwise someone would not have smeared it against the wall. The thing that attacked my mother in the kitchen also mentioned I am Clairvius... My mother. I had to find her. With all that had happened, I was ashamed to say that I sort of forgotten about her until right then. I think my mother would understand that I was preoccupied on keeping my companions alive.

We came to double swing doors at the end of the hall with a sign above it which read Cafeteria. We all looked at each other and then I opened the doors with caution. The cafeteria looked like the one at school; it had tables and chairs which led to a counter at the far end. I saw someone sitting at a table near one of the windows and reached for my whip. I could not tell from a distance whether the person was infected or not. The door made a slight creak as it opened and then the person looked back over their shoulder... it was my mom.

"Mom!" I called out relieved.

"Zac!" She cried out.

She got up and we both ran towards each other.

"You're alive!" She exclaimed.

We embraced each other for what felt like forever. I found my mother in the world of the dead! I could not believe it. It happened purely by chance. I think that was the reason why I didn't eat before leaving that morning. If I did, we would have probably never gone into the cafeteria. It had to be my sixth sense that led me to her.

We finally let go of each other, but she kept staring at me with tears in her eyes.

"My boy." She wept, "I tried looking for you, but those things were everywhere. I finally came here hoping that you would think to come here."

"At least we found each other." I said.

She smiled at me again and ruffled my hair, which I hated as it made me feel like a little boy. She rested her hands on her hips and smiled at my companions.

"Who is this, Zac?" Mom asked.

"This is Michelle, and Alex." I said half uncomfortable.

I was not sure whether their names would suffice or whether I should say This is the girl I had a crush on and this is the boy that bullied me at school.

Both Michelle and Alex waved at mom.

"Hi." Michelle said.

"Nice to meet you Mrs Zac's mom." Alex said.

"Nice to meet both of you," Mom said, "Under the circumstances."

We all stared at each other while Fluffy wagged his tail. It was an awkward moment as we could not talk about everyday things like the weather while the dead walked the earth.

"So..." Mom finally asked, "Who's hungry?"

7

It was probably the world's most unconventional breakfast; four apocalyptic survivors having breakfast in a hospital cafeteria along with their dog companion. The ready-made food was alright. It was nothing fancy, but it was edible though I think most of it (especially the scrambled eggs) was made of soy.

"So, how is school?" Mom asked casually.

Alex chuckled and ate some of the scrambled soy eggs.

"I think the school burned down." I said just as casually.

Mom paused a moment and then asked, "Did you have anything to do with it?"

"No." I said defensively, "Well, actually yes. I was being attacked by the walking dead in the biology class and one thing led to another."

"Was anybody hurt?" Mom asked concerned.

Hurt was not the right adjective I would use so I pondered for a moment and then Alex spoke.

"There were a few severed arms and legs." Alex said unconcernedly, "Blood smears, cries for help and the occasional running person."

"I think what Alex is trying to say," Michelle interrupted him, "Is that all hell broke loose."

"Oh." Mom said shocked, "Oh yes. I have trouble coming to terms with the dead rising."

"Mom," I asked, "Have you come across anyone; living or dead in this hospital?"

She shook her head and said, "No. I did not find anyone, but I only stayed on the ground floor. You know how I hate hospitals."

That was true. Mom hated hospitals for some reason. I think it had to do with the fact that she broke both her legs as a child and had to spend weeks in the hospital.

"I knew something was off," Mom said, "The mailman came round and banged against the door, which he never does. I looked through the peep-hole and saw his face was covered in blood. I told him to go away or I will call the police. He kept banging on the door, banging and banging. I finally went out through the back door and that was when I saw that the entire town has gone insane."

"We came across an emergency broadcast on the radio." Michelle said, "It's everywhere. The infection is not just here in Kingston Valley. It's global."

"Oh my word." Mom gasped, "Do they know what started it?"

"No." I said in despair.

I think the reason the government could not figure out where the infection came from was because it was an unprecedented event; an event I was almost certain had something to do with the word Clairvius. If only I had access to internet.

"Mom," I asked, "Do you have your phone on you?"

"Yes." She replied and took out her phone, "But it won't do you any good."

"Why not?" I asked as I took it from her.

"There is no signal." She replied.

I looked at the phone's LCD screen; it indicated that the phone was out of range and that no signal was available. Apparently when the world ends, smartphones are useless.

"Damn." I mumbled to myself and handed the phone back to her.

"Who did you want to call?" Mom asked.

She was one of the old fashioned people who believed that a phone could only make phone calls, so why she owned a smartphone was beyond me.

"I wanted to search for something on the internet." I sighed.

"My phone has internet?" Mom asked amazed.

"Yes." I said half shocked that she did not know.

"What did you want to look up?" Alex asked.

How to explain it to them?

"It's hard to explain." I said and shifted in my seat, "You remember that word we saw in blood up against the wall?"

"Clair Danes?" Alex asked.

"Clairvius." I corrected him.

"What about it?" Michelle asked.

"It's not the first time I came across the word." I said, "Two nights back one of the undead attacked my mom and said I am Clairvius."

"They can speak?" Alex asked confused.

"Not all of them." I said, "There are different kinds of walking dead. It's complicated, anyway; it's not a coincidence that someone wrote Clairvius on the wall in their own blood. It has to mean something – it could even be what is behind the infection."

"Perhaps it's a person's name?" Mom asked.

"It sounds like a government toxin." Michelle said.

"Or a disease like HIV?" Alex asked, "Like 'Hi, I am Clairvius negative.'"

"I don't know." I said and shook my head.

Alex was definitely not a bright one, or just a joker. Either way his suggestion was stupid.

"What about the library?" Mom asked, "They have an entire encyclopaedia section. Perhaps you can find what you are looking for there?"

"It's worth a shot." I said.

I was not very fond of libraries as they felt obsolete in a modern world, but we could perhaps find something useful in one of the books time had forgotten.

"Are we going to the library next?" Alex asked.

"Yes." I said, "But we should do a quick sweep of the hospital to make sure there is nobody that needs help."

They all nodded (even Fluffy), but I could tell from their faces they weren't keen on the idea of walking through the hospital looking for survivors. But dire times calls for dire actions and I could not turn my back on this place knowing there might be someone in need of help.

8

The sweep of the hospital went quickly and without any major incidents. Yes, we came across a few of the undead, but it was nothing I could not handle. I led our ensemble from room to room, searching for survivors, but not really finding any.

On the first floor we found half a man's body lying in the corridor that led to the ICU. The man clawed at the wall, but did not really do anything more. To my surprise, my mother stabbed the man in the head with a spoon – yes... a spoon – not the ladle part, but the handle. Why on earth she would take a spoon instead of a knife will remain a mystery.

On the second floor in room 1408 we found an incinerated woman lying in the hospital bed. She was clasping down on something in her arms.

We found no survivors anywhere in the hospital and decided to move on. Perhaps mom was the only one who thought about seeking refuge there. Our group walked tightly together as we made our way down the street towards the public library. I was never fond of the library, especially the librarians that keep saying Quiet please.

The library doors were barricaded, but with some effort Alex and I were able to jiggle the planks away and get the door open. The inside of the library smelled like you'd expect – like nerd farts and dust. Why anyone would come to the library when you could easily download eBooks was beyond me. As we entered, I saw a display of books to the left of the entrance. It was a display of their author of the month and displayed various books by Stephen Queen.

"What are we doing here again?" Alex whispered.

I shushed Alex and examined the rows of bookshelves for any trouble. I motioned for them to stay behind me while I quickly did a sweep of the library. When I detected no danger I gave them the all clear and everyone seemed to relax a bit. Alex helped me barricade the doors with a few of the desks and chairs.

"Why do you think someone barricaded the library from the outside?" Alex asked as we moved a table towards the door, "Wouldn't it make more sense to barricade it from the inside?"

"Perhaps they tried to keep the dead out," I said, "But they found a hiding place elsewhere."

"That makes no sense." Alex said, "Why barricade a library?"

Michelle stepped closer and watched us barricade the door.

"To preserve the books." Michelle said, "If you haven't noticed, the world has ended. In today's age most books were digital, so someone thought it was important to preserve what little printed books were left."

Alex nodded, though I could tell he did not quite grasp the sentimental value someone placed on the books in the library. We stacked a third table against the door and secured it.

"That should do it." I said proudly.

The library had two floors; fiction books were on the ground floor while the research section was on the first floor. A large, steel, spiral staircase stood in the middle of the floor and led up to the first floor.

"The encyclopaedias will be on the first floor." Mom said and pointed at the staircase.

I nodded and motioned for everyone to follow me while Fluffy walked beside me. The first floor had four rows of bookshelves and about ten or so tables with chairs for studying. I glanced at the books not knowing where to begin.

"How do encyclopaedias work?" Alex asked.

I was glad he was the one to ask such a stupid question, though I was thinking the exact same thing. We were children of technology and could find anything online with a quick search engine, but books?

"They are arranged alphabetically." Mom said, "We should just find the C- section."

"Caesarean?" Alex asked.

"No." Mom said, "The third letter of the alphabet."

We split up and I could tell that Alex felt foolish. I joined him on his search down one row of bookshelves and helped him search for the C-section.

"I'm not dumb you know." Alex finally said.

"I know." I said and nodded.

The encyclopaedias in this row were Mc to No, which meant we were still a long way off.

"I just say what pops into my head." Alex said, "Sometimes jokes sound better in my head than they do out loud."

"You don't need to explain yourself to me." I said with a smile.

"It's just..." Alex said and stopped, "The image I portray at school is not really who I am, you know? I am not that rough bully everyone wants me to be. I only did it to be accepted by my friends. Inside I am caring and a good person."

"If you're friends cannot accept you for who you are," I said, "Then they aren't your friends to begin with. I know it sounds like a fortune cookie, but friends don't try and change each other."

Alex nodded and sort of drifted off into his own thoughts. I could see that my words were something he longed to hear and that it touched a nerve. I'm not quite sure what happened, but the next thing I knew his lips were pressed up against mine and his tongue rolling around in my mouth. I pushed him away with a sudden jerk.

"What the hell was that?" I whispered staggered.

"I don't know." Alex said uneasily, "You were talking about friends accepting you for who you are and I guess I read the signs wrong."

"What signs?" I asked, "There were no signs."

"I'm sorry." Alex said uneasy.

He started walking down the row of bookshelves and left me standing in the same place still stunned by the turn of events. This was certainly the apocalypse – in no other world would your high school bully try to kiss you and succeed. I watched him as he continued his search for the section we were looking for and felt sorry for him. He had to hide who he truly was from everyone for years. It had to be hard not knowing whether your friends would accept you for who you are. It's not like he came out as a drug user or something he could change. It was his sexuality, something – just like his skin color – which was beyond his control. Despite the kiss, he was a good guy and I still wanted him to be my friend.
9

"Over here." I heard Michelle say somewhere.

Alex and I made our way through the maze of books until we found Michelle. Mom and Fluffy stood next to her as she took a book from the shelf. She started paging through the book.

"I think this is the book." Michelle said.

She paged a few moments longer and then handed me the book. It was quite heavy and thick, unlike my notepad which I was used to.

"There." Michelle said.

I glanced down at the book. There was an entire section in the encyclopaedia about a man called _Clairvius Narciss_. I quickly scanned through the text looking for something we could use.

"What does it say?" Alex asked.

"Clairvius Narciss," I read, "Born 1822 was a Haitian man said to have been turned into a zombie by a mixture of drugs. He is the only known recorded person to return from the dead after he rose from his coffin at his own funeral. An unknown assailant shot an arrow headshot, killing Clairvius once more before fleeing on foot. The assailant was never caught. Canadian Ethnobotanist Wade Christians studied the stomach contents of Clairvius and came to the conclusion that the mixture of drugs were ingredients of a necromancy spell."

"Necromancy?" Mom asked concerned.

"It's witchcraft involving resurrecting the dead." Alex said proudly.

"The coroner was called in to do further tests on his body," I read, "But reported that the body of Clairvius evaporated into a black mist and disappeared."

_Just like Richard did in our kitchen,_ I thought.

"Oh my." Mom gasped.

I continued reading, "It is believed that Clairvius is the first true living dead and was perhaps possessed by an ancient evil which gave him the power to vanish. Throughout history there have been scattered reports of bodies disappearing in the same manner after being killed by unknown attackers."

I searched through the text for something more, but there was nothing else.

"What else is there?" Michelle asked.

"That's it." I said disappointed, "There is nothing more."

The book made a loud boom as I shut it. I stared down at the cover for a moment before putting it back in its place on the shelf.

"At least we know Clairvius was a man." Alex said.

I pondered about the text I read and wondered if the assailant that shot Clairvius at his funeral wasn't perhaps a slayer of the dead? It was possible that there were slayers back then trying to keep the dead from rising and he or she knew about Clairvius? It was also possible that it was the same Clairvius that stood in our kitchen and that the dark vapour was its soul or something, but what made him different from the rest of the undead that ruled our world? There had to be more to this character than the encyclopaedia told us.

"What now?" Mom asked.

I saw the questions in their faces and noticed that the sun was setting outside. It would be too risky to go back to the house after dark. We would just have to spend the night in the library.

"We look for more answers." I said, "There has to be more about this person. I just have a gut feeling."

Mom and Alex nodded.

"It's getting dark outside." I said, "I think we should stay here for the night."

We made ourselves at home on the first floor and sat around one of the tables telling stories as the sun set over Kingston Valley. We all were a bit more relaxed and at ease. One could be forgiven for thinking that it was just another ordinary day before the dead took over the world.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Mom asked Alex.

Alex blushed and wanted to shy away from the question, which I understood. He was a very macho guy and one would expect him to like girls.

"No, ma'am." Alex answered with a shy smile.

"Why not?" Mom asked shocked, "You are an attractive young man. Any girl would be glad to have you."

Alex was getting uncomfortable so I changed the subject.

"Mom," I said, "What is your favourite book? I thought since we are spending the night in a library, we could discuss books?"

"Seems fitting." Michelle said.

Fluffy sat down next to me, shoved my hand with his snout and I patted his head.

"My favourite book?" Mom said, "I'd have to say Gone with the wind."

"What is that?" Alex asked.

"You've never heard of it?" Mom gasped in disbelief, "It is an amazing story. It is a love story set in a period of war. It is a classic."

"I'll wait for the movie." Alex said.

"They already made a movie." Michelle said with a smile.

"Really?" Alex asked.

"Yes." I said, "It won like twelve or thirteen Oscars back in the day."

"Then I really have to watch that movie." Alex said.

"On what?" Michelle asked, "Sorry to break it to you, but when the world ended technology was the first to go."

"Fine." Alex said, "I'll try and read the book."

"You can read?" I joked.

Alex smiled and playfully shoved me. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be sitting at a table with my bully and have a good time sharing stories. Guess the apocalypse not only changed the world, but some people too.

"How about you?" Michelle asked me, "What is your favourite book?"

"Besides Hustler?" Alex joked.

I laughed and said, "No! My favourite book is—"

"What's Hustler about?" Mom asked cutting me off.

The three of us laughed at her question and Fluffy barked twice with excitement.

"It's nothing mom." I said, "My favourite book? I would have to say The Glowing by Stephen Queen."

"Really?" Michelle asked, "You like horror?"

"It was a good read." I said, "I am not really a fan of horror, but it had a good storyline. I am more of a zombie fan... or used to be."

There was a moment of silence as we all stared at each other while the irony of what I said sunk in.

"How about you, Alex?" I asked, "What is your favourite book?"

"I don't really read." Alex said foolishly, "I prefer movies."

"So what is your favourite movie?" Mom asked.

"What's the one with the dinosaurs?" Alex asked.

I was just about to tell him the name of the movie when the sound of someone screaming for help echoed in the night outside. We all sat in silence and listened whether it was real or just the wind. A moment later someone called out for help again. I stood up.

"Don't." Alex whispered.

"Why not?" I asked.

"You don't know what is out there." Alex said cautiously.

"I cannot ignore someone who needs help." I said.

I laid my hand on the coiled-up whip that hung from my belt and walked over to one of the windows. Michelle stood next to me and we searched the dark street below.

"Do you see anyone?" Michelle asked.

"No." I said.

The street below was dark and deserted and the voice was no more. Perhaps it was the wind? Perhaps it belonged to someone who was just eaten alive? To the far left I spotted a man running from the bushes. He kept looking back over his shoulder as he ran out into the street.

"Help me!" The man cried out.

"We have to help him." I said.

The man kept looking back at something unseen. I stared at the bushes he came from, but spotted nothing. I reached for the window and then Michelle laid her hand on my arm.

"Think about it." Michelle said, "Is this the best for our group? What is he running from? What if he leads an entire pack of the undead to us? What then?"

I stared down at the running man who was about a block away. I could not turn my back on him. If it were my mother or anyone else in my group I would want someone to help him.

"We have to help him." I said again.

Michelle let go of my arm and I opened the window. I leaned out.

"Hey!" I called out in a hushed voice.

The man searched around him for whoever called him.

"Up here." I said quietly.

"Oh thank God!" The man gasped when he saw us.

"Keep your voice down." I whispered.

"You have to help me." The man pleaded, "They're out there."

"Fine." I said, "Just keep your voice down."

I unhooked and uncoiled the whip and dangled it out the window.

"Climb up." I told the man.

The man looked around him and rushed over to the whip. He took a hold of it and started to pull himself up. He was a bit heavier than he appeared and I had to place my one foot against the wall to support his weight. It took him a moment to reach the window and then Michelle helped him inside. He collapsed to the floor.

"Thank you." The man gasped, "Thank you."

I pulled up the whip as I rolled it up and stared out into the dark waiting for the unknown. What was he afraid of?

"I'm glad I found you." The man gasped.

"Are you injured?" Michelle asked him.

"No." he said, "But I could have died out there if it wasn't for you."

"I don't see anything." I said and kept staring out into the dark.

"They're out there." The man insisted.

I kept staring out into the dark and then I saw someone step out from the bushes. The person walked slowly and without cause – it was definitely infected. It walked out into the street and lingered a moment and sniffed the air.

"I see one." I said.

"There are more of them." The man said.

A loud bang echoed through the night and the infected man collapsed. What just happened? My eyes searched the dark for the source of the sound. Two men stepped out from the bushes and one of them reloaded his shotgun. Two more stepped out behind them. I grabbed Michelle and we both ducked behind the wall.

"What are you doing?" Michelle said.

I shushed her and glanced around the corner of the wall. The men walked down the street as if searching for something. I glanced down at the man sitting at our feet.

"Who are they?" I asked him.

"Bandits." He whimpered.
10

I stared out at the men in the street, but kept to the shadows. Two of the infected stepped out from behind some bushes and one of the men shot them both in the head. Their gunshots would definitely draw more of the infected. I cautiously reached for the window and quietly closed it. When I was assured the men in the street did not spot me, I returned to the shadows again. I grabbed the man on the floor by the collar and dragged him to his feet, keeping to the shadows and out of sight.

"Who are you?" I demanded, "Who are they? Start talking."

"Okay." The man begged, "My name is Petro. I was holding up in an abandoned house with my sister when this group of men stormed the house. The ransacked the house; took our food and water. And then they shot my sister... in the head."

The man broke down and started crying. I let go of his collar and he slid down against the wall and collapsed onto the floor. The man was crying hysterically. I felt sorry for him, but he needed to shut up or the bandits would hear him.

"Keep quiet." I insisted.

The man kept crying. Michelle crouched down and tried to comfort him. His cries died down into whimpers and sobs as I crept over to the window. I glanced down at the street. The group of men were still making their way towards the library as about six or more infected came from the surrounding buildings. One of the armed men took out the infected one shot at a time. This was bad. If they knew anything about zombies, they would know that noise attracts the undead.

'Did they say what they want?" I asked Petro.

"They're criminals." Petro said sobbing, "They don't need a reason to be bad and murder people."

"What are we going to do?" Michelle asked.

That was a good question. How should we proceed without placing ourselves on a warpath with criminals? Were they even criminals? Could we trust Petro? I knew nothing about him, or even whether he told us the truth about his sister.

"Pedro!" I heard one of the men outside call out, "Come out! We just want to talk!"

I glanced down at Pedro who was shivering with fear. He shook his head at me as if pleading _please do not let them find me._ I stared out the window at the men down in the street. They were searching some of the lining buildings.

"Pedro!" One of them called out again, "Don't make me look for you."

"They are very bad people." Pedro whimpered, "We have to get away while we still can."

I looked back at my mother, Alex and Fluffy who all sat in silence and darkness at the table. They were waiting for leadership and I could not disappoint. I had to make a decision. Should we stay or run and hide? Either way our chances were slim. If the dead did not get us the bandits would.

"Zac?" Michelle asked again, "What are we going to do?"

"I'm not sure." I said.

I grabbed a hold of the coiled-up whip that hung from my belt and waited for my fighter's instinct to kick in... which it didn't. Perhaps it only kicked in when the dead were near? Why could I not think of something to do? It would only be a matter of time before they got to the library. The sound of a door being kicked in echoed in the night. I glanced out the window and spotted one of the men had kicked in the door of a nearby house. He entered pointing his shotgun.

"Zac?" Mom asked.

I kept staring out the window at the men in the street below.

"Zac..." Mom insisted.

I looked around and saw she was staring at the main entrance on the ground floor. The desks that barricaded the door slowly shifted and a dead hand slithered in through the crack in the door. The infected person kept pushing until the desks shifted and the crack widened. The zombie wriggled until it fitted through the crack and then it climbed over the desks. One by one more of the undead crawled through the crack and over the desks. I counted at least nine of them that entered. It would be a great risk to fight them off. Their unworldly screeches would draw the attention of the bandits.

I motioned for mom and Alex to come over to the shadows by the window. Fluffy followed them without making a sound.

One of the zombies stumbled over a chair and it made scuffing sounds across the floor. I glanced out through the window at the men in the street down below. One of them noticed the noise and searched the night air for the source.

"I think it came from over there." The man said and pointed in the direction of the building across the street from the library.

The other men followed him across the street and kicked in the door. I glanced over at the railing of the first floor and could barely see the zombies on the ground floor, though I could hear them move around between the bookshelves.

"What now?" Pedro whispered.

I had to think of something. Staying put would be a death sentence brought on by the dead or the bandits. We had to get out of the building. We could perhaps head to the roof?

"Follow me." I whispered.

I led the group towards an emergency exit on the first floor. I jiggled the handle lightly as not to make too much noise and pushed it open. It had a fire escape that led down towards the alley behind the library as well as up to the roof. I motioned for them to follow me down the fire escape. Three stairs down, I spotted five zombies making their way up to the halfway landing. They were blocking our way down, but did not spot us yet. I quickly gestured with my hand that everyone should go up to the roof and we all turned around. We all treaded lightly on the metal steps of the fire escape, trying to keep noise to a minimal as we made our way up towards the roof of the library.

Once we were on the roof, I scrutinized our surroundings. There was a building close enough for us to jump across to its roof if we had to, but I could not see whether it had a fire escape which could lead us down again.

Gunshots fired relatively close to us, making mom duck and search for the shooter.

"There are more of them over here." I heard one of the men in the street say.

A constant firing of shotguns echoed and got closer to the library. I could tell from mom, Michelle and Alex's faces that they were worried. I could hear the doors of the library being kicked in and desks being shoved out of the way. Gunshots went off inside the library.

"We should get out of here." Pedro said, "While they are inside the building. It might be our only chance."

I was hesitant. What then? What should we do after we get away from the library? I spotted more zombies approaching from the deserted streets below and gathering at the base of the library. The gunshots had attracted hundreds of flesh-hungry monsters. Perhaps Pedro was right. We should have left when we had the chance.

"Zac?" Mom asked worried, "Do you have a plan?"

A zombie came up the fire escape and scurried towards mom. Fluffy barked once before he pounced onto the zombie and both of them tumbled over the edge of the roof.

"No!" I called out.

Mom swerved around and we all saw zombies coming up the fire escape one by one. I calmly placed my hand on the coiled up whip that hung from my belt and assessed the area for any possible means of escape. The only escape we had was the next rooftop.

"Zac?" Michelle asked concerned.

I turned to her and tried not to laugh at the irony of it and said, "I'm sorry."

"Why?" She asked.

I grabbed her by the arm, spun her around twice and chucked her over onto the next rooftop. She screamed all the way until she landed on the other rooftop.

"Stop throwing me around!" She yelled back.

I looked at Alex and was about to grab him when he motioned with his hands for me to stop.

"Nobody throws me." Alex said.

Alex looked around and picked up a pipe that lay nearby.

"I'm staying." Alex said.

I looked at mom and she said, "I'll climb over on myself."

Mom walked over to the edge of the roof and climbed over onto the next rooftop. I looked at Pedro who was still shaking in his boots.

"I'm staying too." Pedro said.

I had to admire their courage. I don't think I would have stayed if I did not have super strength to kill the dead with. I gripped the whip by its handle and it uncoiled. I assessed the zombies that were approaching us. There were about six of them. I slowly raised the handle of the whip. A shot echoed and one of the zombies collapsed on the rooftop. A few more shots went off and one by one the zombies collapsed after each receiving a headshot. Confused as to what was happening, we all stared at the fire escape and watched two men climb up to the rooftop. One had his smoking shotgun cocked at an angle and tipped his hat at us.

"Aren't you glad we came along?" The man asked.

If they were bandits, why would they save us from the undead?

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Calvin." the man with the hat said.

He pointed to the shorter guy behind him while two more men came up the fire escape with shotguns.

"This is Derrick." Calvin said, "And over there you have Fred and Garth. And it's impolite not to say thank you after someone saved your sorry asses. And look, you have our _friend_ Pedro with you."

"Thank you." I said, "But I could have handled it."

"Doubt it." Calvin said, "You have two women, a traitor, a fag and an S&M whip."

"Who are you calling a fag?" Alex asked defensively.

"Shut up, pretty boy." Calvin said and pointed his shotgun at Alex.

I motioned for Alex to calm down. Calvin was clearly the one in charge in their group and he was in charge of the situation as well.

"You better keep your bitch in order." Calvin said to me.

I could see from the corner of my eye that Alex was furious. He did not like the word fag very much when it was used to describe him, but he was trying his best to stay calm.

"What do you want?" I asked Calvin.

Calvin looked us up and down and said, "You're very clean for people who are fighting zombies."

"And they look well fed." Derrick added.

"That whip is brand new." Calvin said, "Your clothes are clean... too clean."

"So?" Alex asked.

"You have a camp somewhere." Calvin said, "Or you're holding up in a house with food."

"There are houses all over." I said.

"None of them have any food left." Calvin said, "We want what you have."

I had to be careful of what I said next. The man had a gun and seemed desperate; anything could happen.

"We do not have a lot." I said, "But we are willing to share with you."

"I don't think you're getting what I am saying." Calvin insisted, "I said we _want_ what you have. I did not say anything about sharing. And I do not think I would want my men to share a house with people who were harbouring a traitor."

He kept saying _traitor._ I was not sure what he meant by it.

"I can see he did not tell you." Calvin said, "Pedro was one of us. He abandoned us when we needed him the most. We were surrounded by hoards of the dead and he decided to steal our food and shack up with his sister in some abandoned house. I lost three of my friends. They were good men who did not deserve to die. If it wasn't for him leaving us for his sister—"

"So you killed her?" I asked.

"She had a bite mark on her arm." Calvin said, "I did her a favour. She would have turned, but I will not be as lenient this time."

I did not trust these guys. Something about them felt terribly off and I had a feeling that they would kill us even if we gave them what they wanted. I slowly laid my hand upon the coiled up whip hanging on my hip. I had to be ready for anything these guys threw at us.

"I do not know what you are talking about." I said adamantly.

Calvin raised his shotgun at Pedro and pulled the trigger. Pedro's head exploded and his body collapsed as mom and Michelle screamed in horror on the next roof top.

"That was a warning shot." Calvin said, "I will not ask you again, next time I will kill someone you care about."

11

I cautiously removed my hand from the coiled up whip which hung from my belt. I could tell that Calvin was not playing around. I might have super fighting skills to defend us from the dead, but I was not faster than a bullet. There were four of them and four of us. I could not save all three of my companions from a bullet should things go sour.

"Now that I have your attention," Calvin announced, "Let's talk business."

He nudged his head at Derrick who came over and took away my whip. _I loved that whip_. Alex carefully lowered the pipe and laid it down on the rooftop before kicking it aside. It was better to do what they said and live to see another day in the world of the dead.

"You're making the right decision to cooperate." Calvin said.

Calvin turned to me and said, "You look like the one in charge of your little group. I know you aren't staying in the library. It's filled with walking dead... or it was. I will make this easy on you; tell us where you're staying and we will let you live. All we want is the food."

"Okay." I finally said.

There was no use arguing with them.

"I will take you to it." I said with a sigh.

"Good." Calvin said and nodded, "We aren't bad people."

"Then why did you kill that man just now?" Mom called over.

I motioned for her to quiet down and then turned to face Calvin again. He was growing impatient.

"We lost all our food because of him." Calvin said.

"And so he deserved to die?" Alex asked confused.

"It's a whole new world out there." Calvin said, "You either kill or die... or die and kill and I would much rather stay alive. I could not keep a weak link in my chain. He had to go... and so did his good for nothing sister."

Derrick glanced over the edge of the rooftop and then hurried over to Calvin. He whispered something that rattled Calvin a bit. Both of them walked over to the edge and glanced over. Calvin turned to me and gestured for me to come over to the edge. I was a bit reluctant, but had no choice.

I got to the edge and glanced at the street down below. It was crawling with the undead. There had to be at least a hundred, maybe even more.

"We can't stay up here forever." Derrick told Calvin, "They can smell us, you know. They aren't leaving."

"We can take most of them out from up here." Calvin said.

"No." I pleaded, "Gunfire just attracts more of them."

"So what do you suggest?" Calvin asked annoyed.

"Hand to hand combat." I said.

Calvin and Derrick looked at me with completely blank faces. I could not tell whether they understood what I said. They definitely heard what I said, but perhaps they did not understand.

"Are you insane?" Calvin finally asked, "We are outnumbered. It will be suicide."

I shook my head and said, "I can do it. I just need my whip."

"No way." Calvin exclaimed, "I am not giving you your sex toy weapon back."

"He is pretty good." Michelle yelled over, "He can take them."

I looked Calvin in the eyes and it was evident that he was contemplating his next move. Should he trust me or not? Did he have a choice?

"You can trust him." Mom yelled over.

Calvin nudged his head at Fred and Garth and the two of them jumped over to the other rooftop. Garth pistol-whipped mom in the face and she fell to her knees crying in pain. Every inch of me wanted to jump across and kill both of the men for hurting mom, but my logic told me that they would execute both mom and Michelle before I got there.

"If you try anything," Calvin said and handed the whip to me, "I will kill both of them."

I stared at Calvin for a moment before taking the coiled up whip. I had never hated anyone as much as I did at that moment. I wanted to crush his skull with my bare hands, but restrained myself. I did not know how yet, but before the night was over I would kill Calvin. He would not see another sunrise.

"This isn't over." I warned him.

"You don't scare me, little man." Calvin chuckled.

I wished he choked on his own laugh and died. I glanced back over at the other rooftop and watched as Michelle helped mom to her feet. She held her head back and Michelle tried to help stop the bleeding. Fred and Garth stood with their guns pointed at Michelle and mom. I gave Calvin one final glare and walked over to the fire escape.

Corpses lay on the stairs of the fire escape, but none of the undead in the street below seemed to know how to get up the stairs. I still had no idea how I would slay over a hundred walking corpse. I climbed over the lifeless corpses as I made my way down the fire escape. When I got to the halfway landing, I noticed that a handful of the walking corpses were inspecting the base of the fire escape. I spotted an open area between some of the walking corpses which was about six feet away. I could make it if I jumped.

I vaulted myself over the railing and jumped to the opening below. I landed on my feet and then uncoiled the whip. One by one the surrounding corpses turned around to face me. Most of them had flesh missing from their blood-stained faces. It was time to step up. It was time to put down the dead and show Calvin and his men that I was a force to be reckoned with.

The zombies were getting closer from every direction and I readied my whip. I heard a growl and then out of nowhere Fluffy jumped and tackled two zombies to the ground. He chomped at the one's neck and tore its head clean off. Fluffy glanced up at me as if letting me know _he has my back_ and then he started attacking more zombies. At least I had back up, so it shouldn't take long.

I gripped the handle and with a quick motion of my hand, I threw the whip into a half wave. The end of the whip made a cracking sound as it sliced through the heads of three zombies to my left. I took a split second to savour the satisfactory feeling of handling the whip and then threw the whip into a full wave and the end of the whip decapitated five zombies. Fluffy jumped past me and tackled a nearby zombie to the ground.

More and more of the undead were approaching, which meant I could not slow down. I threw the whip into a loop and sustained the loop as I walked forward. The whip decapitated zombies left and right as it whisked around me. I continued the motion and cut down more and more of the undead. The more zombies approached, the faster I looped the whip and cut them down before they could even get within a foot of me.

All I could see as I walked through the crowd of the dead was the blood-stained faces being severed from their rotting bodies as the whip sliced through their necks. The crowd thinned out and then the last zombie fell. I slowed down the loop and the end of the whip fell to the ground. I scrutinized the vicinity around me; there wasn't a single zombie left standing. Fluffy barked proudly and ran up to me with his tongue flapping out of the corner of his bloody mouth. I patted his head and then turned around to face the library. Though they were far away and masked by darkness, I could tell from their body language that Calvin and his men were impressed.

I motioned with a wave of my hand that it was safe to come down.

12

Calvin hurried mom down the fire escape by shoving his shotgun muzzle in her back.

"I'm going, I'm going." Mom said.

Derrick, Fred and Garth led Michelle and Alex down and were less rough with them. There was just something purely evil about Calvin. The way he spoke and walked suggested that he used to be a gangster or something while the others were just survivors that tagged along to stay alive. Gangsters were trouble. They weren't the suit-and-tie gangsters you saw in movies. Real life gangsters were from the streets and their brutality was unmatched.

"Move." Calvin yelled and shoved mom again.

They walked down the street and met me in front of a fire hydrant.

"I am impressed." Calvin said, "You have some pretty good fighting skills for a boy."

"Thank you." I said calmly.

Derrick grabbed my whip and stuffed it into his backpack.

"How am I supposed to defend myself?" I asked, "I need my whip. We can be overrun by the undead at any time out here in the street."

"I'm pretty sure you can get along quite fine without it." Calvin said, "Now take us to where you hide your food."

I nodded, but I was not about to lead them to our house on Elm Street. As soon as they got their food they would kill us; perhaps not me, but the others. I turned around and stared down the street. Though I grew up in Kingston Valley, everything looked different at night – especially after the apocalypse happened. Some of the buildings no longer had signs up and a few crashed cars lined the streets.

"Hurry up." Calvin said while analysing the area.

The air was thick with concern and hatred as the two groups were forced to walk together down the abandoned streets of hell.

Fred jogged up to me while holding his shotgun firmly in both hands.

"That is quite a dog you have here." Fred said.

"Thanks." I said, but didn't really pay attention to him.

"How long did it take you to train a Husky to be an attack dog?" Fred asked.

"I didn't train him." I said annoyed.

"Oh." Fred said.

He glanced over at Fluffy whom walked on my other side.

"I bet he has a great name;" Fred said, "Something like _Killer, Assassin,_ or _Cujo._ "

I looked at Fred and said bluntly, "Fluffy. His name is Fluffy."

Fred nodded and said a bit foolishly, "That's cool too. I guess it takes you by surprise when a dog called _Fluffy_ attacks and kills a bunch of zombies."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked Fred.

Fred glanced back nervously at Calvin behind us and then turned back to me.

"Calvin is insane." Fred said, "I am a good person."

I grunted, but did not believe a word he was saying.

"You have to believe me." Fred said in a hushed tone, "Normally I do not associate with guys like him. Things have changed in the last few days. You will be surprised to what lengths people will go to stay alive... even eating squirrels. I would probably be dead if I did not join his group. I was a bank teller before all of this happened. I had a wife and a five year old daughter. The zombies got my wife."

I noticed that he seemed agitated.

"What about your daughter?" I asked.

"Calvin has her locked up." Fred whispered, "He said it's his insurance that I cooperate."

I'm not sure why, but I believed him. I guess it was the sincerity in his voice that gave away how scared he really was of Calvin. The more I got a glimpse into this group that held us hostage, the clearer it became that Calvin was one disturbed individual. Even during the worst times in history, a good man keeps his values while a bad man gets worse and worse. Calvin was a loose cannon and threatened the safety of people I cared about. Though all life was precious in the world of the dead, he had to be eliminated.

"I tried reasoning with him." Fred said cautiously, "But he is a man who cannot be reasoned with. The story about Pedro and the food is not the entire story. We had a camp of about ten people just outside Kingston Valley. We got overrun and Calvin started killing our people... _our_ people. He said he was doing them a favour by putting them out of their misery. Pedro and his sister fled with a bag of canned food, but he tracked them down and killed her."

"What are you gossiping about, you turd?" Calvin called ahead.

"Nothing." Fred called back.

"He's a real charmer." I murmured over to Fred, making him chuckle a bit.

"And Garth?" I asked.

I did not really want to know much about the man who hit mom, but I could not help it. It was the good in me that was intrigued.

"He said he was a teacher." Fred said, "But I have my doubts about him. He has a violent streak in him."

"I noticed." I mumbled to myself.

I glanced back over my shoulder at the rest of the group behind me. Mom's nose stopped bleeding, but it was swollen. Garth and Calvin walked behind mom and Michelle while Derrick walked next to Alex. Calvin and Derrick seemed to have the least amount of humanity left in them, while Garth was debatable.

"How much further is it?" Calvin demanded.

"Not much further." I said.

I could lead him all over the town and down a cliff and just say that I got lost. I could lead him right into a group of zombies and hope they eat him. He struck me as the greedy kind – the kind of guy who would push a starving man aside to get to the food and then take the largest portion. It was this greediness that oozed from his demeanour that gave me the perfect solution to our little problem.

"It's right up here." I said and pointed, "In the hospital."

We crossed the street and then stopped in front of the hospital in order for the others to catch up. I inspected the doors from afar. They were still intact as we left them, no intruders or zombies forced their way in.

Calvin and the rest joined Fred and I in front of the hospital. Calvin stared at the building with an _oh why did we not think to pillage this building_ look on his face.

"This is where your stash is?" Calvin asked convinced.

"Yes." I said adamantly.

He shoved Michelle with the muzzle of his shotgun and said, "Let's go then."

I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm and focused on the task at hand. I walked up to the entrance of the hospital and pushed open one door and then motioned for the rest to follow me inside.

"It's pretty clever camping out in a hospital." Calvin said, "You have the cafeteria food, medicine and secure doors."

"The doors are made of glass." Derrick said, "Does not look very secure to me."

I could see that mom, Michelle and Alex was not certain as to what my plan was, but they played along.

"The glass is bulletproof." Alex said hastily.

I led the group to the stairwell and up to the first floor. I glanced over at Derrick's backpack that hung from his one shoulder. I needed my whip should something go wrong with the plan, but taking it from him would be a risk. I just had to try and get along without it.

"Over here." I said.

I led them down the hallway on the first floor towards the incubating room. My heart was racing and I was not quite sure what to expect once we opened the door.

"In here." I said and pointed at the door.

Calvin stared at the door like someone who won the lottery and then shoved Michelle aside.

"Get out of my way." Calvin said forcefully.

"No need to get rough." Michelle mumbled to herself.

Calvin was not paying attention to what Michelle said and stepped closer to the door. Garth stepped closer to Calvin as he turned the doorknob. They were pretty sure they had struck big on the food stash; why would we have reason to lie to them?

I carefully motioned for mom, Michelle and Alex to step back and they did so quietly without detection. Fred, however saw what was going on, but kept quiet. He gripped his shotgun tightly and stared at the door with anticipation while Derrick stood next to a window in ignorance.

Calvin turned the doorknob and carefully pushed open the door. He stood in the doorway a moment and then out of the darkness three dead babies scurried across the floor at an incredible rate. One jumped onto Calvin and the other two jumped past him and onto Garth. The two babies started gnawing down on Garth's face and tore the skin off with their toothless mouths as he screamed.

Another baby scurried across the floor and jumped at Fred. He ducked out of the way and the baby jumped onto Derrick, scratching and biting. Screaming in pain, Derrick tried to fight off the dead baby and he crashed through the window; and probably – hopefully – fell to his death.

"Run!" I yelled at the others.

Calvin grabbed the dead baby and snapped its neck. Furiously he pointed his gun at mom, but Fluffy bit him on the arm. A shot went off and someone cried out in pain. It all happened so fast. Fluffy let go of Calvin's arm just as three more dead babies jumped onto Calvin. I turned to the others while Calvin fought off the dead babies.

Alex lay in a pool of blood grasping at his right leg in agony. His leg was amputated just above the knee and he was losing a lot of blood. Michelle tried to apply pressure while mom tried to keep him calm.

"My leg!" Alex cried out in pain, "My leg!"

Fred stood in silence and watched in horror, not knowing what to do.

"Are you coming or staying?" I asked Fred.

Fred nodded and lowered his shotgun. He clipped it onto a holster in his belt.

"Grab his arms." I told Fred. "We need to get him out of here."  
Alex was still hollering in pain as Fred and I each grabbed an arm and started to drag him away. I glanced over in the distance at Calvin as he wrestled with the undead babies. He fought them without screaming, but in the end everyone screams.
13

We dragged Alex over to the stairs and carried him down. He screamed all the way; not that I could blame him. He was missing a limb. Mom tried to calm him down, but it did not help. He was in too much pain.

"You have to quiet down." I told Alex, "You will attract the undead."

Alex kept screaming as we reached the ground floor, and then he quieted down as he blacked out. It was probably for the best. I glanced over my shoulders at our dark surroundings, looking for the cafeteria.

"Where are we going?" Michelle asked.

"The cafeteria." I said, "We have to cauterize the wound."

We hurried down the corridor towards the cafeteria while mom hurried ahead and opened the swing doors for us. We rushed into the cafeteria and laid Alex down on a nearby table. I ran over to the kitchen, turned on a stove plate and grabbed a pan. I heated the pan on the plate until it was scorching red and then ran back over to Alex.

"He's turning pale." Mom said.

"I know." I said frantically.

I grabbed his stump of a leg and then pressed the hot pan against the wound. The flesh singed and the aroma of cooked meat filled the air. Alex woke up, let out one scream of pain and then blacked out again. I ensured that I cauterize the entire wounded area and then lifted the pan away from his stump.

"Is he going to be alright?" Fred asked worried.

"I don't know." I said, "I hope so, but he needs blood."

"A transfusion?" Fred asked, "Does anybody know how to do it?"

Michelle raised her hand and said, "I read up on it for a school project once. I should be able to do it."

"We have to try." I said, "But what blood do we give him?"

"O positive." Michelle said, "It can be administered to both A and B blood groups."

I nodded and said, "Right. There is a blood bank on the other side of the corridor."

I noticed a door that said "blood storage" when I broke in earlier and had my little run-in with the dead babies.

The cafeteria doors behind me creaked slowly. I turned around and watched as Calvin pushed open the doors and slowly stepped in. His gun hung from his belt and his face was covered in blood. He seemed pissed.

"Calvin," I said warningly.

I noticed that he seemed distant and non-responsive, and then I noticed that his eyes were black. He was infected. He finally got what he deserved, karma got him and now I could kill him without feeling bad about it.

Calvin growled as I stepped up to him. I balled my hand into a fist as he turned to face me. His empty eyes brought me satisfaction beyond words. I bashed him in the face and my fist went right through his skull. I retracted my fist and his lifeless corpse fell to the floor. Fluffy ran over and sniffed the corpse and then stared up at me with his tail wagging.

I turned and faced the others. They seemed lost and desperate. I needed to get the blood as soon as possible in order to save Alex's life.

"I'm going to get the blood." I said and shook the excess gore off my fist.

I know what you're thinking; I just killed a man like it was an everyday thing. Who kills a zombie and then continues having a conversation like nothing happened? A cool person of course.

"I'm coming with you." Fred said.

I looked at him, not sure whether I could trust him yet. I would rather trust him at my side than alone with mom and Michelle so I nodded. A lot goes through one's mind when someone you cared about is hurt; one of them is putting yourself in harm's way to save them.

"Let's go." I said.

I nudged towards the door and Fred followed me. We closed the doors, barricaded it with a couple of chairs and made sure the swing doors were secured. As we walked down the murky corridor, I wished I had my whip (or axe) with me. A wielding weapon is a must when fighting the undead. Not only does it keep the flesh hungry fiends at bay, but it looks cool too.

"I'm real sorry about your friend." Fred said.

"You didn't pull the trigger." I said.

"I know." Fred said hesitantly, "But I was the one that pointed out to Calvin that you were on the roof of the library. I swear I had no idea things would play out the way they did."

I nodded, but said nothing. There was nothing _to_ say. I mean, what was I supposed to say to someone handing out confessions to clear his conscience? I was not prepared to bless him like a priest in a confessional and send him on his merry way. He made his decisions and now he had to live with them. At first he said that Calvin was a loose cannon, and then he said he had no idea that Calvin would go around shooting people in my group. I mean seriously, how daft is that? So he led a mentally unstable man to a group of survivors on a rooftop thinking they would share a soda together or something? In a way I blamed him, though I knew it wasn't really his fault that Alex got shot.

"My friend will be alright." I said adamantly.

"Are we cool?" Fred asked.

We walked in silence as I ignored him.

"You're not going to kill me or throw me to the dead?" He asked again.

"No." I said bluntly.

Though I did not care much for him, I was not the man Calvin was and would spare Fred's life. One never knew when you might actually need a second pair of hands.

"But if he dies," I said coldly, "I'm blaming you."

I knew it was not the right thing to say – to blame Fred, but I wanted to fuel his guilt and motivate him to succeed in finding the blood. I noticed that he nodded, but he did not say anything about it as we continued down the hallway. The hallway would have been completely dark if it wasn't for the moonlight that entered through a window at the end of the hallway.

We came to the last door on the left which was marked _Restricted Entry: Cold Storage Blood._ The door was locked, but with a mighty jerk I opened it, breaking the lock. Cold steam seeped out like you would see in the movies and twirled around our feet as we walked.

"We're looking for O positive." I said and we went inside the cold storage room.

The storage room was filled with, heck I don't know what you call them but they looked like display units turned into refrigerators – anyway, we went through all of them and then Fred announced that he found an IV drip bag of O positive blood.

"Found it." Fred said.

I turned around and as I walked over to him a cracking sound rolled through the sky outside. I paused and listened but I could not identify the sound.

"Was that thunder?" Fred asked.

There was another cracking sound outside followed by a slight sonic boom. It was definitely _not_ thunder.

"I don't think so." I said, "It's too high pitched to be thunder."

"Then what is it?" Fred asked.

"For all we know it could be the gates of hell opening." I said.

We heard the sound again, followed by a roar and the sound of crashing water. I motioned for Fred to follow me and we left the cold storage room. When we got closer to the window, the noise sounded more like moaning.

Fred and I both stared out at the street, but could not see the street. It was completely flooded by hundreds – if not thousands of the undead. All of them simply stood there swaying back and forth as if hypnotized while they moaned. Usually they would overrun buildings if they smelled human flesh, but not this time. They just stood there with their rotting faces staring up at Fred and me at the window.

The cracking sound boomed through the air again and made us both look to the left. A roar confirmed that we were looking in the right direction. I saw a man without flesh on his face sitting on the back of a lion flipping my whip through the air.

"Slayer!" The man called out, "We need to talk!"

"Is that... Derrick?" Fred asked confused.

"No. Not anymore" I said, "It's Clairvius."

"Who?" Fred asked confused.

"I'm not sure." I said, "But this looks like trouble."

"Is the lion a zombie?" Fred asked.

"No." I said and glanced at the sea of motionless corpses, "It has no bite marks. I think it just died. I think he is controlling it."

"Why aren't the zombies attacking us?" Fred asked.

"I think he is controlling them in some way." I said and then turned to him, "Get the blood back to Alex, barricade the door and do not come out – no matter what happens."

"What about you?" Fred asked.

"I'm going to hear what he wants." I said.

Fred nodded and reluctantly ran back to the cafeteria. I glanced out the window at Clairvius sitting on the back of the lion. He looked up at me with his skinless face grinning at me like a demented joker. I wish I had more information about Clairvius and how I could defeat him. He was clearly an ancient evil with powers beyond comparison – I mean; he was controlling a sea of corpses for crying out loud. I had to be extremely cautious.

"Are you coming out or are we coming in?" Clairvius called out.
14

I weighed my options against each other. My friends and family stood no chance against the undead should they overrun the hospital. Alex was in no state to be moved and mom was not really one of the fastest runners on earth. It would be better if I just went outside and listened to what he wanted.

"Are you coming out or are we coming in?" Clairvius called out, "I won't ask you again."

"I'm coming out!" I called out.

_I should probably take some sort of weapon with me,_ I thought to myself. Clairvius might have been a lion-riding ancient evil that controlled the dead around him, but what if that control was lost? What then? Would I be able to fight off thousands of the undead, at night no less? I don't mean to boast, but even though I was one heck of a fighter – though not always – I could not take on all of them outside the hospital. It would be suicide.

My eyes searched the corridor for anything that could be used as a weapon and then I spotted a familiar sight: a fire hatchet locked in a glass casing. It immediately brought back memories of the first time I ever killed zombies (in the school, remember?)... Though it was only a few days ago, it felt like a lifetime ago. I guess time goes by slower than it feels when you are fighting to stay alive.

I broke the glass casing with my elbow and took a hold of the hatchet. Its blade glistened as the moonlight touched it. It was a bit smaller and lighter than an axe, but it would have to do.

With hatchet in hand, I cleared the barricade in front of the main entrance doors as I kept a close eye on the lingering corpses outside. They stood about six feet away from the door, but never stormed the door as I opened it. The utter motionlessness that came from the hordes of zombies was unsettling. They watched as I closed the door and then they cleared a pathway when I approached them. They cleared a pathway right up to Clairvius and the lion. I slowly walked down the pathway and scrutinized the zombie faces around me. Some had missing eyes, missing lips and some had complete missing faces and only exposed skull. Most of them murmured a whine or groan which washed over the groan of the next one to create a constant noise of the undead.

When I got closer to the lion, he motioned for me to stop and then he dismounted from the dead lion.

"That is close enough." Clairvius said.

He patted the dead lion and approached me while the lion sat down and licked its front paw. I have to admit, I felt a bit nervous at that time, but decided to keep my cool demeanour.

"Purple eyes..." Clairvius gloated, "It's so nice to see your face again."

I stared at the exposed teeth and muscle that covered Clairvius's face and cringed a bit.

"I wish I could say the same." I said smug.

"Yeah." Clairvius said, "This vessel is a bit battered, but he put up quite a fight – he fought off a zombie baby, survived a fall from a first floor and fought off three zombies before dying. He was the perfect host for me."

"What is it that you want?" I asked a bit annoyed.

"That's no way to speak to an old friend." Clairvius said, "We used to be friends, remember? We played video games."

"No," I said shaking my head, "That was Richard. You killed him and stole his memories."

"I stole his memories, yes." Clairvius said, "Which made me experience the bond the two of you had. It had real potential. You could have been lifelong buddies... or at least that's what Richard thought. Did he tell you that? He wanted to become your best friend, I know because I experienced his thoughts."

I knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to get into my mind and play games on me. It would not work. I would simply shut him out.

"You're trying to mess with my head." I said, "It won't work."

"Awww..." Clairvius said empathetically, "Now why would you say such a horrible thing about your dear old friend? You should know me better than that. Why would you think I would want to mess with your mind?"

"I don't know." I said, "You tell me."

"I like you." Clairvius said, "You're not like the other slayers. You have spunk. I like spunk; it makes you different from the crowd. If you did not have it, you would have been part of this throng of zombies around me long ago."

He talked a lot of nonsense. I didn't like it one bit. What was he playing at?

"I doubt it." I said, "I've survived this long, I will see this zombie apocalypse through to the end."

"That's the spirit!" Clairvius exclaimed and a front tooth fell out, "I knew from the second I saw you that you were different. It is written all over your face. The others all smell like fresh meat, but you give off a different odour – an odour which I would love to experience."

"Sounds to me like you have some homosexual tendencies." I said arrogantly, "Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against gay guys. In fact, one of my best friends is gay."

Two could play the mind game.

"I do not have any sexual desires for you whatsoever." Clairvius said, "I just would like to be inside your body and completely possess you."

I have to admit, that comment creeped me out a bit, but it gave me something to work with... to find out more about the name Clairvius.

"Are you a demon?" I asked, "Are you possessing the bodies of the dead?"

Clairvius laughed and then said, "A demon? Is that what you think of me? No, my dear boy. I am not a demon."

"What are you then?" I asked.

Clairvius stepped closer and I could taste his breath as he spoke.

"I am too old for you to fathom." Clairvius said, "It would exhaust every cell in your brain to comprehend _what_ I am."

"According to the encyclopaedia Clairvius was born in 1822." I said and contorted my face with smug.

"Ah." Clairvius exclaimed and stepped back, "You got me. I am a man born in 1822."

He stepped closer, leaned in and stared at me with his bloody eyes that had no eyelids.

"Clairvius is just a man who I happened to possess." He said, "I liked the name and it stuck. You can do your little internet searches and you will find _nothing_ about the real me, and do you know why that is? I am older than human knowledge."

"You sound full of yourself." I said.

"I don't have to be." Clairvius said, "You can never defeat me. None of the previous slayers could. You can kill me over and over, but I will just return in another body – a dead one of course. I prefer the smell of a rotting corpse."

I got a whiff of his odour and cringed.

"Apparently so." I said and tried not to gag.

"You're really cocky." Clairvius said amused, "I like that. You like taking risks. None of the other slayers ever dared to even talk to me, nevermind taunt me. I could easily kill you if I wanted. I could simply give the word and these zombies around us would tear you to bits."

"So why don't you?" I asked arrogantly.

He stepped back as if pondering and then said, "You make things interesting. While others are struggling to stay alive in a battle of the fittest, you save the useless. It's noble, I might be dead, but I know nobleness when I see it. And without you..."

At that point I was getting fed up with him. He was just playing for time.

"What is it that you want?" I asked annoyed.

He could tell that I was being serious and getting fed up. If he had any skin on his face, I bet his facial expression would have perplexed.

"I want you to know," He said seriously, "This is nothing personal. I tend on taking over this world of yours once and for all. Other slayers before you have tried to stop the apocalypse and defeated me momentarily. If you get in my way, I will kill everyone you love and make you watch. I will have my biggest zombie rape and eat the women in your group, as well as your gay friend and I will kill the rest myself. Do you understand what I am saying?"
15

How do you respond to an ancient dead thing that threatened to rape and eat your friends and family? I desperately wanted to chop his head off then and there, but knew as soon as his head fell to the ground his minions would tear me and the hospital apart. I stood there speechless for a moment and then nodded at his skinless face.

"Good." Clairvius said, "I have work to do. I will leave you to tend to your injured friend; yes we can all smell his blood. I know you are a man of your word, I can see it in those mesmerizing purple eyes of yours, but to make sure you keep your word..."

There was a moment of silence and then he continued, "As soon as you enter that hospital again, I will release these corpses from my control and they will try eat you again. It should keep you occupied."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, "I have innocent people in there that do not deserve to die."

"Nobody deserved to die." Clairvius shot back, "And yet half of the world is the walking dead. Do you think these zombies around you did not have families of their own?"

He nudged his head over to the hospital and said, "You'd better get back. Time is running out."

Clairvius's body exploded into a black vapour which slowly washed over the rest of the undead in the street. As the vapour touched them, their mind control subsided and their killing instinct kicked in. I ran back to the hospital and barricaded the doors once I was inside.

As more and more of the undead snapped out of their mind-controlled state, they slowly flocked towards the hospital doors. The first few slammed up against the glass panels and started pounding with their bloody hands. I hoped to God that the glass was indeed bullet proof as Alex joked earlier.

The barricade seemed to hold despite being only a couple of desks and chairs. The doors did not budge, but it would not hold forever. I would have to think of something else to keep the dead outside.

It was a terrifying and sad sight to see these undead creatures gathering outside the doors. They once had families who cared about them. They all were someone's mother, father, son or daughter and now they were mindless killing machines with an unquenchable hunger for flesh of the living. In the horde outside I spotted a few faces I recognized – my English teacher was one of them. I loved that teacher. She always had a _thought of the day_ scribbled on the corner of the blackboard which motivated some of us to better ourselves. She had the warmest smile and made everyone feel special in their own way. Now she was just another rotting face with human flesh stuck between her teeth.

Maggie was one of the undead outside as well. She was in Kingston High school and I always saw her in the hallway when I got books from my locker. I never really knew or talked to her, but when she passed me she would always greet me by saying _'hi locker guy'._ She had the most crooked, yellow teeth on earth, but it did not stop her from smiling at the world. She was still smiling as she stood in the horde outside; only because she had no lips anymore...

I stared at the throng of walking corpses a moment longer and then turned away. It took me a moment to remember that Michelle said she would try to transfuse the blood and I hurried down the corridor towards the cafeteria. I undid the barricade in front of the doors and went inside.

Mom was holding the bag of blood up in the air which allowed the blood to flow down the tube and into Alex's arm as he still lay unconscious. It seemed like everything was in order. Michelle smiled at me as I walked over to her.

"He is regaining color in his face." Michelle said, "I think he will make it."

I let out a sigh of relief. Even though he used to be my bully, I still cared whether he lived or died. He was more like a friend to me – okay, a friend who tried to make out with me, but still a friend.

"Good." I said relieved.

Fred smiled at me a little bit nervously and I nodded at him. I think he proved himself as trustworthy. Even though he was an enemy when we met, I now considered him an ally and part of our group.

"Thank you." I said to Fred and he nodded.

"What's going on outside, Zac?" Mom asked.

I turned to her, but did not know how to tell them that the entire world of the dead stood at our door.

"It's pretty bad." I said.

"How bad?" Michelle asked.

"Pretty bad." I said, "I ran in to our friend Clairvius... the one from our kitchen."

"Didn't you kill that boy?" Mom asked confused.

"Apparently he cannot be killed." I said with a sigh.

"What does he want?" Mom asked.

"He wants to take over our world." I said.

"Well, you have to stop him." Mom said.

If only it were as easy as that. I could not risk him hurting anyone I cared about. And besides, how do you kill something that does not die?

"It's not that easy." I said, "He just returns in another body. I'm not sure I can kill him."

"Well, do you have a plan?" Michelle asked.

"At the moment," I said, "No."

A heavy silence hung in the air as they waited for a deliverance I could not give them.

"What happens now?" Fred asked.

"We have about a couple thousand of undead corpses at our door." I said, "We fight them off and defend this building. We have to stay here as long as possible in order for Alex to recover."

Fred nodded and said, "Right... how do we do that?"

If only I had all the answers. How _do_ we fight off thousands of zombies without getting infected or killed?

"They walk slow, don't they?" Mom asked.

"Not all of them." I said, remembering the babies.

"The fresher the zombie is, the faster they can move." Michelle said, "As soon as rigor mortis sets in, their limbs stiffen and they slow down, but it does not seem to stop them."

"Igor what?" Fred asked baffled.

"Rigor mortis." Michelle said, "We learned about it in Biology. The body stiffens about three hours after death... that is why some of the zombies move slow and contortedly."

Fred nodded as if understanding, but I could tell he did not understand a word she said. A zombie was a zombie to him. He could not tell a difference between any of them.

"But the slow ones you can fight off?" Mom asked.

"Not without risking the fast ones to overpower me or overrun the building." I said, "It's too much of a risk."

It was one of those desperate times during – any – apocalypse that you wished there was still some branch of government left and that the army would swoop in to save the day.
16

The watch against the cafeteria wall said it was just after ten PM; whether the time was accurate was a different story. Alex was still unconscious at that time, but regained all the color in his face which was a good thing. Mom checked the dressing on his wound and the wound itself. It seemed that he was clear of any infections.

I tried not to think about Alex's reaction when he woke up. He was alive and that was all that mattered, though it might take some effort to convince him of that. He was one of the best athletes our school ever had and now he was a cripple.

I lingered next to Alex's side while mom and Michelle got a bit of shut eye at a table on the other side of the cafeteria. We decided to sleep in shifts just in case the front doors were breached.

Fred approached me and glanced over at mom and Michelle.

"I'm glad your friend will be alright." Fred said.

"Thank you." I said nodding.

"I know this is not the time to ask," Fred said, "But when is the right time to ask when zombies have taken over the world? When and if we get out of this hospital, I was wondering if you could help me get my daughter back. She is only five years old and probably scared half to death."

"Do you know where she is?" I asked.

Fred shook his head and said, "Not really, but I overheard Calvin mention something about a mausoleum once."

"A mausoleum?" I asked baffled.

It was a macabre thing to put a girl in a mausoleum during a zombie apocalypse, but I would not put it past Calvin. He was one sadistic man. I knew that the cemetery had three of them.

"I know it is not much to go on, but it is all I have." Fred pleaded, "Please, will you help me?"

I nodded and said, "Of course."

"Thank you." Fred said with a sigh of relief.

"But we need to figure out a way out of here." I said.

I noticed that Alex shifted a bit and then he opened his eyes. I rushed over to his side and prevented him from trying to get up.

"What happened?" Alex asked.

"Just lay still." I said to him.

"I can't feel my leg." Alex sobbed, "It's gone, isn't it? It really happened?"

I nodded at him empathetically. I could never begin to understand the feelings that were rushing through his mind at that moment.

"But at least you are alive." I said, trying to cheer him up.

"I was going to become a stand-up comedian." Alex sobbed, "Look at me; who's gonna laugh at me now?"

"But you're not funny." I joked.

"Some of the best jokes are about cripples." Fred joked.

Alex chuckled and started sobbing again, "I can't even stand up. I am useless."

No matter what I tried to say to him, it would not help. He was mourning the loss of his leg. He rolled over onto his side. He needed some time to accept what happened to him.

"I need to be alone." He whimpered.

"Let me know if you need anything." I said and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

I nudged my head and motioned to Fred that we should give Alex some space. We sat down at a table a few tables over from Michelle and mom.

"Have you thought of anyway out?" Fred asked.

"I think we should get out of town." I said, "Go to a farm or somewhere remote. It seems most of the undead are in town."

Fred nodded and asked, "And how do we do that? We cannot simply walk out of here."

"We cannot exactly fight our way out either." I said, "Not with the state Alex is in."

"We could drive out of here?" Fred said, "In an ambulance?"

It could work... if we could get to it.

"Maybe." I said, "But the dispatch garage is on the other side of the lot. We would have to go outside."

There was a moment of silence and then Fred spoke again.

"What if we could go outside without being detected?" Fred asked.

I was intrigued by his statement, but was also a bit concerned about what he was plotting.

17

"It's too dangerous." I told Fred.

"It's worth a shot." Fred said.

"And what if the plan does not work?" I asked, "There are at least a hundred things that could go wrong. What if the undead storm the building while we try to get out? Michelle, Alex and my mother would be vulnerable."

"It _will_ work." Fred said.

"How do you know?" I asked sceptically, "Because you saw a similar thing in a movie?"

"Yes." Fred said, "Actually it was a documentary. This mountain tracker camouflaged himself with bear urine and the bears could not detect him. I think we can do the same thing with the undead."

"You want one of them to pee on you?" I asked.

"No." Fred said, "We use their rotting guts as camouflage."

I needed a moment to process what he said. I was not convinced that we could camouflage ourselves and walk undetected through thousands of the undead. Something was bound to go wrong.

"We should at least try." Fred pleaded.

Concern for the safety of his missing daughter was propelling him and it was written all over his face. A concerned and desperate father would do almost anything and risk his life for his child. I was worried that he was making rushed decisions which could end up killing someone.

"Have you thought this through?" I asked, "How do you want to do this?"

"The babies on the first floor." Fred said, "We gut them and rub their entrails over ourselves. The stench will camouflage us. It should work."

I was not too sure whether his plan would work; there was a fifty fifty chance of it working which was probably better than nothing. If we were to get out of there, we would need a vehicle to move Alex.

"Okay." I said, "Let's give it a shot."

18

The sound of thousands of the undead gathering outside the hospital echoed through the night air. As Fred and I made our way up the stairs, I kept glancing back over my shoulders expecting the front doors to give way and the dead to pour in. The doors were seemingly stronger than I expected glass doors to be.

The stairwell was as dark as the night outside and we felt our way along the wall. The first floor was twilit by the moon shining in through the broken window at the end of the hallway. I stared at the incubation room a few feet away; the door was closed. I could not tell whether there were any dead babies left except the one with the broken neck lying at the end of the hallway.

I cautiously stepped closer to the door to the incubation room and knocked.

"Hello?" I asked while pushing opened the door.

The room seemed abandoned, no dead babies in sight. Perhaps we killed them all? I closed the door and turned to Fred who was already crouching down next to the dead baby with the broken neck.

"I think this is the only one left." I said.

"It will have to do." Fred said.

I noticed the tag on its little arm. It used to be someone's pride and joy and could possibly have been someone's first born. Did its father and mother even get to see its face before the infection spread?

"What's its name?" I asked.

"Does it matter?" Fred asked.

"To me it does." I said.

Fred sighed and glanced at the tag.

"Baby Philips." Fred said.

Baby Philips... It did not even have a proper name yet. It was incredibly sad that the world could end your life before you even had a proper name.

"Are you getting cold feet?" Fred asked annoyed.

"No." I said, "Let's do this."

Something just felt out of place. Perhaps it was the gruesomeness of what we were about to do, perhaps it was something else. I just had the strangest feeling that we were in danger. How many babies were there? I remember three or four jumping Calvin, one jumped onto Derrick and he fell out of the window, and I think two jumped onto Garth.... What happened to Garth? His body was not in the hallway.

"Wait." I whispered.

"What?" Fred asked.

"What happened to Garth's body?"

Fred stood up and searched the hallway. He was just as mystified about Garth's body. If there was no body it meant that Garth was undead and roaming the hospital. He could be anywhere.

"We have to find him and put him down." I said.

"What about the plan?" Fred asked.

"We're still doing the plan." I said, "But we're killing Garth first. Leave the baby for now."

The sound of an iron rod falling over echoed all around. I turned around and stared down the corridor of doors. It could be Garth. He could be in one of the rooms. The only room he could possibly be in was room 1308... the room of the comatose patient. He would be the perfect meal since he could not run away.

"This way." I whispered.

Fred and I walked down the hallway towards room 1308 which was about fifteen doors down. I unhooked the hatchet from my belt – not that I really needed a weapon to kill one zombie, but it just looked cool.

I reached out towards the door of room 1308 and could hear munching sounds coming from inside. We were definitely at the right room and I pushed open the door. Garth stood towering over the coma patient and was eating intestines from a large gaping wound in the patient's stomach. Garth looked up with guts hanging from his mouth as we entered. He gave one last chew and dropped the guts. He growled and stepped out from behind the bed. I could tell that though he was a mindless killer, he was thinking about how easily he could kill us, but what he did not know was that I already planned how I would kill him.

With a loud growl Garth lashed towards us with outstretched arms. With a quick flick of my hands, I chopped off his right arm just above the elbow as I flung him up against the wall. Garth regained his footing, glanced at the severed limb and then turned around.

I picked up the severed arm by the wrist and glimpsed at the exposed bone. Garth roared and propelled himself towards me. I used the severed arm like a spear; stuck it into his mouth and impaled him on his own arm. He gurgled a second or two as he chomped down on the arm in his mouth and then his lifeless corpse fell to the floor.

I looked over at Fred who was a bit shocked at the brutality of it all and winked at him. How could he be shocked when he wanted to gut a baby?

"What about the victim?" Fred asked.

I walked over to the bed and stared down at the patient. Most of his intestines were missing. He slowly opened his eyes and groaned. I grabbed him by the hair, bashed my fist into his neck severing it and tore the head free. I stared at the head as its eyes closed and then dropped into the gaping abdomen hole.

"He won't be bothering us." I said.

"You killed both of them without hesitating." Fred said shocked.

"They were already dead." I said.

"I know," Fred said, "but it was as if you knew exactly what to do."

"It's a gift." I said, "And if you hesitate, you will get yourself killed."

We stood in a hospital room with two corpses to choose from.

"Take your pick." I told Fred.

Fred looked at the two corpses like a child trying to decide between two sets of candy. I rolled my eyes, grabbed the head out of the torso and tossed it over at Fred. He ducked out of the way and the head splatted against the wall. The head landed on its side and the teeth chomped at nothing hoping to bite something nearby.

"What the hell?" Fred asked.

"Let's use this one." I said, "Its torso is already ripped open."

Fred joined me in front of the hospital bed and we both stared down at the gory hole of intestines. Blood still oozed out of the wound and bubbled as the last of the oxygen left the blood. Fred gagged a bit at the sight, but retained himself.

"It's the most horrid thing I have ever seen." Fred said.

"Then you clearly haven't seen my mother's casserole." I joked.

I stared at the gaping wound and was fascinated by the organs that remained. I always loved biology and how the body worked. The human body was God's greatest creation and yet the only creature created by Him that chose to kill its own kind – even before the infection.

"I find it quite fascinating." I said in a daze, "All these organs working in synchronicity to create the greatest machine ever."

"And now most of them are killing machines." Fred said aptly.

I snapped out of my dazed state and looked up at Fred. He was a bit flustered and pale in his face; he was the one that came up with the plan, but now he was the one who seemed unable to go through with it.

"So what do we do?" Fred asked.

I stared at him with a raised eyebrow and asked perplexed, "Wasn't this _your_ suggestion?"

"I know." Fred said nervously, "But... I've never seen a dead corpse before."

I rolled my eyes and said, "The word _corpse_ entails that the person is dead. It's just _corpse_ , not _dead corpse._ It's like saying _wet water_."

"Well," Fred said, "I have to be specific nowadays. The dead don't stay dead."

Okay, he had me there.

"That's why we call the undead corpses _the undead._ " I said, "Or _zombies._ "

"I don't like either of those terms." Fred said, "Zombies are slow and unable to think in the movies. These things are not like the zombies in the movies... You know what I mean?"

I nodded. I knew exactly what he meant. Clairvius was not your typical zombie (or walking corpse if you like). Nothing portrayed in the movies could ever prepare anyone for Clairvius. He was something else and I was pretty sure he was behind the infection.

"Yeah." I said affirming his statement, "Call them what you want, but they are evil bastards."

I stuck my hand into the gaping hole while Fred looked away. The goo, blood and organs made little farting noises as air dispersed. The guts were still warm to the touch. I looked over at Fred and giggled a bit as he tried not to gag. I squished some organs together into a soggy goo pâté and rubbed it onto Fred's neck.

"I think I am going to throw up." Fred moaned and gagged.

"Stand still." I insisted, "It's not that bad."

"The stench is horrible." Fred said.

I grabbed another handful of organ goo and rubbed it into his hair. He let out a whimper and started to prance in one spot.

"It's running down my back." Fred moaned like a little girl.

"Good." I said, "Then I do not have to put some on your back."

Fred regurgitated and swallowed; and from the sounds of it he was quite close to throwing up.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

Fred gagged, gulped and then said, "I'm fine."

As he shook his head, more goo ran down his neck and down his back.

"Oh crap." Fred said.

He launched himself forward and vomit exploded from his mouth. He coughed out the last bit of vomit, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and turned to me.

"Are you done?" I asked.

Fred nodded and said, "I think so."

"Good." I said.

I could see he was not done and was still feeling queasy; and I felt like seeing if I could make him vomit again.

"Now," I said, "It's your turn to stick your hand into the warm guts and spread it over me."

Needless to say, he threw up again.

19

Though there was a full moon out, the world still seemed as dark as the shadows of the underworld. Without light, anyone trapped outside had no hope of surviving. Without hope, one loses the will to survive and without a will to survive... well, you get the picture.

Fred and I stood in the reception area of the hospital; both of us were covered in blood and guts – except for my hair. I gave Fred strict orders never to mess with my hair or I would feed him to the undead myself.

"What is it with your hair?" Fred asked annoyed.

"I love it and I hate it." I said, "It's a curse."

The undead were still gathered outside the glass doors, but none of them clawed or banged against the glass. They all just lingered restlessly and moaned every once in a while.

"I hope your idea works." Fred said.

"What?" I gasped, "This was _your_ idea, remember?"

"Oh." Fred said in thought, "Right..."

I shook my head and motioned for him to follow me to the door. As I remember it, I was pretty nervous as we approached the glass panel doors. There was only one way to know whether the plan would work; and if it didn't we were royally screwed.

We unstacked the barricade and then I reached for the door handle, but paused.

I took a deep breath and said, "Here we go."

I opened the door and expected the dead to flood in like cockroaches fleeing from light, but nothing happened. They stayed where they were, just lingering restlessly. Some of them sniffed our way as we stepped out into the street. Fred slowly closed the door behind him and stood next to me, keeping a nervous eye on the undead next to him.

"We should—"

"Shush." I whispered to Fred, "The undead don't talk. You have to blend in."

Fred nodded and kept quiet. We cautiously made our way through the sea of undead corpses taking care not to get caught out as two of the living. One zombie moaned as I passed him, so I started moaning like the dead. Fred raised his hands like a cartoon zombie and moaned like a porn star. I stopped and turned to him.

"That's too much." I whispered.

Fred nodded and lowered his hands. I turned to the direction of the ambulance dispatch and looked a zombie straight in the eye. It only had one functioning eye. The other one was hanging by its muscles and clanked next to its exposed row of teeth. The zombie groaned and walked away. I let out a sigh of relief (I must admit I almost soiled my pants) and we continued through the hordes of undead. We tried to move fast while walking as slow as the dead did, which made our trek more treacherous. Anyone of the undead that bothered to take a good look could have seen that we did not belong, but since they did not smell us, they did not bother to look for the living.

As we cleared most of the undead, I saw the ambulance dispatch at the end of the lot. Fred glanced at the scattered few zombies that stood between us and the dispatch.

"We're almost there." Fred whispered, "I told you it would work."

I had to admit; I had my reservations about the plan, but it all seemed to work out in the end. I felt something drip onto my nose and stopped. Fred stopped and stood next to me.

"What is it?" Fred asked.

I was not sure, but I had that strange feeling that something was about to go wrong. I stared up at the dark, night sky and a raindrop fell into my eye. A light drizzle came down and then within a matter of seconds the drizzle turned into a downpour. I stared down at my hands as the guts started washing away.

"We have to hurry." I said.

Fred and I hurried over to the dispatch trying not to alarm the scattered undead. Some of them looked at us, but did not bother as we still smelled like them. We got to the dispatch and stood under the roof. Fred gasped for air and then wiped some of the rain from his face. I grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Don't." I whispered, "You will wipe away the last of your camouflage."

I let go of his arm and he slowly lowered it. I reached for the doorknob next to my hip, but it was locked.

"It's locked." I whispered.

"Can't you break it open?" Fred asked.

"Yes." I said, "But not without attracting attention."

"What do we do now?" Fred asked alarmed.

I found it hard to think of a plan without the pressure of being attacked by the dead. When we weren't in grave danger, I could not think of a plan. My mind was a complete blank.

"Zac?" Fred asked.

I looked over at him and then at the lingering zombies out in the rain. If only I could jump start my mind then I could think of something. I knew it was a stupid idea as soon as I did it, but I stepped out into the rain anyway.

"What are you doing?" Fred whispered anxiously.

I raised my arms and let the rain wash away all the guts. The guts stained my shirt and thus the stench stayed with me. I ripped my shirt apart and tossed it aside. A moment later one of the nearby zombies turned around to face me as it sniffed the air. Here we go.

One by one more of the undead smelled my human flesh and turned around. The zombie whom stood about a yard away tried to run towards me, but it was stiff with rigor mortis making it run like a kid with scoliosis. Two zombies further away started running towards me and then a warm tingling sensation took over. I could feel ideas sparking to life in my head. Time around me slowed down and my thoughts sped up. I turned around and glanced at the despatch building. I saw a skylight in the tiled thatch – it was our way in.

"Come on!" I called out to Fred.

He glanced at the zombies running over to us and was hesitant to move. I looked back over my shoulder. The zombies were almost upon us.

"Fred!" I yelled, "Move! NOW!"

He moaned and ran over to me.

"You are going to get us eaten!" Fred cried.

"Trust me." I said confidently.

I wrapped my arm around his waist and got a firm grip.

"We won't be on the menu just yet." I said.

I bent my knees a bit and as I jumped, I catapulted us towards the roof. Fred tried not to scream as we launched into the air. We landed on our feet a few feet from the window and I helped Fred to regain his balance. He was a bit jolty and his spaghetti legs had trouble standing up.

"Are you alright?" I asked, "Can you stand?"

Fred nodded and stared down at the zombies gathering outside the building.

"How did you do that?" Fred asked flabbergasted, "It's like two storeys high."

"I don't know." I said sincerely, "I just get this adrenaline rush when they are near."

Fred nodded, but it was clear that he did not quite understand what just happened. I reached for the skylight window and opened it.

"Come on." I said, "Let's get out of the rain."

20

Ambulances were something of the past. They had no use anymore. There were no more injured or sick people that needed to be rushed to the hospital where doctors would save their lives. The world no longer had a need for medics.

I closed the skylight as we stepped onto the frame of the roof. I spotted a ladder leading down and motioned for Fred to follow me.

The two ambulances stood in darkness and silence like beacons of hope that were extinguished. We climbed down the ladder one rung at a time.

"Do you know how to drive?" I asked Fred.

"Don't you?" He asked, "Aren't you like 17?"

"And your point?" I asked.

"Boys your age know how to drive." Fred said.

"Well I don't." I said.

"I don't have a licence." Fred said.

I stopped and looked up at him a few rungs above me.

"I doubt that you will get pulled over." I said.

I continued down the last few rungs and jumped off towards the floor. I patiently waited for Fred to reach the bottom.

"Why are you climbing so slowly?" I asked annoyed.

"I don't want to slip." Fred said, "I am not wearing rubber soles."

I rolled my eyes and tried not to make a big deal out of it, but he was beginning to sound like mom.

He was still about ten rungs from the bottom.

"Well hurry up." I said, "I ain't got all night."

"I'm on my way." Fred said.

He finally reached the bottom and turned to face the ambulances. One was numbered "1" and the other "2".

"Which one do you want?" Fred asked.

"Does it matter?" I asked.

"They're numbered." Fred said, "I'm sure there is a difference."

"It does not matter." I said annoyed, "We just need something with wheels. We take whichever one starts up."

"Who are you?" I heard a voice behind me.

Fred and I turned around and faced a medic pointing a pistol at us. Both Fred and I raised our hands cautiously. The medic's uniform was splattered with blood and though blood stained, I could see that the name badge said _Henry_.

"Are you infected?" Henry asked with the pistol shaking in his hand.

"No we are not." I said cautiously.

"Were you bit or scratched." Henry asked with a trembling voice.

"No." Fred said.

"Were you—"

I grabbed the pistol from his trembling hand before he accidentally shot someone. He seemed a bit foolish without his gun.

"We are not infected." I said calmly.

I laid the pistol down on a nearby table and turned back to Henry.

"You're Henry, right?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Are you a medic?" I asked, despite the obvious uniform.

Henry nodded and said, "I was one yesterday, yes."

"Good." I said, "My name is Zac and this is Fred."

Fred nervously waved at Henry who waved back unsure of how to respond.

"I have an injured friend in the hospital that needs your help." I said.

Henry shook his head adamantly and said, "No. I'm not going out there. It's death out there. If your friend is out there, he is dead already."

"How can you say that?" I asked shocked, "What about that oath you take about saving lives?"

"That's doctors." Henry insisted, " _Not_ medics."

"What's the difference?" I asked.

Henry just stared at me and then turned away grunting in frustration.

"How can you turn your back on someone in need?" I asked.

"It won't be the first time." Henry said and turned around as he got lost in thought, "I was out on a call about a woman whose son was attacked by someone. When I got there, the son was _eating_ his mother's eyes as she lay screaming for help. I wanted to help, but I was frozen with fear. My colleagues ran over to her and they were overrun by a group of rabid people who tore them apart. I jumped back into the ambulance and watched as my colleagues – my friends called out for help. I did not help them. I simply drove away."  
"There was nothing you could do." I said, "If you got out you would have been attacked."

Henry looked up at us and said, "I should have at least tried to help. Instead I drove away."

I laid a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, "You can make up for your mistake by helping my friend. He is not infected. He is just injured."

There was a moment of silence as Henry thought it over.

"What's wrong with him?" Henry asked.

"His leg was shot off with a shotgun." Fred said bluntly.

"By who?" Henry asked alarmed.

"I took care of it." I said, "I just need you to look at my friend. Please. Will you help us?"

Henry nodded and said, "Yes, but what is your plan to get over there?"

"I will think of one." I said trying to convince myself.

Outside the rain poured down as Mother Nature tried in vain to wash away all that was evil in the world, if only she knew that there was no more good left. One by one more and more survivors fell victim to the infection and one by one they joined the throng of walking corpses outside the dispatch building. The sound of the rain falling onto the roof fell into synchronicity with the sound of the dead banging on the metal doors to until I could no longer tell them apart.

TO BE CONTINUED

