Authors: Armand Rosamilia
"Shh." Jenny Watkins rose from her spot near the bathroom and pushed her blonde hair out of her eyes. "Did you hear something?"
All three stopped moving, no one daring to breathe. The inside of the training center was humid, the windows boarded up months ago, by someone else.
Jason wondered who J and J were, and where they were now. James and Jenni, according to the business cards. He wondered if he'd seen them around town back in the day, maybe served them a beer or mixed drink at one of the places he was a bartender. He wondered if they were wandering the streets of Flagler Beach even now, trying to bite people.
Ashley went to the barricaded front door and pressed an ear to it.
Jenny lifted one of the weight bars, brandishing it like a club.
They didn't use the front door, but the window to the left of it had a wooden piece they could slip in and out to exit. Once a day, one of them left and went foraging. Most days, lately, they came back empty-handed and even hungrier.
Today, Jenny had decided she was going to head up Route 100 and explore the Flagler-Palm Coast High School. Maybe something had been missed. In the beginning of all this shit, the school had been a safe haven for survivors. They were sure it had been overrun months ago… or was it years? Jason had no idea. Did it even matter? One day slipped into the next, his stomach growling to count the hours.
"I don't hear anything," Ashley said.
"You're too loud," Jason said. "Be quiet and listen."
Ashley gave her brother the finger. "I am listening."
"It sounds like you're talking to me," Jason said.
"Will you both shut up?" Jenny clutched the metal bar. "I swear someone is out there."
"Probably a zombie. They're all around us," Jason said and spread out on one of the mats. "I wish they could be eaten. I'm hungry. Wouldn't that be ironic? Cooking up a zombie and munching. I wish I had the munchies. I need a bowl of something. This sucks."
Ashley put a finger up. "Yes, there is something out there."
"Then get away from the door. The wood is probably rotted," Jenny said.
There was a smash a second before the wood split in two, the topmost part hitting Ashley in her head. She went down and, before she could recover, a man stepped inside and kicked her in the face, knocking several teeth out.
"Holy shit," Jason said, as he tried to stand up.
Jenny stepped up with the metal bar. "Get out or I swear I will bash your head in."
When the man came in, Jason knew he was a zombie. But he was… different. He seemed to be scanning the room with intelligence, sizing Jenny up, before blindly attacking.
"What are you waiting for?" Jenny swung the bar. "Stupid zombie."
"He's not stupid," Jason said. As he spoke, the zombie looked at Jason and actually smiled.
Jenny rushed forward and swung but the zombie put his hand up and caught the metal bar in mid-strike. He yanked it out of her hand and Jenny fell back, tripping over the mats.
"Jenny, we need to get out of here," Jason said. He was moving to the side room, but knew the only way out was through the battered door behind him.
"Where are you going to run to, Jenny?" the zombie asked, as he stomped on Ashley's face, over and over, without even bothering to look down at her.
"Holy shit, it can fucking talk," Jason said. He looked around for something to fight with but he was panicking. He rushed into the side room but it was a dead end. "Shit."
Jenny tried to run but the zombie grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pulled her to him. He gripped her ponytail and jerked her head back. "You are very pretty, Jenny."
Jason picked up one of the ten-pound weights and charged the zombie. He didn't want to see his friend get raped by this monster, and, especially, not in front of him. Jason charged but the zombie, still holding Jenny, used her as a shield.
"Let her go, you dickhead," Jason said. "Fight like a man."
The zombie punched Jenny in the side of her head and let her slip to the ground. He raised his hands. "I'm no longer just a man, though. I think that's where the problem lies. I'm going to give you one chance to escape. I'll give you a head start, let you slip past me. I'll count to fifty before I pursue. Game?"
Jason pointed at Jenny, unconscious on the floor. "She's coming with me."
"No, she is now mine. You can walk out of here and get a head start, or stay and watch me rip her to pieces. It's up to you." The zombie smiled and it made Jason shiver. "In fact, maybe you can find some help. Bring back some help, if you can find it. Have the townsfolk rise up with pitchforks and torches and come after the monster."
"How the fuck are you talking?" Jason asked.
"You are wasting your time."
"I can walk right past you and out the door?"
The zombie nodded. "You have my word."
Jason decided to take his chances outside. Maybe there were people still around, and he'd be able to get some help. He might even find a suitable weapon like a gun and come back and shoot this bitch in the head and rescue Jenny.
He slipped past the zombie, trying not to look at or step on the gore that was his sister. She couldn't be saved, but Jenny could be. Jason needed to step up and act like a man.
The zombie grabbed Jason by the neck and began choking him, slamming him onto the cement floor.
Jason fought back but it was no use. The zombie was strong and was on top of him, choking the life from him.
Their eyes met, Jason's filled with fear and the zombie's filled with bloodlust.
"Never trust the word of something dead," the zombie said.
Jason's world went black.
Chapter Seven
"I don't like that kid, that's all I'm saying," Eric said. He stood on top of the roof of the building and pulled down his Pittsburgh Pirates baseball cap to shield his eyes. "He's more trouble than he's worth. I'd rather do duties by myself than with Chris. He's an idiot."
"I'm not going to argue with you, but when it comes right down to it, there aren't many choices left. We can only mix up eighteen or nineteen people so much. And my old man isn't leaving his stilt house anytime soon. Factor in a couple of kids, older people, Bri…"
"She's a tough little girl," Eric cut in. He smiled. "She might have just turned fifteen, but she's already making her mark. Trust me on that. I'll take her on recon with me any day of the week. Ever see her with a compound bow? She's an excellent shot."
John grinned. "Who do you think taught her? Besides you and Bri, and, obviously, Darlene, I'm not too confident with anyone else we have around."
"What ever happened to that redhead you talked about?"
"Tosha Shorb." John put the binoculars to his face. "She rode off in the tour bus. Who knows where she went. I imagine she's out there, somewhere, killing things and making some man's life hard. She seems like the type."
"I could use a woman like that," Eric said. When John looked at him, he threw up his hands. "What? You think I'm an old man and I can't get a hard-on for some hot little piece of ass? She seems like quite a catch."
"You would've liked her. Tight jeans, pretty face, nice curves. And she is a ginger."
"I like redheads."
John scanned A1A as far as he could see but all was quiet heading south. "I see nothing. No zombies, no movement. But I can't see to the pier."
"Do you want to move closer?"
"Not really. I think we stay here, hidden and above everything. We can see for miles on a clear day, right? Besides… wait…"
"What?"
John saw movement on the beach. A zombie was dragging itself from the surf. "We have a live one."
"Someone alive?"
John snorted. "OK, not a live one in the classic sense. A zombie just washed up and is moving up the beach. We can watch him and see what happens."
"How exciting," Eric said. "Maybe by lunchtime he'll figure out how to actually get up the dune."
"We can only hope." John sat down on the beach chair they shared. He looked at his watch, which hadn't worked in months. "I'll bet you it takes him less than two hours to get to A1A."
"He needs to get both feet on A1A," Eric said.
John squinted at Eric. "You can't shoot him. That's not fair."
Eric laughed. "Fine. Damn you. Always seeing my angle. I still think he'll turn south or north instead of hitting the road."
"We'll see." Both men watched with their binoculars as the zombie tried to walk up the dune but kept tipping over. "This one is even dumber than the rest of them."
"I wonder where he came from."
"The ocean."
Eric laughed. "No kidding? You know what I mean. Is there a boat out there? Did he walk from the Bahamas? Africa?"
"Maybe he fell into the water in Miami and the Gulfstream carried him here."
"Is that how it works?" Eric asked.
"I have no clue. I guess we can't Google it and find out."
"What do I win when he turns north?"
"I'm not going to give you a blowjob. Forget it," John said and laughed. "Not again."
"Moron." Eric put down his binoculars on the roof ledge. "If he heads this way, I get your crossbow."
"That's my baby. What if I win?"
Eric smiled. "I have two unopened bottles of Jack Daniels Honey. I'll let you and your sweetheart have them. With Valentine's Day coming up, you and Darlene could put them to good use."
"When is Valentine's Day?"
"February fourteenth."
"No shit. I mean, I don't even know what month this is," John said.
"Neither do I. Are you going to argue with me about getting your dick in her, finally?"
John looked away. "It's not like that."
"Man, you can fight this feeling all you want. You know it, she definitely knows it… just get over whatever bullshit you have inside your head and do the right thing." Eric put a hand on John's shoulder. "Do it before it's too late. We don't have much to live for, you know. I'm an old man living alone. I wish I had someone as sweet and pretty as Darlene to be with." He smiled. "She has such a tight ass."
"Watch it, old man."
"Exactly. All I'm saying is you need to make the move before it's too late. Some stud is going to ride up on a Harley and roar away with her. Then what? She's a tough chick. She's only going to deal with so much before she splits or looks somewhere else."
"Fine, I accept the deal. Just shut up about my love life already."
Eric and John shook hands.
"I'm so going to enjoy my new crossbow."
"You can't shoot him."
Eric nodded but he was grinning. "I get it. No touching the merchandise. My hands are in the air, except for this." He put his fingers near his mouth and whistled.
"Dickhead."
The zombie turned and began walking toward them.
Chapter Eight
Darlene stopped in the dusty road and looked at the gas station. It looked like it was about to fall in on itself. The roof was bent in places, the paint peeled off the sides. It hadn't been that long since she'd last been here, but it looked like it had been a decade.
The chain-link fence surrounding the gas station was still intact but rusting in many places. It wouldn't be long before it collapsed. A strong storm would take it down or rend holes in it.
"Where's the house?" Abby Millar asked.
"Up and around the bend," Darlene said. They had encountered only a few zombies up to this point but she knew what waited inside the house; a load of supplies, as well as, a slew of undead. As they walked, Darlene remembered the last time she was here and the horde which had attacked her. If not for Madman, she would be dead right now.