The Dead Saga (Novella Part 2): Odium Origins by Claire C. Riley

frantically. “Hell, no. There’s…” I pause, trying to decide what to call them, but as usual Constance knows what I’m thinking and fills in the gap.
    “Zombies.”
    “Really?” I cock my head to one side, not really wanting to believe it. “I don’t think they’re zombies. That seems ridiculous.” I scoff.
    “I don’t want to panic you, but after what I’ve seen on my way here, what I saw on the news…” She trails off before continuing. “Max, I saw a group of those things rip a man in half and start chowing down on him without a second thought. The police don’t seem to have any control over what’s going on right now either. It’s a shit storm out there.”
    “Constance!” I screech, hating to hear her cuss.
    “Sorry, babes. But it really is a shit storm.” She shrugs, but at least has the decency to look guilty. She takes my hand and leads us to my desk, where I grab everything I might need and drop it all in my large Dior handbag while Constance patiently waits for me.
    “Okay, let’s do this. I know a place in the country we could go. It’s far out, secluded from most places. We could stay there for a while. Ooh, you might want to open the door to the break room, there’s a bunch of girls trapped in there. I hit one of those…zombies with the fire extinguisher and then had it chase me to my boss’s room.” I unpin a couple of pictures of my parents and Chi-Chi, our Chihuahua, and put them into one of the side pockets while Constance continues to stare at me. I glance up at her. “What?”
    She grins and shakes her head. “You just continue to surprise me every day, baby.” She wanders off toward the staff room, and I can’t help but smile and feel all fuzzy and warm at her words.
    A couple of minutes pass, and I’m all but done with packing up my things, making sure I have the essentials—like my No.5 Perfect Pink nail polish and my Chanel perfume. Priorities: looking good and not dying. Check!
    Constance comes back with a gaggle of women following her; she smirks as they scatter to their individual desks to gather their belongings.
    I smile as she comes back over to my desk.
    “What are you looking so happy about?” I sling my bag over my shoulder and move around to her side. “Zombies or whatever are roaming the country and you seem pretty happy about it.”
    “You.” She looks at the other women and then back to me and I notice some of the stares that I’m getting.
    “Me? Why?” I giggle, wanting to be let in on the joke.
    “They told me what you did. That you beat that zombie thing over the head with the fire extinguisher. You’re like freaking She-Ra or something. Here I was thinking that you were this dainty-looking thing that needed looking after and possibly saving and you’re here beating monsters and saving lives.” She laughs and pulls me into her arms. Her lips press against mine, parting them slightly as her tongue invades my mouth, before pulling back. “You’re amazing, you know that, Max?”
    A blush creeps back up my neck and cheeks. “Thank you, Constance. I’m glad that you’re here with me, but yes, I have no doubt that I can take care of myself.”
    “I have no doubt either, baby.” She repeats my words and kisses my lips again, and we turn as one to look at the approaching women.
    “How did you get up here?” Eleanor asks. She’s tall and lithe with a neat brown bun tied at the nape of her neck. I always thought she was stuck up until today. Now I think maybe she was just a little shy, and I feel bad for jumping to conclusions on her. “I need to get to my husband.” Her eyes fill with tears. “Oh God, I hope he’s still at home. He works shifts, he should be sleeping now. He’ll have no idea what’s going on if he wakes up.” With each word spoken, her voice gets a little higher, as if just by voicing it she’s freaking herself out.
    “It’s K, Eleanor. I’m sure he’s still sleeping. We’ll get out of here and you can go