back, myeyes falling between Steph’s
legs then through the under-carriages of the fortified burial-ground.
Within the misty haze was the undeniable shambling of the waking
dead. Steph jumped in fear as they smashed their hands against the
sides of the automobiles, and I lashed out, pulling her fast to the
ground and covering her mouth. They hadn’t noticed us yet, and I
aimed to keep it that way.
“HELP ME!”
The shrill of fright split the air like a knife, and just across the
river my eyes caught sight of a lone woman, much older than the life
I had just ended and quite possible her mother. Frantically she
scurried through the thick alders, stumbling and tripping in complete
terror. Tangled gray hair, slightly overweight, and clothed in only a
dirty old bra and underpants, it was obvious that she had been rudely
awoken this morning and now savagely pursued. And although
some of the fresher corpses began to rustle and rise from the
woman’s shrieks, it was not them that she feared.
Three men followed not far behind her, and by their dingy attire
plus the domineering and sadistic chortles that echoed about, it was
clear these were simpleminded and lawless rednecks. As the dead
around us rose and followed the racket, I held Steph down, my hands
clamped tight over her mouth, and I watched the distraction ensue,
all the while praying that the poor woman’s peril was a cruel yet
necessary sacrifice. And as I stared upon the uprising my heart sank
beyond compassion when she tripped upon and tangle of roots and
tumbled to the forest floor.
The scrawny hillbilly in the lead reached her just as she rolled
onto her back and held up her hands in defeat. The other two strolled
up soon after, snickering at the sight of their desperate prey. Her
whimpers wafted over the river just as the Dead stepped into its
sandy shore, but none of the imbeciles paid much attention to them.
They had one-track minds, inbred and corrupted, with little instinct
for self-preservation, only social predation.
“We have to do something…” Steph whispered as she pulled my
hand from her lips.
“Wha…”
“NO, PLEASE, ILL DO ANYTHING!” The woman’s pleas
broke my response.
“We don’t need your cooperation, bitch!” The man above her
snarled.
With a quick spat, he raised his gun towards her head and pulled
the trigger without a moment of second-thought, her head lurched
back upon the earth with a quick bounce, and abruptly she became
still. With a guiltless chuckle he nudged her lifeless body with his
foot before looking towards his friends for approval. Once again I
held Steph’s mouth as the thunderous blast faded over the
mountains, and the dead drifted from a curious approach to a
ravenous assault. The men immediately took notice, as two of them
snatched up an opposing leg and dragged the body into the forest.
The ringleader looked back at the approaching herd as they
sloshed up out of the river and fought through a tangled mass of
alders. With a scoff, he slowly turned to join the others, but not
before his eyes drifted across the river and caught my own. His
retreat came to an instant pause as we stared each other down, but
the advancing army soon lit a fire under his feet. With a quick salute,
the man smiled, then dashed off after his friends. As the horde
pursued I pulled Steph back to her feet and we scurried back towards
the roadway, never once looking back.
I urged Steph to pick up the pace, to cover us much ground as
possible before nightfall, but her dismay only slowed our retreat.
The look in that man’s eyes was that of sinister musing, and
possessing no moral fiber, it is obvious he would soon be on the hunt
again. And I’d rather we not be his next prey. I must admit, it would
appear that my calculations of the human population in this region
was drastically underestimated.
Deluge of Apathies
The sun never rose the following morning, instead mother-nature
blanketed the sky in dark clouds and torrential rain
legs then through the under-carriages of the fortified burial-ground.
Within the misty haze was the undeniable shambling of the waking
dead. Steph jumped in fear as they smashed their hands against the
sides of the automobiles, and I lashed out, pulling her fast to the
ground and covering her mouth. They hadn’t noticed us yet, and I
aimed to keep it that way.
“HELP ME!”
The shrill of fright split the air like a knife, and just across the
river my eyes caught sight of a lone woman, much older than the life
I had just ended and quite possible her mother. Frantically she
scurried through the thick alders, stumbling and tripping in complete
terror. Tangled gray hair, slightly overweight, and clothed in only a
dirty old bra and underpants, it was obvious that she had been rudely
awoken this morning and now savagely pursued. And although
some of the fresher corpses began to rustle and rise from the
woman’s shrieks, it was not them that she feared.
Three men followed not far behind her, and by their dingy attire
plus the domineering and sadistic chortles that echoed about, it was
clear these were simpleminded and lawless rednecks. As the dead
around us rose and followed the racket, I held Steph down, my hands
clamped tight over her mouth, and I watched the distraction ensue,
all the while praying that the poor woman’s peril was a cruel yet
necessary sacrifice. And as I stared upon the uprising my heart sank
beyond compassion when she tripped upon and tangle of roots and
tumbled to the forest floor.
The scrawny hillbilly in the lead reached her just as she rolled
onto her back and held up her hands in defeat. The other two strolled
up soon after, snickering at the sight of their desperate prey. Her
whimpers wafted over the river just as the Dead stepped into its
sandy shore, but none of the imbeciles paid much attention to them.
They had one-track minds, inbred and corrupted, with little instinct
for self-preservation, only social predation.
“We have to do something…” Steph whispered as she pulled my
hand from her lips.
“Wha…”
“NO, PLEASE, ILL DO ANYTHING!” The woman’s pleas
broke my response.
“We don’t need your cooperation, bitch!” The man above her
snarled.
With a quick spat, he raised his gun towards her head and pulled
the trigger without a moment of second-thought, her head lurched
back upon the earth with a quick bounce, and abruptly she became
still. With a guiltless chuckle he nudged her lifeless body with his
foot before looking towards his friends for approval. Once again I
held Steph’s mouth as the thunderous blast faded over the
mountains, and the dead drifted from a curious approach to a
ravenous assault. The men immediately took notice, as two of them
snatched up an opposing leg and dragged the body into the forest.
The ringleader looked back at the approaching herd as they
sloshed up out of the river and fought through a tangled mass of
alders. With a scoff, he slowly turned to join the others, but not
before his eyes drifted across the river and caught my own. His
retreat came to an instant pause as we stared each other down, but
the advancing army soon lit a fire under his feet. With a quick salute,
the man smiled, then dashed off after his friends. As the horde
pursued I pulled Steph back to her feet and we scurried back towards
the roadway, never once looking back.
I urged Steph to pick up the pace, to cover us much ground as
possible before nightfall, but her dismay only slowed our retreat.
The look in that man’s eyes was that of sinister musing, and
possessing no moral fiber, it is obvious he would soon be on the hunt
again. And I’d rather we not be his next prey. I must admit, it would
appear that my calculations of the human population in this region
was drastically underestimated.
Deluge of Apathies
The sun never rose the following morning, instead mother-nature
blanketed the sky in dark clouds and torrential rain
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