movement out of the corner of my eyes. It’s not coming from the living room either.
It’s coming from the hall to the left, and I already have my ax raised up when it comes out of the shadows.
It’s a tall blonde girl, and she must have been with the group in the pool, because she still has a bloody ripped bikini on. She was shuffling out of one of the rooms back there, but upon either sensing or seeing me, she picks up her speed and rushes me. I don’t hesitate as she gets almost within touching distance; I swing the ax around and bring it down into the side of her head.
She falls to the ground with a hiss, and I glance up the stairs to Dan. He and Brian run down the hall and into another bedroom. As he’s closing the door, I see his eyes widen as he sees me. He has to shut the door though; Lucy is running at them too fast. She flings herself at the door with a ferocity she never had in life.
A gurgling moan at my feet brings my attention back to the dead girl. I know I don’t have enough time to try to completely cut off her head; the dead in the living room will be upon me soon. So I leave the ax at my side and bring it back like a golf club. I swing it out at her smashing the tip of the blade into her face, and she gets knocked back into the wall. She stays down, but is still twitching, so I know she’ll be up again soon.
Pulling the blade from her face, I turn back towards the kitchen.
I realize I took too long anyway, the dead made it past the furniture, and are making their way into the room. I stomp down the terror that rushes through me, and I force my legs to run to the garage.
Chapter Twenty
There are at least three dead guys already through the front windows, and are making their way to me. I don’t bother trying to fight them off, I race by them and make it near the porch door. The hallway leading to the garage is almost within seeing distance, but I feel hands in my hair suddenly, that keeps me from moving.
They get tangled in my curls, and I fall onto my back with a scream. One of the three reaches for me, and I only have time to watch as his upside down body is about to fall on me. I manage to get the ax between us, and his teeth just graze my throat. Screaming I try to shove him off me, but his arms are racking my body and I can feel new scratches form.
He pushes at me with suck strength that I don’t know how long I can hold him back.
I can feel his breathe on my face and as saliva and blood drip on my cheek, I snap. I lift him up just enough to be able to wiggle out from underneath him. He barely stumbles, but I have enough time to scurry backwards and make it to my feet. As he’s already reaching for me again, I see the other two dead guys making their way to me on either side. I half turn to run, when I feel someone behind me. I get the ax almost up, when a hand stops me.
It’s Gabe.
He doesn’t even give me time to be surprised to see him.
“ Dammit, run!” He screams in my face.
Just as the dead are almost in touching distance, we both turn and haul ass to the garage. At the door I can hear the other’s yelling from the truck to hurry and I force my legs to just carry me a little further. Breaking the threshold, I realize we have another problem. There’s no door anymore. Gabe notices this at the same time, because he abruptly turns around and swings with the bat at an approaching dead girl.
She stumbles back into a group of guys, but it doesn’t slow them down. They rush the door with such speed, that it makes them bunch at the entrance. This stalls them for not even a second, it’s like they are one mind. They back up a step and rush the entrance again.
“ Maggie, get in now!”
I don’t have time to argue with him, a big guy missing an arm is almost to him and he’s looking at me. Running to him and pushing him aside, I swing at the guy and knock him into the wall. He stumbles but gets back up, and this time Gabe is the one to hit at him. I turn away
C. J. Cherryh
Learning to Kill: Stories
John O'Riley
Brenda Sinclair
Christopher George
Stephen Lloyd Jones
Karl Iagnemma
Celya Bowers
Jill Gregory
Aria Cunningham