Dystopian zombie era

Chapter 9

The sky is covered by a thick, grey blanket of clouds. The wind whispers in my ears as it blows gently against my cheek. Jay woke me up early to go take a shower. There's only one bathroom downstairs so he waited for me while I showered first.

There are a few clothes in the cupboard and since it's cold, I put on a white tank top with a grey jersery over it, a pair of sweatpants and sneakers. Even the clothes look bland.

Thankfully there is a washing machine in the bathroom. A few of us are already outside, talking. "Be right back." Jay mutters in my ear before he goes back into the building.

He returns seconds later with a crowbar in his hand. "This is from earlier. Use this." I take it from him feeling the cold metal against my palms. I'll admit, I'm nervous. I just hope all of us come back alive. Coral appears next to me with a disgusted look on her face. "These clothes are terrible." I look at her attire. She has a pair of short denim shorts over black tights and a grey sweater that hugs her figure. She has her pink heel boots on that she wore yesterday.

The clothes would look bland on anyone else yet she manages to look like a model in it. "There are no other high heels for me to wear so I have to wear this again." She tells me.

Duncan grunts. "You better put other shoes on Barbie. You're gonna get us all killed if you wear those, you'll attract the zombies with that bright colour."

"First of all, I didn't ask for your opinion and second of all, I run better in heels." She spits. Ruby groans. "When will you two drop it?"

"When he learns to shut his mouth." Says Coral. Duncan steps closer to her. "Oh I should shut my mouth?"

"Enough already!" Ruby growls. Jay tenses up beside me. "There's no use in shouting at each other so just be quiet." He says and it stays silent till Silas shows up. We walk to the gate. "Alright, we're gonna walk slowly, there's no need to rush and run into something unexpected. If you see anything, holler."

Everyone nods. Duncan approaches the gate with Silas next to him. Lex is behind them, then Ruby, Coral, Me and Jay. I hold the crowbar in front of me, feeling my heat race.

This is it.

Duncan slides the bolt and opens the door, walking out. We follow like sheep. There are no zombies near the gate which is a relief. We find our way to the path in the little forest and walk, on edge.

My senses are heightened. Every crunch of a leaf, every rustle, every breath has me on edge. We scan the area as we walk and soon get to the road. "We should split up. We'll cover more ground." States Duncan. "So we should shout if we see anything?" Asks Jay. Duncan nods. Him and Lex walk off to the right.

Silas and Ruby take the middle and Jay, Coral and I take the left. Jay has a firm grip around my wrist and I'm grateful for that. As long as he's touching me, I'll be okay. "Hey, I think that's a grocery store." Announces Coral pointing at a building not too far away from us.

We stop walking. "Do you think we should go in there?" I ask. "Well why not? Plus it seems pretty deserted to me." She answers and I glance up at Jay. There's an abandoned car next to us and he looks at it. "You need a weapon first." He tells Coral.

He rushes to the car and surprisingly, the door opens and he rummages around. He pulls out a black stiletto. "This will have to do."

Coral seems fascinated by the weapon and takes it from him with delight. "What about you?" I ask him. "I'll be fine. Let's go." He walks in front of us and we walk to the grocery store. I still have the crowbar gripped tightly in my hands.

Jay pushes the glass doors open. The lights are on but some are flickering. It looks much bigger inside and it feels colder. The air smells of blood and guts and I can't help but gag. "I can't. It smells too gross in here." Says Coral reaching for the door handle.