Desolation ✔️

Chapter 21: No Safe Zone

I struggle keeping up as we power through bushes, knee-high grass, and debris near the end of an open field. Ellis leads with Ash not far behind. We've all pull our melee weapons out, ready to strike if need be.

When we finally emerge from the field, I catch sight of a large football stadium across the road. The front is completely surrounded by miscellaneous cars that look as if they were parked for some kind of game and—oh no... An entire hoard of the dead pile up against the stadium and claw at the doors, nearly climbing over each other. They don't mindlessly mope around like usual; they head towards the stadium with a purpose fueled by a raging hunger. With arms outstretched, they reach for something dangling off the side of the stadium.

"There's a girl they're grabbin' for," Ellis says as he stuffs the crowbar into his bag to whip out his gun. "Scar and Ash, you take 'em out, I'll get the girl down." He runs towards the stadium and fires a few shots to clear a path for us. I follow close behind and position my katana like a baseball bat. Ash mutters something inaudible before trailing behind me reluctantly.

When we reach the stadium entrance, my eyes creep up the walls to several unlit letters spelling out '_______ field'. And just behind the letter E is—sure enough—a girl with curly blonde hair dangling upside down by her foot. Her ankle is tangled in a cord and the creatures are only inches from yanking her off the hood of the entrance doors.

"I'll take the left, you take the right," Ash orders. We stand back-to-back with our weapons positioned outward. Ellis is already sprinting towards the hoard as he shouts to call attention to the zombies. As soon as they hear him, a few of the closer ones turn in our direction. Ash tenses behind me before shouting, "Go!"

I leap forward and swing my katana, taking three of them out. Blood splatters onto my cheeks before I manage to shield myself. The ruckus catches the eyes of four others, so I step back and grab my gun from the waistband of my shorts. Some try lunging at me but I pull the trigger just before they can. I kick one back with all the strength in my thighs and fire another shot to my right. They come at me two at a time, but I slash the katana to the left while shooting with my right, my head switching back and forth between each new mangled face that enters my vision. Come on, just die already! Despite how many Ash and I knock out, the number of zombies only seems to multiply.

"There are too many!" Ash shouts before firing more from his shotgun. He releases the gun and let's it hang from his shoulder by the strap before wielding the machete and decapitating one of the more burly zombies. "Shoulda brought the machine gun!"

I blow another one's face off with my handgun before pausing. My chest heaves up and down as I fight to catch my breath. But I just...stop. I stand with my chin up and my eyes fixed on a zombie with a gaping mouth and missing arm. He hobbles toward me while snapping his jaws, back hunched from his missing arm. Sweat drips down my forehead and I look at how Ash and Ellis are doing. Ellis is still yelling and charging at every zombie that lunges for him while Ash ducks under one's arm before knocking it out from behind. He locks eyes with me for a split second, our only barrier being the one-armed zombie still hobbling toward me.

"What the hell are you doing Scarlett?"

I look back at the zombie who moves closer and closer, shrinking our distance to only a couple feet. Come on, keep coming... I tighten my fingers around my katana but only keep my gun raised and pointed out in front of me. Closer...closer...only a few inches...

And he stops.

The prickling in my chest and the tingling in my fingertips ceases and my mouth falls open. No way. I stare into his milky-white eyes, a little gray where the iris should be. I scrunch up my nose at his burning smell, like rotten eggs and something sour. If he were still breathing, I'd feel his breath on my face. But he only stares back at me with unfixed eyes as I hold my breath.