Those Who Slay...

They Walk

   They Walk

Had this been avoidable, I would have done everything in my power to stop it. But things had already set in motion, and putting and end to this would be harder than slowing a boulder rolling down the cliff face.

I pushed my way through the mob of people, all screaming and trying to get away from the dead things. Finally, I reached the car where Madison had been waiting. My heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t there.

What!? Why would she leave?

Biting my lip, I wheeled about. The cars were no longer stationary. People were leaping into the driver seat, punching the gas and speeding forward, ignoring the screaming citizens in their way.

What the fuck is happening?! This isn’t…it’s not natural…

My heart lurched. Whatever the fuck was going on, I still had to find Maddie. Glancing frantically around, the hopelessness took over. I had no idea where to start. In a crowd this big, finding one individual was close to impossible. 

Without thinking, without knowing where it was I was going, I started back through the mass of panicking men and women. Forcing my way out of the throng didn’t even compare to fighting through it. I was shoved repeatedly, slammed against vehicles, and soon, I found myself on the pavement again. 

A forest of legs surrounded me, standing up wasn’t possible, and continuing on my hands and knees was out of the question.

“It’s moving! Someone kill it!” A woman shrieked, making me turn towards the source of the noise. A few feet away, dragging itself forward with bloody stumps for fingers, was the body that had bitten the first man. It’s out of focus eyes glinted with undying hunger, and it’s mouth was gaping open, snapping at the fleeing humans’ ankles like a rabid dog.

The woman who had shrieked stumbled forward, her head smacking into the sidewalk with a sickening crack. Lying there, dazed and confused, she was perfect prey for the corpse. I could’t move, I could only stare, wide eyed in terror as the thing lurched forward and sunk it’s teeth into the lady’s calf. 

They bite…and the victim falls down dead…then rises again to feast on the living…

“Shit!” All I knew was that I had to leave. Any other thought that had occupied my mind a few moments before was now gone. Instinct was kicking in, and it was telling me to run. To get the fuck out of there, away from the monster that craved flesh and blood, that bled without dying, and chased the living until they could hide no longer.

I staggered to my feet, twisted around and bolted. The people had all fled, leaving me alone with the dead, and the undead. The men, women, and children who had not been able to escape lay motionless on the tarmac. Several hit by cars, other bit by the disgusting monsters that were now shuffling at an uneven pace towards me.

I didn’t understand how there could be so many already. There had to be at least ten, their moans filling the sudden and eerie quiet. My palms were sweating and I felt my heart thumping in my chest, like a clock counting down the minutes until they reached me.

Run!

I wanted to obey the voice in my head, but my body wouldn't budge. Trembling, I tried to step backwards, but again, my body ignored me. I was paralyzed in fear. The same fear I had thought I would never experience. Such a stupid girl, so naïve, thinking I could breeze through life without a care in the world. 

Step by uneven step, the undead crept closer. I could feel their excitement building as they approached their food. Their food that was waiting ever so politely for them to devour her. The moans grew louder, buzzing loudly in my ear, fogging my mind.