Darlings of Decay

by Chrissy Peebles

  The woman sighed in relief. “We’ve got to leave and go somewhere safe.” Her voice quivered when she spoke and her eyes darted around the trees. She was about my mother’s age, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, which were both ripped and dirty. There was some dried blood on the side of her face and matted into her short, brown hair.

  “Are you hurt?” asked Sara, pointing to her face.

  The lady shook her head and then touched the side of her face. Tears welled up in her eyes. “It’s my husband’s blood,” she replied bitterly. “They attacked us and killed him.”

  Sara’s eyes widened. “Okay, let’s get back to the house. We’ve got to make sure the kids are okay, and try getting ahold of the police again.”

  I’d forgotten about Megan and Bobby! We’d left them all alone in the house.

  I took one last glimpse of the dead men as we started walking back towards the house and felt a pang of shame. They were U.S. soldiers and they looked like they’d lost a war, only they’d been fighting for the wrong side.

  “Those couldn’t have been soldiers,” Sara said, brushing a dark strand of hair away from her face. “It just doesn’t make sense.”

  “They weren’t soldiers…anymore, they weren’t even human. They were some kind of…demons,” replied the distraught woman.

  “They certainly looked like something from hell,” I said.

  “Maybe they were criminals; dressed as soldiers,” said Sara.

  The woman shook her head. “No. They attacked us, like violent animals. The taller soldier ripped...oh, God!” she cried, covering her face. “He ripped out Paul’s neck, with his teeth!”

  Sara put an arm around the woman’s shoulders. “Don’t worry. You’re safe now. We’ll help you.”

  She nodded and wiped the tears from her face. “We’d better hurry. There are more of those things around. It’s not safe.”

  There’s more? The thought of there being more insane soldiers wandering around in the dark chilled me to the bone. I tightened my grip on the gun.

  As we hurried across the cul-de-sac, it was eerily quiet, no sounds but the echo of our feet across the pavement.

  “How can anyone sleep through the commotion back there?” muttered Sara shaking her head in disbelief.

  I looked around and noticed the power was still out in the entire neighborhood, finding it odd that not one person had stepped out of their homes to see what was going on. Not even with the gunfire.

  We entered the house and checked on the children; thankfully they were both still sleeping soundly.

  “Thank God they’re safe,” said Sara.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said, going to the bathroom to wash my hands, which suddenly felt dirty. I stared in horror at my fingers; one of my new French tip nails was completely cracked!

  Are you kidding me?!

  I was so angry. The one and only time I get a professional manicure and I’m caught up in some crazy shit that ruins the beauty of my nails. I glared at the cracked nail and cut off the tip.

  Still disgusted, I went down to the cellar where Sara and the stranger were.

  “What’s your name?” Sara asked the woman, who was staring off into space.

  The woman released a shaky breath. “Hannah,” she replied thickly.

  “So, do you mind starting from the beginning and tell us what happened? I think we need to know, especially since I’ve killed the two men who were after you.”

  Hannah nodded and then sat down on the steps. She cleared her throat. “Um, we were busy at work, Paul and I. We own a liquor store on Main Street, The Liquor Depot? Anyway, that’s where we first encountered one of those…monsters.”

  Sara frowned. “You saw more of them in town?”

  “Yes, earlier in the evening. They weren’t soldiers, either. Just regular ol’ people,” she shrugged, “Or they used to be people. Anyway, the store is normally busy, no matter what hour it is, but the past couple of days, there haven’t been many customers. The flu, you know? It’s hurt our business too, if you can believe it.”

  Her voice was getting hoarse, so I offered her a bottle of water.

  “Thanks,” she said. “Anyway, I was leaving the backroom of the store when I heard Paul yelling at someone by the register, so I hurried to the front, to see what was going on. Well, it was one of those…freaks and it was making these weird garbled noises, and trying to grab on to Paul’s arm. From the back, I thought it was just some angry fellow, so I hollered at him to leave the store,” she sighed. “But instead of leaving, he turned around and tried attacking me! Thank goodness Paul was there…oh Paul!” she cried bitterly.

  Sara handed her a tissue and squeezed her shoulder.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just the thought of never seeing him again, you know?” she sniffled.

  We both nodded. Sara handed her more tissues.

  “Anyway, Paul grabbed the thing before it got too close, and it bit him in the shoulder!”

  “You keep calling it a thing. What do you mean? Are you sure it wasn’t just some crazy lunatic?” asked Sara.

  Hannah snorted. “I wish it was. No…this thing’s eyes weren’t…normal. Something was wrong with the pupils. And its skin looked grayish-white, almost like skin when it’s decomposing. In fact,” she said, sitting up straighter. “That’s what these things remind me of…dead people.”

  “Dead people…like zombies?” I whispered.

  “Exactly like that! You know, my father owned a funeral home back in the seventies. Once I snuck down to the basement and saw a couple dead bodies,” she shuddered. “Yep, that’s what those things reminded me of tonight; dead people walking around, without their souls.”

  I’m not sure why, but I believed her. From Sara’s expression though, she wasn’t convinced.

  “What happened after your husband was bit?” asked Sara.

  Hannah sighed. “Well, Paul smacked it on its head, repeatedly, until it finally let go of his shoulder and fell to the ground. Then the damn thing got back up and rushed at Paul, growling at him.”

  “Did you kill it?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

  “Hell yes. I grabbed the gun behind the register and shot the thing in the head,” she declared proudly.

  Sara and I looked at each other, not sure what to say.

  “Did you call the police?” Sara asked.

  “We tried calling the sheriff, but the lines were busy. So, Paul called a buddy of his on the police force, Jim Nielson. Jim was around, amazingly. He said these things were attacking people all over town.”

  I shuddered. “All over the entire town?”

  Hannah nodded. “Yes. And what’s even more disturbing is that the ones that turned into these….zombies, they were normal people just a few hours ago, people who live here in town.”

  Sara rubbed her forehead. “So, what you’re saying is that normal people are turning into zombies?”

  Hannah’s eyes narrowed and they darted back and forth, looking at both of us. “First, let me ask you something. Did either of you get the flu vaccine?”

  We both shook our heads.

  Hannah released a sigh of relief. “Good, then I don’t need to worry about either of you turning.”

  Sara frowned. “Turning? Hold on. You’re saying that the people who are turning into…zombies…are doing so because they received the flu vaccine?” she shook her head. “You can’t be serious.”

  Hannah laughed bitterly. “I am as serious as a heart attack. I wish it weren’t true, that Paul was still…alive. But Jim, he told us everything, the entire ugly truth. The truth the government is desperately trying to conceal and now fix. They’ve even shut down most of the power to try and contain these things.”

  “They’re responsible for the power being shut off?” asked Sara.

  Hannah nodded. “Personally, I think someone high-up was already losing their mind when they approved ‘that call’”.

  “Nothing makes sense,” mumbled Sara.

  “What e
xactly are they trying to hide?” I asked breathlessly.

  She touched my shoulder. “Right now, anyone who’s been vaccinated is doomed. They’ve all been issued a death warrant. Only it’s their soul that dies, their bodies live on.”

  I expected to hear a clap of thunder after her terrifying revelation. Instead, Sara laughed out loud.

  “That’s ridiculous! There’s no way the government would release a vaccine that would create millions of…zombies!”

  “Well, that was our reaction when we heard the story. But you see, the newest vaccine was never tested thoroughly before it was released. The FDA actually never even approved the vaccine, but it was still released.”

  “How can that be? The FDA would have had to have been involved in order for the drug to have been released.”

  “I’m not sure the specifics of what happened, dear. That’s just the story I heard, and after seeing some of these walking dead things, I believe Jim.”

  “How could a drug cause a person to make decisions without a conscious soul?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. I’m just hoping those lost souls are with their maker,” replied Hannah softly, drawing a cross upon her chest.

  This was too much for me to fathom.

  “How many more of these zombies did you run into tonight?” Sara asked.

  “After we got done talking to Jim, we closed up shop so we could high-tail it on home. We didn’t really believe Jim at the time, not until we saw the horror of what was happening around town.”

  “What did you see?” I asked.

  “Innocent people were getting attacked by these…zombies. Right on the streets! I felt like I was in some sort of scary motion picture. My mind wanted to believe that all these people were actors, that the blood and gore wasn’t real. That it was just a scene they were shooting for a movie.” Hannah’s eyes filled with tears. “But it was real.”

  “How did you guys make it out of there?” Sara asked.

  “We own a Dodge Ram,” she sniffed, “with a Hemi! I tell you that thing just plowed through those zombies. They didn’t even know what hit ‘em.”

  I looked at Sara in horror, picturing the bodies getting hit by the truck.

  “If you made it out of town, what happened to Paul?”

  Hannah shook her head sadly. “There was a little girl, about ten years old. Only a couple blocks away from here. Well, she was running and some soldiers were chasing her. We had to stop. We could see that the little girl wasn’t a zombie, but the soldiers…they’d already changed.”

  “Why would the government allow soldiers who received the vaccines to monitor everything?”

  “I don’t think they know exactly who’s been vaccinated, even with the military. You can walk up to the local drug store and receive a vaccine. Anyway, the soldiers you killed tonight were the two chasing the girl. We hit them with our truck, and they were pretty messed up, you saw their missing limbs. But that didn’t stop them from coming back at us. The taller of the two is the one who got Paul. He was fast and strong. I couldn’t help my husband,” she said, the tears flooding all over again.

  “What happened to the little girl?” I asked.

  She shrugged, and wiped her eyes with the tissue. “I don’t really know. Hopefully she made it somewhere safe.”

  “What do we do now?” I asked Sara.

  Sara looked pale. She walked away, speechless.

  I felt like throwing up. The idea that my mother, sister, and father were in this nightmare, probably trying to survive, was horrifying. I didn’t know if I could believe this stranger. Were there real-live zombies combing the streets, looking for their next victim?

  I turned to Hannah. “Um, what about the people who aren’t zombies? What happens if they get bit or hurt by one?”

  Her eyes widened. “I don’t know, dear. I was too busy running for my life to find out.”

  Chapter Twelve

  I was overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted from everything that had happened. Needing a burst of caffeine, I walked into the kitchen to grab a can of soda and noticed that there was a message on my phone.

  Bryce? I hadn’t allowed myself to think about him, it was just too painful to consider that he might be among the walking dead. I had no idea if he’d had the vaccine or his brother for that matter. It might be a good idea to keep a close eye on Bobby!

  I picked up my phone and sighed with relief, it was Allie. I quickly dialed into my voicemail but my happiness was quickly shattered.

  “Cassie,” whispered Allie, I could tell she was in tears. “Oh, my God…we need help! Dan is trying to…kill us.” Next, I heard her scream in terror and then the phone went dead.

  Horrified, I tried calling her back but there was no answer. Then I sent her several texts and waited. But she didn’t respond. I threw my phone down and started crying; I couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Allie. Dan must have turned into a zombie!

  Then it hit me. I knew exactly what I had to do; save my little sister.

  Wiping away my tears, I stood up and grabbed my truck keys. There was no way I was going to sit back and allow her to be a victim to Dan or any other zombies. If she was still alive, I was going to find her.

  Suspecting that Sara wouldn’t let me leave the safety of the house, I decided not to tell her of my plans. Instead, I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote her a note. I also asked her to keep a careful watch on Bobby. Finally, I added Paige’s address, just in case my mom or dad came home.

  I went back down to the cellar and nonchalantly grabbed more ammunition near the gun safe. Sara didn’t even notice, she was too busy trying to console Hannah.

  Yawning, I said, “I’m going to lie down for a little while.”

  She looked at me and nodded. “Okay, Hannah and I are going to figure out what in the heck we’re going to do next.”

  I said goodnight, then ran upstairs to grab the Berretta and my sectional staff, which is something I’d never used away from my karate class. It could inflict a lot of pain; if there was ever a time to use it, I knew it was now.

  My truck was parked on the other side of the garage. With my heart hammering in my chest, I took a fearful breath and snuck outside, locking the door behind me. It was deathly quiet except for the sound of an old barn owl hooting somewhere in the distance. Thankfully, I was alone, nobody waiting for me in the shadows. I hopped into my truck and locked the doors.

  “Please start,” I begged my persnickety truck. And just like that, it started.

  With a renewed surge of hope, I put it in gear, backed out of the driveway, and took off down the street, not putting on my headlights until I was far enough away from the house.

  As I drove through the neighboring streets, I’d half expected to see dead bodies, but instead was surprised by how calm everything was. No bodies, no walking dead, not even any neighbors coming or going, which really wasn’t that odd after midnight, although tonight, everything felt ominous.

  I relaxed a little and turned on the radio, but there was still nothing but static.

  Should’ve brought my iPod, I thought.

  About four blocks away, I noticed Hannah’s truck parked recklessly in the middle of the street. It was yellow with streaks of blood splashed across the bumper and hood. I drove around it cautiously, expecting to see her dead husband jumping out of it and coming for me. But thankfully, it was empty.

  As I neared the first major intersection, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I really didn’t think too much about it until I slowed down for the stop sign and a bushy-haired male zombie rushed my truck. It then crawled onto my hood while I watched, totally transfixed by its actions.

  The zombie’s face contorted grotesquely and it let out a dreadful moan. I recoiled in horror as it stared hungrily at me with its insanely red eyes. He then pressed his mouth against the window and began licking the glass, as if it were trying to somehow taste me through it. The slimy residue its blackened tongue left behind was enough to make me
gag as well as get me moving. I stomped my foot on the gas, thinking I might be able to shake him off, but my truck had other ideas; it gasped, sputtered and then stalled.

  I locked eyes with the zombie, who seemed aware of what just happened. Its grayish lips curled up into a sneer, as if mocking me, which made me furious. I raised my middle finger and flipped him off, hoping he’d understand what that meant, too.

  When that obviously didn’t get me anywhere, I restarted the engine, this time pressing much more gently on the gas. When the truck started moving I wanted to cheer, but the zombie was still holding onto the hood of my truck, putting a damper on my victory.

  “Get off!” I screamed, but the zombie only stared at me with a cannibalistic yearning.

  I gave the pedal more gas and watched the speedometer go up, but the zombie still held tight, its brown hair blowing wildly in the wind.

  Screw it. I pressed the gas to the floorboard, not too worried about oncoming traffic. This time I felt a surge of exhilaration as the zombie tumbled off the side of the hood and onto the pavement. I held my breath until I couldn’t see it in my rearview mirror and then let out a shaky sigh. I’d just survived round two against the zombies.

  I calmed myself down and continued on towards Paige’s, noting several abandoned vehicles on just about every road I took to get there. It was so surreal and I started feeling as if I was the lone survivor in a bad horror flick. Even though I was terrified, thoughts of my little sister kept pushing me forward.

  When I finally arrived at Hillshire Commons, the posh gated community where Paige lives, I noticed the security station was vacant and the entrance was open. I drove through it warily, searching the streets for zombies, not wanting any more leaping onto my truck. I held my breath for the entire four blocks, and heaved a sigh of relief when I made it up Paige’s cobblestone driveway without any obstacles.

  The house appeared dark and ominous. My hands began to shake uncontrollably, imagining what I might possibly find inside. As I grabbed my truck keys out of the ignition, they slipped out of my quivering hands and fell onto the floor mat, so I bent down and picked them. When I sat back up, two pairs of red, bloodshot eyes stared at me through the window. I screamed in holy terror.