Red Eye: Season Three, Episode One: An Armageddon Zombie Survival Thriller

by Eli Constant

  I stared blankly at him, having no clue what or who he was talking about. Eventually he pushed me towards Destiny.

  “Keep an eye on her. I’m holding you responsible for her actions.” He eyed the other women, pointing to a handful of them before turning back to the door. “All right, eyes on me and let’s go, ladies.”

  We left the room, with Destiny sticking close to me like she could feel my urge to run in the air surrounding me. She would be right too, because the second I saw an opportunity that’s exactly what I was going to do. Regardless of anything else, I was getting the hell out of there.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Destiny hissed, and I wanted to laugh in her face because I already had.

  I tried to map out where we were going—the hallways, the paths, the doors—but it was a maze, and one I was deathly scared of. Every person we passed stopped to stare like we were something special, and I hated every single set of eyes that saw us as that.

  Back outside we took a different route than previous, heading towards the left and passing some bathrooms along the way. As we passed, Barrett came out of the men’s side. His hair was damp, trailing down his back to soak his shirt. His dark gaze moved over the women with a steady eye until it landed on me.

  I glared at him, putting every ounce of hate into it that I could…and then he looked away, his gaze falling to the women behind me like I was nothing. Like I really was just another one of Nathan’s pets.

  Without thinking, I spun on my heel, leaving the group and storming towards him. Destiny grabbed my arm and started to drag me back.

  “I’m going to fucking kill you!” I raged at him, my voice cracking under the power I put behind it.

  “Shut up!” Destiny yelled, dragging me back to the group.

  Barrett’s expression was the same: impassive, bored, unconcerned. He didn’t care. He didn’t care what he had done, or what he was allowing to happen now. I hated him more than I’d ever hated anything or anyone. Probably more than I hated Nathan. But he didn’t care. He could see my rage, my anger, my hate, and he didn’t care. He sighed, cracked his knuckles, and then turned and started to walk away from me.

  “You were supposed to protect her! You were supposed to keep her alive,” I screamed, tears bleeding from my eyes. God, what I would have done for some of Sam’s magical zombie juice right then.

  “Control your bitch, Nathan, or I’ll control her for you,” Barrett threw back over his shoulder.

  “Oh my god, shut the fuck up!” Destiny yelled, her hand reaching back to slap my face. “Shut up before you get us both in trouble!”

  Barrett turned a corner and I heaved out a loud sob as Destiny dragged me back to the group of women, and Nathan, waiting for me. Nathan’s gaze was on Destiny and I felt her hand on my arm tremble.

  “It’s fine, she’s fine,” she said hurriedly.

  I glared at Nathan with tears in my eyes and he smiled before starting to walk again. My cheek stung, my heart hurt, and my muscles felt leaden. I had to get out of there. I simply had to.

  I stumbled numbly forwards, the ground burning the soles of my feet, yet I barely felt a thing. This was really happening. I was really here, and this was really happening. I felt sick with dread and fear.

  We passed a couple of small booths with straggly teddies hanging from them, food huts with faded wooden signs, benches which looked too dangerous to ever sit on, and even then with the death hanging in the air, I could smell something else. The scent of chlorine or something similar, and the monstrous sound of hundreds of the dead.

  We passed by what looked like a changing room and I saw the flash of something move between the buildings. I followed the sight, wondering what it was and hoping to God it wasn’t some of the dead that had somehow gotten free. Whatever it was was gone before I could make it out and I turned back to the front, my gaze back on the ground as I tried to avoid standing on some of the larger rocks in the path.

  “You ever do that again and I will choke you in your sleep,” Destiny hissed next to me. Her nails dug into my flesh again and I wanted to cry out, but refused to give her the satisfaction. “If I get punished for that little outburst, so will you.”

  I didn’t care though.

  What could be worse than this as punishment?

  Maybe that’s exactly what this was: karma. Punishment for abandoning my family. For not being grateful for the wonderful life I clearly had. For being selfish.

  This was my punishment.

  Chapter Five.

  Sam

  Outside, sunlight and the Nevada heat sobered me.

  I rubbed my forearms, thinking about Barrett’s warning that the men here were to be feared, and I moved back into the shadows of the building’s overhang. There was a lot of activity in some parts of the park, but here near the showers it was relatively quiet.

  I didn’t know if that was better or worse. Before all the terrible things started happening, I’d go by the adage “safety in numbers.” Now, the case felt like the opposite.

  The bigger the crowd, the bigger the danger.

  Especially where I was now. In the center of sin.

  “So I’ll just wait here. Alone,” I muttered to myself, glancing nervously around the waterpark that was more like a ghost town at the moment. You’re so stupid, you know that? Rather than watch a perfectly gorgeous, albeit jerk of a man shower, you’re out here without protection.

  After what felt like an eternity—which was probably only a few minutes in reality—a woman rounded the corner of an arcade-style water gun booth for winning prizes. Tattered stuffed animals still hung from its inner wall, though no one wanted to win them nowadays. It made me a bit sad for them—especially the pale pink penguin missing an eye.

  The woman was tall, like me, with golden-blond hair. Her outfit was on the revealing side, sheer sundress falling off her shoulders. I wondered if she was one of Nathan’s workers. She didn’t wear shoes, which I found odd. Who would walk around on this hot, searing earth without shoes? Given a choice, I’d wear absurdly large clown boots rather than continue to go barefoot.

  She said hello to someone and at first I thought she was talking to me and I smiled, but then I realized someone else was coming from the other direction. Smile still plastered on my face, I turned to find the new arrival. I froze when I recognized the face.

  It was the creepy-looking Sin who’d gawked at me when we’d first arrived.

  Nathan had stared at me like my body was made for a purpose. Pleasure. Money. This man looked at me like he’d use my body for his purpose.

  Not for money.

  Not for passion.

  For pain.

  “Marcy.” He nodded a greeting back at the other woman. She passed by him, disappearing from view too quickly for comfort. I could hear the water still running in the bathroom behind me. If the man just kept walking, if he didn’t see me, then maybe everything would be fine. Or maybe my first impression of him had been wrong. He wasn’t a bad person. He’d just been curious at the new arrivals.

  Hope... You’d think I’d have learned by now not to hope. It was too precious and fleeting a feeling for the end of the world.

  The man’s gaze found me seconds later, and the warped look that changed his face was nothing short of malicious lust. My stomach ached with worry and I pressed my back against the building, acting like the shadows cast by the overhang could protect me somehow.

  “I recognize you,” he breathed out, the pungent odor of cigarette smoke pouring off him. “You’re that bitch Barrett brought into camp.” He closed the distance between us, lifting his arm to stretch over my shoulder so he could rest his palm flat against the wall behind me.

  Closer, the tobacco smell was overwhelming. I coughed involuntarily and he scowled.

  “I could tell the second I saw you that you were a rich cunt. Probably look down on folks like me, don’t you?”

  “I’m not rich.” I glared at him. “And I judge people on how they treat others.” I
didn’t mean to egg him on, but there was just so much pent-up anger inside of me. Things I’d wanted to say to Nathan and Stash and Barrett. I was so tired of men being such bastards.

  “Stupid bitch,” he growled, lifting his other hand and wrapping dirty fingers around my neck. I squeaked, trying to say Barrett’s name, but the man’s grip tightened. “Don’t bother calling for help. Sins don’t turn against Sins.”

  My eyes widened as he pressed even harder. I couldn’t speak or scream. But I could further embrace the anger I felt. I let the fury that was always right beneath the surface grow. Pink kissed my vision once more. Hunger made my mouth fill with drool. I saw the man hesitate, his head cocking to one side as he tried to figure out the change in me.

  And that’s when I lifted my leg as hard as I possibly could and kneed him in the groin. Immediately, his grip loosened and I slammed my fists into his chest, knocking him backward. He fell to the dusty ground, face distorted with pain.

  “Goddamn bitch,” he whimpered, hands clamping over his dick. “I’ll tear you to fucking pieces.”

  He staggered back to a standing position, blocking the entrance to the men’s restroom. So I ran. I ran, and I didn’t look back.

  He recovered too fast. I was only a few yards away when he screamed at me again. I knew he would follow me. I just needed to be faster. I had to be faster. God, what had I gotten myself into this time? If I’d just stayed and watched Barrett shower…

  The anger was replaced by fear, the beast inside no help when I was swallowed by fright.

  I darted between two buildings, hearing new voices come to life in the distance. But I didn’t look back. Chances are, they were people who would help the man and not me. Because he’d confirmed my worry.

  Sins don’t turn against Sins.

  In the end, even Barrett wouldn’t help me if it came down to me against one of his family.

  I’d always known that, yet admitting it to myself made me feel queasy—like drinking bad milk from the carton and realizing too late, as the liquid slid down your throat, that it was bad. That was how I felt about Barrett. I knew he was bad for me, that at some point he’d turn his back on me and turn my stomach, yet I’d still followed him almost blindly.

  I pushed the thoughts away and continued to run.

  The acrid smell of the meth labs hit my face as I moved behind one of the modified eatery buildings. I cringed as I ran through a cloud of the drug vapors pushing through a pipe mounted low in the outside wall. It took all of my willpower not to cough and give away my position.

  “Bitch, you better stop running!” His voice was too close.

  My heart raced, my stomach tightening. My feet were sore and aching. But I kept moving, as fast as I could, darting between buildings.

  The drug smell faded away, to be replaced by something familiar. I didn’t recognize it, not until I saw the shimmer of water in the distance. Past a shoulder-high fence line, a small pool glistened blue beneath the bright sun. I stopped running, pressing into the nearest structure to hide myself from the people who were swimming.

  I don’t know why I found the sight of the clean swimming pool so jarring.

  Maybe because the end of the world had been so bloody and dirty up until that point.

  From the beginning. Death and filth everywhere.

  Peering harder, I found the woman who’d passed by the restrooms earlier. Marcy, he’d called her. The sheer sundress was gone now, revealing a tiny strapless bikini. She lounged next to the water, men on either side of her, touching her body.

  I backed away from the scene, readying myself to move in the other direction.

  And I gasped in pain, my hair suddenly yanked from behind.

  “Found you,” his voice sang evilly.

  “Let me fucking go!” My hands grasped the sides of my head as I struggled violently. I tried to turn to face my assailant, but he slammed me in the back with a fist. I pitched forward, desperately grabbing for anything to keep me upright. There was nothing, save for the flat wall. My fingers could find no purchase.

  I hit the ground face-first, and while his one hand continued to wrench my hair, his other hand snaked around my body to find the button of my pants.

  “Don’t you fucking dare,” I growled, trying to kick back at him like a frantic animal.

  “You’re going to be one of Nathan’s whores eventually—might as well break you in now.” He breathed heavily as he pulled the button of my pants loose and tore the zipper down. He pulled at my pants, dragging them down my hips so my panties were exposed to the world.

  When his dirty, nasty fingers pulled at the thin cotton, I felt the monster push back to the surface. Fight or flight.

  I couldn’t flee.

  This time, the change didn’t rise slowly. It came speeding to life like a high-octane racecar.

  The tinge of pink fogged my eyes for only a second, the briefest of warnings, and then the world was crimson.

  The second he released my hair to pull his dick out, I twisted against the ground and punched him in the mouth.

  There was power pulsing through my muscles and I hit harder than I’d ever been able to before. His lip split, blood spurting and dripping down against my clothes. The smell of the metallic sweetness sent me into a frenzy. I licked my lips, staring at the deep red blood.

  The man’s gaze went wide as he focused on my face. I hit him again and again, my fist becoming painted with the delicious-looking liquid. He rolled away, groaning, and I scrambled to a standing position. I should have run away immediately, but instead I kicked his body, my naked foot digging into his stomach. I smiled when he grunted, my face feeling twisted and ugly.

  Laughing from the pool broke into my anger. I looked around wildly, finding that more people had entered the gated area to lounge in the fading sunlight.

  I had to get out of there. Somewhere safe.

  I kicked the man again. “Stay the fuck down.”

  He peered up at me, his eyes puffy. “You’ll pay for this, you fucking cunt.”

  I glared at him, lifting my blood-spattered fist to my mouth. I watched him as I licked my knuckles. It tasted coppery and warm, but also bitter and smoky. The tobacco tainted his breath and clothes as well as the vital liquid that ran through his body.

  “Don’t ever touch me again,” I growled back. “Or I’ll kill you.”

  I cocked back my leg and kicked forward once more. I knew it was risky. The noise might call the attention of those in the pool nearby. I was glad for the fence, that it hid most of what was going on. Not soundproof though.

  Spitting on him before racing away, I headed back the direction I’d come. Everything looked strange, like I was wearing deep red sunglasses. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night…

  But for me, it was red sky anytime anger stoked the monster inside of me. There was no delight. Only warning.

  After the meth lab with the pipe smoking from the rear wall, I realized I didn’t know which way would lead me back to Barrett. I couldn’t hesitate for long. I took a right, praying I wasn’t wrong.

  After a short distance I stopped in my tracks, looking around at everything. Nothing was familiar. Absolutely Nothing.

  I heard groans. At first I thought it was the man, injured and hot on my trail again, but no…this was different.

  It was a symphony of moaning, joined by scratching like thousands of mice living inside walls.

  I whirled around. Buildings on one side, a fence too high to see over on the other. I walked slowly, looking for a gap in the barrier to peer through. Soon I found a large knot in one of the wooden boards, a hole at the center. I pressed my face against the fence, trying to see what was making the noise.

  There were so many smells in the waterpark. Here was no different. Rot and decay. The scent of intestines bursting under hot sun.

  The dead.

  But I couldn’t see them, only smell and hear them.

  I moved further down the line of wall until I came
to a pile of crates. They were empty, marked with a company logo. I crawled onto them, hands grasping the top of the fence. Splinters dug into my fingers, but my mind was drawn to the growls and groaning.

  My perch was unsteady, but I stood on the highest box anyways and leaned over to find the source of the noises. Though I was already sure of what lay beyond the fence, seeing it in reality was a different matter. My vision was still red-kissed, and it made the scene below me like something out of a horror movie.

  I swallowed hard, feeling my pulse in my mouth.

  It was a sea of zombies…

  An endless ocean of faces lifted toward the sky, teeth gnashing and body parts hanging limply.

  They were caged in a giant emptied pool. The shallow end had been fortified and heightened with cinderblocks, except for where a vehicle was parked to block a small opening. Past the pool, I saw sports-style bleachers and a giant enclosed arena like something from Ultimate Fighters.

  The rage inside faltered as I stared down at them. I was sickened that they were being kept there like that. Why not just kill them for good? Sympathy flooded me for the people they’d once been, for the lives they’d once led. Then there was also fear at the sight of so many of the hungry dead.

  I needed to get back to Barrett. I needed to tell him about this threat. He couldn’t know that so many zombies were being kept there. So much danger, so very close. At least, I assumed he didn’t know.

  In my haste to get down and find my way back to the bathrooms, I lost my balance atop the wobbly stack. Pitching forward, I tried to find my footing, but the topmost crate tipped away from my bare feet. Seconds later, the whole pile crashed to the ground, leaving me hovering against the top of the barrier, stomach pressed into the wood, arms and legs trying to find some semblance of balance.

  I yelled as I fell forward, down into the pit of the dead.

  Bracing myself to hit the concrete below, I gasped when I fell onto their rotting bodies instead. My hands flailed wildly, fingers pressing into exposed guts and wetter, slimier things I’d rather not think about. Shit and piss leaking from damaged bodies surrounded me as I took several of the dead down to the ground with me. I froze, feeling them writhe beneath me.