The strange boy raised his hands, and said, “No problem, trust me. I was just helping Lolly back there. It wasn’t safe, and you weren’t listening.”
“Whatever,” Aiden grumbled as he settled into his seat. The rest of the drive passed in silence as he ignored them all while brooding over Dee.
By the time they reached Eliza’s dorm room, he was frantic with worry. He plugged his phone into her charger and stared at the blank screen, willing it to come to life. Slow minutes passed. Finally, his cell beeped and switched on. He dialed Dee’s number, praying she’d answer. Beep, beep, beep. Nothing. All he got was the busy tone.
“Damn it,” he growled and jumped up to pace the tiny room.
The other boy with them had slipped away in the meantime, and Lolly had excused herself to go to the communal bathroom. That left Eliza and Aiden facing off against each other like two territorial cats.
Eliza eyed him with irritation. “Relax. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“How would you know?” he answered.
“Well there’s nothing you can do about it now,” she pointed out.
He ignored her and tried to call again.
And again.
And again.
Still nothing.
Eliza flopped down on the bed and switched the TV on. She flipped through the channels until she came to a news report detailing numerous outbreaks of violence just like the one they’d experienced at the night club. “Look at this.”
Aiden paused to listen as the news reporter warned people to stay indoors and fort up. “Those afflicted with the virus are extremely dangerous and can pass on the infection through contact with their saliva. If you’ve been bitten, please report to your nearest hospital for treatment.”
Horrific news footage of infected people attacking and eating each other followed. Aiden blanched at the ugly scenes, and even Eliza looked a little green around the gills. Finally, she switched the television off. “I can’t watch anymore.”
“Me neither,” he agreed.
“You know what this means, right?” she asked.
“What?”
“It’s the zombie apocalypse.”
Aiden snorted. “There’s no such thing.”
“Oh, yeah? Then what do you call those?” she said. “Some of those people shouldn’t even be alive, let alone running around and attacking others. You saw it. They were eating people!”
“So?”
“Think about it. It’s a virus that makes you go nuts, eat people, and not feel any pain. You can only be killed by destroying the brain, and it’s passed on through bites.” She waved her hands for emphasis. “That’s zombies!”
Aiden had to admit she was right. The signs were all there. “You’ve got a point.”
“Of course, I do,” she said with a smug smile. “I’m always right.”
“I have to find Dee. If it’s true, she’s in even more danger than I thought.”
Eliza rolled her eyes. “Forget about Dee. She couldn’t even be bothered to wait for you. Some girlfriend.”
“Shut up, sis.” Aiden paced around as he tried to formulate a plan. Just when he was about to leave and look for Dee, his phone rang. It was her.
“Dee? Is that you?” he answered. He spent the next few minutes reassuring himself she was okay. After warning her about the zombies, he told her to wait for him outside. “I’m coming to fetch you. Just wait for me. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
He pocketed his phone with a feeling of intense relief. At least, she was safe for the time being. He turned to look at Eliza who lounged on the bed as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “I’m leaving.”
“To fetch your precious Dee?” she asked with a smirk. “Waste of time if you ask me. She’d be better off as a zombie.”
His simmering anger burst to the forefront with such force it took even him by surprise. “I didn’t ask you, Eliza. In fact, Dee’s right. You are a cold-hearted bitch.”
“Well excuse me, Mr. High and Mighty. I’m just looking out for you. You’re my brother, and that girl’s not good enough for you.”
“Nobody is ever good enough for you, Eliza,” he answered.
She shrugged a lazy shoulder. “That’s because we’re better than the rest, Aiden.”
“You really believe that?” he asked.
“You should too.” Eliza got off the bed and laid a hand on his arm. “Forget Dee. She’s gone, but I’m still here. In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a zombie apocalypse going on out there.”
“That’s exactly why I need to find her. It’s dangerous out there.”
“What about me?” she asked, her eyes narrowing. “I’m your flesh and blood, your family. You should be looking after me, not her.”
“You’ll be safe enough in here until I get back, Eliza. Or you can come with me. Your choice,” he said with firm resolve.
“What we should be doing is going home, Aiden. Not running around after your trailer trash girlfriend.” Eliza stamped her foot. “It’s either me or her. Decide.”
Aiden stared at her as if he didn’t recognize her. Or maybe he was seeing the real her for the first time in his life. “Lock the door, and wait here. I’ll come back for you as soon as I’ve found Dee. We can go home after that.”
She sputtered, shocked surprise crossing her features. “You’re choosing her over me? Your twin sister?”
“Right now, she means more to me than you ever will,” he answered with cold indifference. Turning his back, he walked toward the door and turned the handle.
“Suit yourself, asshole!” Eliza said with venomous tones. “Don’t come crying back to me when your precious girlfriend tries to eat you.”
“Whatever, Eliza.”
“I’m telling Mom and Dad too.”
He rolled his eyes at the childish threat and opened the door, only to freeze at the sight of Lolly swaying in front of him in the hall. “Lolly?”
Lolly’s dead eyes fixed on his, and her lips peeled back in a snarl. She opened her mouth and pounced, her clawed hands grabbing him by the shoulders. Her nails dug into his flesh as she pulled him closer.
With a cry, he backed away and tried to fend her off. She was incredibly strong and attacked with vicious intensity. Her teeth clipped the air in front of his face as they wrestled, going round and round in circles.
Eliza screamed and backed into the corner furthest away from them. She held a pillow in front of her as a shield, her face pale and frightened.
Aiden swung Lolly around and smashed her into the wall, but nearly lost his footing when he stepped on a high-heeled shoe. He fell against the cupboard with Lolly less than an arms-breadth away and called to Eliza. “Help me.”
Eliza shook her head and sidled toward the exit, pausing only to snatch up his car keys and her jacket. “You’re on your own, brother.”
“What?” Shock flooded his veins, and his grip on Lolly’s twisting body loosened for a brief second.
Like a snake, she slithered from his grasp and struck like a cobra. Her teeth sank into the nearest piece of naked flesh she could reach: his face.
Her jaws snapped shut and raw agony exploded through his head and almost brought him to his knees. She reared back with a chunk of meat in her mouth, and the exposed nerve endings in his cheek shivered with fiery pain.
Eliza turned to run. “Eliza, help me! Please!”
She never looked back, her retreating back the last he saw of her. With a roar of anger, he clubbed Lolly in the head and tossed her to the ground. With one foot on her chest, he cast around for a weapon, even as she screeched her rage and clawed at his leg.
His eyes landed on Eliza’s closed laptop, and he snatched it up. With all his might, he crashed the edge into Lolly’s face, using it to batter her skull into an unrecognizable mush until she stopped moving.
Aiden dropped the laptop and backed away. His entire body shook with a mixture of shock, horror, and betrayal. He raised one hand to his wounded cheek, and ho
t blood streamed over his fingers. Despair crashed over him as he realized the sickening truth. He was infected.
Aiden’s Mark - Chapter 2
With his body moving on autopilot, Aiden examined Lolly’s body. A bite mark on the back of her shoulder revealed the source of her infection. She must have gotten it at the club.
He sighed and sat back on his heels. A quick glance at his watch showed him that just over two hours had passed since they’d fled the club. Two hours. That’s how long it took for Lolly to turn. Is that how long I’ve got too?
Anger at Eliza’s betrayal filled him once more. It ran through his veins and colored every memory he had of her, of them as twins, in hues of black rage. He couldn’t believe she’d be so selfish as to abandon him when he needed her most. That she cared so little for him, her own brother. In a single moment, his trust in family, in the bonds of blood, was broken.
“Why did you do it, Elli?” he whispered, using the nickname he’d called her as children. “Why?”
A knock on the door tore him from his brooding thoughts, and he jumped to his feet. “Yes?”
“Hello? What’s going on in here? I heard screaming.” A girl wearing glasses with thick plastic rims entered the room. She stumbled to a halt when she spotted Lolly’s brutalized corpse and gasped. “What…what have you done? Who are you?”
“No, wait. It’s not what you think.” Before Aiden could explain, she backtracked and fled the room. He followed her outside and into the hall. “Wait!”
She ignored his calls and disappeared around a corner, her ponytail the last he saw of her. Aiden hesitated, glancing up and down. The corridor was dim and empty. It was a Friday night, after all, and most of the students were out partying or visiting their boyfriends. Except for a few like the girl who’d stayed in, studying or watching movies in the shared common room, perhaps.
He started after the girl, his footstep sounding hollow on the carpeted floors. His breathing was ragged, and sharp pains radiated from the bite mark on his cheek. The direction he was going in led to the shared living and dining area that abutted the communal kitchen.
As he got closer, the excited buzz of voices reached his ears. One was shrill and loud, the others only slightly less so. He entered the room and paused to take in the scene.
The girl with the glasses was gesticulating wildly as she shared her story with the other three girls who occupied the space. Their faces were incredulous as she explained what she’d seen. “I’m telling you guys it’s true. There’s a killer in Eliza’s bedroom. He murdered her!”
“That’s impossible. We just saw her go out,” one said in reply.
“That’s right. She ran out of here like she’d seen a ghost,” another agreed.
“Maybe she did,” the bespectacled girl answered. “Maybe she was running from the killer. He was standing over a body. I know what I saw.”
One of the girls snorted. “Maybe we’re lucky, and he killed Lolly. God, I can’t stand her; she’s such a bitch.”
“Be serious,” the girl with the glasses replied. “We’re talking murder here.”
Aiden cleared his throat, and four sets of wide eyes turned his way. He became acutely aware of the blood streaming down his face. More of the stuff was spattered on his clothes and hands, most of it belonging to Lolly, some to him. He realized he presented a frightening image. Still, he had to try to convince them of the truth. “I didn’t murder Lolly. Okay, sure, I killed her, but she attacked me first.”
Collective gasps rose from the knot of young women. The nearest one reached for her phone as they all backed away. “I’m calling the police.”
Aiden shook his head. “It won’t help. They’re not answering.”
“What do you mean? They always answer,” she replied, her fingers already flying over the keys.
“Haven’t any of you watched the news yet?” he asked.
Numb shakes of their heads followed.
“Well, you should. We’ve got a zombie outbreak on our hands.”
“That’s just stupid,” the girl wearing spectacles replied. “There’s no such thing.”
“There is tonight,” he replied. A wave of dizziness passed over him, and he swayed. With one hand steadying himself on the doorjamb, he turned back the way he came. “Look, you can believe me or not. Your choice, but I’m getting out of here as soon as I patch up my face.”
“Wait! You can’t go back there. You have to wait for the police,” she said.
Aiden sighed and looked at her. “Listen….what’s your name?”
“Nicky,” she replied after a moment’s hesitation.
“Look, Nicky. I don’t have time to waste. I’ve just been attacked by a zombie and probably infected with the virus. Somewhere out there’s my sister Eliza who abandoned me to my death, and my girlfriend Dee who needs my help. Call the police if you want, but I’m leaving as soon as possible.”
“But…” Nicky’s mouth hung open as he turned away. Her stunned expression would have been comical on any other day.
“Oh, and if I were you lot, I’d lock the doors and find somewhere safe to hole up. The zombies are coming whether you believe in them or not.”
“But…” Nicky repeated.
“Turn on the damn TV, and see for yourself,” he called over his shoulder, too tired to argue further. They’d either get it or not.
He retraced his steps and entered Eliza’s room with a sense of trepidation. Lolly’s unmoving body mocked him with silent reproach, and he quickly looked away from her mangled face.
Rummaging through Eliza’s cupboard, he emerged with an oversized t-shirt and a first-aid kit. He made his way to the communal bathroom and shoved open the door without caring who might be inside. He was beyond numb at this point.
Aiden examined his wound in the mirror. Lolly had taken a good-sized chunk from his cheek, and the flesh gaped open. Already, it was hot to the touch and swollen. He wet a wad of gauze and washed the blood off. Afterward, he squeezed a dollop of disinfectant cream into the hole and pulled the edges together with tape. A plaster covered the entire area, and he looked almost normal again. “But I’m not normal, am I? Not anymore. I’m infected, and soon I’ll become one of them.”
A shudder traveled up his spine at the thought of becoming a zombie. A walking corpse intent on only one thing. Feeding.
Before he could stop himself, Aiden punched the mirror. It shattered, shards of glass falling into the basin. Drops of blood leaked from his cut knuckles, dark red and rich with life. Not for long.
He gripped the edges of the basin and breathed through his nose to regain a sense of calm. I can’t give up now. What about Dee? I promised to pick her up.
Still, he hesitated. “What if I turn on her? I might hurt her, maybe kill her, the one person I really care about. I can’t do that, but I can’t abandon her either.”
With uncertainty warring within his breast, Aiden continued his ablutions. His stained clothes joined the discarded pile of bloody gauze on the floor, and he washed before slipping on the clean shirt. More plasters covered his hand, and a few sips of water quenched his thirst. As he walked back to the room, new determination filled him. “I’ll find Dee, and I’ll get her safety if it’s the last thing I do.”
Lolly still lay where he’d left her, and he averted his eyes. Moving fast, he searched Eliza’s room for a weapon, but the only thing he could find was a can of pepper spray which he doubted would stop a zombie. His eyes fell on her bed, and an idea rose in his mind.
He lifted up the corner and grabbed hold of the steel bar that made up the foot. It unscrewed from the frame, and he hefted the rod in his hands. It was better than nothing, and the thing had a comforting weight to it. “It’ll have to do.”
With his weapon in his right hand, he strode from the room but paused to phone Dee again. It went straight to voicemail, and he cursed. “Damn it, Dee. Just wait for me. I’ll be right there.”
As he walked down the hall, screams cut through the s
ilence, and he froze. They were coming from the living area, and raspy growls formed the base note in a symphony of horror.
“Somebody help, please,” a girlish voice called.
“I’m coming! Just hold on!” Aiden replied, breaking into a sprint with the pipe raised in both hands.
This was it.
The moment he’d feared would come.
The zombies had arrived.
Aiden’s Mark - Chapter 3
Aiden burst into the room with his pipe raised above his head, ready to bash in the brains of the first zombie he came across. His shoes squeaked on the tiles as he slid to a stop, and he paused for a split-second to get his bearings.
Two zombies, boys around his age, had one of the girls pinned to the floor. Her cardigan was drenched in blood, and droplets sprayed through the air as she fought against their hands and teeth.
Her screams were piteous, and with a fearsome war cry, Aiden launched himself at her attackers. He hit the nearest in the temple with a heavy blow worthy of a champion golf player.
It snarled and looked at him with one eye; the other had popped out from the force of the hit and dangled against its cheek. Vomit rushed up Aiden’s throat, and he gagged, eyes watering from the sour stink in his nostrils.
The thing reached for him with clawed hands, and he swung again. The pipe connected with a solid clunk and knocked the zombie onto its ass. It fell off the girl and lay on the floor, twitching as brain matter leaked from its misshapen skull.
The other infected boy launched himself at Aiden, but a wooden stool came out of nowhere and hit him in the face. It was Nicky. She followed up her attack with another blow and knocked the zombie sideways. As it lay on the floor, she bashed it in the face again and again and again.
Cartilage crunched, bone collapsed, blood sprayed, and teeth flew in every direction, but still, she wouldn’t stop hitting the boy. At last, Aiden stepped up and grabbed her hands. “That’s enough for now. He’s dead.”
She looked at him with wide eyes. Her clothes were blood-spattered and stained, her breathing short and ragged, while her glasses sat askew on her nose. “He’s dead?”
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