Dead Living

by Glenn Bullion

  Richardson gave her a surprised look. That was the way of Lexington. Possession was the law. If someone left or died, it didn’t take long for their things to get redistributed.

  Still, Samantha’s lack of compassion surprised him.

  “Wow. Not even gonna wait till their bodies get cold?”

  “Hey,” she shrugged, “there’s people here who would ask for much more.”

  He nodded. That was the truth. “Okay. I’ll hold the lounge for you. Just meet up with Garrett. I think he’s leaving in an hour or so.”

  Samantha walked away. She wasn’t looking forward to the run. It wasn’t the danger that bothered her, but Garrett and his boys. The last time she went on a supply run, they treated her like she was there only to look at.

  For a nice lounge, I’d go alone.

  Back at her room, Samantha stripped down and put on two long pairs of sweatpants, as well as two sweaters. It would get hot, but she didn’t want a walker biting into her flesh. She tucked her Beretta into her waistband then strapped her favorite knife to her leg. It was six inches long, very sharp, and its smaller cousin was strapped to her wrist. She put on her hip bag with three extra clips. That was all she had.

  She completed the ridiculous looking outfit by putting on a baseball cap and tucking her hair under it.

  Garrett and his guys were milling around near the front gate of Lexington, where the trucks were kept. Garrett was talking to his favorite stooge, Ray. They filled the truck’s tanks from gas-cans and checked their weapons. Ray gestured to Samantha as she approached.

  “What can I do for you, sexy mama?” Garrett asked. He looked at her clothes. “You know winter isn’t here yet, right?”

  She rolled her eyes. Garrett was a large man, just a little younger than Richardson, so he’d seen a bit of the world before it died. His hair was graying, and he had the lines of a tough life on his face.

  There were people Samantha could barely tolerate. Garrett was one of them.

  “I’m filling in for Rob,” she said.

  “What’s wrong with Rob?”

  “I don’t know. Ask Richardson. I’m just doing him the favor.”

  “You look stupid. When are you gonna let me sex you up?”

  “I’m glad to see your head is in the right place.”

  “Well, one of them is. You know I got the only dick worth climbing on.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Bastards. Every single one of them.

  “Alright guys. And girl.” Garrett winked at Samantha. “I think most of you have been through this at least one time. But I’ll repeat the same shit for the learning impaired. The suburbs around us have pretty much been picked clean. There are just too many walkers to go through for such a little amount of crap, so we’re gonna hit the city like we did last time.”

  Johnson, a rookie with fewer runs than Samantha, waved his hand. “Hey, Garrett. The city? You mean like old Baltimore, with a few million walkers? Isn’t that, like, dog shit insane?”

  “It’s not fun, I know. But don’t be a pussy. The way it works is we find a street that’s not too long. Now we got eight people here. We have to work faster than hell. Two people will always be driving, keeping the trucks moving. The other six will work in two teams of three. You loot the houses, grab any damn thing you can find. I mean anything. Forks, knives, little scented candles, pillows, blankets, hammers and nails, whatever. Bag it up, and toss them in the trucks. Do not hit the second floors, just takes too much time. Now I know all this sounds dangerous, and it is. But the walkers move slow as shit. One street, maybe two, and that’s all we have to do. The houses are all old townhomes, connected together. So we can make it fast. We ready to move out?”

  * * *

  Ten minutes later, Samantha sat near the back of the open moving truck. Garrett drove one while Ray drove the other. They were in front of Ray, who took the time to blow Samantha a kiss. She gave him a middle finger.

  She was assigned to scavenge with Murphy and Anderson, two men she didn’t like. They were near the front of the truck, gossiping about something. Samantha laughed to herself.

  They’re either talking about how stupid I look or how gorgeous I am.

  The heat was starting to get to her. Her knife sheaths were uncomfortable against her skin. She wanted to get done, and get back to her new lounge. They took the side roads out of Lexington until they hit the old Interstate 295. Even in a relatively small suburb like Lexington there were plenty of corpses scattered around. Samantha watched them wander about from the back of the truck. Some of them made a move toward the back as they passed by, but the trucks were moving too fast. They were safe.

  It would only be when they came to a dead stop in the middle of a city street that they would be in danger.

  Samantha took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. Anderson and Murphy still whispered to each other. She shot them both a look. They just flashed goofy smiles.

  “Alright, so what do you guys think? Maybe two minutes per house, then hit the next one?” she asked.

  “Uh, yeah, sure. Whatever.”

  Interstate 295 was a long, old graveyard, full of cars and corpses. Garrett and Ray had to slow down and maneuver around old cars and trucks, and some of the packs of corpses got close. Samantha took careful aim with her Beretta as a few corpses tried to climb in the back. She killed five walkers while Anderson and Murphy watched.

  “Hey Garrett!” she yelled. “You want to get moving up there?”

  “It’s not easy driving around all this bullshit!” he shouted as they passed an old Jeep Wrangler. “So keep your mouth shut back there and just be eye candy for my boys.”

  “Asshole.”

  Interstate 295 finally opened up into the city near the old baseball stadium. Walkers were everywhere, and Samantha didn’t think they’d have time to scavenge more than one street.

  It took ten minutes of driving to find what they were looking for: a short street with no broken down cars in the middle, townhomes on both sides. Garrett and Ray made two passes down the street, running down every corpse they could. They did a good job of clearing most of them out. They circled around one more time and slowed down. Samantha grabbed a few trash bags while everyone jumped out. Anderson shot a corpse that was trying to catch up to them.

  “Alright guys, hurry the fuck up!” Garrett shouted. “One team on each side. They know we’re here, and you can bet your ass they’re coming.”

  Samantha led the way to the first house. They had to jump over three dead corpses on the way to the front door. The house wasn’t even locked, and the front door was wide open.

  They stepped into the living room. It was destroyed, like Samantha expected. Pictures and broken glass were scattered on the floor. The television that Samantha was told people would waste hours sitting in front of was face down on the carpet. The couch cushions were covered in dried blood. The previous owners had obviously sat there patiently, waiting to die and then to walk together forever.

  Anderson tried to move around her. She stopped him with her arm. “Wait a second,” she whispered.

  She tapped on the wall and whistled. The undead weren’t smart. If they heard a noise, or smelled a human, they would investigate, and they wouldn’t be quiet about it.

  She heard nothing.

  “Okay guys.” She stepped inside. She didn’t notice Murphy quietly closing the door behind them. “Let’s get those cushions. Not the bloody one. Murphy, you check the kitchen back there. I’m sure-”

  Samantha didn’t get to finish. Anderson struck her in the back of the head with his gun. The force threw her Beretta across the room. She fell to her hands and knees, her vision starting to blur. Before she even had a chance to think, a foot kicked her in the stomach. The air rushed out of her lungs as she fell to her side. Anderson forced her onto her back and raised his gun high above his head. He smashed the butt of it on her forehead, still covered by her cap. Her eyes shut as her head rolled to the side.

  “Shit, m
an, don’t kill her,” Murphy said. “I don’t want to screw a corpse.”

  “We’ve gotta make this fast. Garrett will leave us here. Help me with her shoes.”

  They each pulled a shoe off. Murphy went to a front window and watched the street. The other team had already finished one house and were starting on the next. A few corpses were near the stop sign at the corner.

  “They’re coming,” he said.

  “Yeah. I’m gonna be coming too in a minute.”

  “She’s so pretty.”

  “I know. I’ve been wanting to fuck her forever. But she’s a frigid little bitch. Ain’t givin’ it up for nobody.”

  Anderson grabbed her sweatpants by the waist and forcefully pulled them off. She didn’t move an inch. He was shocked by the second pair of sweatpants she had on, and the knife he felt on her leg. “What the hell?”

  “What? What’s up?”

  Anderson pulled her pants-leg up to reveal her sheathed knife strapped to her shapely calf. He slipped it off, making sure to give her leg a quick kiss while doing so. “Would you look at the blade this bitch is carrying?”

  Murphy just laughed, but he was getting nervous. He could hear Garrett and Ray shouting at each other on the street. More corpses were showing up.

  “You’re not gonna need this,” Anderson said, and dropped the knife next to them. “Not for what we’re about to do.”

  “Just hurry up,” Murphy said. “I want my turn.”

  “Don’t worry. She ain’t gonna feel a thing by the time I get done with her. Wake up.” He slapped her across the face. She didn’t move. “I want you awake for this.”

  Anderson started unbuckling his pants. He’d fantasized about this moment a long time, ever since Samantha first walked through the high school gate.

  His fantasy was about to turn into a nightmare.

  Samantha sat up like a cobra and jammed the blade she carefully worked out of her wrist sheath into Anderson’s neck. The blade was only four inches long, but she severed his windpipe and hit an artery. Anderson’s eyes went wide as he felt blood running inside and outside his throat.

  Samantha struggled to breathe. Her whole body was in pain. Her lungs burned and head throbbed from Anderson’s attack, but she never lost consciousness. It wasn’t easy to fake it. She knew she had to just listen to them, figure out where they were, wait until the time was right, and then strike.

  She’d had sex two different times in her life, both times by her choice. She would kill before she let anyone rape her, and that’s what she planned to do.

  She pulled the knife out of Anderson’s neck. Blood gushed from his throat to her chest. Samantha looked over his shoulder to see Murphy standing there with a shocked look on his face.

  He pulled out his gun.

  She grabbed Anderson by the shoulders and pulled him on top of her. His body shook as he slowly died. She could feel the blood flow all over her face.

  Murphy fired wildly.

  He pulled the trigger until he was empty. Every round went into her human shield—Anderson’s dead body. Samantha waited patiently, her heart racing with fear, but determined to get out of this alive. When she heard the click of the empty chamber, she did the only thing she could do before he reloaded. She leaned out from under Anderson and threw her knife as hard as she could. She wasn’t an expert knife thrower, but luck was on her side. It pierced his skull, finding a home right between the eyes. He dropped to his knees and fell forward, driving the knife even further into his brain.

  Anderson was over two hundred pounds, and his dead weight pinned her to the floor. She tried to wiggle out from under him.

  Gotta hurry. Any minute, he’ll turn into-

  Too late.

  His body jerked as he came back to life. The scent of warm flesh immediately touched his nose, and he grabbed at Samantha. She struggled against him as he climbed up to her face. His horrible wailing filled the living room. The hole in his neck gave him a bubbly sound. He leaned forward to bite into her cheek.

  She got her arm up just in time.

  Anderson’s teeth sank into two layers of sweater sleeve. He shook his head violently, like a mad dog, but didn’t penetrate the skin. Samantha had to act fast.

  Her favorite knife was just a few feet away, where Anderson had dropped it earlier.

  She twisted and maneuvered, all the while dragging Anderson with her. He put one hand on her throat, not to choke her, but just to keep himself up. He cut off her air anyway. She was about to lose consciousness when she felt her hand touch her knife.

  She undid the clasp and shook the blade free. Pushing his face as far away as she could, she slammed the knife into his skull, just above the ear. His jaw went loose, and she pulled her arm free.

  She pushed his body away and climbed to her feet. Her lungs were still on fire, but she could breathe again. Her ribs were sore from Anderson’s kick, but nothing was broken.

  She left the house through the front door. Scavenging was over for the day, at least for her.

  She stopped when she hit the first step. Both trucks were gone. The end of the street where they came in was crowded with walking corpses. A few stumbled out of the homes across from her. When they caught sight of Samantha, their pace picked up. It was a scene right out of her early nightmares.

  She calmly shut the door behind her and clutched the knife tightly in her hand. She moved away from the walkers, further up the street, keeping an eye on every open front door.

  Garrett and Ray are just making another pass. Any second now, they’ll come around the corner and run all these bastards down.

  She kept backing up. Thirty seconds passed. A minute. She didn’t hear the trucks on the next street over. She only heard the cries of the undead.

  No one was coming.

  Samantha was alone.

  “Fuck.”

  She turned and ran. The undead followed her, more than a hundred now. There were a few corpses at the other end of the street and as she drew closer, their numbers started to swell. They came from the neighboring streets, the scent of fresh meat in their noses. She was trapped.

  Samantha had survived for years before she found Lexington. She had done so by being smart, and staying away from the undead. The old cities, and any major populated area, were dead zones. No one could survive in the city, not for very long.

  I can find somewhere to hole up. Then figure out my next move.

  The thought was ridiculous, but she held onto it. She wasn’t willing to accept death yet. She knew if she could hide from the corpses, at least for a while, they’d lose her scent, get lost, and wander away. Still, she’d never seen so many undead in her life.

  She felt for her Beretta. It was gone. She’d left it, along with her second pair of sweatpants, back at the first house. She couldn’t get to it now. The undead were already blocking her path.

  She took a deep breath and ran to the closest house. She was afraid she would see a corpse when she kicked open the front door. She didn’t, but there was one at the top of the stairs. As it opened its mouth to wail at her, its jaw fell off. She wanted to shut and lock the door, but the corpse fell down the stairs and nearly collided into her.

  Samantha ran through the house. She could hear the undead behind her. As she passed the open basement door, a pair of bony hands reached out for her. She screamed, more afraid than she thought possible. She kicked the corpse down the stairs and kept moving.

  She burst through the door at the back of the kitchen and into the alley. The alley separated one row of backyards from another. Corpses were scattered around, but in lower numbers.

  Her lungs and legs were burning. Her run had slowed to a jog. Still, she easily ran by one corpse, then another. She could see the mouth of the alley ahead.

  As she jogged by a backyard with no gate, a corpse that had been behind an old shed lunged at her. They both fell to the hard ground. She tried to stab it in the skull, but was disoriented by a hard pull at her feet. She looked down to see a
nother corpse making its way up her legs. It would only be a matter of seconds before it found a soft spot to sink its teeth into. She kicked with her legs while trying to push the one on her chest away. Its jaws snapped dangerously close to her face. She could see three more shambling slowly toward her. She felt the strength in her arms giving away at the same time her sweatpants were pulled down, revealing her thigh to the other corpse.

  A shadow moved above her that was too fast to be a corpse. She heard a violent crack, and the tugging at her legs stopped. The shadow stopped above her, and she screamed as the head of an arrow pierced the skull of the corpse on top of her, stopping just an inch short of her nose.

  She rolled the corpse off to the side and looked up to see a figure standing above her. Her first instinct was that it couldn’t be a man. She was the only human in the city. The sun was behind him, so she couldn’t see his face. It was only when he felt for her arm and pulled her up with a warm, strong grip that she knew he was human.

  He had a large compound bow and a quiver on his back. He quickly shot the three oncoming corpses in the brain with ease. Samantha was impressed.

  She shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. He was definitely a man, maybe around the same age as her. He was completely bald with bright blue eyes, and just slightly taller than she was. He wore old blue jeans and a white tank top, revealing a lean upper body. She thought he looked ridiculous, totally without protection.

  He did something that caught Samantha by surprise. He smiled. Then he said something even stranger.

  “Good afternoon.”

  Her mouth hung open. Her instincts told her something was very different about him. “This city is full of walkers.”

  “Walkers? The walking corpses? Well, yeah. You just notice that now?”

  There was a loud crash not far away. They both looked to see walkers pushing their way out of the house Samantha had run through, and both ends of the alley were blocked by corpses.

  “Wow. Looks like you really got them riled up,” he said calmly.

  Samantha looked at him. The brief hope she’d felt when he pulled her to her feet had dissipated. Physically, he seemed fine, but something clearly wasn’t right in his head. They were surrounded by death, and he didn’t seem bothered in the least.