by Elle Klass
Bryce’s mouth dropped and I sent silent prayers that it wasn’t his mom. Jack pulled back the safety on the rifle and fired. The shell whizzed straight through the window and into the woman’s skull. She dropped like a sack of bricks.
Bryce’s eyes widened and he wore a horrified look on his face.
“That wasn’t your mom, was it?” Jack stated with a grimace.
“No, that was my aunt, and you just alerted the zombies to our whereabouts. Thanks,” he said in a sarcastic tone.
“Jeez, they know we’re here. We might as well break the rest of the glass and get inside,” I said, clearing the glass away with my ax and pounding out the rest so we had a space clear enough to crawl through. “Lift me up.”
Jack walked beneath the window, brushing alongside a flowery shrub, and lowered his back for me to stand on and climb inside the house. I didn’t see any more zombies, so I jumped off the side of the counter that was beneath the window, landing on both feet only a few inches from Bryce’s dead aunt. My mind played de dant, de dant over and over. As kids we used to kill ants and say, ‘deddant, deddant,’ to mean dead ant. Over time it became de dant. I chuckled as I thought of how twisted my mind was to think of it at such a time.
“Help,” urged a quiet female voice. I stopped and listened, but heard silence. Did I really hear a voice? Most likely it was my imagination.
“Unlock the door, they’re coming!” shouted Jack as they beat on the door. I opened it and moved to the side, they both stumbled inside, nearly toppling over each other. Several zombies were stumbling towards us, no more than fifteen feet away.
“Help,” came the voice again. I couldn’t make out what direction it was coming from, or if it was an adult or someone younger, like my age. It definitely wasn’t a small child.
Bryce caught his balance and stared at me. “Was that you?”
“No. You heard it too?”
He nodded. I locked the door and stayed at the window to fend off any zombies who may be agile enough to try and climb through the window, while Bryce and Jack set off through the house.
I heard doors opening and their footsteps echoing over the tiled floors downstairs, then one of them went upstairs. I listened with my eyes peeled towards the window. The first set of zombie fingers rested on the edge of the windowsill. The nails were dirty, covered in a conglomerate of blood and possibly flesh particles. I whacked them with the shovel but they didn’t move and no scream followed. As hard as I hit any living thing would feel the pain, so zombies didn’t feel anything. I felt awkwardly comforted knowing that slaying them didn’t hurt.
I took a different approach and used Bryce’s dead aunt as a stepping stool then grabbed a kitchen knife resting in a holder near me to cut the fingers off. I forced the knife onto the fingers and peered into the dead eyes of their owner and pushed downward. The glassy dead eyes stared at me but held no recognition of pain.
Peering down at the sausage appendages, they lay lifeless on the countertop. That answered a question; limbs didn’t survive without their host. A sudden shaking caught me off guard and I stumbled off his dead aunt, falling backward into the refrigerator. The handle jabbing my back. “Ouch!” I screamed.
The shaking only lasted a few seconds. As a Floridian, the earth didn’t shake there, so moving ground was an entirely new concept to me but not completely foreign. I’d learned all about earthquakes in junior high and spent several months watching the news nightly with my parents. I just didn’t know Italy had them -- Japan, California, but Italy?
A commotion upstairs caught my attention; something fell hard against the floor. Curiosity made me leave my post as I scrambled to the stairs. “Everyone alright?” I screamed.
“Yes,” came Jack’s response, then his bald head peered down at me. “We found another but Bryce took care of him.”
“OK,” I said returning to my post. No more zombie fingers clung to the edge of the window. I let out a large breath and that’s when I heard voices, one clearly a woman’s. I hoped it was his mom as I waited, staring around the room. The kitchen was small and block shaped. An entryway separated it from the next room. The house was old and not open and airy like Florida homes.
Deep growling caught my attention and I shifted my gaze to the window. A set of dead brown eyes stared at me. This one was tall. I took the shovel and poked it right into its face, shoving it backwards. It stumbled, then fell backwards and I lost sight of it.
Within a few moments Jack entered the room. “We found them. They’re OK.”
“Oh, good,” I stated, shoving the pointy end into the zombie’s face as he reappeared at the window. Again he fell backwards, now with two shovel marks across his face. “We need to board this up or get out now,” I added.
Jack nodded and left me alone in the kitchen. It felt like forever, but was about fifteen minutes, before Bryce and Jack appeared with a nightstand. They hefted it onto the kitchen counter which was wide enough to hold it. By its construction, and the obvious strength it took them to lift it, I assumed it was solid wood.
“Come on,” said Bryce as he took my hand.
The next room, which I hadn’t noticed earlier, was decorated with modern furnishings that didn’t fit the style of house. A woman with chestnut hair and green eyes sat on a green chair, holding a little chestnut-headed girl in her lap -- Bryce’s mother and sister.
“Mom, this is Maddie.” He turned towards me. “Maddie, this is my mom, Katrina, and my sister, Melissa.”
We nodded to one another, then Katrina spoke, “There’s a car beside the house. The keys are in the kitchen in the top drawer beside the sink.” I hadn’t noticed a car earlier and assumed it must be on the opposite side of the house from the path we took.
I didn’t understand why, if there’s a car, they didn’t escape the house, but figured it was better to wonder at the moment than discuss anything. We needed to get back to the boat, so I traipsed to the kitchen, opened the drawer, and found the keys.
I marched back into the room and Bryce was gone. “How long has it been since…?” my voice drifted off as Katrina’s eyes filled with tears.
She sniffled. “Three days. It happened so quickly. In hours, my sister and brother-in-law changed. I managed to lock us in the extra bedroom we’d been sleeping in.”
Well that answered my question. She was obviously too terrified or in shock to think of escaping. “You must be starved and thirsty.” We couldn’t set out with weak people; any number of things could happen.
She nodded.
I went back into the kitchen and opened the fridge. I decided packaged drinks were safer, remembering what Heather said about viruses spreading. There was a bottle of unopened juice, so I placed it on the counter, then rummaged through the cabinets until I found two glasses and a box of some kind of wafers. I brought them out and poured them each something to drink.
Bryce was back with a suitcase. He rested it beside a door I hadn’t noticed earlier. It must be the front door.
Melissa raised her head from the comfort of her mom’s bosom and took the drink. She drank the warm juice heartily and snacked on the wafers. No sooner did they swallow the food than the earth shook again -- stronger than the last. The walls of the house moaned as they rattled at their joints. I braced my feet and leaned forward to catch my fall. Objects dropped from the walls and a loud crash echoed from the kitchen.
Chapter Fourteen
When the rumbling shook, I sprinted into the kitchen with Bryce. The dresser had fallen directly on top of his dead aunt. Jack rushed in after us as we all lifted it back up, placing it in front of the open window. The stench of death was strong in the air.
“What was that?” I asked.
“An earthquake,” Bryce said with a hint of anxiety in his voice. “We need to leave.” He walked into the living room area and looked at his mom. “How long have these earthquakes been happening?”
“It’s Naples, they happen often enough, but have been more frequent the past coupl
e days,” she responded.
What did Naples have to do with earthquakes? Oh my gosh! It hit me; earthquakes caused by volcanoes. Italy was famous for having an active volcano, Mt. Vesuvius. But just how close were we?
“We need to get out of here. You ready, Zombie Girl?” asked Jack as he grabbed the rifle he’d rested alongside the coffee table but had fallen onto the floor.
“How close are we?” I asked, cringing.
Katrina spoke, “Too close. The base is only a few miles away.” The contortion of her face was a perfect match to the horror of her words.
Oh great! If zombies weren’t enough, a volcano was going to explode and turn us into human ashes. I headed towards the door, ax in hand. It was time to escape this zombie, volcano infested nightmare of Italy and welcome the safety of Earnest Earl.
Bryce and Jack behind me, we opened the door, weapons ready for slaying, but nothing stood in our way. The zombies were too stupid and all bunched in the back of the house. The car we took was directly in front of us within twenty feet, and the other vehicle was around the side of the house. I pointed straight ahead but Bryce shook his head as he clung close to the house and peeked around the corner.
Starting up that car would certainly capture the zombies’ attention. I didn’t get it; the other car was so close we could all make a run for it and pack inside before the zombies had a chance to get to us. Bryce disappeared around the corner, then I heard a car door and a motor revving. Within a few seconds a large SUV-type vehicle backed from the driveway, drove across the sidewalk, and parked in front of the door, followed by the drip drag shuffle of zombies. I jumped into the back along with Jack, as Bryce held the door open for his mom and sister.
They scrambled inside the vehicle as the putrid death smell that accompanied the deaders first wafted into my nostrils. This vehicle was far roomier and, although it was a bigger risk, offered more in the way of comfort than the tiny vehicle Bryce hotwired.
Bryce stepped on the gas once his mom and sister were safe inside and the SUV bounced off the sidewalk and into a zombie stumbling towards us from the street. He fell against the hood, then dropped to the ground as the vehicle bounced over him, making crunching and squishing sounds just like in the dream when I ran them over with my mom’s car.
Bryce’s sister Melissa said, “Eww,” and curled her body tight. She couldn’t be older than four judging by her size and the fact that she wasn’t yet in school.
We sped off, leaving the zombies behind, and headed back into the city. A few stragglers stumbled around, but no one who looked alive.
“Are we going to see Daddy?” Melissa asked in complete innocence. She seemed a little more comforted and less an appendage of her mother now that we were clearly moving away from danger, or maybe it was comfort in being surrounded by living people and seeing her big brother.
“Yes, when we get back to the US,” answered Katrina in a strong voice that surprised me.
I was thankful they were both OK and healthy, and felt more comfort myself the closer we got to the port.
“I’m so glad you showed up. I’ve been worried. We lost radio and cell phone reception days ago. Before we lost TV there were horrible reports all over the country and from other countries. But you made it,” Katrina beamed to Bryce.
He nodded as he maneuvered the vehicle around a couple deaders wandering in the road. One was a topless woman whose skirt sagged around her hips. I wondered where her shirt went. The other was a teenager. Her hair stuck out everywhere and bites covered her arms. As we passed, her blank glassy blue eyes stared at me, more like through me. I closed mine, unable to look into her soulless body.
The SUV bounced over something in the road. From the back seat, I wasn’t sure what, except it didn’t crunch like a zombie. A wheezing sound caught my attention as the vehicle swerved and Bryce stepped on the brakes.
“We got a flat. I hope there’s a spare,” Bryce stated as he looked at his mom.
“I believe so. Jack,” who was sitting in the passenger seat, “open the glove box and press the red button. It’ll release the hatch.”
Jack’s eyes shifted as he scanned the area, then popped the hatch. He and Bryce stepped out of the vehicle and gently shut their doors. We were somewhere in the heart of the city, surrounded by buildings that most likely held dead people.
“Everyone needs to get out,” Bryce said after he lifted the hatch, “except you, Melissa.”
I slid out the back, with my ax ready as I circled the SUV. It lifted off the ground as Jack loosened the lug nuts. Bryce joined me as we kept vigilant watch over the area. A breeze blew my ponytail over my face and the unmistakable smell of rotting flesh swept up my nose. They were close.
Jack tightened the last of the lug nuts and he gently let the SUV down. Melissa’s head peered over the backseat with a delighted look in her eye. I’m sure sitting in a vehicle that moved up and down was a game for someone her age.
Jack and Bryce lifted the gear back into the rear, while his mother slid into the back seat with her daughter. I stared ahead in between buildings as dozens or more zombies shuffled towards us. We need grenades to kill that many, I thought as I slipped into the back seat next to Melissa who was oblivious to the danger surrounding us.
Bryce, Jack, and Katrina were aware right along with me just how much danger we were in, as their eyes shifted to the masses now out of the shadows of the alleys between the buildings. Bryce stepped on the gas and the ground beneath us rumbled. The road moved in waves as fierce as those in the ocean during the storm.
Chapter Fifteen
Bryce didn’t stop. He guided the vehicle over the asphalt waves as they lunged us forward. The zombies toppled onto each other. The road appeared as though it was going to swallow us, then a large rift opened up in front of the vehicle. Bryce slammed on the brakes and turned the vehicle sideways. Its wheels stopped just short of the rift.
“What do we do?” asked Katrina with a shudder in her voice.
“We walk it,” stated Jack.
I knew we weren’t far from the port, but the odds didn’t look too good for us surviving as I glanced at the wall of zombies picking themselves up from the ground behind us.
Bryce nodded. “We don’t walk it. We run it,” he said, opening his door and scurrying around the vehicle. He helped his mother out, then he collected Melissa in his arms and swung her onto his shoulders. I handed him his shovel and we ran, all of us, in the opposite direction of the zombies.
Gray smoke and soft ash littered the ground as we pushed forward, leaving the zombies in the dust. They didn’t move fast enough, but the volcano may blow its top anytime and that we couldn’t outrun.
After a few blocks Jack paused, hands on his knees. “I’m tired. I need a rest.” The sun would be setting soon, as golds and violets streaked the sky.
“There isn’t time!” demanded Bryce.
“We can’t leave him here and he’s not the only one who needs a break,” said Katrina, backing him up. “The dead things are behind us. Why don’t we try a building? Maybe we can all rest for a bit.”
Bryce looked around. We were surrounded by brightly colored buildings. He tried a door and it was unlocked. “I’m going in first with Jack. Zombie Girl, you have to watch my family.”
His eyes pleaded with me and I knew he entrusted the job to me because he trusted and knew I was a teenage killing machine. I nodded and tucked us into a corner between attached buildings. I stayed in front while we waited for the all clear.
Several minutes passed, maybe fifteen, when I heard a shuffle. I put my hand to my mouth and looked at Melissa. She copied me. No more than five feet from us a zombie shuffled past alone, its rancid odor making us all crinkle our noses. Melissa plugged her nose with chubby hands. She was adorable and I was glad that I stood in her way so she didn’t see the nasty sight as it hobbled away, a gaping hole in its back uncovered by its torn shirt. It never took notice of us. When it was a clear, ten feet past us, Bryce opened the doo
r and waved us in. We padded inside, careful to be quiet -- my eyes on the zombie the entire time. It never turned its head.
Light streaming from the large windows gave us enough to see. We were inside a clothing store. Bryce led us through the aisles to a break room area. It had a table and a couple couches and two doors. One he closed behind us.
I didn’t ask in front of Melissa, but figured they decapitated a few zombies judging by the time it took them then carefully stuffed them away somewhere. “What’s behind the other door?” I whispered in Jack’s ear.
He smiled devilishly. “A bathroom. Don’t worry its cleared.”
Ah, well I guess they’d found a deader inside it. “Good,” I said as I walked towards the door. My bladder was ready to be emptied.
When I came back out everyone else took their turn and we rummaged through the cabinets for any kind of snack food. We put our scavengings together and had a couple bottles of water, three candy bars, and a bag of more wafers. Bryce divvied it up and we ate and rested. I imagined the air outside dark. It was too bad that I was stuck inside a building with flesh-eating zombies outside and a volcano threatening whatever was left of our existence to enjoy the sunset in another country.
To amuse ourselves and make everything feel “normalish” for Melissa’s sake we played silly games like twenty questions and Simon Says. She chuckled and giggled when it was her turn to be Simon, Bryce purposely made mistakes. It was a side of Bryce I hadn’t yet seen and it made him even more drool-worthy as I saw how carefully he interacted with her.
A worn-out Melissa fell asleep on a couch, Katrina petting her hair. When she was fast asleep, evidenced by her tiny snore, we snuck to the other side of the room and huddled together. “We’re not far from the port but we don’t have a vehicle and I didn’t see one anywhere nearby,” whispered Bryce.