Alive

by Ashley Shannon

  “Keep both of your eyes open when you shoot.” Frankie noticed she was closing one eye, shooting like a cowboy in an old western movie. “Here, let me help.”

  Frankie took a step behind Carin, placing both of his arms against hers. It was an almost intimate stance with his body pressed against hers. Each of his hands wrapped around one of hers, holding the gun out correctly.

  “When you’re aiming, line it up then look down the barrel of the gun to your target.”

  “Okay,” Her voice was quiet. The feeling of him pressed against her back made her hands tingle. Her knees felt funny as if they were weak. She didn’t even know him, but he was cute. His eyes were blue and beyond the color, were kind. Frankie wanted to appear strong and in charge like his friend Frankie, but Carin could tell just by looking at him that he was different.

  Carin looked down the barrel of the paintball gun to the bottle she was aiming at. It was the biggest bottle in the line. If she couldn’t hit it with a paintball gun she felt like there was no hope for her with a real one. She inhaled deeply, remembering to keep both her eyes open.

  The paintball left the gun when she fired and the Sprite bottle was blown backward, hitting along with a four she didn't expect. The sound of the plastic hitting with brick wall echo throughout the entrance. Karin didn't know if the right thing was to cheer or not, but she was too excited not. She laid the paintball gun down on the carts in front of her and turned around to see Powell in. His smile is just as big as hers. Without thinking she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in close.

  The feeling of his lips pressed against her own made Carin’s head swim. She hadn’t planned it or even thought about it before it happened, but when it did, she knew it was the perfect kiss. His lips were soft and he pressed them lightly against hers. Not wanting to part from Frankie in that moment, Carin deepened the kiss, pressing her lips harder against his before parting them a little. He followed her lead, pushing his body against hers, wrapping his arms around her waist. Enveloped in a moment of bliss, time had stopped all around them until they banging on a falling chair started the ticking clock again.

  When they weren’t looking, a zombie had breached the perimeter. It had pushed the chair from out of the stack of furniture, causing it to crash to the ground. It was alone, apparently smarter than others. After pulling itself through the gap in the wire, skin was hanging from its bones. The fence had sliced open a gaping wound on the zombie’s face and it was filled with a thick, black blood-like substance. It didn’t drip like normal blood but oozed.

  Carin didn’t know if it was the oozing puss like blood or the presence of the zombie its self that made her stomach churn. Whatever it was, the feeling made her queasy and stomach acid threatened to escape through her teeth.

  “Shoot him,” she said, willing herself not to get sick. It was a big deal that one of them made it into the store. If the others found out they might think Frankie and Carin weren’t doing their job. In reality, they had been distracted, but they had caught the zombie in time. All they had to do was get rid of this one and secure the barrier again.

  “No,” Frankie said, holding the handgun out to her handle first, “You do it.”

  “I can’t,” she said, eyeing the infected to make sure it wasn’t going to head in the store. It was having trouble getting through the furniture, it’s legs stuck. But it persisted, twisting and clawing to get through.

  “Yes, you can.” He said, putting the gun in her hand. Frankie kissed her forehead. They weren’t in any danger, it was just one and it couldn’t even get through the blockade. He had the time to take a few minutes and walk her through this. Killing her first one would show her that she was capable of defending herself. Frankie pulled her in again, kissing her forehead before kissing her lips.

  “You can do this.”

  Frankie turned Carin around to line her up for her shot, but the zombie wasn’t alone anymore. The first one had squeezed its way into the entrance way, showing the zombies behind it how to get in. Now there were four, with more coming.

  Carin gave the gun back to Frankie, leaving herself without a weapon. Frankie started to take shots, aiming for the head. “Go wake up the others. Tell them to get to the vehicles, I’ll keep them at bay as long as I can.”

  “No, you have to come with.” She knew that if she left him there to fight the infected streaming in alone, that she wouldn’t see him again. Frankie didn’t say anything but he pushed her back into the store.

  Carin wanted to kiss him, to say goodbye in some way, but there wasn’t any time. She ran to the others, starting to yell. They had to wake up and get to the back of the store as fast as she could.

  Palen and Drew came into the aisle, running to her. Carin opened her mouth to tell them what was happening, but a hand quickly wrapped around her mouth and pulled her to the ground.

  The zombies had reached the inside of the store. She didn’t have to tell them what was happening. The first infected that had climbed through the barricade, the one Frankie had told her to shoot, was bitting down on her neck. The world around her started to fade away, but not before she saw the others grabbing their things and running to the back of the store.

  Chapter Eight

  Zombies were invading the store at an alarming rate. Kimber knew they had already lost Frankie and Carin. She gathered the backpack she packed and ran towards the back of the store to the automotive center. Again they were leaving the store because the infected were invading, but this time they were a lot more prepared.

  Her arms were full as she headed to the back of the store. She didn’t want to see them coming after her, but Kimber needed to know where Eli and Drew were. Turning back around, Kimber stopped. Eli was struggling to get Rion and the baby. He needed help, but she couldn’t drop the things in her arms.

  “Drew!” She yelled at her girlfriend, “Help Eli!” That was all she said before continuing to head towards their only escape.

  Drew saw how Eli was struggling. They had to put the baby in the car seat and then in the cart. Rion could barely walk due to all the pain and would need help to run. The high school athlete ran over to Eli and took over putting the car seat in the cart. Cash was crying, his face turning bright red. Haphazardly, Drew tucked his bag and blankets into the cart.

  Eli had Rion’s arm around his shoulder, urging her to move as fast as her body would allow. They were already quite ways ahead of Drew. By the time she had gotten all of their stuff tucked in the cart around the baby, the infected were racing toward her.

  Moving her feet as fast as she could, Drew started to push the cart toward the safety of the auto department. The noise of the infected behind her was getting louder. She knew they were fast, she had seen them in action when they had taken so many people from them. But Drew wasn’t about to let them take Cash.

  This baby, born against all odds, was alive and completely innocent. If it came down to it, she knew she would have to sacrifice herself to make sure that he survived. But it wasn’t going to come to that if she could help it.

  A zombie veered towards her from her right, telling her that they weren’t all behind her. She tried to dodge away from it, but any sudden turns threatened to tip over the cart.

  Ahead of her Kimber and Eli watched Drew trying to make it to them. Rion, Jasper, and the others were away from the door, but Eli and Kimber weren’t going to let them shut it until Drew and the baby was safe. Kimber was terrified, watching as Drew tried to maneuver the cart quickly but safely.

  The noise of Cash’s cries drew the zombies to them in flocks. Drew didn’t know what to do other than run, but it wasn’t enough. An infected one caught her by the hair and pulled her down. Pain ripped through her body as the zombie tore through the flesh on the side of her face.

  The cart kept going, but the zombies didn’t chase it, even though Cash was crying. The metallic smell of her blood brought them to her, keeping the innocent newborn safe. The last thing Drew remembered to hear was the sound
of Kimber’s screams.

  Eli saw Drew get taken down. The zombies had large numbers, thirty at least, and he knew that no matter the weapons they used, his group was no match for a group of infected that size. Kimber was melting down beside him, screaming in rage. She began to move forward but Eli wrapped his arms around her to keep her safe. Her hands balled into fists and she pounded them against her own brother trying to break free to save her girlfriend.

  Drew tried to fight against the zombies and to get away, but they were too strong. The cart moved slowly forward and Cash was still crying. Suddenly, the enticing meal Drew presented wasn’t enough. The zombies turned toward the cart holding the crying baby.

  TO BE CONTINUED

  CLICK HERE FOR A SNEAK PEAK OF PART TWO

  SNEAK PEAK - ALONE

  CHAPTER ONE

  The screams could be heard down the entire hallway, but the loud music coming from Becky’s earphones kept her from hearing them. With her head tilted downward, she flicked through her emails as she walked to her evening class. After six months on campus, Becky had gotten pretty good at navigating through the halls without actually watching where she was going. She could weave through the other students and faculty members with ease on any day. But that day wasn’t like any other day.

  When her eyes glanced upward to make sure she wasn’t going to run into anything or anyone, she saw the look of fear and terror in the eyes of the people coming toward her. Other students and faculty ran past her, bumping into her and without an apology. There was something they were running from, something that had instilled a fear in them that had them abandoning all senses of order. Whatever it was that had everyone so afraid was in the direction she was heading, but the crowd was thick and she couldn’t see anything behind them.

  Becky was trying to decide if she should turn around or not when the doors to a classroom swung open with so much force they slammed into the wall. The noise echoed to her, rising above the music she was playing. That’s when she saw what had everyone barreling past her in the hallway.

  With pupils that looked like slits and vivid yellow irises around them, the creature turned it’s head and scanned over the crowd. Then another one came up behind it and another one, until there were five of them. They looked like people, but then not exactly. The skin that was exposed was pale and daunt. It looked almost waxy as it stretched across the framework of their bones underneath. Each was smeared with blood and a few appeared to have a bites of some kind on their body.

  Becky stopped in her tracks, memorized watching the fearsome beings. She took out her earbuds and was overwhelmed by the noise that was being blocked out. The crowd was emitting screams and yells as they rushed to the nearest exit. Some people stood in silence watching, trying to grasp what was unfolding before them. Low growls could be heard too, and Becky could only guess where they were coming from.

  Then as suddenly as they had swung open the doors, the creatures, whatever they were, human or not, began to pounce on any human that was near them. Using their teeth and hands, they ripped apart whatever flesh they could with their bare hands. Dark red blood spilled from the inflicted wounds. It contrasted with the stark white floors as it fell in splatters.

  With one glance at the crimson liquid, Becky’s stomach began to churn. Blood had always made her queasy, to the point of passing out. She was still haunted by a day in her ninth grade science class when each student was suppose to dissect a fetal pig. She had tried to get out of it, first by faking sick and then by boycotting the class. Her mother and the principle had both agreed that her reasons for not participating in the lab were invalid and sent her to slice open a dead baby pig against her will.

  Ryan, her lab partner, had tried to reassure her as much as he possibly could. He was a nice guy like that, always trying to help if he was able. Becky had had a crush on him since the beginning of that year, spending most of the period stealing glances at his angled features and olive complexion instead of taking notes.

  Even with Ryan’s help, Becky had lost the battle against the fetal pig. They cut open the abdomen and began to identify the organs on the assignment, but she wasn’t standing upright long enough to find a single one. Ryan pried apart the pigs abdomen and sliced through muscle and tissue. The blood began to ooze and a small drop landed on her glove. Becky brought her finger up to eye level and watched the sticky liquid. At first her head felt fuzzy, warmth rushing to her face, and everything faded away. The next thing she remembered her eyes opened and the entire class was gathered around, looking down at her. Ryan was bent down beside her, starring at her with his beautiful golden brown eyes. She quickly looked away, closing her eyes again, her face flushed with embarrassment.

  That day haunted her for the rest of her high school career. Some kids even jeered at her for awhile after in the hallway, calling her pig girl. It wasn’t the most creative nickname but it was one she always remembered. Since then, Becky did her best to stay away from blood, even when she had her own injuries.

  The fuzzy feeling began to fill her head, as if the blood on the floor belonged to the same fetal pig. Heat rushed up the back of her neck and into her face, clouding her mind from being able to send signals to her body. Becky willed her feet to move, pleading with her body to follow the crowd and turn around. But for longer than she would have liked, she was frozen in place. Whatever these things were, they were making their way towards her quickly, pulling apart any living human in their path. They moved like animals, in a feral way she had never seen a person move before.

  Finally, her feet got the message and Becky turned to run. Her backpack with notebooks, homework, and heavy text books in it felt cumbersome as she tried to run through the crowd. Careful not to lose her phone, she ditched her bag. She tried to drop it so it didn’t trip up someone else trying to get away, but her main concern was getting rid of it so it no longer weighed her down.

  Other people kept pushing into her, their arms and shoulders knocking painfully into her. The door was so close, only eight or nine feet in front of her. Behind her she could hear more screams and growls, colliding with each other as they rose from the crowd. She didn’t want to turn around and look. Nothing good would happen from letting curiosity get the best of her. It did, after all, kill the cat and if she let it, it would end up killing her too.

  Becky reached out her hands, almost at the glass doors. The metal handle that stretched across the door was just close enough to touch. With only inches between her fingertips and the handle, something wrapped itself around her ankle. She was forced to tear her eyes away from the promise of safety to see one of the feral creatures holding on to her ankle. Now that it was much closer to her, she could see how different it was from a living person. It’s eyes were a piercing yellow, with slits for pupils, and they darted back and forth madly as it tried to pull her foot to it’s mouth. That was another difference, this fucking thing kept trying to eat her, using all of it’s strength to get any part of her close enough to bite.

  Becky tried to kick at the creature, but it just kept pulling itself closer to her. Soon it’s fingers were trying to make their way up her leg. The thing was strong and it took all the strength Becky had to keep fighting it. She could keep her foot just out of it’s mouth, but couldn’t summon up the strength to get completely away.

  Then, a boy she didn’t now, came up and began to stomp on the thing’s head. Blood squirted across the floor, marking the white tile. He continued to stomp over and over, again and again, until it stopped moving completely. Becky had been taken aback by the boy who rushed to save her, that she hadn’t even thought to start running. Instead she watched him, this kind boy who clearly wasn’t thinking only of himself.

  “Thanks.” Her voice sounded weird, almost like someone else.

  “No problem.” He rushed off, without giving her his name or any indication of who he was or how she could repay him. He was a total stranger and without another thought, he had put his life on the line to save hers. The gesture
wasn’t lost on her.

  Pushing past the last door before freedom, Becky watched the crowd. She wasn’t entirely sure what to do next. The majority of the students was headed toward the parking lot. With everyone trying to leave at once, she wasn’t going to be able to get anywhere fast and she didn’t want to be a sitting duck in a car waiting if more of those things arrived.

  For the time being, Becky took off on foot, wishing she still had her backpack. She headed toward her dorm, her mind buzzing, trying to figure out what exactly was happening on campus. The crowd began to disperse and everyone went their own way. A small group left the building on foot and Becky sped up to walk with them, not brave enough to walk through campus alone.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The Captain had a voice that carried across the room and he used it wisely to get his point across. Palen was hanging on his every word, like he was listening to the rules at the beginning of a video game. The directions were always curial to the mission that would be carried out. If you didn’t listen to the rules of the mission, you could find yourself in the middle of a battle alone and surrounded. But this wasn’t a game, this was real life, this was his life, and he was being told they were going to war. Not only were they going to war, but it was on home soil against their own people.

  “The infected should be considered armed and dangerous, though they might not actually be armed with weapons. Their strength is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. They will take you down without any thought or hesitation. Protect yourselves and your brothers in arms.”

  Palen looked around the room as the Captain spoke, his mind wandering. Everyone was quiet, looking forward, and paying attention. He, on the other hand, was scanning the room, distracted, and excited, though he didn’t know why. A nervous energy buzzed through him. What they were about to do was going to be hard and some of the guys in that room with him might get hurt or worse, but it was the right thing to do. Taking up arms agains other Americans was something that hadn’t been done on American soil since the civil war, but the magnitude of that was lost on Palen. Anticipation coursed through the vessels that made up his body causing his legs to shake. He pressed one hand against the other and cracked his knuckles, each making a small pop sound that could be heard in the pauses between the words the Captain was saying.