Less Than Human

by Tim Meyer

  The sun had just about disappeared behind the horizon, leaving the sky to bask in a beautiful arrangement of orange and purple cloud-clad streaks. The three of them sat near the edge of the roof, captivated by something they had only ever seen in movies and elegant paintings that hung in rich people's dining rooms. The magnificent scenery absorbed them so intensely that they were able to ignore the window pane breaking and the noises from the dead crowd that gathered behind them. A traffic jam had formed and it looked like it wouldn't clear up for quite some time.

  The Ackermans continued to watch the sun fade behind cloud-covered horizon, ignoring the calamity building behind them.

  After a few minutes, Jake placed the side of his head in his father's lap. Within a minute, he was snoring.

  “I'm really sorry,” Melissa said, breaking the silence that had lasted a solid five minutes.

  “For what?” Ben asked.

  “For everything,” she replied. “I was... unfair, at times.”

  Ben laughed through his nose. “At times?”

  Playfully, she punched him on the shoulder. “Screw you,” she said, snorting. “Okay, I was unfair a lot of the time. And...” She took a deep breath. “I was wrong to move out here. I shouldn't have moved Jake out of state. It was... my childish way of punishing you.”

  “I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you for it,” he said seriously.

  She nodded. “I can't say I blame you.”

  There was silence again. Then suddenly, Ben gasped. The pain in his leg intensified. Jake awoke instantly, snapping his head up as if he had awoken from a terrible nightmare.

  “Did I hurt you, Daddy?” he asked.

  “No...” Ben said. “My leg.”

  He turned it. It seemed to be getting worse as the moments passed. A faint red ring began to appear near the outskirts of the wound. The hole emitted puss.

  “It's infected,” Melissa said.

  “Dad, are you going to turn into one of them?” Jake asked. He pointed to the window where the zombies were still stuck, trying to climb their way out. They made no progress.

  “No, Jakester,” Ben told him. “I don't think I can.”

  “What are you talking about?” Melissa asked.

  “A few blocks over, I ran into a man who had been bitten. He was still human.”

  Melissa shook her head. “The radio said everyone who had been bitten turned almost instantly. How is it possible?”

  “I dunno. But I was bitten in the street. Right before I found you guys.” Ben shrugged. “Here I am.” He glanced at the wound. It looked nasty. Began to smell weird too. “I think it was because of the flu.”

  “The flu?”

  Ben nodded. “The man said he had it too. The same time I did.”

  “Me too!” Jake proclaimed.

  Ben ruffled his hair. “I bet you'd be okay to—if you were bitten.”

  Jake hugged his father. “I love you, Daddy.”

  “Love you too, Jakester.”

  Ben caught Melissa smiling. She joined the hugging party. The three of them embraced each other, wondering how long they had left.

  Suddenly, Melissa let go. “Oh, my God. Look!”

  Ben followed her finger. In the distance, an object fell from the clouds. It looked like a missile. Ben knew exactly what it was.

  A bomb. A nuclear fucking bomb.

  “No...” Ben uttered.

  Another one fell, closer to where they sat. Then another. Even closer. They fell like anvils in old cartoons Ben watched as a child. Another. Closer.

  Before Ben knew it, there were dozens of bombs falling from the sky.

  He turned to Jake. “I want you to know I love you,” he said. “I've always loved you and what happened between your mother and I was not your fault. You know that right?”

  Jake nodded. “I know, Dad. I love you too. I'm really scared.” His face flexed, forehead wrinkled. Ben embraced his son. Melissa joined them. She whispered something similar to what Ben had said. Jake nodded. The three of them huddled together, holding each other until it was all over.

  Ben peeked. The first bomb had collided with the earth. A giant mushroom cloud grazed the sky. Another bomb hit, the mushroom-shaped smoke billowing upward, erasing the beautiful evening glow.

  The air instantly changed. A new smell overtook the zombie's unique musk. A different kind of death conquered the atmosphere. Ben inhaled it. He could taste it in the back of his throat.

  He gripped his family tight as the rolling death clouds enfolded them. Pain briefly seized his body. Then, Ben Ackerman knew no more.

  About the Author

  Tim Meyer is an author working on several upcoming projects. He currently resides in New Jersey, near the shore. When he's not writing, hunting ghoulish entities, or balling hard on the basketball court, he's usually annoying the crap out of his wife, the most amazing person in his life. The two of them live with their cats, rambunctious monsters that destroy almost everything. Check out his other books here.