The Masquerade

by Rae, Alexa

  "Ella!"

  Eli slid his machete across the concrete. It stopped inches from my feet. The zombie grabbed my arm and almost yanked me off my feet. I pushed myself back and fell in the opposite direction to reach for the knife. I stretched as far as I could, my fingers curling over the handle. I pulled myself upright with the help of my zombie friend, who practically pulled my arm out of my socket. I swung hard, the blade sliced into his shoulder. He shrieked and tripped back when I pulled the knife back. His hands grabbed at his shoulder. I watched in awe as blood began to squirt out of the open gash.

  "Ella duck!"

  I didn't hesitate. I practically dropped to the ground, the machete still in my hand, dripping with crimson. I looked up to see the head of the Undead topple to the ground. His body fell to the opposite side. I had to roll over to keep it from falling on top of me. I quickly stood. Eli was in front of me, holding another machete that was coated in blood.

  He nodded, "Nice."

  I gave a quick, out of breath, smile and held up the knife. "Can I keep this?"

  He nodded. Behind him, Luke and Kellan shouted his name. He turned and ran to help them fight off two Undeads who were persistent in bighting Luke. Kellan picked up an axe, a weapon that was new to my eyes, and he slung it into the back of one of the zombie's.

  Something churned inside of me as my eyes dropped down to my hand holding my own machete. With horror, I realized that a smile crept onto my face when I was analyzing the blood dripping off the blade. I shook my head to rid of the horrible smile.

  I looked up when I heard Ben shout in what sounded like a mixture of pain and anger. He was struggling against two Undeads. He kneed one in the chest while the other shoved him against an old truck that was parked on the side of the road. The metal folded in by the force of his back. When Ben pushed himself off the truck the monster he kneed kicked him on the side of his face, sending him back into the scrap metal. My heart sank when the other one, I recognized as Alex, pulled him off the truck by his hand. Ben swung at him, but his strength was weakening. Alex moved behind Ben and pulled his arms back to restrain him. The other Undead punched Ben in the stomach. A winded grunt left his open mouth when his stomach concaved. He only keeled over as far as his arms would allow, being held up by Alex.

  I ran over to them with my machete in hand. I couldn't use it, knowing I'd only injure Ben if I tried to swing at either of them. I dropped the knife to the ground and stopped in front of them. One of my distraction techniques came to mind.

  "Hey!" I shouted. None of them looked. The Undead continued to use Ben as a punching bag. "Hey," I said again, this time upping my voice several notches. Alex looked up and the other Undead glanced over his shoulder, without turning his full attention to me. Ben picked up his head, his eyes half closed but on me.

  I grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled. When I reached the wire of my bra I pulled that up as well so that I was flashing the three of them. I knew Hayley would have been so proud if she saw me.

  The one throwing punches stopped all together and turned to get a better look like he couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Alex leaned around Ben to get a better view. I tried not to grimace at the new mixture of hunger that haunted his orbs. Ben took the opportunity and swung both his legs up, kicking the Undead in the gut. The move sent him flying and his back hit the ground with a loud thud. I pulled my shirt and bra back down and quickly picked up the machete.

  Ben broke free of Alex's hold, turned, and slugged him. The other Undead was back on his feet and came for Ben again when his back was turned. This time I had a better shot. I raised the knife above my head and sliced halfway down the Undead's face until it stuck.

  He was screaming. He whirled and tried to come at me with the machete lunged through his skull. Ben knocked Alex to the ground and moved to the one I sliced. He blinked once at what I had done before he kicked him in the stomach. I moved to the side so that the Undead could fall to the ground without hitting me. Ben turned back to Alex who was behind him again.

  "You stupid fucking whore," the Undead with the sliced head roared. He was on his feet again, staggering towards me. I panicked and stepped back. I had nothing to defend myself with.

  I heard the sound of metal scraping against the concrete. I turned to see that one of the guys had slid me another machete. I didn't bother to look for whoever tossed it. I picked it up just when Alex hit the ground beside me. Ben kicked the Undead who was stumbling after me in his side. I swung the blade into his back, listening to the sounds of bones splitting.

  Ben turned back to Alex who was on his feet again. I yanked my machete from the Undead's back. His shoulder blades arched as he squealed in pain. I bit down on my lip and swung the blade through his neck. His head separated from the rest of his body. It fell to the ground shortly before his body did.

  I felt movement behind me. I whirled around with the machete raised, ready for attack. Ben turned at the same time I did. His eyes widened. He shot up and clamped his hand around my wrist, holding it steady before I could cut him with the weapon in my hand.

  His grasp sent tremors down my arm. The knife slipped out of my fingers and hit the ground. His hand moved, while I lowered mine, from my wrist to my hand. His fingers slipped through mine. He pulled me against his chest and pecked my lips. The quick, but intimate connection was a driving force that we severely needed to keep moving.

  "Where did you learn to swing like that?" He asked when we pulled apart.

  I laughed. "About two minutes ago."

  His smile grew for a second before it fell. His gaze caught something behind me and the deadly look returned in his eyes. I followed his gaze and caught a glimpse of Michael who was making his way for us again. I noticed the skin on one of his cheeks was ripped from the bone. Bloody flesh hung from his chin.

  Ben moved in front of me. Michael stopped in front of us. His twisted eyes were fixated on me. "You can't beat us, Benjamin."

  "Watch me," Ben said curtly.

  Michael stepped forward. Ben was already in front of him with his fist against Michael's face. They ducked and blocked the other's blow. I bent down and picked up the machete and held it steady. I watched and waited for an open shot with Michael's neck. Through their fighting, Ben managed to stay in front of me, blocking any of Michael's advances toward me.

  "The girl" I heard Michael shout when he managed to knock Ben off his feet. I turned to my right to see three zombies, two girls and an older male, advance towards me.

  "Ella run!" Ben shouted. His voice was abruptly cut off when Michael lodged his foot into my boyfriend's throat.

  I ran but I only made a few strides. Someone's arms wrapped around my waist, roughly lifting me off the ground. I screamed and struggled against the Undead's hold. He carried me with ease to where Michael was holding Ben captive. My eyes widened at the sight of the large knife Michael held to Ben's throat. I gasped and thrashed even more against the Undead, screaming and shouting for them to let Ben go. I felt as though I couldn't breathe with that awful weapon touching the skin by his jugular.

  "I like this picture." Michael said approvingly. His eyes cast down to Ben in wonder before they flashed to me. "Stephen, would you take a bite out of our Ella?"

  "No!" Ben growled, his voice still raspy from Michael's foot.

  He broke free of Michael's hold when two other Undeads flashed to his side and held his arms back. Michael put the knife back against Ben's throat. His rugged movements to break himself free caused the blade to slice into his skin. I screamed in protest, watching the blood drip down the side of his neck.

  "Ben stop moving!" I begged. "I'm okay!" I felt rough, chapped lips touch the base of my throat. "It's okay!" I tried to assure Ben who shouted profanities and thrashed violently against the men holding him back. I felt sharp, crooked teeth press into my skin.

  "Like hell it is!" I heard my brother's voice behind Ben.

  I looked up in time to see his arms come together and swing against the side of o
ne of the Undead's throat like a baseball bat. Ben yanked himself free, socked the Undead in the face, and ran for me without looking back.

  Ben's murderous eyes locked on Stephen above me. He swung a fist to his face. Stephen staggered back. Ben gripped each side of his head and pulled until it popped off his neck. I turned away to avoid viewing the graphic display until I felt Ben's protective arms grasp my side and pull me against him. Together we turned and found Michael on top of Noah, pinning him to the ground, with his knife at my brother's throat.

  "Noah!"

  Ben left my side. His foot lunged into Michael's shoulder, throwing him off my brother. Noah sprung to his feet. Together, he and Ben approached the leader of the Undead. The remaining Undead were beside Michael instantly. There were eleven of them, not including their leader. My eyes scanned the crowd of Undead until a particular one caught my eye.

  Neil, Eli's brother, stood in the midst of the Undead with a hand pressed against his shoulder. It took me a moment to realize he was trying to hold his arm in place before it ripped off his body entirely.

  I didn't have time reminisce memories of the past to put two and two together, but I knew now why Eli chose the hunting lifestyle. He was looking for his brother. I wondered if he knew Neil was an Undead.

  I moved to stand next to Ben. Eli, Kellan, and Cam ran to stand near my brother. PJ, Jesse, and Vlad were immediately on my side. I felt a singe of pain in my chest when I realized Chester, Luke, and Domino had not joined us. Someone else, on our side was missing, but I didn't try to figure out whom.

  "Well it looks like we have a trader among us," Michael said to the other Undead.

  Most of them shot my brother venomous glares. I noticed two of the Undead were way past exhaustion to even care. They were done with the fight. I looked at Neil and noticed his gaze fixated on Eli. He appeared apathetic to the situation that left a chasm between him and his brother. He was an Undead and he looked like he wanted to kill us, despite the fact that his own brother was on our side.

  "Did you forget to mention your sister was one of them?" An Undead sneered, looking at my brother.

  Michael's black eyes sparked curiosity while they moved between Noah and I. It was like he was admiring the resemblances we shared. I leaned forward to see Noah's face was made of stone. He maintained a small glare in his eyes, but it was definitely penetrating.

  "I wonder why," Michael said thoughtfully. "You know what that means for you, Noah."

  Noah rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

  "Anyone else wish to leave us for humans?" Michael suddenly roared, his expression fuming. No one moved. I noticed Eli glaring at his older brother who was purposely looking at me to avoid confrontation or possibly an outing.

  "I still haven't gotten a full dosage of kicking ass," Cam explained in pure honesty. "I think I'm going to start with you." He pointed to an Undead who I realized was a she.

  The girl, in her mid twenties, had short, wispy brown hair, some of the tips dyed pink. She was tall, close to six feet, and her dark eyebrows were sculpted to perfection to go along with her high cheekbones and full, pursed lips. She looked more like a goddess than someone who dragged herself out of the ground.

  She cocked an eyebrow. "Is that you, Cameron?"

  "In the flesh." He smiled at his own pun. "How long has it been? Thirty years?"

  She shrugged and her gaze flickered to my side. At first I thought she was peering at me, but then I realized it was PJ. From the corner of my eye I noticed PJ was purposely staring at something insignificant on his knuckles.

  "Hello PJ."

  He looked up and nodded once. "Angelina."

  She seemed to be upset with the little attention he gave her. She pursed her lips, shrugged, and rolled her eyes at Cam who was eyeing her and PJ suspiciously. I decided that was the first story I wanted to hear if we survived.

  Michael spoke again. "Are you still willing to risk the lives of your friends to save your poor little soul, Ella?"

  I frowned at his condescending tone. I really hated this man and it took a lot of anger for me to use that word against someone else. "I'd rather lick the floor of a gas station then go anywhere with you."

  Noah laughed. "That's my girl."

  Michael's eyebrows came together. "Their funeral."

  I had the feeling he was prepared to launch himself towards me, but the sound of a scream broke through the brief moment of silence. Everyone turned to the noise.

  Neil had pulled a machete, stained with dried blood, from behind his back. He turned to the side and slid it through the throat of the Undead beside him. With wide eyes and a mouth still pressed into a hard line, its head toppled to the floor.

  It took me a minute to realize the scream didn't even come from the decapitated Undead. It came from another zombie on the opposite side of Neil. That Undead was also a she. Everyone froze for a moment until she shrieked again. She was angry and the noise barreled from the top of her lungs. She launched herself at Neil. Noah suddenly shot forward and tackled her to the ground before she could touch him.

  My hair blew into my face from the brush of wind PJ caused when he disappeared beside me. My eyes snapped forward to see Angelina on the ground and screaming. PJ sat on top of her, both of his hands pressed against each side of her face. I couldn't see what he was doing to her but it didn't look pleasant.

  Cam ran up beside the Undead who was next to Angelina and kicked him square in the face. The Undead fell to the ground beside her and PJ.

  "Ass wipe," Cam spat at PJ. He shoved his foot into the Undead's face that he tackled. PJ's usual straight face broke into a satisfying grin. He leaned down and bit a huge chunk out of flesh from the side of Angelina's head.

  Ben grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him as Michael lunged for me. Jesse tackled Michael before Ben could attack. I looked to my right and noticed Eli and Kellan were fighting off an Undead together. Kellan still had the axe so the Undead was decapitated within seconds.

  I looked to my right and saw two of the Undead headed straight for Ben. His attention was focused on Michael so he didn't appear to notice.

  "Ben!" I shouted just when he turned.

  The Undead knocked him off his feet and the other took the liberty of pinning him down on the ground. I tried to run forward when two hands gripped my shoulders and yanked me back. An Undead had come at me from behind. I winced feeling his fingers dig into my skin. I felt my body being dragged backwards with my captor's hands underneath my armpits. I screamed, kicking my legs out from underneath me to make dragging me as difficult as possible.

  I heard footsteps behind us and suddenly my back hit the concrete. I swung my head back to see the Undead standing above me with wide eyes. There was a machete pierced through his body from behind. His hands grabbed at the open wound, dark blood pouring into his hands.

  I rolled to the side, onto my stomach, and looked up. I recognized Vlad by his hard, unshaved jawline. He pulled the machete back and up into the Undead's throat. The creature gargled in his own blood and spit. Vlad yanked out the machete completely and swung it through his throat. The head fell beside my leg while the body tumbled forward.

  I couldn't see his eyes but Vlad's head titled down in my direction. His expression didn't change when he crouched down and held his free hand out to me. I took his hand and allowed him to pull me up to my feet. It was much harder than I realized when I was half way up and my knee buckled. My leg gave out on me and I would have collapsed if it weren't for Vlad.

  He quickly dropped the machete and caught me with both hands before I could hit the ground. He pulled me up to my feet. I was surprised with how gentle his hands were when he realized I was injured. One hand held my waist while the other held my arm.

  I could feel his eyes on mine through his dark shades. "Can you stand?" I never heard him speak before. Surprised by the deep baritone in his voice, I could only nod. He looked as though he didn't believe me but he dropped his arms to his sides.

  I steadi
ed myself, my legs wide apart to keep my balance. He left me for a moment and came back with another machete that he pulled out of an Undead's body that lay on the sidewalk, staining it with blood. He handed it carefully to me before he picked up the one he dropped.

  "Batter up," he said.

  I turned to see another Undead dash towards us, his neck already partially sliced open.

  I smiled darkly and swung the machete over my right shoulder like a baseball bat. Vlad slithered back, under the shadow cast by one of the trees and waited. The Undead lunged for me and I swung, slicing off his arm. He threw himself back and screamed in agony.

  Vlad emerged from the darkness and cut off the rest of his head. He shot a glance in my direction and I nodded to him. I could have sworn I saw the corners of his lips turn up before he darted in the other direction to help Kellan.

  I ran back over to where Ben was still fighting with the Undead that tackled him before. The other Undead that had him pinned earlier was on the ground, sliced in half. I noticed Eli run away from the scene with a bloody machete clutched in his hands. If the situation were under different circumstances I would have smiled at the sight of Eli helping Ben.

  Ben's face was scrunched in concentration as he dodged each blow the Undead sent him, but he wasn't getting anywhere. The Undead was meticulous in the way he blocked each of Ben's punches. He must have been older.

  Cam ran up beside me. "Watch this," he said to me, grinning. He threw himself on the ground in front of Ben and the Undead. His left arm stretched out to the sky. His face mocked pain as he yelled, "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!"

  Both Ben and the Undead briefly paused and turned to Cam. Their faces twisted into incredulous frowns. I ran to them when their attention was focused on Cam still lying on the ground. With my machete raised, I prepared to shove it into the Undead's backside. He saw me from the corner of his eye and whirled around, his hand gripped my arm and twisted.