Zombie Outbreak: A Zombie Apocalypse Short Story Read online

  Together, her and I began shoving some of the most important stuff in our bags.

  “What the heck are you doing?” Mikael asked. “That door is fine.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Candy said. “It’s about to pop open, and I don’t want to be here when it does.”

  I was completely confused. Mikael and Candy called this place a bunker. Couldn’t bunkers withstand a bomb explosion? I would think the door would be strong, but I had to agree that it did not look like it was going to last much longer.

  “I thought this was a bomb shelter. Why is the door not lasting?” I asked.

  Candy looked at Mikael and then at me. “This isn’t a bomb shelter. It’s just where we were storing everything. We were about to break ground on building the actual bomb shelter next year.”

  “What?” I asked. “I’ve been hiding in a glorified shed? I thought this place was safe.”

  “It is. It’s still safe and strong. I had to keep out the thieves, so the locks, doors and walls are solid,” he said.

  “Those aren’t thieves,” I said. “Those are freaking zombies! They are coming in here to eat you, and that door is not going to make it.”

  “Come on.” Candy grabbed me and motioned for the back of the shed. “There is an emergency exit back here.”

  “Everything is fine,” Mikael said.

  As soon as the words had left his lips, the door burst open. The dead ones began spilling inside. They just kept coming and coming, and outside, we saw more and more of them.

  “Oh my God, it’s like the entire town,” Candy said.

  Mikael stood, staring at them, unable to move. He was about to be taken over by them, but Candy grabbed his arm and pulled him with surprising strength. She shoved me toward the emergency exit.

  “Go!” she demanded.

  We ran to the far side of the shed as the dead ones continued to burst inside. They clawed at each other, ripping flesh as they tried to climb over each other to get to us. I finally allowed myself to look at them, and I muffled a scream with my hand. They didn’t just look dead anymore. They were rotting like decaying corpses. Some of them were missing limbs, but that wasn’t the worst of it. Others were ripped open, their insides falling out and spilling onto the floor. Their entrails trailed behind them like toilet paper stuck to their shoe. Bits of flesh fell from their rotting mouths, but I didn’t know if it was from their own decaying face or someone they had eaten.

  “Go! Go! Go!” Candy repeated.

  I collided into the emergency exit and opened the door, afraid what I might find on the other side. Luckily, it was clear. We rushed outside and headed for the truck, but there were too many of them surrounding it. Candy was right: it seemed like the entire town was in their yard, pushing into the shed where we had just been. They were now pushing themselves out the emergency exit, after us.

  “The SUV!” Candy pointed at her vehicle.

  “It can’t hold as much as the truck,” Mikael said.

  “This is all we have. I’m not going back in to get more.”

  Without listening to him, Candy threw open the driver’s seat and climbed inside. I crawled in the back seat and we threw everything into the far back. Mikael climbed in the passenger’s seat and we took off before he could even shut the door. Behind us, some of the dead ones continued to pour inside the shed. Others stood, staring after us and beginning to follow at their slow pace.

  “Holy...” Mikael cursed and slapped the dashboard. “You let them follow you from her grandma’s house.”

  “Bull!” Candy shouted back. “They came because you shot that gun. We told you to keep quiet.”

  “My stuff,” Mikael said and looked back at his shed. For a moment, I thought he was going to stop and go back to get more supplies.

  “Would you rather have died there with it?” Candy asked. “What did we manage to gather?”

  I leaned over the back and went through the bags. “Some food, water, first aid supplies, ammo, a few knives and some flashlights.”

  “A little bit of everything,” Candy said. “Good. We’re going to need it to get to Washington.”

  “We aren’t going to Washington,” Mikael said. “We’ll go hide out somewhere until those things leave, and then we’ll go back to the shed.”

  Candy responded by pressing her foot against the gas pedal, accelerating the car. Knowing it was pointless to argue, Mikael fell silent and we continued down the road to see what we might find now that our safe zone was no more.

  ***

  We drove through the night, and I was glad it was dark, so I couldn’t see any of those monsters outside the window. For a moment, I forgot what was going on in the world, and I just pretended we were on a road trip. As the sun began to rise, however, we grew low on gas, and the fear crept in again.

  “We need to stop at that gas station to fill up,” Candy said. “We won’t make it any further.”

  Mikael nodded, and Candy pulled over.

  “I’ll put the gas in. Mikael, take the gun and watch for any of those things,” Candy said.

  “I thought we weren’t supposed to shoot them.”

  She simply glared at him. They hopped out of the car, and Candy started to fill up the car. I decided to get out and stretch my legs a bit. Of course, I stayed close to the car. Just as Candy finished filling the car, there was a rustling in the bushes nearby. Mikael raised the gun.

  “Help,” a man called.

  From out of the bushes, a young man a few years older than me appeared.

  “Stop right there,” Mikael said.

  “Please, my friend is hurt,” he said. “Calvin, come on.”

  Another man stumbled out of the bushes. He was covered it dirt and blood.

  “Help me,” Calvin said. “Do you have a first aid kit?”

  “I said to stop right there,” Mikael repeated.

  “Mikael, stop it. They need help.” Candy took a step toward the men. “My name is Candy. This is my husband Mikael, and my friend Mae.”

  “I’m Steve. This is Calvin,” Steve said. “Can you help him?”

  Candy knelt down and looked Calvin over. “It doesn’t look that bad. Let me go get some bandages.”

  She ran back to the car to grab the first aid kit. As she rummaged through the bags, Mikael stepped closer to the men.

  “You’re lucky we came along,” he said, eyeing Calvin suspiciously.

  “I think luck is on my side today,” Calvin said. “I thought I was going to die when one of those things bit me a little bit ago.”

  The sound of the trunk shutting echoed through the silent gas station. Candy held the first aid kit in her arms, but she didn’t move toward Calvin. We all simply stared at Calvin, unsure what to do or say.

  “What’s wrong?” Steve asked. “Aren’t you going to help him?”

  “He was bitten?” Mikael asked.

  “Yes,” Steve said. “But I managed to kill it before it killed him. Please, it’s going to get infected.”

  Candy took a step toward them, and I was unsure what to say. It was probably pointless to help him, but maybe he wouldn’t turn. We didn’t know everything about the dead ones. Maybe Jay Jackson was wrong about getting bitten.

  We didn’t find out. Before Candy reached them, Mikael fired the gun. The bullet shot through Calvin’s head. Pieces of his skull and brains poured onto Steve. I covered my mouth with my hand and dropped to the ground to hide my face. I didn’t want to see. Part of me was glad for what Mikael did. I didn’t want Calvin to change and kill us, but he was still human, and we didn’t know if he would have changed.

  “What the heck, Mikael?” Candy said. “What is wrong with you?”

  “Calvin?” Steve asked, shocked.

  “He was going to turn into one of those things any moment. Would you rather I let him kill you?”

  “I would rather you have waited. He was still a human. How do you know he was even going to turn into one?”

  “That reporter said that’s wha
t happens. You saw it happen to her grandmother,” Mikael said.

  “Johnny immediately killed her grandma with his bite, but that guy looked fine and healthy. We don’t know for sure that he was going to change. Maybe he wouldn’t have,” Candy said.

  “What did you do?” Steve stood and raced at Mikael. He approached him so fast Mikael didn’t have time to react. “You murdered him.” He grabbed Mikael by his shirt and shook him violently.

  “Stop it,” Mikael said. “Your friend was already dead. If you get bitten, you become one of those things.”

  “He was just injured!” Steve punched Mikael in the face.

  Mikael stumbled backward a few feet and then steadied himself. Immediately, he aimed the gun at Steve. “You’ve probably been bitten too.”

  “Stop it!” I jumped up. “You’re both so irritating, and those things are probably heading this way now because you had to fire that gun.” I looked at Steve. “I’m sorry about your friend, but he was about to turn into one of those things. I’ve seen a loved one turn into one of those things, and believe me, it isn’t any easier once they’re a monster.” Then I looked at Mikael. “You should have waited until he turned and explained everything first. You’re more of a monster than those things are.”

  “She’s right,” Candy said. “Let’s just go. Steve, you can ride in the back with Mae.”

  “He’s not coming with us,” Mikael said. “We don’t even know him.”

  Candy laughed for a moment before pulling out a small handgun. She aimed it at Mikael’s head. “We all go, or you don’t go.”

  “Where did you get that?” he asked.

  “You think I was going to just let you have a gun?” she asked. “Everyone has to watch out for themselves, right? Now everyone just get in the car.”

  Mikael glanced down at the shotgun in his hands.

  “Don’t be stupid. I know it’s empty. You had two shots in there, and you used one to alert the dead ones to our hiding place back home, and you just used the last one on Calvin.”

  Without another word, Mikael got back into the car.

  “Come on,” Candy said and got in the driver’s seat.

  “What about Calvin?” Steve asked, looking back at his friend.

  I grabbed his shoulder. “He’s okay now. He won’t turn into one of those things. That’s better than being buried.”

  Steve and I got into the car, and we were on the road again within minutes. We chatted a little about where we were going, but there wasn’t much to say. He was still in shock about his friend’s death, and I wondered why I wasn’t still bothered by Grandma’s.

  ***

  By early evening, Mikael was driving and the rest of us were napping. I wanted to dream about far away, happy places, but I only dreamed about shooting Grandma over and over again. As the car skidded to a halt, we all were woken with a start.

  “What is it?” Candy asked, alarmed.

  “Nothing,” Mikael said. “Look.”

  There was a small group of cars and tents. They formed a makeshift campground. A few men with guns guarded the area. Outside, there was a sign that said, “We have ammo to trade.”

  “They’re trading ammo for other supplies?” Candy laughed. “I think I miss the days of using money to buy things.”

  “You can’t eat money,” I said.

  “We don’t have much ammo,” Mikael said. “You two didn’t grab any on your way out. We only have another box of shot gun ammo.” He glared at Candy. “I don’t know how much you have for your little gun since you kept it a secret from me.”

  “We don’t really have anything to trade for the ammo. Besides, we’re almost to Washington,” Candy said.

  “We don’t even know what we are going to find in Washington. How do you know it’s really safe there?” he asked. “We do have a few things to trade.”

  “Like what?” Candy asked.

  “Just some stuff we don’t need!” he shouted. He was always shouting. “Give me your handgun. It’s more discrete. These people probably won’t like to see me carrying a giant shotgun. I don’t want to make them mad before I even start talking.”

  She handed him her gun without a word.

  “Okay, everyone out of the car, but stay close by,” he said and tucked the gun in his coat pocket.

  We all climbed out of the car and leaned against it as Mikael approached the leader of the other group. Mikael looked back as if checking to make sure we hadn't wondered off. Mikael began talking to the leader, but it was impossible to hear what they were saying. Every once in a while, they would both look back at us like they were afraid we might suddenly run away.

  Finally, Mikael started walking back toward us. He looked a bit annoyed. “He only wants one thing, but he’s only willing to part with two boxes of shotgun shells.”

  “Are you going to do it?” Candy asked.

  Mikael nodded and opened the passenger seat door. “Yeah, will you get in there and find the car registration?”

  Candy climbed in the car and opened the glove box. She looked up, puzzled. “We’re giving them the car? And what does it matter if we have the registration? It’s the end of the world. I don’t think the police are going to care if they don’t have the car registration.”

  Instead of replying, Mikael smacked her on the back of her head with the gun. She immediately passed out, and he slammed the door shut.

  “What did you just do that for?” I demanded.

  “Okay, here she is.” Mikael shoved me forward. “Give me the ammo.”

  “What the heck are you doing?”

  “They haven’t seen a woman since this thing started, and they’re afraid they won’t see another beside you,” Mikael said. “You have to understand this is for me. For me and Candy.”

  “Get away from her,” Steve said. He grabbed me and pulled me away from Mikael and the other group’s leader. “You’re staying here, and we’re going. You can put on a dress for them!”

  “No, she’s staying here. You’re dying, and I’m going,” Mikael said, and aimed the gun at us.

  “You said she’d be willing,” the leader said. “If she’s fighting, you only get one box.”

  My heart began to pound as I listened to Mikael and this man argue over whether I was worth one or two boxes of shotgun shells. Mikael, as usual, was yelling at him. No one was paying attention to anything except the argument. Behind Mikael, the bushes parted, and a dead one slipped through. He was so close to him, and Mikael wasn’t paying attention.

  “Okay, one and a half,” Mikael agreed.

  They were coming to an agreement, and I didn’t have enough time. The dead one was still too far away. Any moment, Mikael would notice it, and I would be sold for one and a half boxes of ammo. I thought of Grandma and how much I wanted to live, and I didn’t hesitate. I raced toward Mikael and shoved him hard. He fell backward, into the arms of the dead one. It immediately began biting him, tearing the flesh off his neck. His blood spurted out, and he tried to scream, but he choked on his own blood. He collapsed to the ground, but that didn’t deter the dead one. It dropped to its knees and ripped Mikael’s stomach open, exposing his entrails and devouring them with an animalistic fervor.

  Steve grabbed my shoulder, and pulled me. “We have to go.”

  We started to head for the car, but the leader aimed his gun at us. “Stop!”

  I was ready for him to shoot me, but instead, someone let out a scream, and then another. The leader turned around to find out what had happened. Steve shoved me in the car and climbed in the driver’s seat. I watched out the back window as the dead ones overtook the little camp of terrible men.

  I couldn’t stop gasping for air as we raced down the road. I kept picturing Mikael being ripped apart. I couldn’t stand the sight, but I was so glad he was gone and would never harass us again.

  “Calm down,” Steve said. “We made it out.”

  “Did you see it?” I asked, meaning Mikael.

  “Yes, but you had to d
o it to save us.” He looked back at me. “That guy deserved it.”

  “Did he?” I asked, but Steve didn’t respond.

  A few moments passed as I composed myself. Finally, Candy began to stir.

  “Where is that dirty no-account husband of mine?” she asked as she woke.

  “It’s okay,” I said and leaned forward. “You’re safe.”

  “What did you do, Mikael?” she asked. “Mikael?” She looked at Steve and then into the back seat. “Where is he?” She stared right at me, but I couldn’t answer.

  “He’s dead,” Steve said. “The dead ones attacked after you got knocked out, and killed everyone. We barely escaped.”

  “He’s dead?” Candy asked.

  I was ready for her to begin sobbing. He was mean at the end, but he was her husband, and I knew she loved him. He wasn’t always so cruel and selfish. I know that once he was kind and sharing. However, she did not start crying.

  “What an idiot,” she said. She paused and I’m pretty sure it was to fight back tears. “Why did he knock me out?”

  Steve looked at her for a long time before answering. “We have no idea. We were attacked before anything really happened.”

  “I think he didn’t want you to get mad,” I said.

  Steve glanced at me in the rearview mirror as a warning, but it was unnecessary. I wasn’t going to tell her the truth ever.

  “Why would I get mad?”

  “I think he was going to trade your gun for ammo for his gun,” I said. “Remember, he wanted to take your gun out there instead of his?”

  “Oh, yeah,” she said, but I wasn’t so sure that she believed us.

  We continued driving for about a half hour when suddenly, Steve stopped the car. We were next to another SUV, and it had a ton of bags and suitcases on it.

  “Let’s stop to check it out,” Steve said. “I bet we will find a lot of useful stuff.”

  “What if it belongs to someone?” I asked.

  “I don’t think it does anymore.” He pointed to the driver’s seat.

  The driver’s seat door was open, and there was a bunch of dried blood. The blood continued to the ground, and the trail led off into the forest.