Zombie Super Powers

Chapter 1

Zombie Super Powers, A Novel | © 2013 Dan Absalonson 

| Chapter 1

Ron racked the slide of his handgun, lowered it to his side, and stepped from the well lit room into darkness. As he walked forward, alert and ready, he tried to ignore the feeling rising in his gut while his eyes adjusted to the dark surroundings. Just as the forms around him started to take shape a zombie jumped out from behind a wall on the other end of the room and shambled towards him. With well practiced precision Ron lifted the gun to his chest, pushed it out in front of him, looked down the sights, and pulled the trigger. The zombie dropped to the floor and lay motionless, like a pile of discarded clothes. A single shot to his head had been enough to stop his crooked feet from shuffling forward.

Now the feeling of paranoia had taken hold of Ron, but he fought it off with slow deep breaths taken with every step. He had learned from experience that taking his time had more benefits than blazing through and hoping for the best. As he tried to ignore his pulse pounding in his chest he wondered at the peculiar yet familiar smell of this place. He described it as sweat, gunsmoke, and garbage. It wasn’t a combination he enjoyed.

As he entered the next room a zombie snuck from the shadows behind Ron. This time he spun and shot from the hip five times. The bullets slammed into the zombie's chest in a tight group, knocking him back to the floor. He didn't get up. Ron would have preferred another headshot, but he couldn't tell how close the zombie had been to him. He hated when he reacted out of fear like that. It would cost him. As he turned and walked back through the doorway he tried to remember that it was better to take a zombie down with a bad shot then wait too long and get bitten, because then it was all over.

The room seemed far too quiet to Ron. He walked halfway across it before seeing anything. Then he heard a sound to his left and glanced over. Two zombies were coming at him, their arms outstretched. Then he heard another from the doorway in front of him at the end of the room. He turned left towards the closest zombies. One shot to the neck sent the first zombie falling to the floor clutching his throat. The next shot smashed into the second zombie’s forehead, knocking him down as well, but now Ron was out of ammo and the other zombie was coming in quick. He ejected the spent magazine, stowed it into his cargo pocket, and grabbed the fully loaded one next to it. He slammed it into place and began taking huge steps backwards, but the zombie was too close. He stopped for just a moment and shot out the zombie’s leg. It screamed and fell to the floor. Ron ran away from it at a dead sprint, then stopped and turned to face it again. The zombie hopped towards him. Ron couldn’t get a good bead on his head at first but he had a little time now. He watched, getting down the zombie’s rhythm and practicing the timing in his head. Then he pulled the trigger for real. The zombie landed, pausing for less than a second, then took one to the chin. He fell to his back no longer a threat. Ron moved on to the next room.

Once he passed through the doorway he saw four zombies milling around in the corner. He crept behind a nearby pillar, sliding behind it out of sight. He waited, listening to find out if they had seen him. They had not. He knew they would move fast once he took the first shot, and he didn’t have another magazine so he was down to six rounds.

No mistakes this time Ron, he thought to himself as he gathered the courage for his final assault. He took one last look to make sure they hadn’t spotted him, then spun with his gun up. He took aim at the one closest to him, held his breath, and fired. It was good. One more headshot and one less zombie, but the others charged. Ron lined up the one closest to him and took him down. He fell into the zombie behind him, knocking him over. Ron used the opportunity to take out the third zombie. Three more rounds used up. Once the fourth zombie got up Ron was ready and he was thrilled to land one last head shot. The fourth zombie fell, landing on top of his friends. The sound of the last spent casing bouncing off the concrete floor was euphony to his ears, like a victorious song played at the end of an action movie once the bad guy had been taken care of. Ron aimed the gun towards the floor, ejected the magazine, and walked out of the room.