A World Alone - A Zombie Novel

Chapter One

A World Alone

Chapter One

Stella 

THERE'S ONE IN THE HOUSE.

The dragging thump of footsteps, somewhere downstairs, is what tips me off. My entire body goes rigid as I strain to listen. Going down to investigate is a necessity, and with a heart that beats against me I leave the bedroom and step out into the hall.

Muffled sounds and the occasional sniff are all that I can hear as I move towards the staircase. The cries an animal would make if something had frightened it. But the stench of deteriorated flesh is swift to assault me as I poke my head downstairs, and I know that the source of noise is neither animal, nor frightened.

The front door is wide open, allowing a substantially bright stream of sunlight to illuminate the stairs directly in front of it. I mentally retrace my steps and try to remember if I shut the door. I'm almost certain that I did. In fact, I'm positive that I did. But I must be wrong.

Because they can't open doors, not without breaking them down.

It's not long before the source of noise reveals itself, stepping into the pool of sunlight at the base of the stairs. I withdraw myself further behind the wall, my heart now beginning to pound.

An infected.

Tangles of hair encrusted with dried blood surround a portion of its head that's missing. The white of its skull is visible, highlighted by the sun beneath the dirt drenched scalp. Its clothing is torn in random places and stained in others. Long arms hang limp at its sides, its spindly fingers clenching and unclenching at random intervals. Despite this movement it manages to stand alarmingly still, its body angled towards the open door, distracted by a sound of the wind.

Perspiration dampens my brow and trickles down the sides of my face as my eyes study the entirety of its body, analyzing every twitch and spasm. My heart jumps with each small, agitated movement it emits.

I'm unaware that I'm holding my breath until it throws itself towards the stairs and an unintended gasp leaves my lips. In an instant I'm quietly running back towards the bedroom, my heart beating in pace with the footsteps I hear coming up behind me.

Panic overwhelms my thoughts while my eyes dart to every corner of the room, landing on the door of a small closet. Daring a glance behind me, I step inside and pull the door with a slow precision, leaving it open a crack to avoid the creation of noise. I don't know if it has heard me, I can only hope that it hasn't.

The darkness hugs me, and only now does the confinement of the small space register in my mind. I've trapped myself with no other options. Like a drum, my pulse pounds in my ears, overbearing upon the sound of its steps and groans. In no time at all, the infected appears at the door of the bedroom, its approach silent compared to the beating of my heart. It's found the room so fast that I'm almost certain it knows I'm in here. A wolf mid-hunt, it pauses in the doorway and lifts its head up in the air, nose sniffing for a scent. I bite down on my tongue to avoid a breath from escaping.

Like a switch, its head snaps down and it enters the room with the awkward stagger of their kind. It stalks towards my place of hiding, its long legs bringing it close with quick steps.

I fall back on my hands and crawl as far away as possible, pushing myself into the corner of the closet and pressing myself against its walls. The infected only draws nearer, and I'm sure that it has heard me.