We All Have Our Sad Stories

Chapter 20

When she heard the high pitched scream from the back, she panicked, her calm demeanor slipping away from her more with every second that passed. Standing in the backyard now, she found Zayn holding a hand over Perrie's mouth as he tried to drag her towards the gate. Half of the group was out of the fence, the other half lagging as they saw the monstrosity.

Their eyes were all trained on the front yard, which they could clearly see from where they stood. A herd of zombies had passed through, their swollen bodies leaning against the fence, having bent it to the point where a few had already made it into the yard. Their teeth clacked, their eyes wide in excitement. When Ness had first seen them, they were simply walking, trying to pass through the fence. Now, because of Perrie's scream, there was motivation. Giving motivation to these creatures was deadly.

Now that Ness was closer to the fence, she shoved Zayn and Perrie on. Their feet decided to connect with their brains, running to the fence at full speed. A few of the zombies were now heading for the half of the group outside of the fence. Somehow they were smart enough to figure out that it was easier that way. As the zombies across the yard kept piling up, the fence fell, the metal buckling under the weight. Zombies poured in, practically tripping over themselves to get to them.

Ness shouted orders, her mind in full military mode. She had never been this aggressive before with them. Never had she been this scared. She tried to stay a good 20 feet behind them as they ran on, but plans don't always go as expected. Her knife slashed through as many zombies as she could reach as she continued to fight for her life.

Liam was terrified, his head always turning back to check on Ness. She yelled at him to stop turning around, taking notice of every movement. With her trained eyes, it was easy to cope with. But as the zombies started closing in, Zayn shoved Perrie at Liam, yelling at him to protect her at all costs. He nodded, grabbing a hold of her hand as he continued to run. It didn't matter where they went as long as they stayed alive.

Ness hadn't even made it out of the fence yet. Zayn pulled out his gun, figuring it couldn't get much worse. They didn't have guns for nothing. He hadn't realized how far they had already gotten, the zombie level seeming to stay the same as they ran. It took him a few minutes, but he found Ness in the mix of it all. He still sort of had his bearings, but by now she had finally made it to the gate, passing through it as he set his eyes on her.

One thing he saw clearly was blood, and he wasn't ready to find out if it was hers or someone else's. Picking up his gun, he aimed it at a zombie near her, shooting and missing. Ness jumped at the noise but kept fighting, not willing to let it distract her. She hadn't had a chance to get her gun out yet, so she was struggling as she plunged her knife into zombie after zombie, tiring after having repeated the action so many times.

The zombie approaching Ness from behind got closer, its eyes glowing with hunger. Zayn shot again, hoping that the bullet would hit the target. He got no luck, the bullet hitting the ground a little ways away from the creature's foot. He cursed, checking to make sure nothing was near him as he let his shoulder relax. Ness wasn't paying as much attention as she had been at the beginning. Her alertness was starting to come out of focus. She didn't hear the zombie coming up behind her. Zayn knew that if he didn't shoot it this time, it would get Ness.

So, he took a deep breath, steadying his trembling hand. He tried to remember how to stand correctly, giving up and just straightening his back, his feet falling into place where they felt comfortable. The zombie was almost at Ness now, her head dangerously close to where he was aiming. With one last prayer, he pulled the trigger, despairing when it didn't pierce the skull. It hit the leg, sending the thing spiraling to the ground. Its arms reached out, desperate for the meat around Ness' ankles. She shoved a zombie off of her, her knife stuck in its head. Upon seeing the alive zombie on the ground, she stomped on its head, the rotted brains and fluids engulfing her shoe.