Zoey and the Zombies (A Mondamin Court Adventure)

Chapter Twenty Four

Darren woke with a headache and red eyes. His stomach grumbled, but he ignored it as best he could. They had nothing in the house. Those days were long gone.

He looked around the room. They hadn't slept down here since the whole zombie thing started. But after the events of yesterday, he and Shawntae were both so strung out they had to do something, so they got baked. Blew almost her entire stash of weed. Oh well, Kyle has some, he thought to himself. And Caleb. Caleb wouldn't be needing his stash anymore. Crude to think of it like that, but there you have it.

The wind blew, and the door slammed open. Darren stared at it, trying to wrap his head around something.

The door shouldn't be open.

He jolted to full waking. He leaped to his feet. One glance told him that Shawntae was still passed out on the couch. But where was Misshasha?

He ran to the door. Misshasha was calmly walking toward the street. She started to cross.

Darren's heart skipped a beat as the first zombie shuffled into view. It let out a low moan and started toward his daughter.

"Oh, hell no!" He bolted through the doorway and down the porch. He drew his sword as he went. "Stay the fuck away from my daughter," he snarled at the beast.

He heard more moaning as he stepped out onto the street. A quick glance told him that the bulk of the zombies had lost interest overnight and managed to find their way out of the neighborhood, but at least a couple dozen zombies were trapped in the street, unable to figure out how to traverse the half-fallen fence.

He reached Misshasha only moments before the zombie did. She'd frozen in place, her eyes wide in fear. Darren stood over her, feeling defiant.

His sword came down on zombie's head, and he felt the skull give way with a satisfying crunch. It fell backward, taking the blade of the sword with it.

Darren stared at the broken hilt in his hand. He looked up as a second zombie reached for him. "Fuck me," he said.

He stared at the zombie, trying to figure out why it hadn't grabbed hold of him yet. The malevolence was fading from its eyes. Darren didn't understand until he saw Philip yank his machete out of the back of its head.

Philip had a second machete in his left hand. He flipped his grip and handed it, handle first, to Darren.

"There's some coming behind you," Darren warned.

"You too," Philip said. "Back to back. We got this, bro."

Mrs. Blackman called out, "Misshasha!" She was in her front yard, armed with a hatchet and gesturing at Darren's daughter. Misshasha looked up at her dad. "Go," he hissed and she bolted into Sheryl's waiting arms.

"We just have to buy them time to get inside," Philip said to Darren, as the two pressed their backs together. "Then we get ourselves to safety."

Darren nodded. There were at least a dozen zombies closing in on him, and judging from the glimpse he'd had before he turned, Philip was facing at least as many.

He hefted the machete and swung. He swung until his arm ached, until his side hitched. His entire world became a blur of limbs and faces, blood splatters, adrenaline and pain.

A face loomed in front of him. She'd been a teenager, a pretty girl before she converted. He'd delivered her a pizza once upon a time. Now her face was gray, her eyes burned with malevolence, and her teeth were barred as she reached for him. He stared at her, afraid that he didn't have the strength to raise his machete one more time.

A blade protruded from her eye socket, and she fell. Kyle was standing behind her, extracting the spear from her skull. On Kyle's left, Holly was using a machete to take out the last of Darren's attackers. To his right, Zoey had both scimitars flying. She'd rushed past and was relieving Philip.

Darren panted, too exhausted for words. Back down the street, Michael Crighton was pushing the fence erect. His wife, Jessica, was pulling the family's minivan out of the parking lot, backing it into the fence to force it upward and reinforce it.

######

Philip panted, his arms on his knees. He'd never been so tired in his life. At his feet, nearly a dozen zombies lay in heaps. How he'd managed to kill them all was beyond him. Zoey had torn through the remainder and already moved on.

She was heading down the street, intent on killing. There were still a dozen more zombies coming toward them, but at the back of the horde, Philip could see other familiar faces at work. Lydia had attached a spear blade to her staff and was making short work of a zombie. Jack was at her side, taking down another with a machete. Nicky came around the corner armed with a hatchet, Ethan was at her side with his wooden sword. James was with them, a bayonet attached to an assault rifle.

"We've reestablished the fence, er, perimeter," Kyle called out to Jack.

Jack nodded. "Good, let's take our goddamn street back." There was a ragged cheer from the crowd.

Philip turned and gave Darren a pat on the back. Darren gave him a thumbs-up, still too out of breath to speak.

Philip stepped over the bodies, making for the others. His feet didn't want to lift that high, and he tripped. He staggered and was caught by Michael. "Easy there, both of you," Michael said. "I think you two have done more than your share already. Leave the mop-up to the others."

#######

Ethan followed behind Jack and Zoey as they cleared the street. He was thrilled to be allowed into the action for a change. They checked every yard. They rattled the bushes. Once, the bush rattled back. They circled slowly until they found an undead child trapped inside. Ethan finished it quickly.

The streets themselves were clear of zombies; they had all been attracted by the sounds of the fighting. But there were still a few stuck in backyards or caught up somewhere.

Cherie Jones's door stood open. Jack stared at it a long time. "God, I don't want to do this."

Kyle pushed forward. "I barely knew her," he said to Jack's look.

"He's got a point," Maria said. "Me and him'll go."

They were out in minutes. Maria had a screwdriver in her hand, blood on the end. "She hadn't converted yet. I spiked her to be safe."

Jack shook his head wearily.

The Harrishes's door was opened by a scared and pale-faced Padme. Her lips quivered. "Dad had to fight one off. Mom went to check on him. She said to lock ourselves in our room and not go into theirs unless she came out." Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"She didn't come out," Maria whispered, realizing the truth.

"God have mercy on their souls," Maggie replied.

Jack nodded. "Ethan, take the kids down to Lydia's." His tone was clipped, unreadable. Ethan nodded. Padme, Manny, and Amala followed him out the door and down to Lydia's.