ZombiePalooza - Anthology

#TeamEcrivain Pt. IV - @Emmalee_Sky's "Don't Pick Up Strays"

//Don't Pick Up Strays

By //Emmalee_Sky

Zombie brain's in the hair. Not again, I thought as the pink, gooey liquid exploded from the swing of my ax to the blonde's head. I wiped my face with the back of my hand, feeling the stickiness dripping down my chin. I exhaled, staring down at the woman's clouded eyes and partially missing face.

"Mila! Behind you!"

Someone collided with me, knocking me into the zombie I'd just gotten rid of. We fell to the floor, three bodies and a tangle of arms and legs. My hands slid in the blood on the tiled, white floor. Shit. Shit. Shit. I scrambled to my feet but kept slipping. This was it. This was how I was going to freaking die.

An arrow fizzed over me and embedded in a zombie's right eye. It exploded, and the rotting corpse stumbled back for a moment. It was back in a second, its right arm reached out while its left was missing from the elbow down.

Angel, who'd knocked me over, was on his feet. He slashed with his left hand, and a head thumped on the time. Wiping brown hand from his sweaty forehead with one hand, he cleaned his knife against his jeans.

A sharp cry tore through the shop as a woman flew over the counter and fell to the floor by my feet. Brown hair covered her face. I jumped over her just as a teenage zombie rounded the corner, bumping into it. Its head jumped a bit, not thoroughly attached. Its face was rotted through, teeth visible. I swung, and the whole head tumbled to the floor.

Catching my breath, the sounds of the store hit me. All the zombies were down, and everyone in the group seemed to be okay. Randy helped Lydia to her feet while Stephen picked up her pack. Christine made her way to Angel, opening her pack and pulling out gauze, while Isaiah leaned against an aisle, catching his breath, parts scattered around him. And David walked towards me, yanking his arrow out of the zombie's eye. The head rolled with the action. David wiped the goo on his pants as he continued forward.

He slid the arrow back in the bow and pointed it at the woman. "Who're you?"

David, with his blond hair and blue eyes, had the perpetual resting dick face. Screamed total douche, but that was only what he looked like. He was pretty cool, but strangers weren't his thing.

I laid my hand on his bow and pushed it down as the woman pulled her hair out of her face and blinked at us with wide, green eyes. "Don't freak her out," I told him, wiping blood from my face. A small smile formed and shrugged. "But seriously, who are you?"

Her mouth dropped. "What?"

Shrugging, I rubbed my hands together. "Sorry. Learned real fast that you gotta get info quick." I smiled, though.

She wiped her mouth then frowned at her arm. Blood slid down her forearm. "Ugh." She set her jaw and closed her eyes.

"Hey, don't pass out." I grabbed her shoulder, my fingers digging into her military jacket. "Take deep breaths."

David shook his head and walked away, leaning against the detergent aisle. "Don't baby the woman, Mila. She's a stranger." He took the arrow and put it in his quiver.

Pinching my bottom lip, I turned back to the woman and tossed her a cloth from my pack. "Let me get Christ-

A scream tore through the shop, and I turned as a patchy, dirty head perched on David's shoulder. He yanked it off then stumbled back, clenching his neck. I ran over, pulling his hand back as a sick smack followed the head's landing. David stomped on its head a few times for good measure.