"Head! Aim for the head! Not that head! but ooooh, that looked like it would've hurt if only he was half alive to feel it, but head Jennie! "
It slumped into a weird, contorted shape, landing with a "slosh" on the wet, grimy floor covered with ... blood.
_____________
Now... you might be wondering how we ended up in such a situation. It's a funny story actually -- well, grim ... now that I think about it, but going back. You see it was a Wednesday and just like any other regular Wednesdays I find myself doing stuff I'd probably regret later in the day. I did. Which brings us to the next order of things...
"Well... this is a nice change of scenery."
"It's a prison cell."
I knew she was rolling her eyes, even with her back turned. She always did whenever she was pissed off.
"I was being sarcastic Jennie."
"Now is not the time... you think?"
I kept my annoying mouth shut, there was no use talking to her when she's upset. I know... I know... I should apologize, I've already though... mind you. How was I to know that sneaking her into a closed carnival was considered "trespassing"? We were merely... visiting, admiring, doing what one calls an "ocular inspection", but you know... typical law enforcement. They just wouldn't listen. So, spending the afternoon in a prison cell, with my ever adorable, ever grumpy, charismatic girlfriend. Perfect? Oh... very.
"Hey baby, you still mad?"
"I'm never listening to any of your plans... ever."
Bzzzt...bzzzzt.
Pound... pound
Dear Lord, that sound was getting on my frayed nerves. There's this small television, perched on top of the table. What's even more exciting was the police officer, a charming man I must say... kept on hitting its side and it was getting annoying. All that pounding and all that static and all this sulking from my smol girlfriend. Catching up so far? Good...
I reached for Jennie's hands, but apparently she thinks I'm still not worthy of a little hand holding, what can a lonely girl do on her own inside a prison cell with her fuming girlfriend? Nothing... absolutely nothing.
"We interrupt the afternoon with this important broadcast..."
Great, finally... one more pounding and I swear I would've lost it. Huh... there seems to be commotion and sirens ... well.. I know it's a news flash and those sounds are almost ever present but hear me out, would you? This one sounds... excessive... sounds nervous, scared?
"We advise everyone to remain calm and to stay indoors. Busan has been in quarantine since ten this ...." the feed keeps cutting in and out, and Jennie was holding on to the bars.
"Hey babe..." I started
"Shhhh."
"The military ... and are... if you have any means of getting ... please do ..."
Don't you just love it when the feed cuts off during the important parts? I do... oh I do...
The TV report cuts off entirely and the police officer looks agitated, kept glancing at the entrance. Why? Well your guess is as good as mine. He turns to look at us, and damn I'd love to say he has everything figured out, big man, forties, well built. Gun... you know? The whole enchilada... but man.. He looked scared and what thing could possibly make someone as big as him scared? Well, we were about to find out the worst way possible. Stay tuned...
He fumbled for the keys that dangled on the wall just to his right. He took one look at me and another at Jennie and the next thing we know, he was fumbling with the lock on our cell.
"Hey officer, you're releasing us earlier than planned."
Jennie gave me a cutting glance. Oops, now's not the time to further aggravate her... but when was it a good time to aggravate her, really?
"Can you shut up for once?" Her words stung, honestly... "Officer, thank you but.."
"Look, don't ask questions. Go straight home and lock up."
"What? Why?"
"Didn't you hear the guy?" I answered back under my breath
He kept glancing at the entrance and I could see the cold sweat on his forehead. Oooh that rhymed, didn't it?
"Look I wasn't talking to you Mano-"
There were shouts and running...frantic running -- the kind that made you panic (even when you're only hearing it kind)... and gunshots? What the fuck?
"Shit." He almost drops the keys and tries again with shaky hands.
"Officer, please... what's going on?"
There was a huge crash, something like glass breaking and the door banging and growls... deep, guttural, animal-like growls.
I pulled Jennie away from the bars and held her. You know, basic human instincts... She clung to my neck and if we weren't as confused and scared as chickens who were about to be slaughtered I would have enjoyed it.
The police officer pulled his gun out and took a couple of steps back... he was uh... basically against the bars of the cell. He keeps pointing the gun towards something, that something is probably the thing growling... he shoots a round and it hits the something. I know, because it sounded like a dull thud. And dull thuds means something being hit. Don't question how I know, I just do.
I can't keep my eyes off of it, it happened in slow motion -- no shit, legit slow motion in front of me. He... or it... or whatever just lunged at the guy. Lunged! He was foaming in the mouth ... like someone who swallowed a pint of those ... uh... liquid things one uses for cleaning and it was all bubbling, he was covered in what seemed to be... dried blood? Or what I think was dried blood. And oh fuck... Oh god, no... I hugged Jennie and kept her from seeing this... monstrosity in front of us, but boy I know ... I know she was not one to back down from these kinds of things and so she swatted my hand away (imagine...) and instead bit into her lower lip to prevent herself from screeching. I literally thought I even peed a little.
Who wouldn't? You've probably seen a grizzly, equally disturbing, disgusting zombie flick, yeah? Well damn... ain't this the most traumatic shit you could ever experience first hand. The police officer put up a fight, with his bare hands, his gun slid over closer to the wall. I know, he's stupid for not running after it, but hey when someone as equally big as you flings themselves, rabidly trying to get a huge chunk of flesh off of you, you do what you can best. SURVIVE. The thing was stronger though and eventually bit into the police officer's chest. Now I don't know which was more unsettling the sound of muscle being ripped off or his blood curdling scream...
"Fuck! Fuck! What kind of shit is this?!"
Jennie held my hand and her other one covered my obviously loud mouth. She was shivering and looked incredibly scared, couldn't blame her. I was too...
It continued to writhe and bit and tear into the now hollowed out breast of the police officer who twitched. It went on for what felt like ages... and we ... looked on more from shock and none from curiosity, never from curiosity. It stood, probably content with its... dinner? And turned to look at us. Woooh boy, was it like looking death in the face... no death would've smiled, might've even welcomed you with a hug...it...it... looked straight at us, like at us but never really seeing us. Does that make sense? No? It's kind of hard describing things when you've witnessed something so ... unhinging. It had white eyes, none of those irises..just plain white and the veins around the sockets bulged, like little snakes and the mouth stayed open, the jaw probably broken and blood and pieces of what I think were human tissues dripped.
"Lisa..." Jennie whispered.
I nodded, gave her a brief glance and looked back at thething.
"I don't think he can see us..."
"Me too..." I whispered back, no I mouthed back at my pretty girlfriend.
"What do we do?"
"I have an idea... stay here."
It was no longer looking at us, it looked like it was... confused, dazed, kept looking around the place with an odd angle to itsugly head. Ocular inspection, perhaps? Okay... now's not the time for jokes.
I walked slowly, nimbly, careful not to make any sudden sounds and picked up this fine looking book off this equally fine looking table right beside this sole bed inside our cell. Itwas still clueless of what's happening, I guess that's normal when your brain's non functional and your body was operating on this basic need to feed. The book was a paperback and I prayed to all the Gods I knew, both Thai and Korean that whatever it was I was planning would work. I put an arm out, through the spaces in between the bars. Brave? I hope so, wouldn't want it to be a stupid choice, really. That wasn't an option. I swung it back and forth, quietly, and with all the strength I had, flung it across the hall hoping it would generate much sound or hit something that could.
Jennie flinched, just as it hit a table close to the entrance which was sort of visible from my vantage point. It brought a picture frame with it and crashed into the tiled floor, it worked! It ran, crazily, like a drunk would... when he had far too much to drink towards the sound and heard distant screaming outside (thank heavens). It scrambled, against the broken glass and into the street. Good. Now. What next?
"Is it... Is it gone?"
"I ... yeah .. yeah it is..."
"God, this is one crazy, hell of a day."
She was walking back and forth, another mannerism she had when she was stressed. Damn who wouldn't be at a time like this.
"We have to leave Lisa..."
I nodded and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. No...scratch that too. I gave her one long kiss, a deep one, something that you'd give the person you love when you think it's your last kiss ever.
I took a quick look around and saw the keys right beside the pool of blood from the officer's body. I wasn't squeamish, I watched saw... hills have eyes and knew at some point I'd be able to take whatever it was with a strong stomach, but man... if you think you're prepared, you're never fully prepared. That's a fact I had to learn the worst way...
I saw the gaping wound through the corners of my eyes and wanted to vomit. It looked like a cave and I won't go into details, don't want you imagining things that'll keep you up at night. None of that, but it looked ugly, like really, really ugly. I went on all fours, standing a while ago the keys looked real close, down here? Please pray I have long enough limbs to reach for it or we're both trapped in here for God knows how long you'd survive without food and water.
I reached and reached, and the tips of my fingers were barely grazing the cold steel. Fuck, what now? I gave a quick glance at Jennie who was biting her nails and gave her a huge smile... I stretched, my shoulders hurting, squeezing them and reaching out.
Almost... but not enough...
"What's wrong? Do you have it? Why do you have that look?"
"I... I can't reach it."
"What?!"
"I can't reach it..."
"Oh for God's sake! --"
"Calm down..."
"Calm down?! Have you seen what happened? What's there to be calm about?"
"We'll think of something else..."
"Keep your positivity away from me."
Okay, that hurt too,
"Wait... do you have a hair pin?"
She looked at me curiously. Did I say something wrong???
"What? You picking locks now?"
"No, that would be stupid."
"Of course! Then why ask?"
"Just answer me please..."
She fumbled with her hair and took one, placing it with much gruffness in my open palm. I went back on all fours and reached out again, this time trying my best to use the hair pin to pull the keys closer... a little bit more... There! Gotcha!
"Yes!"
"You got it?"
"I got it."
She ran to me and hugged me tight, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. Okay... I felt like a hero yadda, yadda, yadda.
I put out my arm again, at this very weird angle that was bound to give me all sorts of body pain tomorrow. If we survive until tomorrow that is, and fumbled with the lock. Trying my best to fit it into the keyhole.
Click.
I opened the door slowly, it creaked on it's hinges still... why did I even bother?
I put a hand out and Jennie took it, held onto it tightly.
"Let's go..."
I walked over the dead body, careful not to let the blood soil my shoes. They were white, you get the point. Jennie did the same.
We were on our way outside when we heard stirring... from our backs... and that wasn't a good sign.
"Uh, Lisa?"
"Jen-Jen?"
"I love you."
"Now's not a good time to go all sentimental..."
The officer's body twitched and shook, in an ugly looking seizure, sprinkling some of that blood all over, drops landing on my pristine white shoes...
"Lisa... Lisa the gun!"
Jennie points over to the wall, right behind the new thing. Am I crazy? Well, not crazy enough. I stood there -- like those tertiary movie characters who were bound to get killed in the first fifteen minutes of the movie. Stood there in a stupor until I saw a flurry of hair and Jennie running after it.
Hot...
I shook my head, why was I getting mildly turned on at my girlfriend doing something rash and equally smart and also equally dangerous?
"Jennie! Get back here!"
She stood, her fingers over the trigger, her hands shaking...
"Jennie!"
New thing thought it was the perfect time to wake up, it scrambled for a bit, hands frantic in the air until it stood, looking .... Straight ... at me.... Oh boy. I'd appreciate that little pun about straights if I wasn't you know, being lunged at by this ugly creature.
I close my eyes and waited for the inevitable. This was it. The curtains closing. The time... I braced myself for the impact and what I know would be minutes of aggressive biting and I almost shivered at the thought of how painful that would be... until I heard the gunshot.
It fell on its knees and reached out with a flailing hand at my feet, missing just by a couple of inches, I step back and look up at Jennie, who surprisingly knew how to fire a gun?
"I've read a lot about zombies." I blurted out of nowhere.
New thing was growling, dragging most of its weight towards me and I take two steps back, keeping my eyes on it.
"Love, I know you're very smart and all but unless you can paper cut a zombie to death. I don't think books are going to help at the moment." her voice shook and the weight of her earlier words dawned on me. She really did love me.
New thing lunged and luckily for him... not me of course, grabbed onto my left ankle and pulled. Making me fall on my precious butt.
"Lisa!"
Jennie's hands shook and I shook even harder, you know how fucking scary it is to have a 60 kg zombie pull at you and you try desperately to kick at it's arms but they're stronger and so you start having thoughts of dying because you know there's a huge HUGE chance of it happening? No? Good...
"Head! Aim for the head! Not that head! but ooooh, that looked like it would've hurt if only he was half alive to feel it, but head Jennie! "
I screamed, not really caring if more of the things outside would hear, just wanted my point across after her first shot missing and hitting new thing in the crotch.
Bang!
It slumped into a weird, contorted shape, it's head landing with a "slosh" on the wet, grimy floor covered with ... blood.
I scrambled away and felt Jennie's tightening hold around me.
"Fuck, that was... that hit harder that cocaine."
"Shut up."
Jennie pulls me into a breathless kiss, enough to make me calm down.
"Let's go..."
She drags me up and we jogged towards the door. I see a pistol in its holster hanging by an empty chair and took it. Jennie and I each took a metal baton off a rack by the entrance. The broken entrance and danced around the broken glass on the floor.
We both peeked at the street and whew, was it a mess. Smoke covered most of the horizon and I could see shadows, moving closer or nearer? Who knows.
"Do you think those are people?"
"Could be." I shrugged. "But, truth be told, I'm not sure any of them are actually alive."
"Lisa, what now?"
"Do you trust me?"
"No."
"Wise choice..." couldn't hide the sarcasm in my voice...
"But I love you."
"Don't make me go liking this whole zombie apocalypse situation we're in just cause you keeping saying that... but I love you too..."
"Good. Want to try home? We need to call Jisoo and Rosie.. See if they're...uh ..."
"Alive?"
"Yeah...yeah..."
"That is a terrible, horrible, incredibly foolish idea baby... let's do it and see what happens."