Zombie Sex (Zombie Apocalypse) (4 page)

-6-

Everyone sat in their own
corners. Some were doodling with their hands, some were shaking their heads.
Angeline didn’t say much, the only thing she did do was stare at the floor
between her knees. I looked at Zoe, fast asleep in her arms.

‘Hey,’ I nudged her shoulder.
‘You ok?

She nodded.

‘I’m getting tired of waiting.’
Overall man said.

‘Same,’ the young man said.
‘Wanna check it out?’ I don’t think it was such a good idea. They told us to
stay put.

‘Go check it out kid.’ Overall
said. I looked in horror as the guy got up with a grin; like he had something
to prove.

‘Wait.’ I said. ‘Maybe we
should just wait – you know the officer said–’

‘Ignore her.’ I glanced behind.
Overall waved his hand at the door.

‘I’ll check if the door is
closed.’ He walked over and put his ear against the door. After a few seconds
he smiled. ‘Can’t hear a thing.’ Well that’s not a reason to smile is it? I
looked at the others around me to see if they approved. It was hard to tell. I
had the strangest urge to tell him to stop.

‘It’s locked.’ He said. Relief
washed over–

‘Oh wait.’ He pressed his body
down – the handle clicked. ‘Guess it’s–’ from where I sat, I got a full view
through that slit and it made my body go numb. I saw one eye – a black marble –
gaze in. An arm shot through and clamped its red hand over the boy’s arm. It
ripped back – taking a slab of flesh with it – shot its arm through again. The
boy screamed loud enough for the baby to open its eyes. Overall man ran across
the room. The baby began to cry. People jumped up and craned their necks. I
grabbed Angeline and told her to get up.

‘Help me!’ The boy pushed
against the door. I felt like running over and helping but I couldn’t move my
legs. Overall man began hitting the unknown arm with his fist. I squeezed
Angeline’s shoulder – telling her it’ll be fine. But I was lying. The screaming
made me feel sick. Not from the boy. Not from Overall. Not from people in the
room – but from the person outside. Its constant flush of wet gargles brought
vivid flashbacks. I’ve heard them before: in my house. Two more rushed toward
the door. I caressed the baby’s feet and squeezed Angeline’s shoulder.

‘Don’t worry it’s, it’s.’ I
didn’t know what to say. My focus was elsewhere – at the door. Three of them
heaved forward against one person. Black Eyes spat saliva through the slit and
then disappeared behind the closed door. When I heard the click my heart turned
into a satin bag filled with goose feathers. The boy stumbled backward and fell
on his back.

‘What was that?’ Prada asked.
Her face a pale gray.

‘Anyone a medic?’ Overall
asked. ‘Anyone?’

‘I-I took a first aid course
for a job interview a few months ago,’ an Asian man said. He walked forward,
trembling, and pointed. ‘He’s bleeding pretty badly.’

‘No shit.’ Overall said. ‘What
do we do?’

‘We wrap his arm.’

‘Take off your shirt.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘He’s dying!’ Overall lifted
the boy up. The man took off his shirt (revealing milky skin and ribs). He
knelt and started wrapping. ‘Hold on pal.’ Overall looked up. ‘Anyone know what
the fuck that was?’

I killed a set of black eyes
today. I took a knife and stabbed it into his skull. I swallowed and looked at
the sobbing baby. ‘It’s nothing.’ I told her. ‘We’ll get you and your baby out
of here–’

 The door bobbed. My head
locked onto it. I heard scratching.

‘Look at the window!’ A woman
screamed. Startled, I glanced at my side. There was something moving behind the
shadowy glass. At first I thought it was nothing, just my I’ll imagination
playing tricks, but then I squinted. Behind the shadowy glass, the one where
they could see us but not the other way around, an imprint of a hand slid up
and down. I grabbed my mouth. Every fiber of my body told me that we were in
serious trouble. With my hand on Angeline’s shoulder, I looked at the boy. His
shirt logo SMILE IF YOU THINK I’M SEXY was now barely readable under the matted
blood. Overall kept his head up so that he wouldn’t choke on his own liquid.

‘Angeline,’ I looked at the
door, ‘we’ll be fine.’ She caressed Zoe’s head. I tapped her on the shoulder.
‘Hey you ok?’

She gave me a
gazing-at-the-stars look and shook her head.

‘The man’s dying!’ Overall
shouted. I looked above our heads at the only window in the room. It was one of
those small box shaped ones; if you were overweight you had no chance. People
were going to shoot for that window – I looked at the gargling boy – and soon. Never
in my life have I seen anything like this. It was as if the world had turned
off its happy switch.

‘Need a – few more people on
the door.’ A man, dressed in a sixty-percent discounted Walmart suit, and a
glowing plump face, urged. That door wasn’t going to hold out forever. They wanted
in. I felt my stomach churn. Need to think of a plan – I shook my hands like
they were on fire. I kept looking up at the window.

‘Can sum tell me what’s the
fuckin’ fuss?’ Drunk Hula asked, trying to stand up. I think you should just
get back on the floor and sleep. That’s what I’d be doing if I looked like you.
Then I saw…

The window above Hula’s head crack.
The air in my lungs pushed itself out. I knelt. ‘Angeline.’ Her arms were
shaking – caressing the baby. ‘We need to go.’

The words “we need to go”
colored her face with energy. She glanced. ‘Ok where?’

I rolled my eyes up. ‘See that
window,’ I looked at the boy convulsing and then back at her, ‘let’s climb
through there.’

‘I can’t.’ She looked at the
baby. ‘What about her?’

‘I’ll be right behind–’

‘The door is – help!’ Plump
face screamed. Most of the people ran past to help bolster the door. It was now
or never. I grabbed Angeline’s shoulder.

‘Stand.’ She looked at me like
she wanted to cry. ‘I said stand.’ She slithered up the wall. I looked at Hula,
who was leaning against the cracked glass. Time was running out. Beads ran into
my top. I looked around the room for–

A chair. I ran toward it. When
I picked it up, I heard the boy gargle and yell words that sounded familiar. A
sickening emotion washed over me. And when I heard Overall tell the boy to
“Save your energy,” and “You’re bleeding badly don’t get up,” I opened my mouth
and looked. It’s what I feared. He was trying to get up and did a good job
pushing away two males double his size. 

‘Ok Angeline you go first.’ I
positioned the chair.

‘What about the baby?’

‘Give her to me.’ She
hesitated. ‘We don’t have–’

‘Hey man calm down!’

I glanced. My breathing
stopped. The only part of his shirt
not
covered in blood was the word
SEXY. His arms were spread apart, chest hunched forward, and chin down; he
looked like a scarecrow post about to be blown over–

‘Hello.’ She nudged my
shoulder. ‘Hey Velvet.’ I looked up. ‘The latch is closed.’

‘No it’s not – there – open
that side.’ She pulled down the latch and the window shifted. ‘Quickly go.’ The
baby wiggled in my arms. I looked at her skin, a light caramel warmth, and felt
sick. I was holding James’s baby. I was holding–

James’s baby. I had to jerk my
shoulders – could feel the tension snap. She doesn’t even know the truth, I
lied to her in front of her face. It’s not my duty to tell her about what had
happened. That’s the police’s job. I felt like dropping the child and running
away. I looked up. Her legs were dangling halfway through.

‘
Hey,
where that bitch’s
think she’s going?’ Hula asked in her booming Saturday 3am voice. Everyone
turned their heads and stared. I didn’t like the way they looked at the window.
Not one bit.

‘It’s-it’s my turn.’ Prada
said, putting away her cell.

‘No it’s my turn–’ a man said.

‘I’ve got a child at home.’ An
elderly woman cried.

Drunk Hula coughed a few words
that sounded like, “Hell a turn.”

If I had a mirror in front of
me I’m sure my face would’ve been as white as snow. I looked at the baby’s tiny
toes; I looked at the crowd sneering forward; and I looked at Angeline, who had
her arms extended through the window. I glanced at the steel chair and
instinctively knew that in a few seconds it would be a game of: who can climb
up first.

Glass spat across my feet. With
my heart (now in my mouth) I glanced behind. An arm painted with jagged glass,
had shot through and grabbed Hula by the throat. Her screams were muted by the
fingers around her neck. The arm thrust back and forth – smacking her drunk
head – trying to pull her body through a hole the size of a fist. This was my
queue.

I climbed on the chair and gave
the baby to her.

‘Come.’ Angeline said sticking
her arm back in. I grabbed it and began climbing. That’s when I heard Overall
scream in a way that’s only reserved for life threatening occasions. I was
halfway up, even felt the grass outside, when I glanced behind. The scene was
abysmal. The boy was chewing Overall’s throat with a smile; his eyes black.
Hula looked around in a dizzying expression – as the hand around her throat
kept thrusting. Plump face was the only one holding the door. A wave of black
brushed over me; I felt dizzy. I also realized that I made a mistake by looking
back. A sea of screams were now below me, grabbing me, not wanting me to go (or
maybe they wanted to go). I pulled myself up through the window. Hands (a lot
of them) grabbed my feet. I looked at Angeline and saw the horror on her face.
I fell back.

-7-

Feet were trampling over my
arms toward the chair – the chair I was standing on. My vision consisted of
white lines and a wave of gray. I felt a hand clutch my shoulder and glanced. It
was the boy, chewing on my arm. He released his jaw from my skin and gazed at
me. “You like that don’t you?” He asked, wiping a line of blood across his
cheek. I shook my head. No. I don’t like that–

‘Dear,’ the boy’s face
transformed into wrinkles. ‘Dear get up.’ It was an elderly woman touching my
shoulder. ‘We need get you out that window.’ She pointed with a crooked finger.
There was no way we were getting through that hole. They were climbing on top
of each other; they were rabid animals. I swallowed. My spit tasted like…like.
Oh this headache. I got up to the sound of hollers. I glanced behind and saw
Hula with her eyes closed – (still) being thrust against the fist-size hole.
SMILE IF YOU THINK I’M SEXY was (still) enjoying Overall’s body like it was an
all-you-can-eat buffet. The only thing that’s changed was the door of
interrogation
room six
. The man with the cheap suit, Plump Face, was on the floor
unconscious or dead. The only reason people weren’t running out that door was
because people with black eyes stood guard. Watching us.

‘Please I got kids oh please
let me–’

‘No let me go through!’

People were biting and pushing
trying to get through. One man (no black eyes) bit a chunk of a woman’s flesh
when she got up too far. The elderly lady helped me up.

‘Come,’ she said. ‘Come.’ We
went to the corner. ‘God will protect us child.’ She said those words with more
conviction than a paladin in shining armor galloping toward evil. When I looked
away from her and at them, my faith wavered. The way they stared at us, in an
unconscious dream like state, with blood dripping from their lips, made me want
to choke on my screams. And then they stormed inside – like the whistled had
been blown for the race.

Three of them jumped onto the
tower of people. One came for us.

She raised her cane. ‘Stay back
Satan.’ Her voice thundered. I grabbed her with both hands and shoved her
forward. The person jumped on her like a rabid leech. I ran for the door. I
could hear her old voice cry for help. I can’t believe what I had just done.

The sun lashed at my face. One
or two people, screaming/panting, ran past me. The destruction was still fresh.
The pillar of smoke had contracted into a smudge of green gas. A few trees were
still burning. The car that torpedoed into the precinct was still there – with
someone on the dashboard.

‘I need I-I need to get out.’ I
told myself. I saw my car not far away and ran for it. I can imagine the worst
thing happening, my Fiat not starting. I laughed at the thought while wiping a
tear. A few feet away, my heart stalled. I looked at my body and heard a voice
say, “Knock knock stupid, guess who’s there?” I patted my body. I glanced
behind. My purse.

‘No!’ I shouted. I turned in
circles – do I go back in or do I run away? I heard screaming down the road. I
gritted my teeth and ran back for the precinct.

-8-

Glass cracked under my feet. I
poked my head in and looked around. I couldn’t see anything (moving). There
were however, bodies scattered everywhere. I swallowed and stepped over a
policeman. I didn’t want to look but my eyes did. The left side of his face
looked like mincemeat, a bloody puddle. I stared for a second too long – trying
to locate his nose. I grabbed my mouth and tip toed toward the desk. I tried my
best to avoid glass on the floor (and bullets), but it was like trying to avoid
grass when walking over a field.

‘Help, me.’ Someone said. I
froze. I looked around but couldn’t see anyone. I don’t think coming back in
here was a good idea. I looked down the hall and saw interrogation room six –
the door ajar. I licked my lips for the hundredth time and ran around the desk.
There was a cubbyhole and a woman on the floor with her arm over the
belongings. I had a queer feeling that she was the one that said
help me
.
I leaned back and stared down the hall. I could hear footsteps and teeth
chattering. I looked at the hairs on my arm and dashed toward the belongings.
It didn’t take long to find my purse, the only caramel white, above the woman’s
hand. I slowly reached for it. While my hand reached for the purse, I looked at
the bite mark on her shoulder. It made me feel sick. I saw her open her eyes
and smile. I saw her jump up and bite my hand. But she didn’t – but it was
possible. I snatched the purse and ran out.

I shielded my eyes against the
sunrays and ran for the car. I looked behind thinking that something was
chasing me but it was just my imagination. When I was inside, I locked all the
doors and rummaged for the key. It was only when it was inside the ignition
that I burst out crying – remembering what I had done. How I pushed that lady
toward the monstrosity. I wiped my tears and knew there wasn’t any time to
sulk. The car trundled backward and sped away. I took a left turn out of the
precinct’s lot and saw the devastation ahead. The truck lay on its side,
spiting flames, gushing smoke. There were two cars near it – two junk heaps. As
I drove past – trying to avoid the glass – I saw two people looking at me from
behind the truck. Even behind their chargrilled faces, their black eyes stood
out like blood on snow.