Zombies II – Chapter 5

TEARDROPS

VOTING FOR THIS CHAPTER IS NOW CLOSED. A NEW CHAPTER IS POSTED EVERY TUESDAY

Victoria decides she needs to go upstairs. Jacob wouldn’t leave without her and she was sure the downstairs would be filled with zombies.

The pack of zombies in the hall still haven’t noticed her and Dunville appears to be in too much pain to know anything. For the third time, she runs down the hallway.

The group turns its attention to her all at once as she approaches them. They reach out to grab her but she blows past them before they can touch her.

She stops suddenly when she reaches Dunville. He moans and his mutated arm swings at her. She moves out of the way at the last second and it slams against the wall. The drywall cracks and he squirms in pain on the floor. Victoria quickly steps over him before he can swing again.

As soon as she steps through the doorway, her ankle is snagged and she falls to the floor with a hard thud. She looks back to see Dunville’s human hand wrapped around her leg.

Sweat covers his face and his frightened eyes stare up at her, silently begging her to help him. They haven’t gone completely white yet, she can still make out the outline of his pupils.

“I’m sorry, Dunville,” she says. “I’m so sorry. Please, let me find my son.”

The muscles in his neck begin to bulge and the skin stretches, threatening to tear. His face distorts from the pain and he loses his grip on Victoria. She immediately jumps to her feet and runs up the stairs to the next floor as Dunville’s howls echo behind her.

She covers her ears to block out his screams until she reaches the thick door to the next floor. She runs through and slams it shut behind her.

Victoria is immediately taken back by the smell in the hallway. A smell not unfamiliar but stronger than she’s used to. The smell of the dead.

The hallway appears to be a sea of blood and flesh. She can’t even see the green tiles that cover the rest of the building. Just the remains of the people who lived there. Not enough left of them to come back.

She takes a step forward and her sneaker slides against something red and stringy. She nearly falls to her knees. Her heart is pounding furiously in her chest. It’s all she can hear. The hallways is unbearably quiet. She clears her throat.

“Jacob?” She tries to shout but her voice is weak and shaky.

She’s startled when a shrill voice answers her call from only a few feet away.

“Help me,” it says. “Please. You…you’ve gotta help me.”

It isn’t Jacob. It’s the voice of a man. She looks around but still doesn’t see anyone. Finally, a flash of movement to her right catches her eye. Something is crawling along the floor, barely visible through the thick blood. As it gets closer, she can see the man’s face. His skin is completely red and dripping with blood, she can’t tell how much is his and how much has come from the floor. His eyes are a pale white.

“I…I need a doctor.”

He’s only a few feet away now. Her hand shoots to her mouth and she steps backwards as she gets a better view of him. His legs have been torn completely from his body and one of his arms is missing. He pulls himself through the mulch with his only arm.

Victoria turns away from him.

“No,” he pleads. “Wait. You can’t leave me like this.”

She slowly walks away from him as he lets out a frustrated cry. She jumps at the sound and closes her eyes until he stops.

As she walks the hall, she checks each room for any sign of Jacob. The doors have been torn from each dormitory. Most of the rooms are empty.

She suddenly hears quiet sobs coming from one of the rooms. Could it be him?

“Jacob?” she asks. Her voice is a little louder this time. She moves towards the room as fast as she can while still being careful not to slip.

A family is huddled together in the back of the room. The sobbing is coming from a middle-aged woman who is sitting on the floor, gripping a small girl in her arms. A man with grey hair and thick stubble is kneeling next to her. Thick tears drip down his face. The child doesn’t move.

“Excuse me,” Victoria says softly. Her voice cracks in uncertainty.

The woman grabs the body of the little girl and pulls her closer. The girl’s head tips backwards and Victoria can see the bullet hole in her forehead and the faint blood around her mouth. Her dead eyes are completely white.

“Get away from us!” the woman screams. “You can’t have her.”

The man tries to console her. He places a shaking hand on her shoulder and looks up at Victoria.

“I’m sorry,” Victoria says. “I’m just looking for my son.”

The woman doesn’t react. She rocks back and forth with the girl in her arms and begins humming a song that fills Victoria with pain. The same song that she used to hum to Elena and Jacob when they were really young.

“We haven’t seen anyone for hours,” the man says. He turns his attention back to the woman.

Victoria nods and leaves the room. She hesitates a moment and contemplates telling them about Project Gerra. Telling them that they need to leave. She realizes it wouldn’t make a difference and silently walks away.

She calls Jacob’s name as she wanders the hall. There is no sign of him. The hallway ends with a closed door – the only room left on the floor. She turns the handle and opens it.

A woman stands with her back to the door, staring out the window. The room’s lighting is very dim and the light from outside the window silhouettes her. If she’s still human, maybe she’s seen Jacob?

“Um…hello?” Victoria asks.

The woman’s head slowly turns towards her. She has long, red hair and very pale skin. Her face is a little chubby and her lips are full. Her white eyes pierce the darkness.

Victoria gasps and steps backwards but the woman doesn’t pursue her. She looks sad and lost. She turns her body to face Victoria.

“Hi,” the woman says. She struggles to force a smile.

Victoria pauses, taken back by the gentle sound of the woman’s voice. “I’m looking for my son, Jacob,” she says. “Have…have you seen him?”

The woman shakes her head. “I’m sorry, I haven’t.

Disappointed, Victoria thanks the woman and begins to back out of the room. The woman lowers her head and turns back towards the window. Victoria stops at the doorway and steps back into the room.

“Are you…” She stops at a safe distance from the woman. “Are you okay?”

The woman looks back at her. Tears fall from her white eyes and down her cheeks. She shakes her head.

“You’re one of the…” She searches for the word. “The sentient ones, right?”

The woman begins to sob. “I don’t know what I am,” she says. She wipes away her tears.

Victoria steps closer, trying her best to fight off tears of her own.

“I’m Victoria,” she says.

The woman sniffs loudly and smiles. “Elizabeth.”

Victoria’s breath catches in her throat and she covers her mouth to hide her surprise.

“What…” She swallows. “Why are you still here? Why haven’t you left?”

Elizabeth stares down at her hands and folds them idly in front of her. “My husband is a soldier here. Well, a lieutenant.” She wipes at her eyes again. “He’s looking for me. He knows I’ll be here waiting for him so I can’t leave.”

Victoria takes another small step towards her. “Your husband,” she says, “is his name David?”

Elizabeth’s eyes widen at the mention of his name.

“Do you know him?” She raises her shaking hands and steps towards Victoria. “Have you seen him?” she pleads.

“Elizabeth, David is dead.” Victoria takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

Elizabeth stops in her tracks with a stunned look on her face. Her eyes stare past Victoria. “I see.” Her surprised look switches to fear. “How…how dead?”

“He isn’t coming back.” Victoria can’t bring herself the tell Elizabeth what happened. “He was shot. In the head.”

Elizabeth nods slowly. “Well, that’s something to be thankful for, I guess.”

The room is silent. Victoria struggles to find something to say but decides it’s best to leave her alone with her thoughts. She turns to leave but Elizabeth speaks up.

“Your son,” she says. “Jacob was it? He’s alive?”

“He is.”

“He’s not…” Elizabeth points to her eyes with a shaking finger.

“I don’t know. I…don’t think so. If he is, he isn’t like the others. I guess he’s like you. I spoke with him but I didn’t see his eyes.” She hesitates before asking her next question. “What’s it like?”

“It’s strange. It feels completely different but at the same time it’s like nothing has changed. I keep hearing voices. It’s like I’m surrounded by suffering people all the time but the room is empty.” She turns her head away from Victoria. “And I’m hungry. It’s a different kind of hunger – a feeling I’ve never felt before. But I can control it. It’s not like the others make it seem. It’s just there. Nagging at me.” She looks back at Victoria. “You know what I mean?”

Victoria doesn’t respond.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now. David was the only one I had left. And now I…I’m,” she stops with a sigh. “Maybe I could help you find your son? I really don’t want to be alone right now.”

Victoria hesitates before answering.

VOTING FOR THIS CHAPTER IS NOW CLOSED. A NEW CHAPTER IS POSTED EVERY TUESDAY

Her answer:
A: Yes
B: No

Comments

  1. Elena Jacob - December 13, 2011 @ 12:15 am

    SURE, WHY NOT? Let’s roll with the zombie lady – what could possibly go wrong?

    A.

  2. Reaia - December 13, 2011 @ 12:28 am

    Hmmmmm….. B. must travel alone. Trust no one!

  3. Vanessa - December 13, 2011 @ 6:06 am

    I vote YES.

    A.

  4. Jeff Elston - December 13, 2011 @ 8:40 am

    No, eff off. B.

  5. The Muse - December 13, 2011 @ 8:54 am

    Yes. An unlikely ally who may provide more use than expected. . either tha,t or a chance for more excitement when she finally decides to eat Victoria.

  6. Steven Montano - December 13, 2011 @ 9:28 am

    Yes! The more the merrier!

  7. jeff - December 13, 2011 @ 1:56 pm

    B. you’ll move quicker alone

  8. Tanya - December 13, 2011 @ 2:21 pm

    B is smarter for Victoria, but A is better for plot.

    I vote A.

  9. Jen Kirchner - December 13, 2011 @ 2:46 pm

    Dear Everyone,

    IT’S A TRAP! B!

    Sincerely,
    Person Who Doesn’t Want To Be Zombie Food

  10. Marie Clarke - December 13, 2011 @ 4:16 pm

    I vote A. They both need each other to survive.

  11. Zoe - December 13, 2011 @ 5:53 pm

    A.

  12. EHFoster - December 13, 2011 @ 6:17 pm

    YES! yes yes yes. even dead girls need girlfriends.

  13. Yeem - December 13, 2011 @ 10:38 pm

    I vote A!!!!! A, A, A!

    • Katy - October 8, 2014 @ 4:14 pm

      What is the point of adverts like this? England, and my own cotrnuy, have gone so far down the abortion road that those who support killing children seem to be spending their time justifying it to themselves and not the people at large.

  14. Prisca Crawford - December 13, 2011 @ 10:41 pm

    I choose A not B which is after A, therefore A is the letter I choose 😀

  15. Laura - December 14, 2011 @ 6:20 am

    A

  16. becky urbinato - December 14, 2011 @ 8:55 am

    AAAAA! A!

  17. John - December 14, 2011 @ 11:42 am

    I have to vote A… this is too good to pass up.

  18. Kayla - December 14, 2011 @ 3:06 pm

    I vote A! I can sense a series spinoff, about a new world of sentient zombies, in the horizon.

  19. C L Raven - December 15, 2011 @ 6:52 am

    obviously B is the sensible thing to do, but we don’t want sensible, we want danger,excitement, uncertainty. Go for A.

  20. Effin - December 15, 2011 @ 12:14 pm

    nooooooooooooooo. creepy!!!

  21. Tiffany A White - December 16, 2011 @ 10:05 am

    A – why not ask her to join us? It’s kinda like the silliness of going up the stairs. Awesome.

    Thanks for waiting for me. :)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published / Required fields are marked *