Authors Note: Hello! I am back with Chapter 2! (Again!) I finished Chapter 2, so for anyone who may of already read the first part, you might want to scroll down to the last two paragraphs or so. That way you won't be confused when I post Chapter 3! I hope you all are enjoying this story! Please Read and Review! Later! ~Firefly~
How could my day possibly get worse?
I didn't see the man until it was to late. I slammed on the brakes, as he hit my windshield. He rolled off the Explorer's hood when my car came to a stop. I threw on the hazard lights and dug my cell phone out of my purse. My roommate was just answering as I made my way out of the car.
"Hello?" a sleepy voice came over the phone, I wasn't sure if I had woken her up or if she'd just gotten out of bed.
"Gwen" I said, I was surprisingly calm. "Gwen, I just hit someone with my car." A slight pause took over, before Gwen spoke, I used the momentary silence to walk up to the front of the S.U.V, where the man lay.
"Oh my God! Are you okay? Where are you?"
"I think I am fine, but the guy, he's not moving! I think I killed him!" I was becoming hysterical.
"Kate, listen to me, you need to calm down, tell me where you are and I'll come get you. Take a deep breath." She ordered. I did, I held my breath for twenty seconds, then let it back out slowly. I ahd no idea where I was, I'd been to busy crying to really pay attention. I looked around at my surroundings, and for a moment I panicked, trees with skeletal branches and houses were the only thing in sight. Turning to the left brought the Nixa Jr. High into view.
I spoke quickly "I am on Main Street, by the Nixa Jr. High."
"Okay I will be right there. Stay calm Kate, I am on my way" the phone went dead after that.
"Please hurry," I whispered into the dark. I had a good ten minutes alone with the injured man, I should of called the police, but I didn't. In my defense, at that time I wasn't thinking clearly, I couldn't seem to tear my eyes from the man's injured body. There was blood all over his face, pieces of glass were stuck in his arms and forehead. I only stopped staring when I felt something warm slide down my nose, I brought my hand up to the liquid. I used the light of my cell phone to confirm my suspicion. My tan fingers were now tinted red, I was bleeding. I must of hit my head against the steering wheel when the accident occurred.
Headlights announced the arrival of Gwen, at least, I hoped it was her. The car pulled up to a stop behind mine, a man and a woman got out. It was Gwen and her best friend Duncan, Gwen was twenty-four and her attire confirmed my earlier suspicions about waking her up. She was wearing black, flannel pajama bottoms and a white see through t-shirt that clung to her breasts and only covered half of her tight stomach. A pair of fuzzy midnight blue slippers and her plush black robe completed the outfit. Her black and midnight blue streaked hair was a mess, and she had no makeup on. Duncan, on the other hand, looked as though he'd been up for awhile; he had on a black long sleeved Rolling Stones shirt that showed off his toned abs, black cargo pants with white stitching and black combat boots. He had a black and green Mohawk, with three sets of piercings in each ear. They were both taller than me, at five foot ten inches, I am no where near shortness, Gwen only had half an inch on me. While Duncan was about three to four more inches taller than both of us. I remember feeling slightly embarrassed at the thought of him being there. I have a tiny crush on Duncan and the last thing I wanted was for him to see me like that, but I quickly shoved my embarrassment aside, now was not the time to dwell on men I didn't stand a chance with, I had more important things to worry about. Like the man I may have killed.
"Kate, you okay?" Gwen asked as she gave me a reassuring hug. I shook my head no, I didn't trust my voice at the time. Gwen let go of me so that she could get a better look at the guy lying in the road. I didn't follow, I couldn't bear to look at him anymore. Duncan came up to me and I immediately felt calm, he didn't say anything to me, he didn't touch me, his presence alone brought me down from the edge of hysteria.
Gwen's voice broke the calm, "Duncan, come look at this." He gave me a quick smile before he went to kneel by her. After a minute of quiet whispers, Gwen spoke, "Good news Kate. You hit a dead guy." I spun around to face them.
"Gwen this is no time to joke!" I was beginning to get angry, how could she possibly joke at a time like this?
"I'm not," she shot back, "He was already dead."
I felt my face becoming red as my anger took control "That's NOT possible! He was walking when I hit him! Dead men don't walk Gwen! It's NOT possible!!"
"It's rare, but it is possible," Gwen replied.
"No it is not."
"Yes it is."
I took a deep breath, I hadn't meant to get up with Gwen, the nights events were starting to push me over the edge. Calmly, I said "Gwen, if the dead could walk, and if the guy was dead before I hit him, which he wasn't, then that would make him a zombie. Zombie's aren't real Gwen." It was Gwen's turn for a deep break, Duncan spoke before she did, "Kate calm down, as Gwen said, it's rare that the dead walk after they die, but it is possible. If a person is killed out of pure hate and rage, then the victim will rise out of their grave to seek their revenge. They only have a week though, then they return to their grave."
I stared at Duncan, both him and Gwen had lost their minds. Great time for them to do it too! In the middle of a major crisis, they both start babbling crazy shit about zombies and the dead rising. I must of stared at Duncan to long, or given him a funny look, because he got a slightly agitated look on his face.
"Courtney come here." He said, I stared at him like he had two heads. Who the hell was Courtney? Realizing he couldn't hear my thoughts, I voiced them.
"Who the hell is Courtney?"
"Huh?" he was the one giving me the funny look now.
"Courtney. You just said Courtney come here." I repeated his eyes narrowed slightly.
"I did n-" he was cut off by Gwen.
"Ya kinda did," she said, she sent him a glare that could freeze hell over. The looks they sent each other, spoke volumes, something unsaid was going on between them, but, I'd be damned if I knew. I cast my eyes downwards, then regretted that decision. I could see the man again, he was still lying there, I looked closely at him one last time. He didn't really look like a man who had just been killed, he was pale, paler than Gwen and Duncan, his skin was almost translucent. His cheek bones had sunken in and his eyes had this hollow look. Maybe he really was the walking dead, then that would mean that he was a zombie. My thoughts came to a screeching halt, once again fear took over, I am terrified of zombies, it's a fear I've had ever since I was a child. I had always considered it an irrational fear, up until then. Even now, that I have the protection of my clan, they still scare the shit out of me.
The man blinked and his right arm began to twitch. Oh god, whatever he was he was coming back to consciousness. An inhuman moan floated from his gray lips, capturing everyone's attention. He rose slowly, his joints where stiff and refused to bend like they should. After three minutes of struggle the man was back on his feet. I could see the damage my Explorer had caused to him more clearly now. His left arm was twisted around backwards at the elbow, his jaw had been dislocated and his tongue flapped uselessly out the right side of his mouth. His dull eyes homed in on me, he may have been stiff but he was fast, Duncan said something, but I didn't understand it and in an instant Gwen was at my side, she grabbed my hand and pulled me down the road, away from the Zombie. I stopped running when I realized that Duncan wasn't following us, I turned around intent on yelling for Duncan to run, but Gwen stopped me before I could.
"Kate, we have got to go, don't worry about Duncan he will be fine. You have to get out of the zombie's site." She tugged on my arm and this time I followed. We stopped running after three blocks, taking a deep breath I leaned up against a naked oak tree. I gave Gwen a questioning glance before I sounded off my questions one after another. "What's going on? Why did I have to get out of it's sight? Is Duncan going to be okay? Why didn't we take your car?"
Gwen rubbed her forehead slightly before responding, "That man was a zombie, he was going after revenge, sort of. The thing with zombies and revenge is, that when people die, the first thing to go is their memory. If a person is unlucky enough to rise for revenge, they kill the first person they come across, because they have no recollection of who killed them. All they know is that blood must be shed before they can rest in peace. Tonight, the first person he saw was you." I let go of the breath, I didn't know I was holding. I sank slowly along the tree trunk, until my butt met the ground, pulling my knees up to my chest I rested my head on them. My mocha colored hair hiding my face, all of a sudden I was very tired. "What about Duncan?" I whispered softly.
"I don't know, he should be fine, Kate I need you to stay here while I go check to see if he's okay." My head flew up, my eyes were wide with disbelief.
"Your going to leave me here?!" I screeched.
Gwen's blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark, before I could stop myself, I asked "What are you?" She seemed to be a little hurt by my question, I hadn't meant to sound condescending, but when you've had the night I had, your politeness meter seems to shutoff. Gwen knelt in front of me and moved some of the hair from my face, I winced when she moved a piece that had been plastered to my skin with blood.
"Kate, promise me you won't move from this spot. I'll be back with Duncan and then we'll go back to our apartment and Duncan and I will tell you everything okay?" I gave her a small nod and smile and then she was gone. At the time I thought she had vanished but now I know that she just moved really fast.
Gwen had been gone for about five minutes, when I heard a slow dragging sound on the ground. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as the sound got closer and closer. I hugged my knees tighter to my chest and tried my best to block out the sound. As the sound kept drawing closer, my heart began to speed up, I wanted to be back with Gwen and Duncan so bad, at the moment those two equaled safety.
A low moan brought my attention to my left, all I saw was darkness, but I knew it was out there. A loan street light flickered on, it's light washed over the zombie. I held my breath, it hadn't seen me yet. Slowly, I rose to my feet, I figured that if I started to run, I could get away. The zombie took a step forward, it's left leg dragged along the pavement. Duncan must of injured it somehow. I began to side step around the tree, a twig snapped under my left foot. I froze, I glanced back at the zombie just as it turned in my direction. Quickly, I pressed myself up against the side of the tree. Silently I willed myself to become one with the tree, the phrase "if I don't move, it won't see me" kept scrolling through my head. Childish? Yes. I didn't really care at that moment. I listened as the zombie got closer to the tree, when he got close enough that I could hear his labored breathing, I made a break for it. I pushed off from the tree, only to have my left foot catch on one of the ancient oak's roots. My body connected solidly with the ground, for a moment I couldn't breath, I struggled onto my feet and turned around. The zombie was just out of arms reach, I took a couple of steps back, determined to get away. I spun around to flee, but his good arm was on my right before I could move. He tossed me against the tree, my head hit first, causing me to temporarily black out. I came to on the ground, just as the zombie's right hand closed around my neck. He lifted me up with no effort at all. I tried to kick him, I clawed at this hands, but he didn't give an inch. The pressure on my neck was growing and I began to see spots as he squeezed tighter and tighter. Then with the strength of ten men, he tossed me up into the tree limbs, I screamed as I felt a branch pierce my back and come out between my breasts. For the last seconds of my life I was dangling up in the air from a tree limb, like a leaf in the wind. The zombie stared up at me, he had this confused look on his face, I am pretty sure he wanted me to come back down, even though my breathing was labored I was much happier to be in that tree away from my murderer. I saw Gwen appear before the zombie and toss him out into the road. Duncan, along with four other very angry looking men joined Gwen at her side. A low cracking noise brought my attention back to the branch that was somehow keeping me suspended. Looking up and to the left I saw that it was a branch that was growing diagonally down from the main branch. A loud snap sounded and I found myself rushing to greet the ground.
At least Duncan was safe.