"Nick!" Rochelle said, "Why don't you listen to me for two damn seconds before you shoot down my plan!"
I could hear the group of humans arguing with each other just around the corner. It was already dark, and the only source of light in the alleys of the city came from the moon. I breathed heavily, grunting as I shifted my weight in the tight, dark corner. The voices of the survivors grew louder.
"I don't need your attitude, little miss, you just don't understand what's at stake here-"
"Nick, c'mon man, let her talk. It's not good to be out this late and we need some kind of a plan..."
"-which is exactly what I'm saying! Guys, I know there's a safehouse just across the street, just let me get..."
I grunted. These survivors were so close, I could smell them. I practically itched to attack them. To crush their bones... make them feel what it was like, the anger of being stuck as this deformed giant of a zombie...
Just a block down the street, something metal clattered to the ground. All four survivors grew silent, and I had to stifle a screech. They were coming, they had heard the survivor's voices, and the humans would have no chance to defend themselves. I could feel myself growing excited, restless, eager to show myself to them and to make them bleed.
"We have to get our asses across the street, looks like we don't have a choice anymore."
I could hear the fear in the man's whisper. I could always sense their fear, no matter how much they tried to mask it. You could see it in their faces... I could see it in their faces. After all, you wouldn't be too confident with a massive, mutated freak like me rushing towards you, would you? My panting grew louder, but they failed to hear it. An infected screeched in the distance, and a gun cocked.
Now would be the time to attack. They were stupid, positively senseless, huddling themselves in a corner and failing to work out a plan. At this point, they deserved to be attacked for being so reckless, and I was in the perfect position to do so. I could see their reactions as I rounded the corner; They would be terrified, afraid, desperate for a way out... And they wouldn't have one. Which of them should I aim for? I let out another grunt and crouched further into my corner, surrounded by brick walls and trash. I could aim for the girl, she would be the weakest target. So frail, so desperate for a say in the group. Her reaction time might even be slower than the others.
Another screech sounded throughout the night, followed by an inhuman groan. I could hear the group take quick, quiet steps to reposition themselves in the alleyway, nervously trying their best to arm themselves. Should I wait for the horde to find them, or should I charge them now and provide the spark for the upcoming slaughter? I could feel my arm pulsing with whatever ran through my undead veins. I was beginning to feel the kick of the... adrenaline? Excitement? Whatever it was that allowed for me to gain such a rush over the kill. I knew the survivors must feel this rush too. You don't survive in such a brutal apocalypse without being a little brutal, a little vicious yourself. It was a wonder they had managed to stay alive and together this long. I began to creep out of my hiding spot, being careful to stay hidden in the deeper shadows. I wouldn't be able to see the survivors, but I could feel them, and hear their breath. More groans could be heard on the street, this time just next to the alleyway now. I rounded the corner in the darkness and set my sights on the movement just a few yards away. The humans were rustling about, edging closer to each other as they prepared themselves for whatever they were expecting. Their sights were trained on the end of the alleyway opening into the illuminated street, paying no attention to the darkened, second entrance where I emerged from.
Suddenly, a single common infected rounded the corner and walked into the alley. It stumbled on its path and turned to face the survivors with two empty eyes.
There was a flash of swift motion as the woman reached behind her back and drew out a baseball bat. Before she could run up to attack the zombie, there was a flash and a bang! sounded in the air. With the light of the fired gun, I could see all four of them standing with their backs to me. A man in a yellow t-shirt was standing with his pistol pointed upward at where the common zombie had stood, and a look of horror could be found on each of their faces as the loudness of the shot echoed throughout the street. The straggling zombies all around began to screech and run towards the source of the sound.
"Shit, shit! Oh my god, I didn't mean to - I panicked, I didn't th-"
I ran around the corner with a screech and pushed myself at full speed towards the group. I hit two of the humans with full impact and grabbed at the both of them with my giant arm, ignorant to whichever of the two I would end up carrying. The other two survivors were knocked off their feet, but quickly pulled themselves up as they realized what was happening. My screech had attracted even more of the undead, and a few were beginning to run down the alley, screaming and clawing at the air as they sprinted towards the group.
I had grabbed the man in the yellow shirt, and I carried him out of the narrow alley and into the open street, where we collided with the wall of a building across the way. Gunshots began to fire behind me, but they were directed at the zombies at the alley's open end, not towards me - at least, I didn't feel them. I crashed into the wall with a massive thud, the man caught between my body and the wall. I tightened my grip on him as he began to struggle, yelling for his friends to help him. My vision was red and I was crazed with a rush. I had my victim, he was going to die, I was going to crush him into the ground and feel his life drain away in my hand. I grunted and slammed him into the sidewalk. He screamed.
I could hear the others behind me, firing rapidly into the growing crowd of zombies rushing towards them. I could hear their yells as they tried to gain an advantage small enough to allow them to save their friend.
"Ellis!" A man yelled amongst the gunfire. I lifted my victim from the ground and slammed him into the sidewalk again, this time hearing cracks as he made contact.
"Jesus Christ, kill this thing!"
I picked him up and slammed him down again, relishing my power over his injured body. All those failed attempts at an attack, all those bullets piercing my flesh... Now I could get my revenge.
The yells of the undead grew louder behind me. I felt a lone bullet hit my back, hardly enough to injure me. I slammed him into the ground again, and he gasped for breath. Another bullet his my back and I grunted. Was a survivor thinning the crowd enough to make their way towards me? Another slam into the ground drew blood from the man. They wouldn't get here soon enough. He was mine.
A screech sounded from directly behind me - but it wasn't undead. I felt a heavy object slam into my back, and I stumbled, still clutching the man's body. I turned and was met with another hit right across my jaw, and I grunted in pain. The woman from the group was poising herself for another attack, her arms clutching a baseball bat and her body turning to swing again. I stepped backward and tightened my grip on the man, slamming him into the ground in anger. He yelled and struggled to wrench his way out of my grip. Zombies began to run towards the woman and she had to shift away from me to hit and drive them away from her. I leaned forward and shoved into her, knocking her off balance and putting her at the mercy of the nearby infected. I slammed my victim into the ground again, and his cries began to grow weaker. His yells were joined by those of the woman with the bat as she barely fended herself from the zombies surrounding her, using the bat as a barrier between the bodies of the zombies and her own.
I lifted the man up one last time to deliver the death blow. He struggled with all his might, knowing he was near the end. Just as I began to bring him down, dozens of bullets began to drive themselves into my side. Aaugh! I released my grip and he fell to the ground, crying out in agony and fumbling for the second pistol at his side. I stumbled, trying to distance myself from the attack of bullets, but them kept on coming. The pain was unbearable as I felt the bullets bury themselves in me. I screeched and blindly ran to the side, only to hit a wall and lose my balance. My vision began to blur and I thrust my arm out around me, hoping to connect it with whoever was hurting me, but I only fell to the ground with a grunt.
A split second later, a wooden bat connected with the back of my head and the street went dark.
