Hold On For Your Life
"What is it?" Chris demanded, coming over, Alicia following, brow furrowing.
"Them," Nick choked out, slumping against the sill, face bloodless, "out - outside."
"One of them is heading for the house," Lourdes said, making for the door, lifting up the still wrapped shotgun from the table as she moved, "we – we need to stop it."
"Give me that," Alicia snapped, snatching the package from Lourdes's fingers, quickly tearing the tape and canvas off it. "You couldn't hit a barn door" -
Nick suddenly yelled, reeling back from the window, the curtain falling back into place, but not before they all saw a ravaged face pressed against the glass.
"Out, now!" Chris yelled, shoving Lourdes in front of him, Alicia right behind her. "Come on, Clark!" he bellowed at Nick, who was just standing there, staring at the window, listening to the creature clawing at the glass with its dead fingers.
Nick shook his head, before turning and tearing out of the room, moving at an odd half limping, half running gait, Chris hard on his heels, catching up with the girls by the front door. All four flung themselves in the direction of the fruit cage, ducking their heads as they dove within, the leaves from the trailing vines tangling in their hair, a nail catching on Nick's slacks, tearing the fabric as he jerked his leg free.
Chris clambered over the fence first, knocking over one of the trashcans as he did, almost falling off it. When he was on the other side, Alicia carefully handed him the shotgun, before allowing him to help her over the fence in turn. As Alicia then dropped down onto the ground, Lourdes climbing up after her, almost losing her balance as she perched precariously atop the askew trashcan, a shout suddenly shattered the eerie silence, making Lourdes's head snap up, only to see Travis wrestling with a man, Madison appearing between the French doors, brandishing a baseball bat.
"Dad!" Lourdes screamed. "Dad!"
"DAD!" Chris yelled, starting forwards with the shotgun, only for Alicia to grab him by the scruff of the neck.
"Give me the goddamn gun!" Alicia screeched, snatching it from Chris, who staggered back, Alicia no longer caring about being careful. She ran towards the house, just as Madison rushed forwards, bringing the baseball bat down on the man's back, momentarily sending him sprawling.
"What about the shells!?" Nick yelled, gripping the fence for support . "Where are the fucking shells!?"
Chris paled. "The house," he said stupidly, "they're still in the house" -
At this, Lourdes flung herself back over the fence, nearly crashing into Nick, the two of them then tearing down the crazy paving path, Nick clutching his side, sweat dripping down his ashen face. Lourdes burst into the house, rushing through the rooms, her foot catching on the corner of a carpet, sending her crashing into a sewing machine. Righting herself, she grabbed the wall, propelling herself onwards, Nick hard on her heels, panting for breath. The two of them finally staggered into the living room, Nick immediately ransacking the room again, cursing wildly under his breath as he did.
Gasping, Lourdes made for the mantelpiece, nearly tripping over her own feet again. "Here!" she cried, finding an ornate carved box, flipping the lid open, revealing the cardboard box of shells within. But as she did, the box fell through her fingers, scattering the shells like confetti.
"Jeesh, be careful with that shit, man!" Nick bellowed, rushing over to her.
Ignoring him, Lourdes dropped to her knees, snatching the cardboard box up, before dumping it on the nearby table, Nick kneeling down beside her, hastily scooping up the loose shells, his hand accidentally brushing hers, making Lourdes jerk her own hand back.
"I said I was sorry," Nick said in a wild rush, "and I meant it, okay?"
"Just – just forget it, okay!?" Lourdes snapped, hurriedly packing the shells back in their box. "Let's just get this shit and go" - She froze, her eye irrationally caught by an empty pill-bottle lying on its side atop the table, the sight incongruous against the elegant curve of the teacup beside it. She turned her head slowly, motioning Nick to be quiet, his mouth clamping shut in confusion.
Brow furrowing, Nick followed her scared stare, over to where he had left one of the cupboard doors lying wide open, making a partial barrier between the living room and the room beyond, creating a blind spot. Nick and Lourdes stared in its direction with wide eyes, sensing rather than seeing another's presence, when a small pair of bare feet suddenly appeared in the gap between the carpet and the bottom of the door. Whoever it was just stood there, watching and waiting in turn. Then it suddenly took a step forwards, resurrecting Nick and Lourdes back to life, the two of them tearing out of the room, Nick grabbing the box of shells as he went.
Somehow they were outside, Lourdes not even remembering leaving the house, her mind a blank blur. She rushed ahead into the dark embrace of the fruit cage, ducking her head as she moved, Nick behind her, panting heavily, sounding like he was ready to collapse. As they rounded a corner, a dark figure suddenly surged out of the darkness, hitting Lourdes at full pelt, sending them sprawling at the same time, Lourdes then crashing into Nick, who collided into one of the wooden posts, his head bouncing almost comically off it.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Alicia screeched, lunging at Lourdes. "Why the hell are you attacking me!?"
"Are you insane!?" Lourdes screeched back, shoving Alicia back, making her stagger. "Why the hell are you attacking me!?"
"Never mind that shit!" Alicia spat. "Just give me the goddamn shells!"
"What the fuck!?" Nick yelled, clutching his aching head with one hand, whilst clutching the box of shells with the other, almost oblivious to the argument unfolding. "What the fucking fuck!?" -
Lourdes suddenly went sideways again, letting out a shrill scream, drowning out the rest of his outburst, her head then just as suddenly snapping back, something grabbing her long dark hair like a rope and yanking her backwards, making her spine slam into a wooden post. Alicia rushed forwards, only to reel back at the sight of the zombified Susan Tran, her ravaged face framed by a gap in the hedge that ran alongside the fruit cage, making Alicia's hand fly to her mouth, tears pooling in her eyes.
"Lo!" Nick shouted, shoving the box of shells in Alicia's other hand, barging her aside at the same time. "Lo!" As Lourdes twisted and turned wildly, screaming, trying and failing to break free, Nick grabbed her head, holding her still, before brutally bending Susan's fingers back, breaking them one at a time, his eyes bulging with the effort, Susan's grip as grim as death, and then Lourdes was suddenly free, collapsing into Nick's arms, the two of them then staggering towards the trashcans, Alicia already gone.
"Comeonecomeoncomeon," Lourdes half sobbed, scrabbling to gain traction as she climbed, Nick boosting her up, before following, his long limbs giving him the advantage, and he was over the side of the fence before Lourdes was, turning to help her over -
"Lo!" Nick yelled again as Susan suddenly appeared out of the gloom, right behind Lourdes, who was still halfway over the fence, her exhausted body suddenly failing her. At his shout, Lourdes's head whipped around, only to see Susan lunging at her, Lourdes throwing herself over the fence at the same time, Nick catching her, just as Susan grabbed her trainer. A bizarre tug of war commenced, Nick's arms wrapped around Lourdes's waist, trying to drag her over the fence, its wooden ridges scraping painfully against her ribs, Lourdes screaming as she tried desperately to tear her foot free.
Her shoe suddenly slid off, sending her catapulting into Nick, the two of them rolling over and over in the overgrown grass. Caught in a tangle of limbs, Nick's body heavy on hers, Lourdes's brain blanked out. She struck Nick with her fists, Nick feebly trying and failing to restrain her, her elbow connecting with his face, knocking Nick backwards, crashing onto the ground. Then Lourdes was running, heading blindly for the house, the tears rolling down her cheeks, mucus streaming out of her nose.
Grabbing one of the French doors for support, Lourdes froze in the doorway, panic paralyzing her at the tableau before her. Madison was supporting an exhausted looking Travis, the two of them covered in blood, the baseball bat lying abandoned on the floor; Alicia half crouched behind the sofa, hands clamped over her mouth, as though to strangle a scream, Liza clutching Chris to her, her arms forming a cage; all of them watching with wide eyes as Daniel Salazar advanced with cold deliberation upon the living corpse standing in the centre of the room, shotgun raised, Lourdes dimly recognizing it as the man Travis had been wrestling with from earlier, probably one of the dead who had wandered up the driveway.
The corpse tilted its head to the side, its white eyes almost contemplative as it considered Daniel, all of its attention focused on him alone now. It was tall and burly, with a burgeoning beer belly, the cranberry coloured T-shirt covered in what looked like oil and blood. Jaw tightening, Daniel appraised the corpse through narrowed eyes, before suddenly pulling the trigger, making everybody shout or scream in shock, the corpse collapsing against the wall. Time seemed to slow down, then the corpse raised its head, revealing a bloodied face peppered with bird-shot, the gesture almost defiant.
Eyes narrowing, Daniel took another deliberate step forwards, before pulling the trigger again, blowing the corpse's head half off its shoulders, making it finally collapse like a puppet without its strings. Lourdes turned her face away, scrunching up her eyes, but nobody else reacted, only staring at the empty spot where the corpse had just stood seconds before. Daniel merely surveyed the slaughter before coolly handing Madison the shotgun and leaving the room, the sound of his footsteps fading into the distance.
The night is blind
So hard to find
The way back home...