Author's note: I wanted to go ahead and put this next chapter out. My apologies if there are some typos.
I have been up working all night, but I was so excited about this chapter I decided to go ahead and post it. I will correct any mistakes later this afternoon. Thanks for reading, and please leave a review!
Chapter 2
"Zoey! I'm coming!"
Zed skidded out of his doorway, bashing his shoulder into the door frame and nearly shattering it as he ran towards Zoey's bedroom. He had always felt an almost primal urge to protect his sister, nearly paternal in its intensity. Since losing their mom a few years back, he had truly grown to care for Zoey almost as though she was his own child, rather than just his little sister.
He could now smell the distinct scent of smoke beginning to permeate their home. Puppy's barks echoed down the hall, alerting them all to the danger that they were in. He felt the vibration of more footsteps behind him as his dad pounded his feet up the creaking stairs and into the upstairs hallway.
"Kids!" Zevon gasped as both men rounded the short corridor into Zoey's room.
"Zed! Daddy!" Zoey screeched, still in her bed holding onto her blanket for dear life. Puppy continued to bark, pacing restlessly around the room. Already, it was growing hazy as smoke filled the air in the tiny space. His dad quickly surpassed him and reached out, grabbing Zoey up in her bundle of blankets.
"Come on, my little zombie angel, we have to go." Zevon stated in a misleadingly calm tone.
"Puppy! We have to get Puppy!" Zoey yelled.
"I've got him," said Zed, attempting to emulate his dad's composed features.
He rushed over to Puppy, scooping up the dog as Zevon rushed Zoey out of the bedroom and towards the stairs.
"Come on, son, let's go!"
Spinning back to face the door, Zed suddenly paused as he passed the framed picture of their family mounted on the wall. It was an old family photo; one of the last ones they took with their mom. She smiled contentedly back at him, holding both he and Zoey close as their dad enveloped all of them in his arms. They all looked completely happy, none of them knowing what was coming.
It was one of his favorite photos of her.
Hastily, he reached out, snatching up the photo and tucking it to his chest, fleeing from the room. He descended the stairs at a fast pace, taking them two steps at a time. He passed through the kitchen and tiny entryway, his heart clenching painfully as he ran by the old Formica table with its mismatched chairs. So many memories had been made at that little table, and he feared that this might well be the last time he ever saw it. But there was no time to dwell on it as the increasingly thick smoke began to burn his nose and make his eyes water. He ran out the front door, practically leaping off of the stoop and towards the street in front of the house.
It was complete bedlam outside. His neighbors were frantically rushing up and down the sidewalks in their attempt to flee the area, while others tried to ensure that the residences were being evacuated. He jerked his head from side to side, surveying the damage. Several houses were now burning, including his own. Across the way, he saw flames scorching the roof of Bonzo's home. Oh no.
He clutched Puppy more tightly to his chest. Despite clearly being distressed, the dog raised its head, licking Zed's chin affectionately. He caught up to his dad and Zoey in the street, breathing in huge gulps of fresh air as he approached. Together, they sprinted down the street, away from the flames. Zed turned a few houses down, quickly running up the front steps to Eliza's house.
The door opened before he could knock. Eliza stood in the entryway, eyes as wide as saucers and her frame tensed as though she was ready to jump out of her skin at any moment.
"Eliza, can you watch Zoey and Puppy?" Zed asked, as the dog wriggled restlessly in his grip. "We have to try to help."
"I'm coming with you!" Eliza responded, already grabbing her jacket from the coat rack in their entryway.
Eliza's mom appeared behind her, hurriedly scooping Zoey up from Zevon and into her own embrace.
"I've got them," Ziporah stated, as she reached out and took Puppy into her other arm.
"Be careful!" She yelled as Eliza and Zevon retreated back down the steps. Zoey let out a soft cry as the door shut. Zed quickly but carefully propped the photograph he was carrying against the porch railing, and followed them back into the road.
He could now hear the distant sound of sirens approaching as he ran towards Bonzo's house.
Their house was even closer than Zed's to the source of the flames, and the rooftop was already fully ablaze. He could hear muffled shouts coming from inside, recognizing them as Bonzo's mother. As he watched, she burst through the front door, coughing and spluttering as smoke rolled out after her. While zombies had a much higher tolerance to breathing hazardous things than humans, they were certainly not immune to the effects of smoke inhalation. And fire was still deadly.
"Help!" She screamed in English, as she staggered into the road.
"Bonzka zarg grodzide!" Bonzo's still inside!
Zed reacted instantly, not even hearing the shouts of protest from his father and Eliza as he rushed into the burning home.
Inside, it was eerily dark, the smoke rippling along the ceilings as he bounded through the living room. He coughed, crouching low to the floor in order to try and escape the pervasive smoke as he called out for his friend.
"Bonzo! BONZO!" He bellowed.
In response, he heard a wordless cry of terror coming from somewhere up the stairs. Now he just needed to figure out how to get there. Still crouched low, he hurriedly made his way towards his friend, eyes now watery with irritation from the smoke. Though he had been in this house a thousand times, the thick haze and the thrum of adrenaline through his veins made the structure seem almost unrecognizable. It took what felt like ages to find the stairs, and to make his way into the upstairs hall.
He dropped fully into a crawl as he crossed the threshold into his friends bedroom.
Bonzo was huddled in the far corner, tears flowing in silent rivulets down his now sooty face. He seemed nearly catatonic with fear. Zed approached him, now coughing more heavily as he reached his friend and latched onto his arm.
"Bonzo! Come on buddy, we've got to go."
Bonzo made no attempt to move or respond. Zed shook him, trying desperately to get his friend to snap out of his panic-induced state. They were both coughing now. He was pretty sure a human would have already been unconscious at this point.
"Bonzo, come on! We have to get out NOW!" Zed nearly screamed, voice cracking as he attempted unsuccessfully to pull his friend towards the door. His friend was way bigger and heaver than he was, though, and Zed's efforts failed to shift him towards the exit even an inch. Bonzo was completely insensible, totally consumed by his own fear. Above them, flames licked languidly across the ceiling, parts of the wallpaper now catching fire and trailing down towards the floor. Zed's lungs felt as though he were physically breathing in the flames, not just smoke.
With a sound like an explosion, a section of the ceiling suddenly collapsed behind him, engulfing the doorway in roaring orange flames. Zed cried out, trying to shield his head from the debris. He winced as searing chunks of wood rained down, burning his arms and the back of his head as he ducked down. Bonzo curled his arms around himself more tightly, but still made no attempt to move or escape.
And now, the only exit was blocked.
The fire was spreading rapidly across the carpet, the desk by the doorway quickly going up in flames. He watched as Bonzo's multiple sketches and paintings along the wall began to combust. Zed's coughing worsened, and everything was now almost completely shrouded in smoke and the unrelenting flickering of fire. He was starting to feel extremely lightheaded, and he was pretty sure that was not a good sign.
This was it.
They were not going to make it.
Zed grasped onto Bonzo's arm, feeling panic creeping up inside him.
He glanced back towards the door, wincing from the burns and bruising to his arms and the back of his head. The doorway was a wall of flame now, and there was absolutely no way that Zed could hope to budge his friend, even if they could manage to get through.
Unless...
Zed's eyes widened as he glanced down, looking at the dull green glow of the screen on his z-band.
ZzZzZzZ
The engine hummed quietly, despite the fact that Addison was driving ridiculously fast as she raced towards Zombietown. Most of the vehicles in Seabrook were eco-friendly, including Mayor Missy's tiny car. Addison usually preferred to walk, enjoying the feeling of being outside and relishing in the juxtaposition between her prim and proper neighborhood and the eclectic, comfy feeling of Zed's. But there was no time to waste now, and she sped through the rows of houses without even seeing them.
As she approached Zombie town, she gasped as she noted the ruined Unification Gate. It was a twisted mess of metal and scorched brick. Whatever had happened had caused a heat so intense that the metal had actually melted in places. Nearby, there was now a gigantic, jagged crater in the ground where the street had been. Smoke billowed forth from it, obscuring anything from view that might explain what had happened. Had there been some kind of explosion?
Driving past the ruined gate, she roughly parked the car, not bothering to close the door as she ran from the vehicle. As she approached Zed's house, she felt her heart constrict painfully. The top section of the structure was nearly covered in flames. Fear spread through her veins like ice, as she considered the possibility that they might be trapped inside.
Steeling herself, she began to trudge forward, determined to find Zed, even if that meant entering a burning building.
"ADDISON!" Eliza yelled from up the street, running forward to reach her.
Addison turned, sprinting to meet her in the center of the street.
Eliza grasped Addison's shoulder, her large eyes filled with a thinly veiled panic.
"Eliza, I have to go in there, Zed might need help!"
"He isn't in there," Eliza stated, "They all got out."
Addison felt relief spread throughout her limbs, letting out a soft cry of relief.
"Thank goodness!" She breathed.
"Where is he?"
Eliza said nothing.
"Eliza?"
Addison suddenly noticed the tears brimming around Eliza's eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment. Eliza was the strongest person that she knew, and seeing her at the point of tears made Addison feel suddenly cold inside.
"Eliza, where is Zed?"
More silence.
"Eliza! TELL me!"
Eliza exhaled shakily.
"He's in Bonzo's house. He went in after him."
They both turned to face Bonzo's home.
The rooftop was completely engulfed. It looked as though part of it had already begun to cave in, precisely above where Bonzo's room sat. Addison's breath caught in her throat in a choked gasp. In front of the home, she could see Zevon and a few other zombies watching with horrified expressions as the flames burned on.
In unison, both girls rushed to join them in their vigil.
For a moment, they all stood together, unable to do anything but watch, as the distant sound of sirens gradually grew louder.
The silence seemed to stretch out before Addison endlessly, panic and fear preventing her from formulating any solid thought.
Then, from within the house, there was a loud, unhuman roar.
Suddenly, the window to Bonzo's room seemed to explode. Glass and bits of wood sprayed out into the air above them in a strangely graceful arc, glittering as they reflected the lights of the fire behind them.
Zed was flying through the air, holding the limp form of Bonzo in his arms as he jumped from the second story of the house. He landed squarely on his feet, roaring again. For a moment, the two looked ridiculously like figures in a comic book, the heroic superhero holding a fainting damsel in distress. Zed was in full zombie form, eyes darkened and red as black and grey veins pulsed angrily across his arms and face.
He chuffed, sounding like an exhausted lion, and his knees abruptly buckled.
The z-band that had been grasped tightly in his hand clattered to the pavement next to him as he carefully lowered Bonzo to the ground. In her peripheral vision, she noted Eliza and another zombie rushing forward to tend to the unconscious Bonzo.
Addison rushed forward to her boyfriend, her own knees scraping painfully into the hard ground as shards of glass embedded themselves into her skin.
"Zed," she breathed as he collapsed forward into her arms.
She quickly scooped up the z-band, afraid that rescue workers would be afraid to help him in his present state. She deftly placed it across his wrist, reattaching it with a click.
He gasped, his limbs spasming as the black veins rapidly receded and his skin returned to it's normal pinkish-grey. She shifted, moving him so that his head could rest in her lap. She was vaguely aware of his dad crouching on her other side, leaning in to examine his son. Zed's shirt was in tatters, and she was horrified to see multiple burns and cuts to his arms and shoulders. A deep laceration was on his forehead, blood trickling sluggishly down his face.
Zed looked up at her, grinning lazily with slightly unfocused eyes as he reached up to touch her white hair.
"Hey, Ad..."
His voice suddenly trailed off.
Zed's eyes rolled back, his entire form suddenly relaxing as his hand dropped from beside her face.
Addison shook him gently by the shoulders.
"Zed? Zed!"
He was unconscious.