Amanda woke in a hospital room that looked like Hurricane Ivan hit it. She saw wires hang all over and monitors overturned. She guessed that nobody had to be a genius to figure out that a struggle took place. She slid off her bed and advanced slowly toward the hall; because, she had the uneasiest feeling about the quiet that filled the area around her. It was almost suffocating, not to mention the sickly-sweet smell that permeated the air.
She yanked the i.v.from her arm and felt warm liquid gush down. She grabbed her bedsheet and pressed it against the hole that the needle made in her arm. She crept down the hall and stopped when she saw a middle-aged black nurse move as if she were injured.
"Miss!!! Miss, could you please help me? My arm is bleeding, and I need some bandages to close it," Amanda called.
The woman turned her face and growled at Amanda. She looked like something out of a late night movie. She ran toward Amanda much like the late Mrs. Richardson. As soon as she grabbed Amanda, Amanda punched her hard in the lower abdomen causing her to spew blood. She swung back at Amanda to knock her down and surmount her, but when she did, she hit the wall bleeding on its surface as she tried to slow her fall.
Amanda smelled the coagulated mess and immediately felt hungry like she did with Claire's mother. Without hesitation, she pounced the wailing zombie and fed. She amazed herself with her own strength.
The other monsters must have her screaming, because they came out in a crowd to get Amanda. They sneered and bore their discolored teeth to alert their intended victim.
One by one they came at her, and she tore each of them down. Each kill was easier as she progressed. She didn't know, but she guessed that she must have offed about twenty-six zombies by the time she was through. She felt really strong and satisfied, no...fulfilled.
She gathered some clothes and dressed herself and headed for the exit at the side. She saw more prey scurry by and felt her hunger return. She feasted her way down to the main plaza where she saw a group of people banded together with weapons. She looked at her reflection in a nearby glass and saw her blood and gore soaked mouth. Amanda wiped her face so she wouldn't be mistaken for a zombie when she tried to talk to the people. She saw a body lying on the ground before her and exchanged her shirt for it's.
She played with her hair a bit and then approached the grocery store to make contact with the others.
"Please, let me in. I'm normal just like you. Whatever's going on, I'm not affected by it," she said holding her hands above her head in arrest style.
"Have you bit bitten or scratched by those things?" a woman asked her while pointing her double barrel at her.
"No. I haven't. It's the truth," she said.
"Come in, and hurry. We don't want to wait for another of those things to attack. I'm Brenda. These people are Harris, Bart, Chelsea, Dixie, Greg, Charlie, and Henry," she said gesturing at each of them.
"I'm Amanda. Nice to meet you," she answered.
"Those things, what are they?" Amanda asked.
"I'm not sure. All I know is that if they bite or scratch you, then it's all over for you. You wind up just like them," Brenda said.
"That explains a lot. When is help coming?" she asked Brenda.
"Are you kidding? Help? We've been cancelled, babe," Harris said in a matter-of fact way.
"They wouldn't do that. My mom works for them," Amanda said protestingly.
"Your mom's somewhere planning your eulogy, hon," e said.
"That's enough, Harris," Greg said.
"What? I'm tellin' it straight. In case none of you has bothered to notice, we're not in Kansas anymore," he said sporting his beer in his hand.
"I'm going to the back to microwave you some food. You look hungry," Brenda said reassuringly as she rubbed Amanda's back.
"Okay, and thank you," she said.
"Hey, Bren. Wait up. I think I've found the keys to the butchery. Maybe we can fire up some steaks and chops or somethin' before it all goes bad since we haven't got any power left," Greg said now having felt a stroke of brilliance hit him.
"Great idea. Do it," she said agreeingly.
He went to do it followed by his team members. They stood back as he got the door open. He toggled it and got the surprise of his life when a zombie jumped out and toppled him. He screamed like a girl being stung by a bee.
Amanda pounced the creature and tore it limb from limb.
"Oh my God. What in the name of Pete?" Harris asked as he watched the scrawny girl go from a whaif to some kind of Tazmanian devil.
"I'm sorry. Please... don't leave me," Amanda begged.
"Stay back...just don't touch any of us," Harris warned.
"What are you?" Brenda asked.
"I don't know," she answered almost in tears.
"Well, she said that her mom worked for Umbrella. Maybe she's some kind of freak," Harris answered.
Amanda felt her teeth sharpen at the tip and watched her vision blink between infrared to normal very rapidly. Her head began to ache, then without warning she felt her ears ache deeply as she heard the heartbeats of those around her.
She opened her eyes and saw Harris and Brenda pointing at her with their guns.
"We want you to leave and go back wherever it is that you came from. We don't want any trouble. We're sorry," Brenda said.
"Well, if she goes somewhere, I'm going with her," Greg said. "She saved my freaking life. I say that if she can kill those things that she's okay with me."
"But what if she turns on us?" Harris asked.
"She hasn't. I don't care what she is. She doesn't need or run out of bullets," he answered.
The others nodded in agreement with the fact that Greg made a more than obvious point.
They were so busy discussing the matter that they didn't see the two subordinate workers come out behind them.
"Move!!!!!" Amanda yelled as she sprung for the two new zombies. It was becoming so easy to attack.
"Damn, just look at her go, will ya' "Harris said as everyone listened to her grunt and crunch greedily on them.
"Say sweetie, I tell ya' what. You go out there and eat your fill and then come back for us. How's about that?" Harris asked and flinched when Brenda hit him in his arm.
"We need to get out of here," Amanda said after she raised her head sharply and started looking around. "I can hear the footsteps approaching the store. Come on, we need to get going."
They hurried in the direction of the Methodist church on the West side of the city. It was deserted just like Amanda had said that it would be.
After they barricaded themselves inside, Brenda knelt down to pray and ask God to let her survive through some miracle so that she could get to her kids. They, unlike her, made it out of the city before they shut the gate.
Amanda lay on the third pew and thought of her mom. Surely, she was one of the lucky ones who made it out and was still looking for her child. If she had ever appreciated her mother's over-concerned and relentless nature it was now. It was now, because, she needed Genny now more than ever.