Popping open the cap of a redbull, Aurora sipped at the liquid caffeine, taking a break from smoking her Salem. She had made it down the block with no problems as of yet but figured she'd bump into…something eventually. Great…confrontation. She normally spoke to herself out loud but she wasn't willing to risk anything managing to hear her. All thoughts would be strictly left in her head.
Sidling herself along the damp, bloodstained brick of a dark building, she finished up the redbull, gently placing the can beneath the dumpster she had crouched behind. Peeking over the top of the rusty green dumpster, she paled at a blood covered man approaching her position, his moans kept to a minimum. There is a chance he could be human…bah, I'm doing that optimism thing again…but what the hell, got nothing to lose…
…Except my life. Taking a massive breath, Aurora moved herself from behind the bin, summoning her voice. "Are you…alright?" She cringed. She sounded like one of those stupid girlies from a horror movie.
The man, at hearing her voice, snapped his head up quickly. Shambling closer, he made no response, a low moan leaving his throat. He stepped into a puddle not seeming to care about his sneakers being splashed with the dirty liquid. Now beneath the light, on his fresh white jersey was a blood stain, intestines sloppily starting to fall onto the ground from beneath the shirt.
"Fuck me, Saint Marie…" Again, she made the sign of the cross, this time clutching her cross. The man's moan increased, and with crazy wild eyes, he attempted to grab Aurora. Jumping on one heel, she snapped her second foot up, kicking him directly in the neck. He stumbled back, recovering quickly, continuing his course.
Snarling, Aurora performed a roundhouse, a hard blow to the temple of the man. He flew into the side of the building, the concussion to his skull somehow disorienting him. Wasting no time, she jumped on top of the dumpster, eyes towards the sky. Hello love! Rebounding from the wall, she jumped across to a dew coated ladder, the handlebars tackily covered in blue paint; a poor attempt to hide its age.
Hastily climbing up, Aurora jumped up onto the creaky fire escape, finally able to get herself a view of the chaos that had ensued. If she thought it was bad from the safety of her car, she was wrong. It was worse…there didn't seem to be a safe haven in sight and if someone had survived it would be a damn near miracle.
She sighed heavily. This is what I've willfully come back to, no gun pointed to my head, no getting held at knifepoint. God…I'm a fucking idiot. Laughing to herself, she removed her stiletto from her pack, flipping it open as she peered into the shattered glass of a building.
Not seeing anything rush past her view in classic horror film fame, she kicked out the remaining glass of the window, stepping inside the new building. The only lighting came from the dying flames outside, the whole place holding a claustrophobic air despite being a wide open space.
Stepping as lightly as her Timberlands would allow across the rotted wood floorboards of the building, she crept to the door, breath coming heavily in the musty darkness. The door swung outward ominously, Aurora taking it as a sign that things were bound to get worse.
Prowling through the building, she found with some relief that the hallways –although dimly- were illuminated. There were countless splotches of blood along the beige wall, the occasional moan heard. Feigning apathy, she strode down to the end of the hall. She stopped outside a shoddy wooden door, cut glass knob painted in a light pink, at the foot of the door a still zombie. Its brains were covering the rest of the door.
Arching a brow, Aurora tightened her grip on her stiletto. Pulling open the door, she walked into the small room, lighting coming from a small metal lamp on a marble table propped against the wall. Also on the table were an old-fashioned typewriter, an ink ribbon, and a variety of herbs laid out neatly on the countertop. Aurora didn't take the time to notice all this though as currently, her eyes were focused on the gun that had been drilled into the center of her forehead, her stiletto pressed against the throat of the man occupying the room.
He appeared to be in his twenties, around six feet, holding a tan only the tropics could give. His hair was light brown, messy, around shoulder length but his eyes were by far his most distinguishing feature. They were a sparkling argentine…a ruthless silver. A smoking cigarette dangled from his bottom lip, a handsome face holding a bored expression.
The two stood in a silent standstill, the man finally narrowing his eyes, speaking smoothly. "Last time I checked, magnum beats," He glanced down to his neck. "Stiletto hands down."
Aurora kept her blade trained into his neck, devious smile forming. "Last time I checked, slit throat beats shot to the shoulder 'hands down' stranger."
The man almost laughed. "What? Are you going to pull a matrix and dodge the shot?"
"No…" Aurora very slowly lowered her stiletto past the silver chain on his neck to the black shirt showing no signs of being in combat. She lost her smile. "I would've pulled an Aya, miraculously been saved by fate, and slit your throat. But…you're no longer my problem…"
His eyes darted to the door in back of him. "My thoughts exactly," No sooner had he spoken when both doors got broken down, a renegade zombie attacking from both ways. From his side, a solitary shot went off. Meanwhile, Aurora had plunged her blade into the female zombie's chest, pushing her off the blade with a blow from her palm. The being stumbled back, unaffected, preparing for a bite. She would've considered it harmless, a perfect opportunity to snap the woman's neck. The zombie lunged…and just as she did so, the stranger rested his gun by Aurora's head, took aim, and pulled the trigger, a deafening shot going off by Aurora's ear as the woman slumped down dead by the doorway.
Pulling Aurora close, the stranger tilted her head, voice coming a low growl into her ear. "The head…ALWAYS aim for the head…"
Shaking herself from his grasp, Aurora vigorously rubbed at her ear, green eyes in a rage. "YOU ACT AS IF I CAN HEAR A BLOODY THING MR. FIRE A MAGNUM OFF BY MY BLOODY EAR!"
"Stop yelling!" he ordered, raising the gun to her center of her forehead.
Reading his lips, her anger intensified. "I WOULD DO THAT BUT I CAN'T EVEN HEAR MYSELF!" lowering her tone, she sighed. "Though, I did hear a little of your advice. The head…that's the only effective way to kill them…whatever they are?"
"Zombies…" He walked through the broken door, Aurora following after, hand gliding across the countertop. "Don't play naïve, what else could they be? Always aim for the head, that's the golden rule. Sorry for the close shot but it was either that or you'd become infected. And when that happens…well, I'd have to fucking kill you."
Aurora snorted. "Talk about mercy and compassion…"
Guiding her towards what he hoped would be the exit, he arched his own brow, glancing back to her. "If you were expecting that, I suggest you find yourself another survivor…you become infected, I suggest you shoot yourself before I do. Sorry, that's just the way it works."
Walking ahead of him to the door, she revealed a row of perfect white teeth as she eerily smiled. "That's perfectly alright," Winking, she pushed open the door, a gust of rank air coming in. "I know I would willingly and enthusiastically do the same to you…" Leaving him with those last words, she exited the building, the stranger following after.