Abominable Reunion

Alice gasped for air as her body began to shut down. She grasped at her throat and made strangled wheezing sounds as invisible hands squeezed the air out of her.

Karin was rolling about on the ground crying out for aid that would never come.

Betty watched the two girls as the drugs took effect. It was a pointless struggle and soon the two of them were forced into a sound sleep. "They sleep like angels..." She cooed softly before walking out of the room.

Kirk was waiting in the doorway, his eyes flickering with frenzied excitement. "We can do it this time...We'll achieve our goal and save this world from damnation!"

Betty smiled viciously, a monstrous expression that wasn't suited to her kind gentle face. "Let us save humanity."

Kirk rubbed his hands together and approached the girls. Tim entered the room behind him, licking his lips as if a grand feast were laid out before him.

Alice fought against the drug. She was too determined to die in such a squalid place, to fall at the hands of her own kind. She concentrated as hard as she could on opening her eyes. It was a slow, irritating ordeal but she managed to pry them apart for a split second. The light that spilled in through the tiny slit was like the rays of the sun and they made her blink several times.

Slowly, her senses began to return. She could smell terribly body odour, it was almost suffocating. There were unmistakeable sounds of laughter and worst of all; she could feel something brushing against her cheek.

Her eyes shot open and she stared at Kirk who was leaning over her on all fours. "Morning sweetie. You're up early." He said in a mocking way.

"What are you doing? Why did you try to drug us?"

Kirk pinned Alice down and his lips spread apart to reveal his rotting yellow teeth. "So many people have died from this outbreak. So many lives have ended; so many more are doomed to face their fate. But I won't let humanity fall."

"What?" Alice grunted, trying to push the brute off of her.

"You see, Betty and I have been trying for years to have kids, but the doctors say she just can't do it anymore...No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't make a new little boy or girl to carry on our name...But you, you're young and pretty. You are ripe."

Alice felt bile rising in her throat. She finally understood what he wanted.

"Honey, you and I are going to re-populate the earth!" Kirk began to drool.

"Ew, you fucking monster!" Alice used all of her limited strength to try and move him but he barely budged.

"Sorry, but even if you ain't sleeping like a log, your muscles are under-active. You could barely lift a finger even if you tried!" Kirk leaned in closer. "Now where were we?"

Alice squirmed helplessly under him. She couldn't push him off. She had to find another way to stop him.

"Where were we?" She asked sarcastically. "Right...About...Here!" Alice jerked her head up and bashed her skull against Kirk's forehead. He reeled from the hit and sat up straight. Alice rolled off of the bed and landed on the floor. She struggled to stand, her knees weak from the poison.

"You bitch! That hurt!"

Alice leaned against the wall and pushed herself up until she was standing, nearly doubled over, but at least on her feet. She looked around for a weapon but found none, though her distracted state allowed her to be caught by someone else. Thick arms snaked under her arms and crossed over around her neck, trapping her.

"Good work Tim!" Kirk flexed his fingers and started stalking his prey.

Alice writhed about hopelessly, once again too weak to struggle out of their grip. She kicked at Tim's knees and shins but he did not move, her kicks as weak as those from a new-born baby.

"Dammit! Get off of me!" Alice screamed, yanking her heel up behind her and striking Tim's crotch. He stumbled backwards and head butted the wall before crumbling to the floor.

"Argh! I'll kill you!" Tim groaned through gritted teeth.

Kirk bolted for her, a one-man stampede that would no doubt take her down with ease. As he neared her Alice dove to the side and struck her leg out to trip him over. Kirk's face crashed to the floor with a heavy thud.

Alice crawled away and clambered back on her feet. She limped over to Karin and tried to shake her awake. The younger girl was completely unconscious. She was out cold. That made escape no longer an option. She had to somehow defeat the entire family alone, tired, weak and damaged by the poison. She sure had her work cut out for her.

The two men got back on their feet and made their way over to her. They were both smiling manically, their twisted grins wider than usual. They had something planned...But what was it.

Alice backed away toward the door but her attention was caught by the shadow which fell across behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Betty standing in the doorway with a chainsaw. She shakily raised it over her head and howled as the deafening roar of the engine drowned out all other noise in the room.

Alice couldn't even hear herself scream. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, over-shadowing the poison enough for her to run away. Betty followed, screeching like a psychopathic parrot. Alice darted around one of the beds only to be cornered by Tim and Kirk. She turned and ran around the other side only to face a wall.

She cursed and whirled around to face her enemies. Betty stood in the middle of them, the chainsaw raised high above her head.

"It's over darling!" She snarled. "If you won't give us a baby, then you can at least give us some food!"

Alice froze up. Her adrenaline burst seemed to run out. She fell to her knees and stared up at her assailants.

Betty closed in on her prey, laughing wickedly. Just as she was about to bring the chainsaw down she felt a clammy, cold hand wrap around her mouth, silencing her. The intruder pushed down against her face and threw her to the floor. She dropped the chainsaw and cried out as she was dragged aside.

"Betty?" Tim whirled around, distracted by the un-invited guest.

Alice couldn't see the person who helped her as Tim blocked her view. Rather than be distracted she took the chance and grabbed hold of the chainsaw which was still running. She struggled to lift it and only managed to lift it to about knee-height. She then threw herself forward, thrusting the serrated blade into the back of Tim's knee.

A sickening grating sound was joined by the horrific splattering of flying gibbets of flesh, bone and blood. Tim roared as he was felled like a human tree. As he thrashed about he inadvertently slapped the blade of the chainsaw, slicing his hand clean in two.

His cries were so awful that Alice almost felt sorry for him, but then she remembered what they wanted to do and she was suddenly overcome with murderous rage. She grabbed the chainsaw again and drove it deep into Tim's stomach. The blade chewed through his innards and spat them out all over the place like a broken blender. Tim tried to scream but dark blood pumped out of his mouth in a thick, gooey torrent. It spilled all over his front and in then his whole body rocked forward.

Alice tried to yank the chainsaw out but it was stuck, still eating away at his bulky torso. She cursed and dived out of the way, anticipating Kirk's heavy-handed punch.

"You bitch! I'll tear you apart! I'll grind your bones to dust and-"

Alice was no longer listening. Instead she was staring at the figure standing behind Kirk. Dripping fangs and glowing eyes were all she could make out. In a blur of movement, the second intruder pounced on Kirk, knocking him to the floor. He rolled over and threw the assailant off of him, but in no time it was back, digging razor sharp fangs into his neck and tearing out a sizeable chunk. Blood spurted out in a gory fountain and Kirk was dead within seconds.

Alice dropped under the bed beside her, not wanting to test the allegiance of the monster that had attacked Kirk.

Betty's agonised screams alerted her and Alice peered out from under her cover to see the first monster clawing at Betty's face, tearing strips of flesh from her cheeks with each rabid strike. She convulsed about on the floor but the ghoul picked her up b the face with one hand and then slammed her head through the floor, crushing her skull and killing her instantly.

Alice stifled her scream and watched as the two ghouls turned away from her. In the darkness it was hard to make out any details, but one of them had a striking trait that was made her blood run cold. The first ghoul had bright orange hair...

The monsters sniffed the air and headed out the room. Jakes frenzied battle cry could be heard and barely a second later the wet slap of blood spraying the floor.

What the hell is going on? These two ghouls...They are smarter than the others...They are faster as well! Are they evolving? But worst of all, one of them looked a lot like – No! It's not him! It's definitely not him!

A high pitched scream echoed from upstairs. Alice remembered the young girl who spoke with Karin earlier...Eliza.

Oh god no! Eliza will-"

A loud thud came from above and then the sickening sounds of gnashing teeth. Alice couldn't bear to think of what they were doing, the reality all too horrible for her to contemplate. Instead she ran to Karin's side and shook her violently.

The young girl's eyes drifted open sluggishly but Alice had no time to wait. She slapped her across the face and watched as Karin bolted upright. Rather than explain she merely dragged her to her feet and got running.

They headed out to the car but were terrified to find it was surrounded by the undead. They were all over the place. There was no way out now. Outside, the undead choked the streets and inside, two powerful ghouls ran amok, drunk on the blood they had spilled.

They were trapped.

"How do we get out?" Karin asked anxiously. "Could we use the upstairs windows?"

"No!" Alice snapped. "They are upstairs already...We have no choice but to find the back exit...Or make one."

Karin nodded bravely and they sprinted to the back of the house. They searched for a door but found none. They were left with no other choice but to break down the wall and hope that the house wasn't surrounded.

Alice picked up a large log which had been used as a pillar but had inexplicably fallen down. She called Karin over and the two of them hefted the makeshift battering ram and charged at the wall. The corrugated iron sheeting and flimsy brickwork shattered under the force and the two of them crawled out into the street only to find more of the undead closing in on their escape route. They glanced over their shoulders and saw them entering the front door as well.

"We've cant go through them now...We've got no weapons either." Alice tried to decide on their next move.

Karin tugged on her sleeve and pointed up. "How about we get on the roof. We can wait until they leave or at least give us an opening, then we can run away."

Alice grinned. "Good thinking. Alright, here." She offered a foothold for her small companion and then pushed her up onto the roof. She then stood the log up like a ramp. When she was up she pushed it down so that the zombies wouldn't be able to get up.

Together they climbed up onto the second section of the roof, just above Eliza's room. Karin was about to peek through the window when Alice blocked the way. She forced a smile and stared at Karin with a pained expression. "I don't think that's a good idea. Let's just go."

They reached the upper roof and studied the growing horde of the undead. They stretched back a whole block and possibly further, but their view was obstructed by a thick fog which stretched far across the street like a formless curtain.

The undead were merely shuffling closer and closer, their mob growing bigger with each passing second. The stench of death soon became overpowering as thousands upon thousands of re-animated corpses gathered around the small stronghold.

Karin gazed down at the ocean of rotting faces, a grim reminder of her ultimate fate. "We're done for aren't we? I thought they would just scatter but they are just growing in number...We're worse off than we were when we started..."

Alice draped an arm over her friend and leaned against her for support. "We just have to wait and see...As long as they never get on the roof we should be safe."

As the mob grew larger, the undead had to crawl over each other to move, creating decayed human pyramids. They kept climbing over each other and within an hour they reached the roof. They crawled on their hands and knees at first but eventually gained their footing, limping ever closer to the stranded girls.

"I'm sorry..." Karin whimpered. "It's my fault. We're going to die up here..."

Alice was about to speak when the window beneath her shattered outwards. The zombies paused momentarily, as if they were hesitating.

"What's going on? They stopped!" Karin yelled.

"Shh!" Alice hissed, raising a finger to her lips.

They both watched as something lunged out of the window and landed in a crouch before the ghouls. It was the monster from before, the one who killed Betty...The zombie that bore an uncanny resemblance to-

Karin screamed. Her whole body began to shake violently. Her eyes were wide and her lips were quivering fervently, a single name trapped on the end of her tongue but unable to roll off.

The orange-haired zombie turned its head, the bones in its neck cracking in the process. His head turned a full 180 degrees as if her were an owl, twisting beyond a normal human, living or dead.

Karin tried to back away but Alice restrained her, otherwise she would have fallen off the edge of the roof and plummeted far below to certain death.

"It's...It's...It can't be! It just can't be..." Karin still couldn't utter the name. Her body refused to let her speak it, as if it was a curse and not an identity. Karin shook her head as stinging tears rolled down her cheeks. "Ichigo?"

The zombie's eyes seemed to flicker at the sound of his name and a twisted monstrosity of a grin crept across his flayed lips.

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