Z Zone

Page opened her eyes. She was deep underwater. Murky lime green water surrounded her pale naked form. All about her were the people she had known her whole life. Her mother and father, her foster parents, friends from school, teachers, everyone.

Swimming towards the bottom of the sea. They were joyfull and playing . Page saw her friend Francis swim easily up to her. He didnt seem to notice Pages nakedness.

Beckoning her to follow him to the bottom he turned, reluctantly agreeing Page kicked her feet and arms foward after her friend. Everything seemed so real. Towards the bottom of the lake of everyone was milling about in confusion swimming playfully like a flock of birds in the sky would. Then sudddenly the water became darker and darker.

Swirls of bubbles emerged as everyone found they could no longer breathe and paniced to the surface which was many many meters above. Page was the furtherest from the bottom and held her breathe tight in side her lungs. Many choked and suffocated with dead water in their lungs and blocked everyones path to the surface.

Looking below she saw Francis below choke and thrash. Without a seconds thought Page twisted her flight to go back and help him but he became still and lifless as she reached him. Dark water flowing freely into his lungs. His fleash curropting and rotting rapidly. His face twisting into a wicked grin of a decompossed skeleton hanging onto the last remnants of life. His limbs twitched and reached for Page.

She saw how everyone around her were turning into zombies below. Fighting to get away from the deadly reaching grasping hands of the undead.

For if they caught her she would certainly be dead. Just before breaking the surface Page looked below and saw a huge skull screaming up from the water. Sucking her back into the depths. Its jaw openin wider and wider beyond humanly possible and pulling Page backwards. She fought knowing she would be dead if she didnt swim up. Swim up, keep swimming she said over and over in her head as her lungs tightening, burning and screaming hungrily for oxygen to fill them

Then suddenly she awoke to the cold water of the shower dripping into her face. She was shocked she had fallen asleep in the shower. The nightmare chilling her more than the water and was slowly fading from memory.

She was huddled up with her head upon her knees to her chin. Page tried to lift herself up but unsteadily
to her feet, her muscles protesting now that she had fallen asleep at such an awkward angle.

Page moved her damp blond hair from her eyes to see better as she looked at herself in the mirror for the first time in weeks.

She was thin but covered in a light layer of tough muscle.There were scrapes and barely healed cuts across her frame, focussed mainly on her arms and legs, one big one she knew was on her head from being knocked out by the huge guy in the truck the other day.

Looking into the mirror closer to inspect herself with a tighter level of scrutiny Page examined her face. Her eyes were a cold pale blue framed by a heart shaped face with full lips. Full of life and vitally. Still.

Finding a brush, Page pulled it through her knot of shoulder length hair with a winch at every stroke. Eventually satisfied Page walked around the bathroom and found a small pouch of make up and applied dark eyeliner and shadow to her face.

Finishing up a knock came to the door of the bathroom. Alert Page grabbed her berrata pistol from her bundle of clothes on the floor. Holding a towel acorss herself to cover up her body while approaching the door, pistol ready.

“Who is it?”

“Its me, Steve.”

“What do you want ?” commanded Page.

“You’ve been up here three hours, I was worried so I came up here to ask if you were ok. Can you open the door ?” asked Steve

Page unlatched the door and opened it slightly and peered out.

“You can put up your gun Page, I’m not goin to hurt you. I found these clothes in one of the rooms. I didn’t know what you would like so I.... eh brought everything.”

Page looked down and there was a bin bag full of women's clothes at Steve’s feet. Reaching out Page and grabbed the bag. Feeling eyes upon her Page looked up and saw Steve looking straight down her towel as it had slipped bending down.

Steve realized he was caught and looked away quickly mumbling apologies.

Page pulled the bag inside the bathroom and shut the door on him with a slam.

Looking through the bag Page found all manners of clothes. T-shirts with various logos and designs, bras, underwear, dresses, scarfs and more.

Choosing some ordinary jeans and a yellow long sleeve T-shirt under her beloved ‘I wish these were brains’ t-shirt. Contended Page laced up her blue leather boots and equipped her knife belt and gun holster.

Picking up her other belongings Page made sure her diary was safe in her shoulder bag.

Leaving the room she made her way back to the kitchen, remembering the layout of the large house.

Steve was looking in the fridge. A pile of discarded food lying on the floor around him.

“Hey, sorry bout slamming the door on you Steve,” Page said leaning against the door frame.

Turning around startled with bulging cheeks full of food, he more resembled a hamster.

Looking like an idiot he swallowed and smiled at seeing Page. She looked alot different now then from the girl three hours ago.

She looked beautiful he thought to himself.

“Staring aint for free man,” Page laughed with hands on her hips.

“Third time lucky and I’ll throw some knives at you,” she teased with a deadly smile making Steve gulp nevously.

Putting the playful threat aside Steve said, “ dinner didnt really turn out the way it was supposed sorry. Dresdin and Reese ate everything before I could stop them.”

Understanding Page turned to look threw some cupboards for anything to eat. Beans and Pasta covered in dust seemed like the only leftovers. At least it wasnt out of date she thought.

In a few minutes she and Steve got the pasta and beans cooked and ready. So hungery Page was ‘testing’ the beans vigoursly.

Laughing Steve said, “ jesus, you must have been hungery!”

“Hey, you can shut up, I havent eatin in....”

“.....I cant remember how long so shut up!” Page shot back playfully grinning.

Feeling warm inside from the food and the company Page and Steve ate their food from the saucepans using a spoon and fork between them. Page managing with one hand for her broken right hand. the pain dulled by pills.

They finished their meal in silence after lots of small talk about the past. School and family the common things of life.Then an awkward silence wedged it way between them when their conversational ammo ran out.

Fidgeting Page began cleaning her nails and tapping the edge of the mahogany table.

“Stop staring at me like that Steve,” Page said suddenly looking at her nails.

Steve blinked, startled, he hadnt known he was staring.

“Page, how did you survive out there in the city on you own. I cant imagine what it must have been like?”

After a long pause she lifted up her head and spoke to Steve.

“I dont know, I just survived ok I...drop it alright,” she said without emotion.

Page’s defenses went up lightning fast and she hid behind them. Not willing to share her experiences with this person she had just met. How dare he question her. Page stood up to go, not wanting to make things anymore awkward.

Steve opened his mouth to say something but didn't get far when two tall men entered the kitchen from the back door. They must be Dresden and Reese. One of the men was broad and muscular and clearly in charge and the other was thin and pale, with a large hooked nose and beady eyes, like vulture. Page was stunned at how colossal the first man was, he must have been seven feet tall easily and half that wide. Not fat. Pure muscle and a barrel chest with huge gorilla like arms.

The big man calmly walked over to Page. He could break her in two she thought looking at the size of his hands.

He stood towering above the girl.

His hand shot out and hung before them. Giant and teenage girl starring at eachother. Pages hand unconsciously moved to hover near her dagger at her belt.

“Sorry for hitting you over the head lass, I didn't mean it. I thought you were a zed head and wasn't sure. Though I must admit you have one f the hardest skulls I’ve ever come across. Will you accept my apology ?” he said with a strong russian accent, clearly upset about his actions.

Page took his hand seeing in his eyes an instant reckoning, like an older brother or fatherly look to them. she knew he could be trusted.

“ Voltek Dresden,” he introduced

“Page, dont worry about it Dresden, could have been anyone,” she conceded calm again once more. She moved her hand away from the handle of her dagger.

“Looks like the girl is tough enough Dres, what we going to do with her now that I cant have my fun with her?” said the man in the corner with a smirk.

Steve and Dresden instantly bristled like dogs snarling at each other towards the other man. Hands twitching near weapons.

“Reese, your idea of fun is sick,” said Steve, venom in his kind voice now.

Page watched the stand down before her. Reese’s gaze was moving all over her she saw with those small evil eyes. up her legs, over her chest and everywhere he could.

Page pulled a dagger form her belt and tossed it in the air and caught it again, blade between her fingers and flung it straight at Reese. All in less than a second. Reese barely managed duck before the dagger landed with a thug were his head had just vacated.

Everyone looked at eachother silently. Not risking a confrontation Reese stood and looked at them all.

“Fuck you all, and fuck you bitch, this aint over!” he said with as much vengeance he could muster.

Knowing he meant it Page pulled another dagger from her belt and raised her arm to throw.

“I wont miss again Reese, so you can fuck off if you dont want a knife in your skull.”

Reese, smoothed back his long greasy hair behind his ears and left the kitchen without another word

Dresden folded his arms saying, “dont worry about him Page, i know him. he just finds it hard to just trust people. he he steps over the lines now, be sure to tell me and ill make sure he wont forget ok.”
Steve had walked to the back door and pulled the dagger from it with some effort.

“Dresden, I think she can take care of herself,” tossing the weapon back.

Page smiled catching it and had it back in its sheath in one fluid motion.

“Lets get back to work people,” Dresden said clapping his huge hands together.

“Page you look for any weapons or ammo we could use. Steve go help Reese boarding up the windows on the first floor. I’ll take care of supplies and put them in the truck.”

They all moved off to their appointed tasks. Page looked for any knives in the kitchen, finding a few and put them in a cardboard box.

The day wore on and turned to night. the pale moon was bright and full. Craters clearly seen across its pocked surface. A thick blanket of white snow was falling in the darkness all around. Dresden had known the zombies from the city chasing them were still on their trail for they never stopped their hunt for flesh. the horde would have grown and swelled beyond imagining, pulling and lone wandering undead into the mass.

Stumbling, shambling along with rotted twisted legs garbed in dirty blood covered clothes hanging from their limb lifeless frames. Zombies. Once they were human, men, women....children all horribly disfigured and grotesque beyond imagining stumbled in the night at an undeniable ground eating pace towards the house Steve, Dresden , Reese and Page sat in.

Reese had discovered a modestly sized wine cellar with the bulk of its stock unmolested. It didn't stay that way anyway. Reese and Dresden had drank themselves stupid in less than an hour after barricading the house for the night. They were sicking old pub ballads with rough voices hoarse from shouting at eachother over the battery operated CD player at full volume. This was their first drink in over ten years.

Page and Steve sat on the free leather backed couch , arms folded and legs crossed sipping beers.

The zombie horde coming closer with every step. Page could feel the vibrations of their feet hit the soil. Steve had his Heckler and Koch P-30L pistol in his hand. A present from his father on his birthday. It had a customized barrel addition with a laser sight attachment. The black grip of the handle was molded to his hand alone. Steve had avoided using it at first because it reminded him of his father, most likely dead or a zombie. Now he felt it an extension of his body. A natural part of his arm like it had grown their in his weeks using it.

Page was occupied preparing herself for the fight coming for them. She knew that if they came inside then she would have to run. It was the only way to survive. She couldn't be bogged down with these rookies either.

She looked through her hair in front of her face at them. Dresden and Reese having the time of their lives drinking expensive wines and laughing and Steve who stared at his pistol with a fanatic look to his face.

Page had on her black jacket over a heavy red hoody. Her Browning BAR rifle resting against her knee. It was the extended barrel edition with a strong recoil dampener. Its wood panels worn and smooth. Its five round magazine full and ready.

Moaning and gasping noises could be heard clearly over the sound of the music now.

The zombie horde was very close now.

Steve stood switching off the music player and putting it in his bag. A wise move Page thought with a small smile.

Dresden put his now third empty bottle down and picked up his Mp-5 sub machine gun. Reese also picked up his machine gun, drunkenly shouting toward the zombie horde outside how gay they were.

Dresden ordered them all to take up their positions around the house and for Reese to cover them from the roof with his machine gun.

Page went to the second floor of the house. Reese following close behind looking at his ass.
Ignoring him she went to the window above the stairs along the hall. She crouched and took aim through the floor boards pulled up to cover the windows. Looking down her sniper scope she could suddenly see masses of zombies outside. they were marching disorderly up the hill towards the house. There must have be over a thousand of them out there Page thought with fear. She had never witnessed such numbers of undead before in the city.

Remembering Dresden's and Steve’s plan from earlier, dont shoot till Dresden begins shooting. It didn't really matter anymore now cause they didn't have enough bullets for over a thousand zombies.

Still she held from firing her rifle aimed at a zombie woman in ragged business clothes. Then from above Page heard Reese opening fire into the mass from atop the roof. his heavy machine gun churning up zombies left right and center. The noise was astonishing. Page deafened re-sighted her rifle and pulled the trigger. The zombie business woman's head exploded like a melon. skull and brains splattering every other zombie in range. Page closed her eye against the scope and reopened it and sought another target in the horde. Shoot, aim, shoot again, reload.

Steve and Dresden were now firing through the floor board from the kitchen and the sitting room. Steve was using another sub machine gun on semi-automatic fire. Zombies fell to the ground with gaping holes were their faces had once been. Everywhere the four shot into the zombie horde. But still they advanced relentless and unresponsive to the attack. For every zombie that was taken out another three took its place.

Some of them sucked at air unable to fill their lungs out of habit from being alive with skeletal malnourished jaws and mouths festering with bloated flies and maggots. When they were only fifty meters from the house Dresden signaled Steve from in the kitchen with a chopping motion towards the zombies shouting, “ shout the gas canister Steve now!”

Steve dropped his sub-machine gun and drew his beloved pistol from his leg holster and sighted along its barrel with the inferred laser. centering on the yellow gas canister half buried in the front garden just as the zombies began to overtake it, and fired.

The explosion was so violent and destructive it obliterated every zombie in ten meters and sent every other zombie to the ground in a fifty meter radius. The windows of the house shattered from the explosion and the after shock sent Reese tumbling backwards off the roof to land in a pile of dismembered zombie arms and legs. Coming around Reese shuck his head to focus. A pale hand covered in scorch marks launched from under the pile of body parts and grabbed his arm tightly in a vice like grip.

Struggling he tried to get his fingers around it and pull it off but it wasn't letting go. Using Reese as foundation face and shoulders pulled itself from the pile with its lower jaw hanging off and half its face burnt off tried to bite him.

The zombies head exploded just as it was about to bite him. It skull fragments embedding the corpses nearby. Reese sat there shocked and covered in black congealed foul smelling blood. Reese looked up to see Page leaning out the of the window with her rifle.

“Thought you might need a hand, now get inside before they get up or ill shoot you now and save them the distaste.”

Reese was up on his feet running over bloated burning corpses. Zombies were beginning to pick themselves up now and were homing in on him desperately and moving much faster now.

Reese hammered on the shouting to be let in. Page resumed firing into the thinned zombie horde.
Reese was firing his machine gun now to keep them off. Limbs and bodies were piling up around him quickly.

The garage door beside the house shattered out unexpectedly as the huge truck with trailer attached smashed through it.

The truck mowed through the gathering zombies, indiscriminately crushing them under its wheels. Squealing to a halt the side cabin swung open and Steve leapt out and began showering the zed heads with covering fire as Reese ran and dodged towards the truck. Page pulled herself back inside the house and slung her rifle behind her back and pulled her pistol and butchers knife out charging down the stairs shooting down the zombies following Reese.

Some thought stopped their hunt on him and turned to assess the new threat of Page standing in the doorway of the house. Page hacked down the first zombie’s throat and shattering its neck to tiny splinters. The next one met a similar end with a hole the size of fist in its forehead. She swung and cleaved , shot and bludgeoned every zombie in her path to the truck with covering fire from Steve and Reese.

“Come on Page, were not taking on the whole zombie population on.: shouted Steve grabbing her by the arm and pulling her towards the truck.

Page felt a tugging at her arms. Looking down she saw a hand holing her by the wrist and pulling her away. She raised her butcher knife to strike it off.

“Page, Page hold on its me!” shouted Steve with worry breaking his calm voice.

Page looked up into the bright ocean green eyes of Steve and came back to herself abruptly. For what appeared to be and instant was for Page a lifetime. His smile rose highlighting his dimples capturing Page. She felt good inside. A different good inside to the good she felt from slaughtering zombies.

Page felt her heart clench and flutter inside her chest normally devoid of real emotions.

Then time reasserted itself in an instant. Page was in the truck half sitting on Steve. Dresden reeved the engine and drove through the staggered zombies. Most went under the wheels but some managed to fly up over the windscreen and into oblivion.

Page was squashed up onto of Steve while Reese had his machine gun balanced on the edge of the cab door firing wildly out the rolled down window screaming ‘Yeehas and Yahoos’.

The truck drove on into the night leaving the house behind and the zombie horde stumbling around looking inside the house for any possible survivors.