I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love

We started out at a pretty good pace, but I soon started to notice our pace to the other side of the mall had slowed. I turned to find Kyle panting and wheezing, he was tired and weakened.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He nodded, "Yeah, that gunfight took alot out of me."

No sooner had he spoken, did we hear that familiar moan. I looked up ahead of me, but saw nothing. I heard it again, and realized that it was coming from above us. I looked upwards, to find a whole new horde of zombies on the second floor of the mall! They had climbed the escalators and were hunting up there. They were already starting to move towards the edges of the balconies.

"We have to move, now!" I said, grabbing Kyle by the arm and pulling him along.

As we moved, bodies began to topple from above us, landing with a sick heavy smack. Bones would break, but they'd still crawl after us, ruined bodies or not. When the falling bodies began to pile up, the other zombies would fall and land on them, cushioning their descent. Then they would slowly rise to their feet, and pursue us. Soon we had another thousand zombies shuffling and crawling after us.

Kyle began to cough uncontrollably, wheezing. He began to sweat profusely, turning pale. I did my best to keep him moving, but his legs gave out on him. I tried to drag him, but he couldn't move his legs. I looked around desperately, saw the closest store was a furniture outlet, and headed there. I desperately broke the glass doors, gaining entrance. I layed Kyle down, and went to blockading the entrance. I moved sofas, beds, tables, and chairs to the doors and display windows, the whole time hearing those moans of hunger only yards away.

When I finished my barricade, I sat down next to Kyle.

"So...tired.." he said weakly.

His skin was sickly looking, he had dark circles around his eyes.
I helped him onto a vacant bed, doing my best to get him comfortable as the first group of zombies banged and tore at the blockade. The barricade shook and wobbled, but stayed intact for the time being. I wasn't sure how long it'd hold out against another thousand bodies ramming it. I unpacked my weapons, preparing for the worst.

Kyle's breathing became labored and raspy.

"What happened?! What's wrong?!"

He only shook his head at me and said weakly, "Sorry Amy."

I didn't understand, until he showed me the large bite mark in his calf. A zombie had bitten a mouthful of his leg away, he had used a bandana he had found in the store to staunch the bleeding. It must have happened right when we were leaving the gun shop, that's why he cursed! One of the zombies must not have been dead, and attacked him.

"I'm sorry, I got it though, I stomped on it's head. One less....motherfucker...to..."
He tried to laugh, but only coughed up blood.

"Oh no! Oh no! Not you Kyle! Oh please no!"

He clutched his belly, doubling over with the spasms, "Didn't want to worry you..with...me...killng you..or you..killing..me.."

When he smiled, his teeth were stained with his blood, he already looked like one of them.
I hated myself, for this, for having to do what I had to do eventually. How could I have been so blind? Not knowing you'd change from just one bite...

Suddenly, a loud crash and a zombie slivered in through a small crack amongst the tangle of furniture. I turned and fired a shot into it's head, then went back to Kyle. He was barely conscious.
Another zombie slipped in, I shot it too. But then another and another and another. I fired madly into them, pulling the trigger as fast and as hard as I could, firing at their heads and faces in a crazed berserker rage. How dare they kill my husband?! How dare they take him away from me and leave me all alone here!

I dispatched them, and went to my husband. I lifted him up, and dragged him further back into the store to another empty bed. He lay very still, barely breathing as he changed before me. I bit my lip, a whimper escaping my lips. Another crash.

"I'll be right back baby, okay? Don't go anywhere! I promise I'll be right back!"

I ran towards the front, more zombies had gotten in. I fired my shotgun into a head, my pistol into another. I fired two more shotgun blasts before it jammed on me. I threw down the weapon, and pulled out another pistol. I took out two more zombies, their blood and brains spattering me red and pink. I didn't care, none of these bastard was going anywhere near my husband!

My one handgun clicked empty, I discarded that one as well, clunking loudly on the blood sprayed floor. I fired the last remaining bullets in my pistol before discarding that one too.
I was out of handgun ammunition. There was a lull in the infiltration, so I reclaimed the shotgun, using my finger to free the jammed shell that sat crooked and warped in the chamber. The shell popped out of the ejection port, but I chambered my finger, crushing my sking and breaking the bone. I cried out in pain as I desperately tried to free my trapped finger. The zombies poured back in. In desperation, I slammed the shotgun butt on the floor while pulling down with all my strength on the pump action, releasing my finger, now purple and bloody. I grimaced as I retreated to the rear of the store. I dug through Kyles bag, finding only five rounds left for the shotgun. I searched Kyles body for ammo and weapons.

"Sorry.." he whispered.

I ignored him, only nodding that I understood. I found his pistol on him and took it, checking the ammo level. only three rounds left! I reloaded the shotgun just in time to fire into an approaching zombies chest. It flew back, slamming into a wardrobe, which collapsed onto it, pinning it down for the moment. Another zombie sauntered up, eyes wide open, almost as if in glee to see me, his meal. He started to gnash his teeth at me as he waddled towards me. I shut him up with a shotgun blast to his face.

"Amy..."

I ignored him.

"AMY!"

I stopped firing and moved to Kyle's side, "What baby?! What's wrong?!"

He gasped, trying to talk was costing him valuable energy and strength.

"No no, don't talk! Don't talk, stay with me!" I pleaded.

He coughed up blood, spraying me in the face, I winced, taking his hand in mine.

"I'm dying.." he sputtered.

I gave his hand a squeeze, "No, you're not going to die! I'm going to protect you, you hear me?! I fought them all of baby! I fought them all off just to hold you close and tight! Stay with me!"

His eyes glazed over, and he choked one last time, before he went limp.

"I..love..you..."

With a scream in my throat, I rose to my feet. I turned to the horde now encompassing the entire front of the store.

"Does anyone notice?! You mother fuckers?! Does anyone of you care?!"

They responded with moans and growls. I turned away, not enough ammo.
I looked down at Kyle, dead. I knew he would change soon, to kill me.

"Do I have the guts...oh God! To put this to your head?!" I wailed madly, "But would anything matter, if you're already dead?!"

The zombies drew closer, eager. I was still in shock, shock from what just happened to the man I loved. Should I be shocked now, by the last words he said?
I looked at him again, then the zombies, then him. His eyes were open, unblinking.

"Before I pull this trigger..your eyes vacant and stained...does anyone notice?! But does anyone care?!" I began to scream at the zombies, now only a couple meters away.

"You said you loved me, making things harder at best! Why are you doing this to me?! I know these words are changing nothing, as your body remains...I hope...I hope you're in heaven now, before you come after me..."

The zombies closed in on me, I fired my last remaining shotgun shells into them, staving off the attack for a few more moments at least.

"There's no room in this hell, there's no room in the next.." I sobbed, whiping my tears away with a blood crusted hand, "And our memories defeat us, I'll end this direst..."

Then he moved. Kyle moved! He slowly sat up and stared at me with hungry eyes.
Theres a corpse in this bed...he's not my husband, my lover, my heart.
I continued to sob, as I raised the pistol towards his head. His eyes narrowed, his lilps curled back in a snarl, as he flashed his teeth coldly at me. He began to reach out for me, his hands clawing towards my head. He moaned as he slowly climbed off the bed.

I didn't let him. I pulled the trigger, watching his eyes roll upwards as I blew his brains out all over the bedspread and headboard. He fell limply off the bed, cracking his empty skull on the floor.

As the horde moved in on me, to feast upon me....I put the gun to my head...and pulled the trigger.

"CLICK!"