The Rising
Alfreda
The slow footsteps continued to come closer and closer. My nails dug into my palms, and I looked at the other three. Everyone looked frightened, and I was sure I was no exception. “I-I’ll go see what that was…” I volunteered meekly, and moved down the isle, peeking around the shelf.
There was a whole group of them, about five or six. They all moved in perfect sync, looking for their next victim. One of them in particular caught my attention. It was wearing an aviator’s jacket and a white shirt with a tear in the collar. I squinted hard, trying to read the nametag pinned to the jacket. Alfred Madison. “Oh…” I pulled back quickly and turned to look at the others.
“G-Guys…” I whispered, “I think it’s time we put our batting skills to the test.” Gustav looked at me as if I had gone mental, and then slowly nodded in agreement. He knew what I meant. I think everyone did.
“How many are there?” Justin asked.
Colette made my reply for me, “I counted six.”
Still, no one moved. I looked over my shoulder, watching the group of people we had once known limp slowly towards us. Tears prickled at my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away. I couldn’t cry in a situation like this. Crying would be a sign of weakness.
“Can we sneak past them?” Colette asked after a moment of the nervous, paralyzing silence between the four of us. I watched as Justin slowly shook his head.
“No. I don’t think we can.” Justin said, and moved off to the other end of the isle. Colette followed behind him, and Gustav and I picked up the rear. We approached the group from behind. Colette used one of the two bats we had picked up, and hit one of the slower moving zombies hard.
It let out a noise-one that could only be described as the guttural cry of a dying animal, and crumpled to the ground. I looked around and snatched up the other baseball bat that Justin had used to break the glass to get to the guns. Suddenly I was glad I’d been forced to play baseball with my cousins every single summer.
The others in the small group of zombies had noticed the cry of one of their own, and now turned their attention on us. The one in the aviator’s jacket limped towards me. As soon as it was close, I took a swing at its head. It let out the same screeching cry at the impact. From the corner of my eye I noticed the others beating up on the rest of them. Gustav had found a piece of pipe in auto department, and was currently sneaking around the many food isles to get the one zombie who hadn’t noticed the others’ peril.
Soon enough though, the store was totally silent. Colette, Justin, Gustav, and I all exchanged a glance. For awhile no one said one word, only stared at whoever was closest. “…We’re in more danger than I thought.” I spoke up, unable to get my voice above a whisper. The bodies of the now totally dead creatures lay at our feet.
Colette nodded her head, “Yeah, we are.” After a moment, she turned to look at everyone in turn. Her gaze landed on her cousin last. “If this is going to happen again-which it will-we need to get everyone into a role. And we need a leader.”
I stood there in silence, agreeing with her. We did need to put each one of us in a role. We needed a leader, someone to act as our medic, and the last two of us would have to be the one fighting the most and taking the most damage making sure everyone stayed safe. I explained my theory to them, and they agreed.
“Ve don’t hafe time to decide zis now do ve?” Gustav asked.
“Gustav’s right.” Colette agreed. “I think we need to get out of this store. Justin, you’re the oldest, you should be the leader.” Justin only nodded.
I stood there silently, and wondered what our next move was going to be. We couldn’t stand here and chat about this. We had to get out of this store and this town. If we were lucky, we’d get out of all of this alive. But I don’t think anyone believed we would make it. They did believe, however, that the end of the world was upon us and soon we were going to be in a living hell.
There was a whole group of them, about five or six. They all moved in perfect sync, looking for their next victim. One of them in particular caught my attention. It was wearing an aviator’s jacket and a white shirt with a tear in the collar. I squinted hard, trying to read the nametag pinned to the jacket. Alfred Madison. “Oh…” I pulled back quickly and turned to look at the others.
“G-Guys…” I whispered, “I think it’s time we put our batting skills to the test.” Gustav looked at me as if I had gone mental, and then slowly nodded in agreement. He knew what I meant. I think everyone did.
“How many are there?” Justin asked.
Colette made my reply for me, “I counted six.”
Still, no one moved. I looked over my shoulder, watching the group of people we had once known limp slowly towards us. Tears prickled at my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away. I couldn’t cry in a situation like this. Crying would be a sign of weakness.
“Can we sneak past them?” Colette asked after a moment of the nervous, paralyzing silence between the four of us. I watched as Justin slowly shook his head.
“No. I don’t think we can.” Justin said, and moved off to the other end of the isle. Colette followed behind him, and Gustav and I picked up the rear. We approached the group from behind. Colette used one of the two bats we had picked up, and hit one of the slower moving zombies hard.
It let out a noise-one that could only be described as the guttural cry of a dying animal, and crumpled to the ground. I looked around and snatched up the other baseball bat that Justin had used to break the glass to get to the guns. Suddenly I was glad I’d been forced to play baseball with my cousins every single summer.
The others in the small group of zombies had noticed the cry of one of their own, and now turned their attention on us. The one in the aviator’s jacket limped towards me. As soon as it was close, I took a swing at its head. It let out the same screeching cry at the impact. From the corner of my eye I noticed the others beating up on the rest of them. Gustav had found a piece of pipe in auto department, and was currently sneaking around the many food isles to get the one zombie who hadn’t noticed the others’ peril.
Soon enough though, the store was totally silent. Colette, Justin, Gustav, and I all exchanged a glance. For awhile no one said one word, only stared at whoever was closest. “…We’re in more danger than I thought.” I spoke up, unable to get my voice above a whisper. The bodies of the now totally dead creatures lay at our feet.
Colette nodded her head, “Yeah, we are.” After a moment, she turned to look at everyone in turn. Her gaze landed on her cousin last. “If this is going to happen again-which it will-we need to get everyone into a role. And we need a leader.”
I stood there in silence, agreeing with her. We did need to put each one of us in a role. We needed a leader, someone to act as our medic, and the last two of us would have to be the one fighting the most and taking the most damage making sure everyone stayed safe. I explained my theory to them, and they agreed.
“Ve don’t hafe time to decide zis now do ve?” Gustav asked.
“Gustav’s right.” Colette agreed. “I think we need to get out of this store. Justin, you’re the oldest, you should be the leader.” Justin only nodded.
I stood there silently, and wondered what our next move was going to be. We couldn’t stand here and chat about this. We had to get out of this store and this town. If we were lucky, we’d get out of all of this alive. But I don’t think anyone believed we would make it. They did believe, however, that the end of the world was upon us and soon we were going to be in a living hell.