Static Screams

The woman was screaming a string of curse words at Wren, who was pushing against the glass meat case with all of her strength. Once the other undead were on the ground and unmoving, the rest of us approached the case. Sure enough, the woman had multiple bites on her hands and arms.

“Oh, man.” Darren rubbed his hair with a hand, backing up. He turned around, and then gasped. “I think I know why the zombies were so fast, Scar.”

Ignoring the screeching banshee of a woman, I walked over to see what he was looking at, and then almost lost my granola bar breakfast.

The bodies of two men and one woman, freshly dead, half devoured, lay on the ground. The bigger of the two men was still moving, still alive. But his guts were torn into by teeth and hands. The zombies had been fast, because they had just eaten. The man held a hand out to me. “P-p-pl-” blood gushed from his mouth as he tried to speak.

Heart being torn in pieces as they had been, I approached the man. He grabbed my ankle, and stared at me as I stared at him. His eyes were ice blue. An icy blue I’d never forget. Taking out my knife, I crouched down next to him. “I am so sorry. May you feel peace.” I pushed the knife into his temple, and he was gone with a slight relieved smile on his face. Before returning to my friends, I crouched over the other man and woman, and piked them before they could turn.

After a few deep breaths, I headed back to the case, where Logan and Wren were pressing hard against the door. Darren had one hand pushing in the center of the case casually. He’d watched me pike the woman's friends, and then came to help.

The woman was still screaming. “Let her out.” I told my friends. They all looked at me like I was crazy. “She’s not going to shut up and we don’t know if there is more in here. Let her out.” They all pushed off the case, backing away from the woman as she shoved the glass and climbed out of the box.

“You’re all insane!” She screamed. “Why didn’t you let me out!” She was sobbing, probably in shock. “You killed them!” She ran to her friends, sobs wracking her body.

“They were already dead, once they got bit.” Darren muttered. “Like you.” He whispered. “Scarlett.” His voice was warning filled.

“I know, I know.” I approached the woman, knife still in hand. “Ma’am, I’m so sorry this happened to you. But look at your hands, at your arms.”

She held them up, still thrown over her friend's bodies. “What happened? No, wait!” She whirled around. “I won’t turn, don't kill me!”

“Ma’am, your skin is already turning gray. I’m so sorry, you’re going to turn.” Her arms had chunks ripped out of them, she was missing fingers. She sobbed as she looked at her arms and hands. Blood dripped from her finger nubs.

“No, no, no.” She turned her head quickly to look at me. Her eyes were bloodshot. “No!” She screeched, high pitched, and just like the dead.

I stared at her, waiting. “Fuck.” I muttered. She cocked her head to the side, standing up slowly.

“I’m so hungry.” When she spoke, it sent icy chills down my spine. The whites of her eyes turned completely red, her skin gray with death. And then she screeched, full on zombie screech, and ran at me. I sighed a deep sigh, full of pain for these people, and let her hit me.

“Scarlett!” Each of my friends screamed my name. But it wasn’t necessary. I shoved my knife up into the soft part of her chin, and deep into her skull. She fell against me, dead. I slowly let her fall to the ground, wiped my knife on my jeans, and moved out of the deli.

“Let’s scavenge now.”

---

About an hour later, carrying bags full of unexpired cans of food and jars of baby food, we headed out of the Kroger. We had also looted the bodies of the freshly dead humans inside. Logan was worried about me, she stayed near me the entire time.

As we walked towards the front doors, we all stopped within feet of the glass doors. “Well fuck.” It was snowing. Not just regular snow, but snow storm snow. “Think we can make it home before it gets too bad?”

“We have to try, it’s not safe here, and the others would come looking and get lost.” Darren pointed out.

“Alright, let’s go.” We pulled on the bags, onto our backs and shoulders, yanked down our scarves and hats, and headed out to brave the snow.

Trudging that mile back to the hotel felt ages longer than it had on the way there.

An hour must have passed before we finally noticed where we were. But the snow was really coming down now, and I didn’t know if we’d make it. My toes had lost all feeling, and I was sure I was about to lose all feeling in my arms from the weight of the bag I had.

I looked back to count my friends, and realized I couldn’t see them anymore. I whirled back around to find the sign for the hotel, which I also could not see now. I spun in circles, panicking, yelling their names. I couldn’t hear them, I couldn’t see them, I couldn’t hear anything.

And then suddenly I heard something. Through the snow, I heard Lila scream. Then it was dead silent, as a blanket of snow hit me all at once, blinding us and turning everything white.