This is the End 2(693)

I shuddered, thinking about how bad the smell was a few minutes ago.

These Feeders ate often.

That was not good news for us.

Hendrix hit one, and then another, bull’s-eye to the forehead. Harrison joined the effort, but after three shots his gun was empty. King was no better and after a few rounds his gun was empty too. Meanwhile the marathon of Feeders just kept getting closer and closer.

“Here!” I shouted and pressed my two half-loaded guns into Harrison’s hands and then grabbed Haley’s and handed them over to King. We both pulled out our knives. I unsheathed mine and held the blade carefully, but Haley just kept hers in hand while she held Page tightly against her. Page slipped her hand into my free one and we sat huddled on the floor- the three of us finding strength in each other.

Tyler and Miller slid down to the floor next to us and in the confined space of the van our legs tangled together and our bodies layered each other. It was hard to care though- almost impossible. It didn’t matter in this moment if I found Tyler obnoxious and embarrassingly unprepared for the world she lived in. It didn’t matter that I knew how to shoot a gun and had survived this far. We were all going to die. We were all going to meet the same fate, so who cared if there was a difference in our survival skills. Her cushioned life of protection before and my hard earned talent for aiming my gun would meet the same end in the same way.

This was it.

I chanced a glance over the back seat to see how we were doing. The front line of fallen Zombies were being trampled on by the majority of frenzied Feeders even while some dropped off to consume their fallen brethren.

I would never get over how disturbing it was to watch a Zombie eat another Zombie. And now on top of the pounding, heavy footsteps of the undead and their repulsive grunts and screeching, I had to listen to the tearing of flesh and the popping of bones.

A tear sneaked out the corner of my eye and rolled down my cheek. I wasn’t an overly emotional girl, but I didn’t want to have that happen to me. I didn’t want to lay face down on the gravelly pavement and feel the bite of teeth and clawing of nails into my soft, pliable skin. I didn’t want my muscle ripped from bone, or my skin peeled away from my body. I just wanted to live- I just wanted to survive.

A sob hitched in my throat and Haley grabbed my neck and forced my face to hers.

I was panicking now- I could feel the cold dread creeping over my skin like a million spiders, pulling me under, into the depths of hysteria.

“No, Reagan,” she demanded and her own tears shimmered behind her green eyes. “Don’t let them get to you. You’re stronger than this. We’re stronger than this. We’re going to make it, damn it. So stop it right now.”

Her words felt like a soothing balm on my frayed nerves and I nodded. With a strength I didn’t know I possessed I reined back my consuming terror and forced my emotions under control.

We were going to make it. We were going to make it. We were going to make it.

A Feeder broke through the mass and lunged at Hendrix, he aimed and shot immediately…. but nothing happened- just the clicking of an empty gun.

I know I gasped, but my entire body felt utterly frozen as I watched Hendrix defend himself. Without hesitation he pulled out his huge knife and dodged the waving, grabbing arms and plunged it into the Feeder’s eye. Blood spurted everywhere at the contact, but Hendrix yanked the knife from his eye socket and the heavy body fell to the ground- dead.

Hendrix stood up in the back of the van then, awkwardly as half his body was inside the car and half of it was out. The empty clicking sound could be heard in more than one places now- first Vaughan, then Nelson, then King, then Harrison. The front doors opened and then shut as Vaughan and Nelson readied themselves on the outside of the vehicle, armed with knives. Hendrix jumped down to the pavement and his younger brothers followed suit.

I pushed up to my knees, clutching my knife against my chest.

The tears fell then- I couldn’t stop them. The panic stayed at bay, but the impending loss of life gutted my soul and I couldn’t stop the despair from choking me.

The Feeders had been somewhat fended off with the constant barrage of gunfire, but not anymore. Now we were available and they weren’t going to meet much resistance.

There were maybe thirty of them left, plenty to overpower us and rip us apart.

As one unit they moved in to attack and I readied myself for their teeth.

Because we were not going to make it.





Chapter Four



There was no time for any last declarations of love or friendship. This was it.

The boys slashed across the faces of as many Feeders as they could but it would be seconds before they were overpowered.