Rise of the Undead

Chapter 2

The hungry mob turned in our direction as we drew closer to the vehicle, and promptly ignored the passengers huddled within. I clutched the lug wrench tightly, prepared to defend myself. The sound of bones cracking resounded throughout our surroundings as I bashed a zombie's head in. It crumpled to the ground, its body twitching before it lay still.

Rosa stood beside me, swinging right and left at the undead as they began to surround us. My pulse raced as I realized we'd misjudged the situation. There were more zombies than we'd anticipated. For each one we knocked out, two more took its place. My cousin and I exchanged knowing glances as we snuck a quick glance behind us. The scent of blood was drawing an even bigger crowd, and it was headed straight for the children.

Throwing caution to the wind, I cried out, and told the kids to run in our direction. I began to clear us a path toward the SUV. Rosa put herself in the line of fire as she did her best to protect her offspring. Slowly, but steadily, we began to make a little headway. I heard the locks of the car shift as one of the girls unlocked them.

The rear left side passenger door opened, and Mary stuck her head out as she yelled at us. Without any further prodding, the children took off, somehow avoiding capture. I waved at my sister as I slammed the lug wrench across one of the zombie's jaws. Blood spurted into my face. I ignored it as I continued to back up against the car. I nodded at Rosa, and she made a quick dash for the passenger door. I took one last swing at the nearest zombie, and ran toward the car, yanking the driver's side door open. I slammed the door shut, and hit the lock button, moments before more of the undead swarmed the vehicle.

"Oh, my God!" Mary cried. "You guys, okay?"

"Peachy," I replied as I wiped the sleeve of my shirt across my face to get rid of a portion of the blood.

The SUV rocked back and forth as the mob grew larger. A crack formed across the right rear passenger side window. Grady, Julianna, and Sergei began to scream with fright. Rosa turned in her seat to scold them as I turned the key in the ignition. I whispered a silent prayer as the engine came to life.

"Brace yourselves!" I cried as I shifted gears, and pushed the gas pedal as far as it would go.

We peeled out of the parking spot in a cloud of burnt rubber. I barreled through more of the oncoming undead, wincing as their bodies hit the front grill. The cacophony inside the car was deafening as I swung right onto Dobek Road, and then took a left toward Yeaton Street. The once listless horde began to run after us.

I drove down the hill as if the Devil were after us, zig-zagging across the road as I tried to avoid the scattered vehicles that had been left behind. The tires screeched as I turned right onto Farmington Avenue. My goal was to reach Corbin Avenue, cut across Osgood Avenue, and take a left onto Slater Road. I would then hop on the expressway, and head toward Waterbury to make my way to Mom's house. I wouldn't rest easy until I was sure she and the boys were safe and sound.

As if she'd read my thoughts, Mary replied, "Mom's fine. She's barricaded in her apartment. Joe's with her. Have no idea about Elijah, though. He won't pick up his cell."

A sigh of relief escaped me. "Thanks, Buttercup. Guys, settle down. It's gonna be all right. We'll get through this. Trust me."

I manipulated the terrain, avoiding the slew of abandoned cars littering the road. We encountered more of the undead along the way as they feasted on the corpses of those who'd tried to outrun them and failed. A slight shiver ran through me as I tried to think about what this sudden epidemic meant for those of us who would survive it.

Would we end up living like the people depicted in movies or stories? I wondered. What are we in for?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rosa's hand reach out to clasp my own. She squeezed it gently, before patting it with a slight reassurance. I turned, and smiled at her, thankful for her support. The street grew empty the closer we got toward Walmart. Yet I knew we weren't in the clear. I was pretty sure that zombies lay in wait, even if we couldn't see them just yet.

"Mommy?" Grady moaned.

"Yeah, Baby?"

"I'm hungry."

"Me, too," Mallory replied.

"Me, three," Chase mumbled.

My stomach decided to echo their sentiments, and rumbled aloud. "I think we all are."

"Can we stop at McDonald's?" Mary inquired.

The SUV came to a stop as I hit the brakes, and turned in my seat to glare at her. "You're kidding, right?"

"No."

"What makes you think those places don’t have zombies there, too?"

She shrugged, her chin rising with determination. "It's fast food?"

"Look around you, Mar. People are changing. They’re turning into the stuff we’ve read about in books. No one's gonna stick around, and make fast food, hon. Not with all this crazy shit going on. Seriously, get a grip!"

"But . . ."

The car shook as a Honda Civic burst out of nowhere, and clipped the right edge of our rear right bumper. It zoomed around us, zig-zagging across the road before slamming into a tree in front of yellow house not far from where we sat. The driver side door swung open, and a middle-aged man stumbled out, dropping to his knees.

A woman clawed her way out of the wreckage, and pounced on the man, sinking her teeth into the fleshy part of his left shoulder. His screams reached us as he tried to disengage himself from the woman's awkward embrace. We watched as a group of the undead appeared from around the adjacent houses. They dove in his direction, tearing at his flesh, and pulling apart his mid-section as they chewed on his intestines.

"We need to go," Emma whispered as she dove over the back seat into the car’s spacious trunk.

"Yeah," I breathed as I turned the SUV around and sped onto Corbin Avenue.

I weaved in and out of the discarded cars, my heart racing as I kept my eyes peeled for something out of the ordinary. Everywhere we looked, cars were left abandoned. Houses stood with their doors and windows wide open. Belongings were scattered across multiple yards as if the person had decided to leave them behind at the last possible second.

It wasn't long before we started encountering partially eaten bodies along the side of the road. I was sure they would turn soon enough. More of the undead shuffled along the street as we sought to find a suitable shelter. They took angry swipes at our vehicle, and tried to incapacitate us as we drew close to them. Each time, I'd hit the gas, and zoom right past them.

I breathed a sigh of relief as Osgood Avenue came into sight. Swinging onto the street, I hit the brakes with enough force that we slid across our seats. Mary reached out to wrap her arms around Mallory and little Julianna, shielding them from the brunt of the impact. We came to a stop about an inch away from the back bumper of an overturned and smoldering tractor trailer as it sat in the middle of the street. Boxes littered the road, their contents scattered all over the pavement. Hordes of the undead were clustered to the left of the wreckage, devouring the flesh of those who'd tried to escape the inferno. I shuddered at the sight of the carnage, oblivious to the cries that suddenly erupted around me.

"Back up," someone said.

"What?"

"BACK UP!"

I snapped out of it, and hit reverse, glancing over my shoulder as I swung the car back onto Corbin Avenue. I knocked back a group of zombies as I shifted gears once more, and sped down the road. The children's squeals intensified as an even bigger mob ran after us. To our astonishment, the zombies were much more agile than those we'd encountered, thus far. I tucked that thought to the back of my mind. I did my best to avoid hitting the abandoned cars along the way. Our lives had gotten just a tad harder, and I was no longer sure whether we'd survive to see the dawn of a new day.