Decimation (Ianthony Apocalypse AU)

night four

zombies seen: about a hundred

zombies killed: 0

near-death experiences: 2

human deaths witnessed: 0   

I shot up, all hint of drowsiness leaving my body in an instant. The screaming had come from a woman, and after turning my head in all directions, I noticed Gwen running toward the other side of the beach, holding both of her sons' hands. Her husband was a few feet behind, slowing his pace. Because right in front of him was a zombie. And it was because the fire had never been put out.

I reached for my bag and dug around for my knife, holding it tightly in my hand and taking a deep breath. 

Ken leaped from the side then, jabbing his knife straight down the top of the thing's head. Rotten, dark blood squirted in all directions as the zombie crumpled to the ground. 

"Fuck," I heard Anthony breathe, and I glanced at him to see him staring off behind me, his jaw on the ground.

I spun around, my heart instantly leaping into my throat. Approaching us was a hoard of about fifteen or twenty zombies, all of them growling and stumbling viciously.

"Who was the last one awake?! Who the hell left the fire burning?!" Ken roared as the rest of us stared in awe, not even knowing how to react.

"Who cares! We need to get out of here!" Henry yelled back, his arm protectively around Lizzy.

Just then, a gunshot echoed from down the beach; every single one of us jumped and cowered at the sound.

"They're surrounding the truck," Anthony stuttered, backing away from the quickly-approaching monsters. "We'll either need to fight them off or go on foot."

Jonah jumped out from behind me then and sprinted forward, dodging the nearest zombie's reach and driving his knife right between the thing's horrific eyes. 

"We can't outrun all of them," he remarked, groaning as he retrieved his knife and moved on to the next one. "We have to get them away from the truck."

It amazed me how these people could just stab them like that, so easily and carefree. I still couldn't even imagine killing one, even if it was a monster risen from the grave who wanted nothing more than to eat every bit of my flesh.

Another gunshot sounded, this one louder. I glanced at Anthony, who stood close to me, his knife clenched so tightly in his grip that his knuckles were white.

"We have to move!" Ken started jogging forward, his gray-ish blond hair reflecting the moonlight, dragging a speechless Martha with him. "If these don't kill us, those assholes will!"

Everyone followed him without even thinking. The hoard was closing in on us from the left, and we were curving toward the right, back toward the truck. Most of them had left it alone, with the exception of a few stragglers circling the exterior of it.

I ran to the right, calling for Jonah to follow. 

And I made it only a few steps before an inhuman-like scream sounded from behind me. I spun on my heel, my heart rate through the roof.

The wife of the Silent Couple was sprawled on the sand, a bloody hand clutching her neck. Her husband was on his feet, punching a zombie square in the face.

Anthony seemed to register the situation before I could. She'd been bit. In her neck.

I found myself rushing over before even thinking about it. The ground was spinning and my ears were ringing. I think I might have been screaming. I couldn't tell.