The Days Are Tired (Book #1 of the Dark Skies series) - A Zombie story

Chapter 29 (Part 1): Fall

A noise.

Its anguished sound dug deeply into my mind and heart; dragging me from the dark depths of unconsciousness. Mouth dry and vision foggy, I tried to orient myself. My body felt bulky as if stuffed with weights - and airy as if pierced with holes.

Momentarily dazed, I stretched to loosen my taut muscles.

My crusted eyes, glued shut by grime and grit, were irritated. I brought up a heavy hand and tried my best to rub the sleep from them. But I only managed to dig the substance in deeper, making my eyes well up with tears.

I shrank back when the noise came again.

The noise wasn't easy to decipher in my restless state. Shaking my head, I strain to hear it again, but my beating chest made it difficult. My rushing heart, as it pumped blood through my body, clouded my senses.

My fear was overwhelmingly deafening.

Touching my throat, I swallowed, trying to get some moisture to form. With my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth, I attempted to call out to Beth. But an incoherent croak escaped rather than any discernible words. Coughing, I try to dislodge the phlegm and dryness that prevented me from speaking.

My foul breath made me woozy, getting stuck in my nose, and forcing me to inhale it. Suddenly, the urge to lie back down and rest overcame me. Slowing my breathing and my thoughts. But I resisted.

Something wasn't right.

An unfounded feeling of fear nipped at my strayed subconscious. As my mind cleared slowly, my thoughts came to me in increments. My senses restored, I stilled as the sound reached my ears again.

A scream.

I was fully awake then. Jumping up to my numb legs, I bent down and snatched up my bat. The metal felt like it belonged there. My personal shield of protection, for whatever that's worth. I searched around, only to find that Beth and Parkson were no longer sleeping in their corner.

They were gone.

Someone left the door to the room wide open, but no one roamed the shadowed hallways. The window, covered by a sheer white curtain, allowed the afternoon sunlight in. It bathed the space in a toned orange. I must have only been asleep for a few hours.

Hurriedly, I run out the door and head straight to the cubicle room. Lacy and Dianna stood near the doorway, looking around in panic. I rose to my tippytoes to see over their shoulders, discovering a calm-looking Paul standing by an open window.

"What's going on?" I directed my question to the two frazzled women.

"Don't know. A noise woke us both up and we came here. But we didn't find anyone else... except for him," Lacy said, pointing to where Paul stood with his back to us

A blur of motion caught the side of my right eye. And the dull sound of feet connecting with hardwood reached me. Brown curly hair filled my vision as the blur sprinted forward. My body stiffened, going on the defensive— ready for anything.

A slim body launched itself into the room, stirring up the surrounding space, and blasting me with a draft of sweat-scented air.

Sofia.

She was quick on her feet as she shot past me and straight into the arms of Lacy. Azula was nipping at her feet, entering the room in a flurry of barks and whines. The dog turned in quick circles and rose to its hind legs. She seemed unsettled and frantic.

Sofia was panting and out of breath as she clung to the older woman. Like a leaf clinging to a tree during a hurricane, she held on for dear life. I took a step back, looking to see if anyone else had followed her. But the hall remained empty. Azula's barks were the only thing filling up the space.