a day undead

Shoot, we're dead

asher hughes

Carson stopped the car and pulled over smoothly on the side of the road. I told him where, since he tried over three times to park near a place filled with zombies. We all hopped out. Layla had tried to talk to me, but I interrupted. "Hate to do this, but I'd rather find somewhere safe to talk so you—we don't die." I was afraid she caught my mistake, but I grabbed her by the hand and lead everyone down a manhole.

When we were all in, I shut the manhole behind me. I climbed down the ladder and stood there for a second—then Layla was hugging me. I was shocked at first, looking down at her, but then I went less tense and listened to what she was saying.

"I was scared that you turned into— I wasn't sure how many people were— I—ugh." She flubbed over her words so she stopped talking. Carson was suddenly in front of me now, holding out his hand, waiting for me to dab him up.

We talked for a bit, when I saw Blaire Collins glaring at me disgustedly from beside Layla. "Nice to see you alive too, Blaire." I said, sarcastically.

"Shut up, I don't like you," She snapped immediately.

Me and Blaire hated each other. She hated me because I had broken Layla's heart when we were younger, even when Layla tried to explain that me and her were perfectly fine now. It was fifth grade that I broke her heart, and Layla didn't even care at the time. We were cool. But Blaire still hated me. I hated her just because. Because I could.

blaire collins

Asher was trying to speak to me, but I was doing everything in my power to keep him from doing so. I was working as hard as I could, I was fighting as hard as I could, I was—

"LALALALALALALALA I'M NOT LISTENING, LALALALALALALA—"

I suddenly realized what Asher was trying to say. Something grabbed my shoulders, like it had to Layla. I gasped and clenched my fist. I spun around and swung at it without thinking. There was a smack as my fist hit the thing in the head. "Holy sh—" I realized I hadn't punched a zombie at all. I had punched an actual human. Not just any human, either.

I had punched Jack Faye. He rubbed his nose, angrily, then smiled. "I was trying to make an emotional greeting, but I failed at that."

"You idiot. You can't sneak up on someone during a zombie apocalypse."

"Oh, is that what this is?" He joked. I rolled my eyes. I looked in his eyes for a few moments, smiling because I couldn't help it. In a split second, I was pushed to the side by Asher—whom I may or may not have tripped afterward—and stood by Layla. She smirked at me, and I rolled my eyes. Something suddenly caught my eye, and I nudged her.

The boys were having a reunion, but I didn't mind interrupting it. They were all talking, when I shouted over them. "Hey, guys? Hate to ruin your special moment, but uh, we've got a minor setback." Jack looked over at me first, and when I pointed at the opening of the manhole, he saw the zombies trying to climb through. 

jack faye

I backed up on instinct, looking over at Blaire. She had grabbed a bat, which I'm glad she noticed was near her, and she was holding it in position as if she were up to bat at one of her softball games.

Not that I noticed.

Soon enough, everyone had noticed the zombies, and we were all battling one of our own. Asher seemed to be fighting an senior from school, meanwhile Carson had tried to make small talk with Ilene, whom I had to fight off. Blaire and Layla were mocking an older zombie, and I couldn't help but chuckle. I realized I had gotten distracted, and continued fighting the businessman.

Everyone won their fights soon enough. We all slumped against the wall of the sewer and sat there for a few moments. I glanced over and saw Carson smile suddenly. I looked up and saw Charlie and beamed; until I realized he had a pale blue skin tone.

layla miller

Me and Blaire were chilling on the floor, complaining about everything or anything. She looked over to the side, and I didn't have to follow her gaze to know what she was looking at. I taunted her, "Oooo."

"I know. I don't want to get up, though. They can deal with it." She looked back at me.

"That makes no sense," I snorted.

"You make no sense. I'm too lazy to help fight, they can handle it." She cupped her hands around her mouth the shout. "Be the man, Asher, stop being such a god dang wimp!" I was confused, so I looked over. I realized I was wrong, and she wasn't looking at Jack. She was looking at the zombie-Charlie attacking everyone. My heart dropped. I was strong then, but seeing him in person, dead, helpless...it was too much. I stood up.

Blaire and Asher were arguing.

"There's a zombie, if you didn't see." Blaire snapped.

"So what do you want me to do? Kiss it?"

"Kill it, idiot." She rolled her eyes at him. He started lecturing her, and she turned with her back facing him to mock him. I stared into Zombie Charlie's empty, faded eyes. He didn't seem to try and hurt me right away. He looked like he was zoned out. Thinking.

Something splashed in a puddle on the concrete floor. It was Charlie's phone. I bent down to pick it up when I froze. Charlie didn't have a password to his phone. He never did. He was trustworthy that way. But when I saw Tyler send him a picture of the two of them, together, Tyler kissing him on the cheek, I lost it.

Now I knew why that jerk broke up with me. He wasn't questioning how I felt for him.

He didn't lose feelings.

He wasn't even suspicious of me doing anything. 

I wasn't the one doing anything wrong. He was. I looked up into Charlie's eyes, no longer empty or faded but full of vivid, clear lies and secrets. Lies that he told me to my face. Secrets that he kept locked away.

He seemed to realize who he was now. Not who he was before. Not a human. He realized he was a lying, suspicious zombie who died knowing he did everything wrong. Ruined everything. He reached out his hand, but not faster than I could grab the bat already covered in blood. I swung at him, cornering him with every step I took. The splatter of the blood on the wall was loud and constant after every swing, but when I swung and hit nothing, the weight of the bat causing me to fall to my knees, I knew that I had done it, that there was nothing left. Nothing left in my heart. Nothing left between us. Nothing left for the future. Nothing left of Charlie.

Charlie was dead. Dead from the undead.