A Collection of Odd Stories (Aim To Engage Contest - Prompts 3-30)

Zombies + Love (Thriller)

I crouched against one of the walls of an abandoned Walmart, watching a crowd of mindless zombies ploughed through the store, knocking over shelves and opening cans.

A lone bulb flickered on and off in a distant corner, illuminating the entire scene in a dim light. The gurgling sounds of undead people filled the entire place, an occasional loud crash signalling another shelf knocked over.

I looked over my shoulder and saw my wife breathing heavily, clutching a crowbar in her shaky hands.

"You okay?" I whispered quietly.

She nodded, a bead of sweat rolling down her cheek. Her brown hair was messy, falling down over her shoulder and tangled in a frenzy. She could really use a comb.

But in the dim light, she still looked beautiful.

"This is not how I imagined our wedding life," she said quietly, wiping her sweaty palm on her jeans. "I wanted kids. Not zombies."

I let out a weary sigh, adjusting the grip on my baseball bat. "Same."

The apocalypse had completely ruined our wedding day. The zombies rolled in when we were saying our vows, and made quick work of all the guests. Me and my wife were the only survivors, escaping through the back of the venue.

The entire world went down in chaos soon after. Hordes of zombies swarmed every building in the South, toppling every form of government in South America, Mexico, and some southern states in the U.S.

The military retreated into the Northern states, Canada and the U.S forming an alliance to stop the flow of zombies.

Unfortunately, my wife and I lived in Arizona, a southern state, when it all went down, so we were stuck in the middle of the fray, being left to fend the zombies off on our own.

We travelled from state to state in a makeshift apocalyptic vehicle we designed. A reinforced RAM pick up truck. The mileage was horrendous, but it got the job done.

Ultimately, we made it to Topeka, Kansas, where we stopped for supplies at a local Walmart. One more run north and we'd be in the military stronghold. I grip my baseball bat tighter.

Once we got this done, we'd gun it.

"Alright let's-" I started to say when I saw the ghoul behind my wife, its mouth wide open. "Ashley, behind you!" I shouted. A look of brief surprise flickered across her face.

Time seemed to slow as the zombie sunk its jaws into my wife's vulnerable flesh.

I screamed in horror, swinging a baseball bat at its head with all my might, trying desperately to get the ghoul off of her. The zombie's head snapped off its neck, and the scent of decaying flesh filled my nostrils. The creature falls down like a sack of potatoes, motionless.

My wife collapsed. I rushed towards her, holding her head in my hands. "No! NO! Ashley, please, this was our last run! We'd have been safe!"

"I... I'm sorry..." she cupped a hand on my cheek, "Run..."

Tears streamed down my face as I stared at the ugly gash on her arm, "You said you wanted kids..."

"Break..." Her voice was starting to disappear, replaced by guttural sound. "My... jaw."

So she couldn't bite me when she turned.

I shook my head furiously, holding onto her tighter.

"Please..." she said weakly, her eyes starting to lose color, "You have to..."

I heard shuffling behind me as the other zombies in the store started to notice us. I turned around and swung my bat, my face wet with tears. The zombie I hit flies into a shelf, its head flying off. The stench in the store grows stronger.

It wasn't fair. We were almost there.

Just. One. More. Run.

I felt a sharp pain on my shoulder as teeth sank into it. I looked to my side and saw tangled brown hair falling over my shoulder.

So she'd turned.

I closed my eyes, dropping the baseball bat in my hand. It clattered to the ground.

If I had to turn into a zombie to be with her, then so be it. I'd never leave my wife behind.

Never.