Dead End [#Wattys2016]

CHAPTER 2

The zombie. It was what someone would call grotesque. It's grey and mangy skin was peeling off in places and the whole eye was white, like it had been rolled to the back of its head. The other eye, I noticed, was missing from its socket, making my stomach lurch in a disgusted way, it made me want to puke. All of its skin was wrinkly and dragging on its bones like it was an extra weight, a burden, instead of actual skin. The flesh by the jaw looked like it had been ripped off and I could see its bloodied and rotten teeth snapping hungrily. It had long hair that was a pale blonde colour, almost grey, but most of its head was bald, showing the horrible skin. The clothes it had on before it was turned into what it was were almost non-existent, with large holes dotted everywhere in the brown skirt and red tattered shirt. I wasn't sure if the shirt was naturally red or if that was the blood of the victims it had eaten. Its bony arm was pointing in an awkward angle, most definitely broken, and its leg looked like it was hungrily torn apart leaving it with a limp as it lazily dragged its feet.

The smell, I think, got to me the most. It made my eyes sting and water up, my nose felt kind of sore from the intake of the horrid scent. It smelt like dried, rotten blood and dead skin and compost, like it spent most of its time frying away in the hot sun, it also had a putrid fishy smell which was close to making me gag.

I was snapped out of my train of thoughts when I heard a large cannibalistic growl  emitting from its throat as it took a lazy step towards me. I almost screamed as reality struck me like a bucket of ice. But not wanting to gain any more attention, I somehow prevented myself from letting out any noise. Instead, my teal coloured eyes widened magnificently as I sharply turned around and continued running down the tunnel I was currently going down. The long curls of my dirty blonde hair were annoying me a lot as I tried to get some strands out of my eyes so I could envision where I was headed.

The clicking of the teeth when the jaw snapped, prepared to bite into my flesh, only spurred me to go faster, not wanting to die just yet. I couldn't kill it because I had lost my only weapon, it was stuck in the head of another zombie that was miles away and I didn't get a chance to replace it.

My exhausted legs carried me into an expanded part of the corridor where the water was a lot wider and, by the looks of it, much deeper. It had weak metal bridges placed on top of the sewage that lead to the other side of the narrow walkway. The metal bridges were more like planks, having no hand rail or anything from stopping you to fall into the murky liquid below. On the other side there were splintered sticks of wood and broken pipes scattered along the mucky ground.

The animalistic growl sounded a lot louder and nearer then it was before, so with a sceptic look I cautiously made my way across the unstable metal.

It creaked dangerously under my weight, bending ever so slightly wherever I put pressure. I would have taken that as an insult if I didn't know how old and weak this was and if there wasn't a zombie chasing after me, ready and waiting to eat me alive.

My arms hovered in the air by my sides so I was shaped like a cross, making it easier for me to balance. Small whimpers occasionally escaped my mouth when I leaned more to one side than I would have liked. It felt like forever had passed until I finally reached my destination on the other side of the 'bridge'. I let out a short breath of relief, allowing a small smile to reach my face. It was wiped off in a matter of seconds.

I had just turned around, ready to face the zombie when I felt myself being tackled to the ground by a surprising weight. A small shriek unwillingly left my mouth as I stared up at the ugly face of the zombie. I didn't have time to think over all the questions that were running through my head like 'how did it get across so quickly?' or 'why didn't I hear it cross the metal?'. I could only focus on keeping its clamping teeth away from my skin.

My forearm pressed against the front of the mouldy throat of my attacker, keeping its jaw away from my neck for now. My tired arms strained just to keep it from coming closer, I wasn't strong enough to push it away, I was too tired, too hungry. I just couldn't find the strength. I had to turn my face to the side so my right cheek was pressing against the cold, dirty floor. My arm with the weight of the foul creature was slowly, steadily moving down. I couldn't keep up this kind of strength, especially with my condition. None of that would matter though if I died, so I had to muster everything I could. My arm lifted, but only by a fraction, nothing too spectacular. Then I saw it. A small glint in the corner of my eye, it was quick, but I noticed it. It was a broken pipe. It didn't matter if it wasn't a good weapon, it was my only hope. With my attention back on the zombie, I focused on multitasking. Keeping the zombies face away from my face and trying to reach the pipe that wasn't too far away. The arm that wasn't holding back the zombie stretched out to my side. I had to place my hand in the unknown since I was trying to keep most of my attention on the monster sitting on top of me. My hand fumbled around blindly for the object on my mind, patting the damp floor, it was quiet compared to the pained groans from me and hungry moans from it.

I breathed out in happiness as my fingers clasped around something cold and metallic. Without wasting a single second I swung my arm back and hit the zombie right in the side of the head. It fell off of me, giving me a chance to get up. I did so dizzily, stumbling slightly with exhaustion, my vision blurred a bit but I quickly blinked it away, preparing myself to swing at the zombie again. It had gotten clumsily back on its feet, just like I had, and charged at me with an almost angry growl. Its arms were flailing about dangerously, but I had bigger issues on my mind, so, ignoring the waving limbs, I attacked the head again. It fell to the floor in a pathetic ball and was about to get back up, not giving up on its meal, when I hit again with a lot more force than before. I hit it again and again and again. I kept repeating this routine, letting all my frustration with the world seep out. With each hit, flashbacks of my past ran through my mind.

Hit.

Screams filled my ears, everyone running around in a panic. Blood splattering everywhere. Groans echoed in my head.

Hit.

"Just go!" My brother had shouted. Another bite on his shoulder. I hesitated. A searing pain on my wrist.

Hit.

Crying silently, huddled in a corner. Loud banging on the metal door. The only thing that separated me and the hungry herd of zombies was a sheet of metal. So much death.

I snapped out of my dark thoughts when I noticed the mutated face of the zombie was smashed in. Blood was leaking down the floor and was speckled all over my clothes and face. My breathing was ragged from the amount of energy I used. A lone tear strolled down my cheek as the lonely, dismal feeling I was holding back for a long time finally sunk in.

My senseless fingers let the pipe fall to the ground with an echoing clang. It was so hard to carry on sometimes, but I had to. I had to. With a numb heart, I slowly turned away from the awful sight and let out a tired sigh. Sometimes I wondered if there was even anybody left. Was I the only one? I usually cast that thought aside by asking myself why I would be the only one alive if there were much more experienced and prepared people somewhere out there. But when that thought left, another one came along that scared me more. 'Sometimes I feel like just giving up.' And the scariest thing, I sometimes agreed with it.

A/N

Woah... That girl has got a lot of bottled up emotions.

What did you guys think of the small flashbacks that happened? One thing that's for sure is they definitely weren't happy. What do you guys think happened to her wrist? In this book, almost anything can happy, I was kinda tempted to somehow add in werewolves and whatever else but thought against it because I felt it would somehow ruin the storyline. Oh well.

Have fun and don't get bitten,

Your Author.