Guilt (A Zero Spin-Off)

Nine - Ella

A/N-  Oh My Goodness! I am soooooo excited for you to read this chapter! Like, you have no idea. This one has been one of my favorites to write, ever.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. :] 

Nine - Ella

I was officially up shit creek.

I watched the distance between where I was and where Kyle, Joel, and Miles were grow not really knowing what had happened. One second Kyle was shoving me out of the way as a zombie clawed at my arm, protecting me, and the next he was gone. It was like the world moved in super speed while I was stuck in slow motion, and suddenly I was standing there and there was a zombie between Kyle and me. I'd opened my mouth to call out, but he had two more in front of him. And lot more in line behind that. If I screamed he would turn around to check on me. I'd distract him and something would go wrong. Miles and Joel weren't any better off. I had been totally on my own.

I raised the knife Kyle had given me.

The one I'd already used to kill one zombie.

I could do it again.

The creature limped closer.

I just had to kill one. Deep breaths, Ella. Just one. Then I would catch up and the guys would protect me again.

Oh yeah, I've got this. I have totally got this.

The zombie was bigger than me; he was taller and had me by probably seventy-five or eighty pounds. Getting pinned under him would not end well for me. The one in the woods had been bigger than me too, but I killed it. I just have to skate around his side and knock him down like Kyle had coached me. Not even allowing myself a moment to take a deep breath, I moved around the zombie. With his attention fully on me, he started to turn, following me as I moved, but I was quicker. I managed to stay ahead of the zombie's movement, but I think the fact that he was turned at the hips worked for my advantage as I kicked my foot into his leg. Unlike the first time I'd tried the move, it worked. The zombie fell the ground.

It was totally inappropriate and not the time, but I turned to look around, hoping someone had seen that. They hadn't. I don't think they'd even noticed I wasn't there yet, they were so busy working their way to the other end of the street. I stared for a moment because they weren't killing all the zombies, just the ones in their way. The rest were blocking my path to them. I opened my mouth, completely ready to scream bloody murder for help because I needed them. Before I could make a noise a hand grabbed onto my thigh as a terrifying reminder that I celebrated too soon. I got the zombie down, but I hadn't actually killed him.

I was a fucking moron.

And I totally did not have this.

Things like that... they were the exact reason that only twenty-four hours ago people had been making bets about my untimely demise.

I whipped around, struggling to pull my leg from the zombie's grasp. When I finally yanked free, I stabbed the knife at him, missing his head, but easily slicing into his neck. Blood oozed out and all I could focus on was how it felt to stab a person - or something that used to be a person.

The zombie's head turned toward my arm and snapped it's jaw, trying to take a bite out of me. Without thinking it through, I yanked my hand away before the teeth could sink into my flesh, leaving behind the knife. Realizing what I'd done, I reached for the handle again, but when teeth snapped, I pulled away, abandoning my only method of defense.

"Kyle," I yelled each of their names in turn, but I couldn't see them. I could only see everything between us. And my yelling had caught the attention of everything between us.