Orthodontics in the Zombie Apocalypse

5. The Street Rat Needs a Shower (1/2)

The scent of sewage attacks my nose as I double over, panting in what I presume to be a less-than-nice part of town, though most places these days are pretty messed up. Once I collect myself, I stand up straight and begin making my way through the dark, damp alleyway. I hardly make it two steps before twisting my ankle on the uneven pavement.

"Son of a—"

"Psst!" someone interjects.

I whip my head up, flipping my long dark locks back. Kneeling by a dumpster is some skinny, dirty, mangled person—I think it's a person, at least. I take a step closer, ducking to get a closer look.

The little girl cowers.

"Are you human?"

"Shut up and get down, you idiot!" she whisper-yells at me, reaching out and yanking me down by the skirt of my dress.

"Wh—"

Off-beat panting joins the sound of feet smacking against the broken pavement. I instantly shut up.

An old man rounds the corner and stops. Hands on his knees, he breathes heavily and unevenly until noticing us.

One finger extends in my direction.

"You. Thank you! Thank you! You and your friend! Those zombies have been chasing after me for days!"

"My friend? Did you see which way he went?"

"Opposite direction of you, I would think. Those bastards were right on his tail!"

"Oh no!" I whimper.

"I'm sure he'll outrun them. Boy his age... Well, they're all so obsessed with being buff. Back in my day—"

"Thanks for the input, dude. I have to run!" I glance back at the girl as I jump up. She's so small I can easily lift her. I hand her over to the old man. "Take care of her. I have other things to do."

"Woah!" an extremely high-pitched voice squeals. The man yowls as little teeth bite down on his hand.

"AAAHHH! I'VE BEEN INFECTED!" The man releases the girl. She tumbles to the ground and lands gracefully on her feet while the man sprints off faster than most old men could.

"If he was a zombie, I would have just saved your life, and that's how you repay me?" she squeaks.

"It wasn't a zombie. It was a friendly old man, and I have more important things to do than take care of a street rat."

Beady brown eyes beat into me, and I can practically feel the daggers thrown from them.

"Well, darn. Because I think you're going to be stuck with me."

I shoot her a dirty look.

"You're not a good person," she says bluntly.

"Nope. And you'll have to deal with it as long as you stick around. Which will only happen if you find a way to shower." I make a scrunched up face. "You smell like trash."

She gestures toward the dumpster. "I wonder why."

I glance around for somewhere that might have a shower, and my eyes land on a nasty-looking motel. Something tells me the apocalypse had nothing to do with how it looks now.

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A/N

So...that happened. Sorry I'm a bit behind on the updates. Writer's block is a pain! I promise, the little girl does have a purpose in this story, but you'll just have to wait and see!

Uh...vote and comment, I guess, if you want to support the story. And have a nice day! (: