An Undead Invasion

Three - Part 1

Penny stared at Missy's twisted neck; the bone pressed against her skin, trying to break through. Tiny red streams seeped out of her ears and mouth. Her eyes had a glassy, distant look. As far as deaths go, this wasn't even close to the worst Penny had seen. Heck, Missy wasn't even a close friend. Even so, her death jolted Penny with a sense of loss.

The group survived as a whole. Their safety was largely based on numbers; they all knew it. They recently lost Darwin. They had lost Charles and his son Chuck before that. Even earlier than that, they lost Mary. Now Missy was gone. If they keep dwindling down, things would be even more dangerous for them. Most importantly, what had ended her life? And where were the children she was supposed to be supervising? Howie? Will? Rose?

The thought sunk in Penny's stomach like an anchor. She wanted to move with the flow of her mind--toward the kids--but she was held to the spot, afraid to go. Then she saw it. Something white was gripped tightly in Missy's fist. A piece of paper.

Leon must have spotted the paper the same time Penny did. He took it from the dead woman's hand. Penny went to Leon's side, so she could see the paper as well. The hotel's name was printed on the top in clean, professional letters. Missy must have taken it from the desk. Her tiny handwriting was scribbled below the bold hotel name.

I'm sorry. I can't live without him. Watch over Rose. Someday, she will understand.

"That stupid bitch," Penny said, amazed. She'd never have expected Missy would go this far, but now that the woman was laying there dead, Penny was sure it was a choice made by Missy. She must have climbed to the top of the hotel and swan dived to her death. "What a moron."

Leon looked away from the note. A dark shadow cast over his eyes. "Some people just can't take it," he said softly.

"She had a kid," Penny reminded him. If nothing else, Rose was worth fighting through losing her husband. Rose needed comforting as well. Now she's lost both parents...just like Penny. She felt as if cold steel had sliced into her chest.

"You're right, she's a moron," Leon said, his eyes locked on Penny.

Penny hadn't realized he was watching her as her emotions displayed across her face. Ashamed, looking away, she wiped a tear from her cheek. Then her eyes snapped wide.

Missy's hand twitched. Her dead arm rose, popping and cracking, it clawed at the ground. Her neck snapped as She raised her undead head. She made a deep gurgling sound and ruby red liquid poured from her lips. Her hand shot out towards Leon...and Penny kicked the hand away. Leon stepped back, realizing what was happening. If Missy had been awake longer, Penny would have more trouble taking her out, but in her current state, somewhere between dead and freshly undead, she was no problem. Penny slammed the blade of her butcher's knife into the soft tissue under Missy's chin. It sank in with ease, plunging all the way to the brain where it severed the control the living dead virus had over the non-living.

Missy was dead for good now.

"You got my back, I got yours," Penny said.

"Works for me," Leon said.

"No! Missy! No!" a small voice cried from the hotel door.

Penny's blood ran cold. She didn't want Howie to find out this way. He'd seen so much death already. Was it wrong for Penny to want to keep protecting him from it even though it seemed impossible?

"Howie..." she uttered.

He was crying now, proof that he'd liked Missy a lot more than Penny had. She did spend a lot of time with the kids, but that was when Darwin was around and her life was much better. She always seemed to put all her faith in him. It was almost like the undead weren't taking over at all when they were together. They seemed to view the world with only the two of them in it. Their little bubble had extended just enough for Rose and the group they had joined with Penny, but always in the very center there was Missy and Darwin. Invincible, or so they thought. They'd play Candyland for hours with Howie, as though undead weren't roaming the wilderness outside the group's doors. They'd play hide and seek, which they would always lose because they hid together. They'd tell ghost stories, as if there wasn't enough to fear in the world. They handled the whole thing very immaturely. The only brave, adult thing Darwin ever did was volunteer to retrieve the baby food, and that didn't end well.

Penny had a bad feeling when he stepped out that door, he wouldn't come back. She should have known Missy would follow right behind eventually.

Back in the lobby, with the whole group, Penny told them what happened.

"She told me she had to use the bathroom..." Howie sobbed. "I didn't think she'd-she'd-"

"None of us did, dear," said April. "You mustn't blame yourself."

In the corner, an unmoved Zora seemed to be counting heads. "Where's Marla?"

Steve shifted on his feet. "Lost her. Ran into about a dozen or so. She took off and hid, left me to fight them all off," he said. He did look pretty banged up, but that was strange of her.

Zora gave him a look, then a shrug. Penny had a feeling she knew what Zora was thinking. Everyone has their limits. Zora's limit was probably a lot longer than any of the rest of them, but she'd learned to not expect that from everyone. If Marla wanted a time-out, let her be.

Jerry cleared his throat and casually changed the subject. "They have a generator here. We can get it going, but we're going to need a few things. Anyone up for a run?"