Just One Bite (On Hold)

Strange Things

Zeke slams the door shut and locks it, both him and me press ourselves against it as a barrage of bodies slam against the door, trying to get the precious meat on the other side. Thunder is barking angrily and clawing at the bottom of the door in between our legs.

“Thunder, get," I holler, pressing harder against the door as the biters pack themselves against it.

“What the heck are those things?" Zeke asks, panic shown clearly in his eyes.

I wait for Thunder to get away from the door before answering him.

“Zombies," I said, not bothering to use biters this time. "They're freaking zombies.”

“No. That's impossible," he replies, but the way he says it, it seems like he is hiding something. Like he already knows what they are. "Zombies aren't real."

“Tell that to my dead parents," I snap, and immediately wish I hadn’t. "Sorry, I didn't mean to... It's just been a rough day for me.”

“How... How did your parents..." he is unable to finish the sentence.

“Die? My mom. She turned, then... she went for my dad. He didn't even know it was coming. By the time I got to him it was already too late. I had to kill both of them. I got my dad before he even had a chance to turn. He was already gone, though. Nothing left for me to do..."I reply, closing my eyes so I don’t cry. Remember the vow. I remind myself.

“I... I'm so sorry," Zeke says, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah, me too," I said dryly, pulling away from the door when I realize it will hold without us. Zeke does the same as we stand in silence, excluding the slamming of bodies, in the entryway.

The sound of pounding on the door keeps getting louder, and I hear the door creak and groan as it tries to keep out the intruders. Pulling myself out of the horrible memories I go into instant survival mode, my face turning hard and serious.

“Okay, we need to block off the doors, windows, and keep all the lights off,” I command. “We can talk about what happened later. Right now we need to worry about us surviving. I will not loose another person. Not today, or any day if I can help it.”

Zeke seems shocked by my sudden change in mood, but quickly shakes it away, and makes himself useful. "I'll get the windows blocked and you get the doors.”

He rushes off to the left towards the kitchen and I to the right towards the living room, Thunder stays by the door at the foot of the steps, guarding. As I walk in the familiarity of the place brings some momentary comfort.

Stepping over to the fireplace I set my knives on the mantel next to all of the family and friend pictures. I stop to pick up a photo of our two families at the park having a picnic, and gently stroke my finger over my parents. Setting it back down I move over to the couch and push it towards the door where the biters lie in wait, the same biters that took my parents away, I think, with a new found strength.

The couch is heavy and hard to move on my own, but I hardly notice. Too blinded my hate for the biters and the people who caused this I push on.

Once I get the front of the couch facing the door I push it all the way against it. Then, thinking what the heck, I shrug and grab the bottom of the couch. Setting my legs shoulder length apart I push mostly with my legs. Somehow, through a haze, I get the couch on its side, and have it leaning against the door with the bottom touching the top of the boarder.

“I will definitely feel that later,” I say, putting my hands on my hips, leaning back, and hearing the satisfying crack of my spine. Feeling my looser I run back towards the living room, grabbing anything else I can find to stack on top of and next to the couch.