This Would Be Paradise (Book 1)-A Zombie Novel

Chapter 30

Of all the things I had done. Of all the things I had seen. This was beyond the worst I could imagine. Just thinking about it hurt. Is this what humanity had come to? Is this what we're reduced to? This sight would haunt me for the rest of my life. It wasn't an infected feeding on some poor sap. It wasn't a group of infected trapped back here. No, it was much worse.

Scrawled on the back wall in dried blood, blotted with finger prints, were the words And Like Him We Too Shall Rise. In front of that, a scene pulled from the crime section of a newspaper looked back at me. Two small children were decaying on the ground, a hole adorning each of their foreheads. Next to them was the badly rotted body of a woman with a matching bullet wound, a bible clutched in her dead hands. Across from them, slumped to the side, was a male figure with a fallen handgun at his side. The wall behind him was stained with blood and brain matter.

I stood there frozen, unable to move. Why? The only word echoing in my head.

"What is it?"

"Stay there!"

Whatever was in my voice had Chloe stop in her tracks. I quickly shut the door, wishing I could scrub the image from my brain. Nothing could prepare you for something like that. I rubbed at my eyes; maybe I could force the image out.

"What was it?"

"Drop it, Chloe."

And to my surprise, she did. I floundered for a moment, the shock throwing me off. I turned to the shelf and tried to distract myself by searching for 9mm ammo. I managed to find a box and a half, but all the guns were cleaned out.

Except for the handgun in there, my brain cruelly reminded me. There was no way I was going back in that room, it wasn't worth it. And I'm sure it would be considered bad luck using that gun. A shadow passed over us as an infected crossed in front of the display window.

"Hold still," I whispered.

We both froze hoping the thing would move on. It turned its head towards the window, tilting slightly, as if curious. With jerky movements, the infected continued on shuffling past the window. I swallowed loudly. We needed to cut our losses and get to the general store, which would mean taking out those infected.

Did I risk the gun for that? Or try to take them out melee style? With that many, a gun seemed like the easiest way to take them out. But that meant noise, so we would have to hurry in the store in case more infected showed up.

We left the counter behind and started back through the aisles. I handed Chloe the aluminum bat. It was light and not too big for her stature. I had spotted an axe on our way down the aisles, so I decided to upgrade. The axe was heavier, but manageable. It would do more damage than the bat and that's all that mattered.

I couldn't wait to leave this building, I was itching for it. I looked out the window and spotted the infected that had passed by. He was just slightly to the right of the building. I would have to take him out first.

"Chloe, I'm going to get you to hold the door open. If anything happens or an infected comes near you, you close it ok?"

"What about you?" She looked up at me with concerned eyes.

"I will be fine. I can outrun this few infected. If that happens, I will lead them away and come back, you understand?"

She nodded. I opened the door and she gripped it tight to hold it open. The infected turned its head towards me and made a gurgling sound as he approached me. Its foot was bent at an odd angle, so he limped towards me rather slowly. I wound up the axe and let it swing, as I used my forward momentum to take it out. The blade landed in the things' neck. No blood spurted and I could see the spinal column once I yanked the axe free.