Decay

They were coming. The dark streets flooded with the hordes of grotesque monsters. No stars shown in the city sky, no crickets chirped and no bright moon lit any way out. Only the sound of beast's groans and moans filled the abandoned area. I turned towards my enemies and pumped my shotgun. There had to be at least one hundred of them; each bloody with shredded clothes hanging from their undead bodies and black saliva dripping from their open, gasping mouths. They wanted me, or rather, they wanted my flesh.

Doubt filled me as I surveyed the space around me. My chance of survival at that very moment was limited. The only way any living human could make their way out of this situation would be from luck, and someone in the heavens above watching over them. The likelihood that I would be one of those few, was nonexistent. I aimed my weapon at an oncoming target and fired at the demon. The speeding bullet flew through the air and smashed into the zombie's cranium. Mushy brains and deep crimson blood exploded into the air, landing on my filthy clothing and the opposing zombies. I again attempted to pump the weapon as more zombies hurried toward me. As fate would have it, the damned thing had jammed.

"Oh no! Not now! No!" I screamed as I struggled to jerk the weapon back into working condition.

The monsters sprang into action during my panic. Surrounding me, they grabbed onto my arms and shoulders. They pushed and pulled my limbs in an attempt to get me closer to them. Each driven by their own hunger and greed. Their hands felt cold, squishy, against my skin. The air reeked of rotting flesh as they tore at and closed in on me. Within seconds, they attacked. I saw no white light or flicker of my past before my eyes. I just screamed as their sharp teeth penetrated my skin, tearing chunks of meat away from the bone. Spurts of blood oozed from the wounds and melted with their own, as the life drained out of me.

~

I shot up into a sitting position, finding I was covered in a cold, clammy sweat. I patted my arms down checking for bites. Finding that I had none, I then realized it was all a dream. As I thought things over in my mind, I shook my head. No, it wasn't completely a dream. The zombies were in fact real but the nightmare of being attacked and consumed wasn't. For now.

I rose the bed and made my way downstairs to the kitchen and got a glass of water. I gulped it down in two sips, then sat at the wooden table my mother had cherished so much. I couldn't let such an awful nightmare become a reality. At least I knew wasn't alone in all of this like i had been in the nightmare. We were smart enough to never go out alone anymore. With the world being such a deadly place, there was safety in numbers. The few of us who had not yet turned, struggled each day to find some form of peace and salvation in this living hell.

Behind me, I heard steps creek before Maxine appeared. She was a sweet kid, but she had a fighting heart. Despite our age difference, I respected her as much as I would an elder. Max was one of the bravest people I'd ever met, braver than I could have ever have been when I was her age.

I'd found her a while ago. We were both looking for food when I had spotted her in the city. Her auburn hair knotted and faced streaked with mud. She'd been digging through piles of garbage hoping for one more meal. I had talked her into coming back with me and later that night, I heard her crying from the room she was in. I soon found out the poor girl had lost all of her family when the zombie virus spread. Since taking her in, she's become like a sister to me. We felt this undeniable bond that urged us to protect each other in every way possible.

Maxine took a seat across from me, "Did the nightmares return?" She asked.

I frowned, "Yeah, they did. It was as if I could actually feel their bites this time." I shuddered.

Getting up from her place, she embraced me in a warm hug, "It's okay, that won't ever happen, I promise."

"Thank you, Maxy." I said as I hugged her. I was grateful for having her here. Even at my lowest points, she was always there. Where I was weak, she was strong. For me, she was my living, breathing lifeline.

"Sara, please go back to bed. You shouldn't stay up all night. You need your strength." She said.

Nodding, I rose from my seat and placed my glass in the sink, before walking back upstairs. Before returning to bed, I chose to check on the others and make sure they were sleeping well. It wasn't uncommon for at least one of us to spend the night with either one eye open, or wake from a fit of night terrors. I stopped at a door on the right and listened. Inside I heard deep breathing, signaling Zena was fast asleep.

Zena was a perky chick. She was by far the funniest person in this house. No matter what, she could always make me laugh. We'd run into each other on one of my hunting trips. I found her running around like a mad woman, gun in hand. We had quickly become and remained friends after that. It was nice having someone to provide life and happiness in all of this darkness.

Wandering down the hallway a little further, I stopped outside the room that belonged to Katie. I could hear her lightly snoring, also asleep. Katie was fairly new here. She had literally showed up out of nowhere, but since she wasn't one of the walking dead, we took her in. She was the most aggravating of the group, but she was a good fighter and relatively polite. I then checked the last door in the hallway, aside from mine or Maxine's.

This room was inhabited by Rand. I had known her the longest out of everyone in this house. We were friends before the infection had ever happened. We'd been neighbors growing up. As children, she'd always been the only girl to ever accept my quirks. We'd played Barbie's together, dug for imaginary dinosaur bones, and been each other's support systems during our first heart breaks. We had a long history full of friendship.

Rand was the strongest person I knew. She'd dealt with a lot of emotional pain in her life, but always pulled through and kicked butt. Since the apocalypse had begun, we were the ones who kept this haven going. I noted that she was also sound sleep. Content with finding that everyone was alright, I wandered back to my room.

Tucking myself back under the covers of my bed, I giggled to myself. Yes we were a house full of girls, but we were a house full of butt kicking girls, who would stop at nothing to kill the undead and win this battle. Yawing, I snugged deep into the softness of my worn mattress and pillows. Maxine was right, I needed to rest. Lord only knew what was in store for tomorrow. I closed my eyes and drifted back off to sleep, hoping no nightmares would haunt me and there would be only peace.