A Devil's Rise To Heaven (Z Nation)

Zunami

Somewhere in Nebraska

"I read once that you could drink your own urine. But all I'm pissin' is dust." Doc said, his voice strained as he tossed his bottle away.

"Water isn't gonna find you just sitting there," Murphy complained, not feeling the same effects as us.

"Shut up, Murphy." I complained while Warren being kinder said, "Why are you so freaking chipper?"

"I've been wondering that myself. Maybe it's cuz I conserve my precious bodily fluids." We all just stared at him, in no mood to entertain him. We all went silent as we heard a sort of rumbling sound, getting louder.

"What is that? Is it an earthquake?" 10K asked as he groaned hoisting himself up from the ground so he could see.

We all turned to look, "More like a zombie quake."

It was a flood of Zs headed in our direction as we tried to get up to no avail.

"I suggest we run for it," Murphy said, running ahead of us. We had no energy left to run, we were completely exhausted. "Come on, people. Pick it up."

We were now suffering from severe dehydration, fucking fantastic. Murphy was the only one chipper enough to move. I was dead on my feet, I had given the last of my water reserves to the group claiming that I had already had some. A white lie but a lie nonetheless. We lay on the ground, waiting for death till we saw the horde of Zs heading our way. We dragged our tired bodies forward, though I was more limping than anything. 10K must have seen how much I was struggling to keep up that he helped me move faster. He took most of my weight while we hurried, searching for shelter. We ran for the nearest place, which so happened to be the morgue. How fitting. Right as we were closing the door we heard the cries of two men. Pleading for us to wait. Unfortunately, only one of them made it.

The other had been taken down by Zs but Warren was kind enough to give him mercy before he turned. We lied in wait, hoping for them to pass soon but we desperately needed water and food. I was in and out of the conversation. I could barely make out the words being said. But all of us craved for any source of water, which the new man was gracious enough to share. It helped though barely.

"Go easy on it. Homemade hooch ain't for everyone," he said as he passed it. This place was coming apart. The door wouldn't hold them back for much longer.

All of us were drawn to the sound of the door groaning; It wouldn't hold for much longer. The Zs were becoming more insistent, breaking down the door as we went deeper into the morgue.  We were cornered, dying, in this tight space so far from home. We planned to wait them out, hiding in the room, while they pounded on the door. I tucked my duffel bag in the corner of the room and laid against the cool metal. Until the scratching sound began to irritate me.

"Do you hear that or it just in my head?" 10K asked us. I didn't move but readied my knives just in case, Doc was gonna open the door, 10K would pike it.

"Don't open that drawer. Just leave it alone." the new guy said.

As they opened the second one, it grabbed at Doc and the rest were moving too slow, so I launched my knife into its skull. Doc shoved the body back in the drawer and handed me my knife.

The door wasn't gonna hold for much longer, they were gonna get in and soon. With no other option, we had to take refuge in the drawers to hide from the Zs. Cassandra went in one, while I had to share with 10K, it was a tight fit but we made it.

He had gone to sleep a little after they had stormed into the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I was never okay with confined spaces and silence. Being in my thoughts never ended well. It only led me to places I didn't want to go to, more often than not, the past.

This place reminded me too much of the closet my mother and father had shoved me into with my younger sister, to hide. They had told us that they loved us, and disappeared right before our eyes. I had grabbed my sister's hand, carefully moving towards the garage door. I stopped right in my tracks as I heard my mothers scream for my father. Frantically, I told my sister to go in the car and I would join her soon. I darted off towards the sound of my mother and father. They were on the defensive, fighting wildly against the Zs. I ran forward calling out to them but I was too late, much too late. A Z had already sunk its teeth into my father's flesh, a scream coming out of my throat before I could stop it. The Zs grew closer like moths to the flame, the bodies of my mother and father rising to join them. With the tears streaming down my cheeks, I launched into the fray. Kicking and slashing, bodies dropping one after another till it was just my parents and me.

At first, I debated whether to stay and kill them off or flee with my little sister. I chose to stay and grant them mercy before I left. I hesitated, to try to talk to them, to see if they were still there. They weren't. There was no trace of the people I had known as my parents. So I granted them mercy. Stabbing them over and over again. I was snapped out of my reverie when I heard my sisters scream. Bolting towards the garage, my face was drawn in despair as I saw the Zs feasting on my sister's innards. With a battle cry, their bodies lay on the ground. I cradled my sister's head in my lap, seconds before I had to mercy her as she turned. I couldn't wash the blood off my hands from that night no matter how hard I tried.

Small whimpers escaped my mouth as I closed my eyes and grabbed at my head, trying to keep the past away. My small noises must have woken up 10K as he pulled me closer to him as I buried my face in his chest. Tears stung my eyes as I tried to keep them at bay but I was failing miserably. "Hey, what's wrong Mercy?" he asked, worried as he whispered. I just shook my head unwilling to talk about it, he must've understood as he stopped but held me tighter to him, running a hand through my hair. I wiped away my tears and tried my best not to think as I fell asleep in 10K's arms. When I came to, 10K was shaking me awake as we could finally come out of hiding. We found Murphy with a gallon of water and food, all of us were safe and alive.

"Murphy, how did you do this? No, I don't even want to know. I take back everything 10K said about you." Doc asked him, still in shock.

"Well, you know I thought they got Warren already. No offense, but you were almost dead. But Murphy, man you are unreal. Where'd they all go? How many did you kill? Are we gonna go outside and see them piled like ten-deep on the sidewalk?" Doc and I looked at 10K in shock to which he responded, "What?"

Doc answered for me, "That is the most words I ever heard come out of your soundhole, kid." We all laughed at that as we continued to have at our playful banter.

"To Murphy. You may be the mission. But today you became our friend. Thank you. We all murmured our agreement. He wasn't so bad after all, he came back for us so that has to count for something, doesn't it?