I Am Zombie Bait

Chapter 2

I felt the snow under me begin to melt through my jeans as I sat in the snow, catching my breath. Before I got trapped in a back alley with three undead pedestrians, I was in a store with the rest of the group of survivors. A few people had made the ever so brilliant decision to lead some zoms back to us "by mistake." So off we all went running. And not in a calm fashion either. I'm talking, mad dash to safety in a panic run. It had happened before, it happened this time, and I'd bet my last roll of toilet paper it'd happen again. Eventually, the group would make it's way back to the shop to get the things they'd left behind. If I was quick, I could beat them to it. That was step one of survival, supplies. Can't survive without supplies. Step two was getting away. I had basically been abandoned, so there was no telling what might happen if I came across those people again. Rejoining the group was the last thing I wanted anyway.

To keep a long and frustrating story short, I didn't like the way they worked. They avoided zombies as much as possible, and when they couldn't avoid them, they ran from them. I often spoke up about this, saying we should eliminate any of the small groups of zoms we came across. Even when it was me and my parents we would take down the smaller groups. Sure, my parents would finish them off, but I played my part. Bait is important. But to the group, my opinion didn't mean much, because I was young. And a girl.

Well, now my opinion was the only one I needed. I stood up, not exactly satisfied with my rest but not wanting the wet spot under my butt to get any bigger. The rebar was all bent out of shape, like some piece of art. All bloody and covered in bits of brain tissue, so more like modern art. I tossed it to the side. It wouldn't be much use to me in that condition. Also I didn't think it was a good idea to carry around zombie blood with me. Staying as quiet as I could, I snuck to the entrance of the alley and peeked out. The street looked like any other cliché scene from a zombie movie, all broken vehicles and suspiciously quiet. No zoms in sight at least. A cold gust of wind blew against my face as I glanced back and forth. The snow falling from the sky looked to be getting heavier. That probably wasn't a good sign.

I took off at a brisk jog down the street, keeping close to the buildings next to me, hoping it would make it harder for anything to see me. It wasn't until I reached the end of the block that I saw my first problem. Three to be exact. There were zoms wandering around the next street over. Not too close, but close enough to make me uncomfortable. I could sneak by, but they kept looking my way, like they knew I was there. Or maybe because fate was really trying her hardest to bump me off. I looked around me real quick to see if there was anything I could use nearby. My eyes landed on a trash can, which gave me an idea. I dashed over, looking inside. I nearly cried for joy when I spotted the empty wine bottle. Or actually, the four empty wine bottles. Someone had a good time. I grabbed one and lifted it carefully out, making sure I didn't make any noise. There was a shift in the trash and one bottle clinked against another. My whole body tensed up and I froze, too afraid to look over and see if the noise had gotten the zoms attention. I had to look though, even if I hated it. It was like, hey, let look right into the barrel of this gun before I pull the trigger. There we go, thanks. But when I did look, they were wandering around like they had been before. I felt the sigh leave my body, heavily. Who knew dumpster diving could be so stressful?

I returned to my spot next to the buildings corner, watching the zoms carefully. What I was trying for here was a distraction. Nothing big, just enough for me to get across the street unnoticed. And tossing a wine bottle at a car window would definitely make enough noise for that. Didn't think playing all those zombie video games would be so handy. I took aim carefully, targeting a car a little way down the side street. I held my breath and threw.

I have some special talent. Like no one would ever believe, myself included. Because that bottle landed exactly where I wanted it to. But there was more. Not only did I hit my mark, but the bottle literally bounced off the windshield, not even leaving a scratch. I watched it flip around once before landing, perfectly unharmed, in a small pile of snow, not making a sound.