The Zombie Chronicles (13 page)

Footsteps echoed behind me a moment before Claire and Jackie appeared and Claire’s hand wrapped around my upper arm.

“
What’s going on?” Jackie whispered.

I shook my head, signaling that I had no clue, and turned my gaze back to Val, who was still regarding a can as though it was a famous painting hanging in an art museum.

“
Are you trying to memorize the ingredients or something?” Claire asked, her voice oozing with sarcasm. “Surely you’re not counting calories now, are you?”

In one swift move, Val lunged at Claire, hissing like some kind of vampire chick in a horror flick. Claire’s arms flew up to protect her face, but Val was stronger. In a single motion, she tossed Claire to the ground and landed on top of her, pinning her to the ground. I had to admit, it kind of freaked me out, almost to the point that I wanted to summon the men in white coats to bring their paddy wagon and lock her up in a straightjacket. After the initial shock, I finally unglued myself from the spot and leapt forward, but Nick was quicker on the draw. He wrapped his arms around her and dragged her up in an iron grip as she kicked and screamed.

“
She’s trying to kill me!” Claire yelped.

I rolled my eyes. “No, I don’t think so. I think she just didn’t like what you said. If you knew anything about zombies, you’d know to keep your mouth shut rather than provoke their short temper.”

Val’s eyes bulged in her skull, and she looked like a serial killer. “You’ll be the first to go, Claire! You didn’t watch my back, so now I’m going to eat yours.”

Nick held her tight and I was thankful for that.

Claire gasped, hiding behind me. “She’s mad, freaking crazy! Get that monster away from me,” she chanted over and over again. “Get her away!”

“
She’s not a monster,” I whispered.
“…yet,”
I wanted to add but didn’t.

“
My gosh! It’s like she’s possessed or something,” Claire said.

“
Okay, okay. I’m fine! Let me go,” Val said quietly. She had stopped struggling and seemed reasonable again, but I didn’t trust the sudden calmness.

“
You sure?” Nick asked.

She nodded, her gaze sweeping over Claire, and for a moment I thought I saw a flicker in her eyes. I wanted to shout at Nick to watch out when he pulled away a few inches. Like a wild beast, Val lunged forward again, her hands cutting through the air inches from my face. Claire buried her face in my shoulder, and her hands clutched the shirt at my lower back.

“
What’s wrong with you?” Nick said through gritted teeth, grabbing hold of Val again. “I trusted you, and you’re acting like a psycho again. Calm down, Val!”

I smacked my tongue and peeled Claire off my shirt, and then I shot my brother a look. “You can’t trust a zombie. Wasn’t that the first lecture you ever taught me? Funny that you’d forget it now.”

“
I’m not a zombie,” Val hissed. “I’m just a girl on a mission.”

Yeah, right…the mission of eating a friend.
I flashed my beam in her eyes and then gave Nick a sideways glance.

“
What?” he asked.

“
Her irises are dilated, her eyes bloodshot. The skin on her forehead is beginning to crack.”

“
The virus is kicking in,” Nick said. “She doesn’t mean to act like a maniac. I hate to tell you this, but it’s only gonna get worse, so you’d better get used to it.” He pushed Val past us. His knuckles had turned white where his fingers had sliced into her arms.

She struggled, her legs tangling with his, making it impossible to inch forward.

“
Move it, Val,” he whispered, “or I swear I’ll tie you up and drag you out of here. You won’t like that little trip through the express lane. Trust me.”

“
How are we going to get her back in the Jeep?” I asked.

“
She’ll either cooperate, or else I’ll knock her out using pressure points.”

Val hissed and spat but didn’t argue. Slowly, she began to take one pace at a time.

When I heard a growl that wasn’t coming from my nearly zombified sister, my senses kicked in on full alert. I shined my light around until the beam fell on a pair of glowing yellow eyes that came out of the darkness. “Nick!” I yelled. “Zombie housewife at three o’clock!”

“
Shit!” Nick whispered.

I squinted to get a better glimpse as I swung the beam around so I could catch any attack.
The zombie inched forward, then stopped and bent forward, allowing us a glimpse beneath her dirty white robe. I smirked and moved my gaze from her naked legs to the bulging red veins covering her face. Val’s words echoed in my ears, and I wondered if she’d been talking to that half-dressed zombie, advising it to throw on some clothes, but I had no time to ponder her strange comment. The zombie moved again. Slowly, she knelt to the ground and picked up the piece of meat Val had tossed away, then started to lick the spoiled steak in a bloodthirsty frenzy, like a starving stray dog.

Val slapped her forehead. “That’s sick! I can’t believe that’s going to be me in less than a day!”

“
Put that thing out of its misery please,” I said.

Nick aimed his gun and shot Mrs. Zombie in the head.

She fell straight back and landed in a large display of macaroni and cheese boxes.

“
Will you shoot me too?” Val asked sweetly. “You did just shoot my sister, in a sense. I mean, we’re all part of the same happy meat-eating zombie family, right?”

“
Stop talking like that!” Nick said through gritted teeth.

She grabbed my collar and shook me, her unnaturally shiny eyes piercing into mine. “What’s it like to have a zombie for a sister?” she asked.

I set my jaw and forced myself to stare at her.
What am I supposed to say? The truth? That it completely sucks?
Whatever my brain came up with, it wouldn’t be good enough, and I knew it sure wouldn’t change anything. “It’s not fun—no fun at all! Especially when she breaks into stores at night in the middle of Zombie Land.” It was hard to see any life behind those eyes of hers. I was losing her after just so recently finding her, and that hurt me more than anything. “Try and think straight, Val! We gotta go, big sister.”

“
Big? So now I’m fat, huh?”

“
No way!” I shook my head.

“
I don’t want to become a zombie,” she said sadly, knocking over another display, sending several red and white cans to the floor. “Mmm, mmm, good,” she mocked, looking at them. “I’m not really into brains as a delicacy,” Val said.

Her thoughts were all over the place, and I realized I needed to keep her focused. “You won’t be a zombie forever, Val. I’ve got the cure, remember?” My voice remained calm, but inside I was shaking like a leaf in the wind, hoping that what I was telling her was true.

“
You do? Why didn’t you just say so?” She yawned. “I’m so tired. What’s your name again?”

“
I’m your brother, Dean.”

“
And I’m your other brother, Nick. Now come on, sis. I have a nice blanket and pillow waiting for you in the Jeep,” Nick coaxed softly. “Let’s go.”

“
Okay.” She leaned forward as though to hug me.

Nick grabbed her arm to put a few inches between us.

If she noticed, she didn’t comment on it. She simply said, “Dean and Nick, I love you guys so much. I couldn’t ask for better brothers.”

I prayed to God she wouldn’t bite me while my guard was down. “It’s gonna be okay. I promise.”

“
Why are we here? In a grocery store of all places?” Val asked, as if she had just snapped back into reality. “Are you guys that hungry? Didn’t we take enough food from that glass house?”

“
I’m not hungry at all,” I said, pushing her forward as gently as I could. Luckily, she began to move.

“
Then why are we here?” she asked.

 “
Well, you hightailed it off the freeway to take us on some kind of midnight tour of this place,” I said. “I figured maybe you were looking for a fast-food drive-thru.”

“
I’m losing my mind. You better not let me drive again. I’m so sorry, guys. I-I just don’t know what’s happening to me.” She squeezed my hand and then let it go, as though she didn’t trust herself any more than I trusted her. In the very next second, she yelled, “Get away from me! Who are you? I’m not going anywhere with you!”

In an instant, Claire pressed her stun gun on Val’s arm, sending my sister crumbling to the ground on jellied legs. “Sorry for zapping your sister and all, but I think we need to get outta here,” Claire said.

“
It’s okay. She was out of control.” I scooped her up and realized she was burning up.

Nick shined the light down. “She’s out cold. Let’s get her back into the Jeep.”

We barely moved a few steps before zombie groans came from our right.

Jackie gripped my hand. “We’ve got company, and I don’t think they’re here for this week’s sales.” In spite of her attempt at infusing humor, I could feel her rigidity.

“
This isn’t good!” Claire said.

“
Don’t worry,” Jackie said. “Val gave me a gun, so we’ll be okay.”

“
I hope you’re right,” Claire said. She peeked around an aisle, then gasped.

I followed her line of vision, and my own breath caught in my throat. “There’re so many of them. That gun of yours better be a dead aimer…and I mean that literally.”

We moved forward at a snail’s pace, careful not to draw any unwanted attention. About twenty zombies stumbled around aimlessly, knocking over boxes and cans as they rummaged through the stock, looking for any kind of raw meat.

We were almost halfway down the hall when a zombie’s gaze fell upon me. I forced myself to remain calm, even though my whole body screamed to run. “Nick!” I nudged by brother harder than intended. “We’re outnumbered. How are we ever gonna get out of here?”

Nick felt his pocket and then whipped out his silver lighter. “I saw the party section two aisles over. Go get some balloons. I’ll grab some flour and a—”

“
Balloons? This isn’t a party, Nick!” Claire said. “This is our lives.”

 
I met Nick’s gaze, because I knew exactly what he was trying to do. “A flour bomb will make a great distraction,” I whispered.

“
Oh,” Claire said.

“
I’ll be right back.” Without waiting for an answer, I darted a few aisles over, flashing my light on the overhanging signs until I found the party supplies. It was somewhat of a relief to know that it would likely not be inhabited with too many zombies, since they didn’t seem interested in things like whistles and candles. I turned left and started frantically looking. I saw party hats and horns, which I shoved aside. Then there, beneath the wrapping paper and four-packs of kazoos, I saw the balloons in all their latex glory. Just as I snagged a package of multicolored ones off the shelf, a zombie’s hand burst through the shelf opening from the other side, grabbing my arm and
startling me.
My gun clattered to the floor, next to a cellophane bag of broken plastic forks.

Through the shining beam of my flashlight, I looked through the gap in the party supplies, and I saw its white, lifeless, hungry eyes. My heart lurched. I knew if the thing broke my skin, I’d be in as much trouble as Val. I tried to wiggle my hand free, but it had amazing strength and just tightened its grip,
pulling while rattling the shelf. I feared it might draw the attention of the other undead late-night shoppers, but my main concern was freeing my arm without sustaining a wound. I
prayed it wouldn’t scratch or bite me with its jagged teeth, because I knew
that would be more fatal than any saliva dropping on my skin. With my free hand, I tried to hit it with my flashlight over and over again, until my arm hurt, but still the thing wouldn’t let go.
 

Footsteps rushed behind me, and my heart raced.
How am I supposed to fight while this thing’s got a hold of me?
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Claire
hurrying over
to me, holding her stun gun. I bit my lip hard as she stunned the corpse’s arm. When it released its cold grasp, I yanked my arm free. “Thanks, Claire!”

“
Did it get you?” Claire whispered.

I ran my hands over my arm, fearing that I might find myself in the same nasty predicament as Val. “No blood.” I let out a sigh of relief, then grabbed the balloons off the ground. “Let’s go!”

We sped up the aisle and quickly found the others. Val was still passed out on the floor next to Nick.

Nick had collected the other supplies we’d need to make our homemade flour bombs. He placed a balloon over a silver funnel and filled it halfway with flour. Then he inflated the balloon, tied it, and shook it for thirty seconds. “Let’s get to work!” he said.

We all followed Nick’s example and made a good pile of balloon-bombs. I picked up as many as I could.

“
Our goal is to confuse them, to distract them!” Nick whispered.

We clambered to the top of the shelves and lit the balloons. I threw them like a little kid in a water balloon fight. When they burst, flour spewed everywhere. I coughed from the blanket of white sifting through the air, but our plan seemed to work: The zombies hissed and started to stumble around like big, clumsy idiots, and it looked as if they were completely disoriented.

“
Run now!” yelled Nick, jumping down and scooping up Val.

Nick and Claire darted off ahead of Jackie and me. We were right behind them when an avalanche of cans and boxes tumbled over my head. The shelves had collapsed right down on us, probably from the weight of so many zombies filling the store. I gripped Jackie’s hand tightly, peering through the smog of flour. It appeared as if Nick, Val, and Claire had made it out okay, but I hadn’t.
Murphy’s Law. Go figure.
I glanced helplessly at all the zombies flooding in through the doorway.