spaghetti strap tank top and jean shorts were intact and barely stained. Its medium ginger hair remained braided on either side of its head. Lonnie studied it for another second, deciding whether it was Katie Gray from study hall freshman year or not. He couldn’t be sure.
When he stood up he noticed Rowan staring at him with a gaping mouth and wet eyes. “If you had pulled the trigger two things would of happened. One—that she-beast from hell would of sank her teeth right into ya. Wanna know why?”
Rowan didn’t give any indication that he heard a word Lonnie said. Tears continued to build up in his eyes until they spilled over the brim and down his tanned cheeks, one of which was streaked with the blood of the woman lying dead on the ground at his feet.
“Because you were aimin’ for the bitch’s chest. You gotta aim for their heads. Only way to take ‘em down. At least, that’s what I’ve found.” Lonnie paused to see if Rowan would acknowledge the wisdom he was imparting on him—a nod of the head, some word of agreement—but the man stood frozen like a deer in headlights. “And two, you shootin’ off that gun only woulda drew more of the fuckers out, no doubt. We woulda been surrounded and then we’d both been dead.”
Lonnie folded the knife in half and shoved it back into the pocket of his jeans. He stood with his hands on his hips, his shadow cast over the body on the ground. A dark stream of thick, black blood oozed out from the wound in its head.
Could it even be considered a woman anymore? He bent down and ran a hand over the cool skin on its exposed arm. There was no way she could be that cold if she’d only died a moment ago at Lonnie’s hands. She’d been dead to begin with. He picked up the arm and moved it around in his hands. When he bent it at the elbow, there was very little give and the joint cracked under the pressure, already in the throes of decay and rigor mortis. What the hell was she? It was like the goddamn zombie apocalypse finally decided to rear its ugly head, but why Chesterton, Indiana? How did it all start? Was the whole world suffering from it?
He leaned over and peeled back the woman’s lips to reveal her teeth. They didn’t look any different from any other person’s, except they were stained red with blood and there were pieces of human flesh caught in between a few of them.
“Careful!” Rowan said as he snapped out of his daze. He took a step toward Lonnie with his arms out. “Don’t touch her. She’s sick or something. You might catch it.”
“Relax, will ya?” Lonnie said as he stood up again.
Rowan’s eyes were focused, but his mind was elsewhere, trying to make sense of what just happened. Lonnie knew the look. He saw it countless times in boot camp during uniform inspections on the faces of scared boys who tried to answer questions while a Sergeant First Class was inches from their noses, staring them in the eyes.
“When I was at my post, all people could talk about was this new flu,” Lonnie said carefully. He left out the part about his post being training.
“That’s right. You’re in the Army, aren’t you? I remember you saying something about it last night.”
“Yeah. Anyway. This could be that.”
Rowan nodded his head and clenched his jaw together. “I really don’t see any other explanation. Does that mean we can get it without any contact with them? Is it airborne?”
Lonnie hooked his thumbs through the belt loops of his jeans and shrugged his shoulders, the AR-15 strap pulled tight against his chest as the rifle rested on his back. There was no telling how the shit spread or if they were already infected or not. Only time would tell. All Lonnie did know was that it wasn’t safe in the open. They had to find shelter, and fast. Once night fell it would be a whole new hunting ground. They would be sitting ducks waiting to be roasted for dinner.
“Let’s find somewhere to hide out, ride it out, and see how we’re
When he stood up he noticed Rowan staring at him with a gaping mouth and wet eyes. “If you had pulled the trigger two things would of happened. One—that she-beast from hell would of sank her teeth right into ya. Wanna know why?”
Rowan didn’t give any indication that he heard a word Lonnie said. Tears continued to build up in his eyes until they spilled over the brim and down his tanned cheeks, one of which was streaked with the blood of the woman lying dead on the ground at his feet.
“Because you were aimin’ for the bitch’s chest. You gotta aim for their heads. Only way to take ‘em down. At least, that’s what I’ve found.” Lonnie paused to see if Rowan would acknowledge the wisdom he was imparting on him—a nod of the head, some word of agreement—but the man stood frozen like a deer in headlights. “And two, you shootin’ off that gun only woulda drew more of the fuckers out, no doubt. We woulda been surrounded and then we’d both been dead.”
Lonnie folded the knife in half and shoved it back into the pocket of his jeans. He stood with his hands on his hips, his shadow cast over the body on the ground. A dark stream of thick, black blood oozed out from the wound in its head.
Could it even be considered a woman anymore? He bent down and ran a hand over the cool skin on its exposed arm. There was no way she could be that cold if she’d only died a moment ago at Lonnie’s hands. She’d been dead to begin with. He picked up the arm and moved it around in his hands. When he bent it at the elbow, there was very little give and the joint cracked under the pressure, already in the throes of decay and rigor mortis. What the hell was she? It was like the goddamn zombie apocalypse finally decided to rear its ugly head, but why Chesterton, Indiana? How did it all start? Was the whole world suffering from it?
He leaned over and peeled back the woman’s lips to reveal her teeth. They didn’t look any different from any other person’s, except they were stained red with blood and there were pieces of human flesh caught in between a few of them.
“Careful!” Rowan said as he snapped out of his daze. He took a step toward Lonnie with his arms out. “Don’t touch her. She’s sick or something. You might catch it.”
“Relax, will ya?” Lonnie said as he stood up again.
Rowan’s eyes were focused, but his mind was elsewhere, trying to make sense of what just happened. Lonnie knew the look. He saw it countless times in boot camp during uniform inspections on the faces of scared boys who tried to answer questions while a Sergeant First Class was inches from their noses, staring them in the eyes.
“When I was at my post, all people could talk about was this new flu,” Lonnie said carefully. He left out the part about his post being training.
“That’s right. You’re in the Army, aren’t you? I remember you saying something about it last night.”
“Yeah. Anyway. This could be that.”
Rowan nodded his head and clenched his jaw together. “I really don’t see any other explanation. Does that mean we can get it without any contact with them? Is it airborne?”
Lonnie hooked his thumbs through the belt loops of his jeans and shrugged his shoulders, the AR-15 strap pulled tight against his chest as the rifle rested on his back. There was no telling how the shit spread or if they were already infected or not. Only time would tell. All Lonnie did know was that it wasn’t safe in the open. They had to find shelter, and fast. Once night fell it would be a whole new hunting ground. They would be sitting ducks waiting to be roasted for dinner.
“Let’s find somewhere to hide out, ride it out, and see how we’re
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