Mark Clodi by KATHY

had just completed a marathon. She felt no pain but the muscles throughout her entire body were so stiff and tight that she was forced to hobble along like an old lady. When Nancy reached DTC Boulevard she stopped and hid behind a dumpster so that she could survey the area. The air was full of sounds, ambulance sirens, distant gun shots, explosions, screams. Nancy could see a handful of black shapes staggering in the streets. The dead were still greatly out numbered by the living. However, the chaos was starting, Nancy could see it. Those who fled the buildings first tried to escape using their cars. One accident led to another and as the streets became clogged they had no option but to abandon their vehicles and try their luck on foot. This made it easier for a zombie to find a meal.
    When she looked up into the windows of the tall office buildings that surrounded her Nancy could see bright patches of energy standing there, watching the spectacle unfold below.
    Nancy joined them and watched the action for several hours until her burning hunger finally forced her out of hiding. By this time, the number of dead walking the streets had significantly increased and she decided it was time for her to join them.
    Every where she looked abandoned cars littered the street. She switched over to her special vision. Two blocks away she could see several black figures surrounding two cars that had crashed head on. As the black figures moved around the cars Nancy could see flashes of bright red and orange energy trapped in one of the cars.
    “Yummy” she whispered.
    On her way to the fresh meal Nancy caught her reflection in the back window of a sports utility vehicle. She paused, taking in the sight. Her brown hair was still neatly pulled back into a pony tail and her face looked pale but not too unnatural. She had a few blue veins below her eyes but nothing too extreme. Surprisingly the only aspect of her face that sickened her was how Bob’s blood around her mouth and nose contrasted against her pale skin. Nancy knew what she had done to Bob and yet the sight of his blood on her face caused her to feel nauseous. Perhaps there was still something left living inside of her, some small bit of humanity.
    Her hunger shook Nancy away from any philosophical thoughts she might have hand and took her back to reality. Hunger was stronger than guilt. Nancy looked past her reflection and inside the SUV she saw a tire iron. She opened the back tailgate and grabbed the weapon. Using the back of her sleeve she wiped as much of the drying blood from her face as she could. Nancy even released a few hairs from the pony tail and let them drape about her face the way she had done when she was one of the living.
    With her focus returned Nancy moved toward the two cars. There were three black figures slowly pawing at the windows of the Volkswagen Bug. The zombies, intent on the prize trapped in side, did not notice Nancy’s approach. She strode up behind one of the figures and raised the heavy metal bar. With one quick downward motion she collapsed the zombie’s skull and it fell motionless to the pavement. The other two zombies noticed their fallen comrade and looked at Nancy. They saw her blackness, confused they returned their attention to the person in vehicle. Nancy easily disposed of the other two figures the same way she had the first. Their skulls crumpling under the blows from the tire iron.
    “Thank you!” said a voice from inside the Volkswagen.
    Nancy could see a young woman. She was wearing jeans and a black tank top. On the seat next to her was a pink purse the shape and size of a small bowling bag and the familiar green apron that employees of a local coffee shop wore. The girl had apparently been on her way to work when her world collapsed around her. Nancy wondered how long the girl had been trapped inside the car.
    “Hurry, we’ve got to get out of here before more of those things show up.” Nancy instructed the girl. Her voice