His eyes looking into the white glazed ones of this.. this monster.. Every bone, every muscle, every cell, frozen.
The others stay stood, just watching.
Sieun tries pushing Chase to help. Chase, annoyed, hits him with his racket, blood dripping down his head as Sieun falls to his knees crying. The others ignoring it busy in their own internal break down.
Hanna subtly moves away from everyone.
**
"Wait? Alexie?"
Ash points up.
"Woahh!"
My voice wavers in adrenaline.
I skate off an upside down car using it as a ramp. Midway in the air I loose balance of my skateboard.
"Shit shit shit!!" I take a breath then kick my skateboard to the zombie.
Please don't break..
I sigh out then realise I'm also falling into the zombie. I grit my teeth, gripping my racket with two hands. My skateboard hits the back of the zombie then clatters to the floor, throwing its course off Hyun, giving me the perfect angle. A small smirk tugs at my lips. I kick its chest then swing at its head.
CRACK!
The sickening sound echoes through the car park. The zombie's head drops, neck twisted, blood splattered on my face and racket.
I didn't think through the landing though..
"Oh shit.."
I fall onto the zombie my racket lodged in its mouth to prevent me getting bit if it's still alive.
I pant, chest going up and down rapidly.
"Holy shit Alex!"
Chase blurts out completely shocked.
Hanna stops trying to go away and walks over to me.
"Idiot." She mumbles under her breath, she taps the zombie's head to the side with her foot then bends down to tilt my chin up with her finger. "Your reckless."
Her voice flows into my ear.
"I don't want to hear it." I scoff out and pull away, using my racket to help me stand up.
She sighs and steps back.
I turn to the others, expression blank of emotion just exhaustion shown.
"Your all pathetic."
"Alexie what?" Ash looks confused.
"I said your all pathetic. How could you just watch Hyun about to die?"
I pick up my board and put it back in my bag, vertically, it half out again. I sling my bag on my back and stand up.
I let out a sigh.
"And what the hell happened to Sieun?"
It goes quiet, only Sieun's sniffles filling the silence.
Chase looks away.
"Speak Chase."
"I-i-it was an accident, I was scared aswell." He stutters.
SLAP!
He winces, face turned to the side, cheek red.
I raise my hand again making him flinch.
"Look at you, scared of everything..Hm? Scared of zombies, scared of a slap, scared of being useless. Grow up."
"Alex cut him some slack." Yunjin stands beside him.
"Your to blame aswell, you hid behind him and let him hit Sieun. We're a team not enemies or a dictatorship. I learnt it so you learn too."
Hyun puts his hand on my shoulder, helping himself stand up straight while also showing support for my words.
"Thanks." He says practically in a whisper to me.
"Anytime." If I wasn't pissed I would have been going crazy at him talking to me, in a good way of course.
I give him a small smile then turn back to the others.
"Chase give your racket to Sieun."
"What? Why?!" He holds it to his chest.
"Don't trust you with it, and help Sieun up."
"Why should I?"
His voice wavers but his stubbornness keeps him speaking.
"I'm not staying with people who I can't trust."
Honestly I would leave but I want to keep my promise to Hanna first. I guess I could take her and Hyun with me?
"Like it matters if you leave or stay."
He scoffs out but his tough facade shakes showing vulnerability and fear.
Hanna intervenes.
"Chase, she's the reason we're all alive, so if she leaves we're all as good as dead. Alex has got us this far with her ideas and her skills, all herself. All you have done is make things worse. Trust me hitting Sieun made you look more insecure than anything. Stop trying to be the leader your not."
Her voice firm and clear standing beside me.
Chase sighs and gives Sieun the racket.
"Right, sorry.."
Sieun takes it with a weak smile.
"Can we all just forget this happened, I want to survive please.." Sieun says between sniffles, wiping the blood off his head with his sleeve, Chase helping him up.
"He's right, let's move on." Ash speaks up.
I nod, though I am keeping my distance now.
"Anyways, I checked around the car park and there were only a few odd zombies."
"So that means inside might be packed with zombies..?" Yunjin questions.
"Most likely, but the airport is huge, I'm sure some smart people survived and are hiding. Don't trust anyone though."
I wipe the blood off my face.
"Why not?"
"Yunjin how stupid can you get." Ash practically face palms.
"What?! I'm actually asking!"
I sigh.
"Because they could be dangerous."
"How would you know."
"Yun have you seriously never watched a zombie movie before." Ash says like it's criminal.
"I have! But what if their nice?"
"No one is fully 'nice.' Ever. We don't know them and they don't know us."
This conversation is useless.
"You have no heart." She pouts.
Honestly, I can't be bothered to deal with her childish behaviour now. I continue walking ahead Hyun staying by my side.
"We'll walk in pairs, and one trio." I continue walking to the entrance grip on my racket ready to swing.
The others get into pairs behind me and Hyun. Ash with Yunjin, Chase with Sieun. Hanna walks ahead to me and Hyun. No words, she just walks beside us her own racket in hand.
We all walk in silence, tension from before still present. The four behind try joking it off with eachother but they have a clear uncomfortable tone with guilt in their voices.
The occasional zombie groan makes them jump. Hanna tries to stay calm but her breathing is more heavy and shaky. Hyun though seems to be itching to fight.
I continue walking in the middle of Hyun and Hanna, the other four behind.
The sound of dragging feet come closer. Though, I don't tell the others, nor do I stop myself and just continue walking.
I just want to test something..
The zombie comes into my sight, not sure if the others are aware yet.
Come on.. come closer..
The zombie stops and looks up taking a deep breath, if it even can, then as if a trigger went off its head turns to our group. The stare directly only on Sieun.
I got my answer.
The zombies can smell blood and are attracted to it, but what in the blood makes them react..?
I would go deeper in my thoughts if this stupid zombie wasn't now charging straight at Sieun.
Hyun pulls me back and goes himself. quickly going in front of Sieun. He swings the racket.
WHAM!
Straight in the ribs. The zombie stumbles back and groans.
"C-c-careful." Sieun stutters from behind as Ash pulls him back, away from Hyun's swinging range.
Hyun sighs as the zombie drops to the floor. He turns his back to it and starts walking back to me.
"Nice going Hyun." Yunjin praises.
I nod at him.
Hanna mumbles under her breath looking at the dead zombie.
"What was that ..?"
Ash asks.
"The zombie..it's not dead.." She mumbles again.
"What?" Instantly I turn back to see the zombie on all fours about to lunge at me.
Damn it. Do I have enough time to dodge? But if I do it will hit one of the others. Mabye I could try and hit it? But my grip is weak right now. Shit, think Alex, how do you kill a zombie? How did you do it earlier?
Jeez, why am I overthinking.
My body already reacts before my mind catches up. I hit the zombie's chin up with my racket, exposing its neck while reaching in my pocket, fingers scrabbling to grip the knife handle.
Finally.
My fingers curl around the handle then my hand lunges out my pocket stabbing the zombie directing in its exposed neck. Blood splatters everywhere, again, more layers of blood building on my shirt. The zombie falls forward to me right in my shoulder. I wince then lodge my racket in its jaw, kicking it back by the stomach. The body slides across the concrete leaving a blood trail before stopping. Not moving at all.
"Now is it dead?" Yunjin asks still staying back.
"Wait." I walk towards it holding then back with my arm out.
Might aswell test one more thing.
They look confused but let me be.
If I'm right the zombie is still alive.
"Racket." I say back to Hyun who hands me his racket immediately. "Thanks." He nods back.
I grip it and go behind the unconscious zombie.
Mabye it really is dead?
Then the zombie's neck twitches.
Knew it.
It snarls and start getting up, knife embedded in the neck and jaw still locked with my racket.
It's defenseless.
Perfect.
"What the-?" Chase is taken a back, shocked the zombie survived that.
It's as I figured, you can only kill a zombie by bashing their head. Though now I need to see if it's front or back or both.
"Pay attention now. I'm going to show you how to kill a zombie."