Zombies (10 page)

“Is that all?  That sounds like a cake walk.”

“If there was only a few of them, you are right.  But I can assure you, there will be thousands of zombies before the end of the week.  After that, a crisis of epic proportions will emerge; and then our only hope will be survival.”

“
What is the worst case scenario?” asked Michael.

“They eat everything alive
, including us if they can get their hands on us.”

“I would think this would be the time to work your magic,” said Michael.

“It is too late for that.  The battle is now in the flesh, and that’s what we will have to train for.”

“So you are saying that your powers have left you?” asked Michael.

“That’s exactly what I am saying.  Unfortunately we are now on our own.  You and I will have to launch the attack, and our only weapons are crude at best.”

“That stinks.  Was this my fault?” asked Michael.

“No, the buck stops here.  Now I have to figure out a way to fix it without divine intervention.”

“So I was right
.  You were an angel and now your wings have been clipped,” said Michael.

“I hate to burst your bubble, but I never had my wings.  And from the lo
oks of things, I never will.  I should have never let the professor out of my sight.  Okay, we have our work cut out for us.  We just as well become prepared for the worst.”

“I want my weapon, preferably a gun,” said Michael.

“They are in the closet; but I must warn you, the Samaria sword is the best choice,” said Angelica.

“You take the sword and I will take the gun.”

“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Angelica.

“I have been shooting guns since I was knee high to a grasshopper.  I know how to use one.”

“Oh, I do not doubt it.  But, what will you do when you run out of bullets.  When you have depleted your ammunition, the Samaria sword will keep swinging and swinging my friend,” said Angelica.

“There are plenty of bullets in here.  I’d say there are at least a couple hundred.”

“I know and then what?” asked Angelica, cocking her eyes.

“Shoot
, girl, don’t tell me we will need more than that.  Won’t anybody else be taking out the zombie?”

“I already explained
it to you.  There will likely be only a few survivors; and if we are lucky, we will be among them,” said Angelica.

“Aren’t you the optimist?  I find all this hard to believe.”

“Have I ever lied to you?” asked Angelica.

“
Not yet.  But now that you aren’t an angel, things have changed.”  He stared at the beautiful girl and once again his eyes began to wander.  This time the gesture returned a smile.  Being surprised by her response, the young man became more than a tad nervous.

“What’s the matter
, big boy?  Can’t handle me now?”

“I will manage,” he replied with a squeaky voice.  She laughed while shaking her head.  Michael nervously took a seat beside her to begin the research for a solution. 
Soon he realized they were just wasting time.  “There is no solution is there?”

“Not unless we can find the zombies before they spread the infectious parasites.  Once it becomes an epidemic
, our only hope is to kill them all.  But, let me warn you again.  You best not let them latch onto you.  They will have superhuman strength and will eat you alive.”

“Are we safe here?”

“For the time being.  But if they locate us, we will have to go into hiding,” said Angelica.

“Don’t they already know where we are?”

“The demons do, but zombies are brainless, well in a manner of speaking.  After parasites completely take over their brain, they act like mindless beast with an appetite for flesh,” said Angelica, taking in a deep breath.  “Once infected by the parasite, there is no cure and the brain continues to deteriorate.  Finally it reaches the point to where the zombie is only interested in eating the brains of humans.  They leave the rest of the body for zombies that haven’t reached the final stage.”

“What about the people that have just been infected?  What are their symptoms?” asked Michael.

“You can hardly recognize them, so don’t trust anybody until you determine whether or not they are turned.”

“
Then there is no way to tell is there?” asked Michael.

“Evil is difficult to disguise, so watch their actions.  If they are being turned
, it will show up within a couple of days.”

“It could be too late by then.  What if they infect us while we are trying to figure out if we should kill them?” asked Michael.

“They won’t be able to infect anybody until the zombie stage hits them.  By then you will know for certain.  But even before that stage they can still harm us, so don’t drop your guard.  Clues will be abundant if you pay attention.”

“That sounds like a horror movie.” 

The smile on his face disturbed his companion.  “This is not a game, Michael.  It’s very serious and our worst nightmare is coming to pass.”

“I am sorry
, but this is hard to believe.  Don’t take this wrong, but I will have to see it first,” said Michael.

“You will get your wish soon enough,” said Angelica.  The expression on her face indicated she was serious.  He slowly approached the closet to
retrieve another sword.  Armed with a 9mm sig Sauer, limited ammo, and a primitive sword, Michael waited for the enemy to show up.  “Relax, Michael.  It will probably be days before they come here.  In fact, that is why I chose this cabin.  We are secluded out here, yet close enough to campus in the event we need to go there.”  This reminded them of the professor.  Being overtaken with sadness, they both wondered what was happening to their friend.  Soon they were forced to push aside those thoughts and focus on the task at hand.

“It’s a matter of survival now
, isn’t it?” asked Michael.

“At least you listened to that part.  Now let’s see how long we can last,” said Angelica.

“Hey, I am not planning on giving up that easy.  We are in this to win, remember?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.  Now sit beside me while I show you something,” said Angelica. 

“What about the touching thing?” asked Michael, jokingly.

“Forget about all that
now.  We are both human and subject to becoming zombie bait.”  This pleased Michael before the gravity of the situation jolted him back to reality.  Then he wondered if having a beautiful friend was worth the price.  Yes, she was human now and subject to the same carnal feelings as him, but what sort of life awaited them?  Yet, she was very attractive and built like a model.  Without warning, those thoughts were interrupted.  “Only if we fall in love.  Otherwise, the answer is no,” said Angelica. 

Startled by the out
-of-the-blue statement, Michael attempted to figure out what she was inferring.  Unable to make any sense of it, he decided to just ask her.  “What in the heck are you talking about?”

“What in the heck were
you
thinking
about?” she asked, smiling. 

Then i
t hit him like a ton of bricks.  “You can still read my mind?”

“That was easy
, Michael.  You are a guy and you have been hitting on me from day one.  While I couldn’t allow you to think about me in that way in the beginning, things have changed.” 

There was a shocked look on his face.  Many thoughts raced through his mind
, and the change pleased him.  But, he needed to make sure it was okay to have those thoughts without repercussions.  “So does that mean I can think anything I please and not get in trouble with the big guy?” asked Michael.

“You w
on’t get in trouble with him, but don’t let that go to your head.  At the moment, we are just friends; and unless we fall in love, it will go no further,” said Angelica.

“I can accept that.  You will fall for me
, if we stay shacked up here long enough,” said Michael, glancing around the primitive dwelling.

“Why do you see the need to make it sound like that?  Love doesn’t have to be physical to be beautiful.  What happens when you get old?  If love is based
purely on the physical appearance, you will no longer be in love with the person.”

“Try me,” said Michael.  She shook her head, realizing Michael was like any
other typical male his age.  While she was attempting to teach him the true meaning of love, she wasn’t sure they would live that long.  That thought caused her to laugh.  “What’s so funny now?  Was it something I said?”

“No, actually it was something I was thinking,” replied Angelica.
 

While he chose not to pursue this train of thought, he did have something else on his mind.  “I’m g
etting hungry,” he said, staring at his friend.

“What are you telling me for?  I
’m not your wife,” said Angelica.

“You may want to get used to the idea.  After all
, we may be the only survivors after the zombies take over.”

“There is nothing written that says we have to get married, ever.  It’s a choice,” said Angelica.  “Besides, who would want to bring a child into the world in the middle of this crisis?”

“Hey, I didn’t say anything about children,” said Michael.

“Then what would you need a wife for?” 
After noticing him dropping his head, she added, “That’s what I thought.  You only have personal reasons for wanting me.”

Jumping to his own defense, Michael retorted,
“That’s not true.”  Taking a deep breath, he asked, “Besides, you have those feelings too, don’t you?”

“No, not at the moment.  My biggest concern is finding a way to fix my mistake.”

“Then why did you want me to kiss you on the cheek last night?  What was that all about?” asked Michael. 

Suddenly the
ir conversation was interrupted.  “Listen!  What was that?” asked Angelica, looking as if her ears had picked up some sort of activity near the cabin. 

Immediately Michael ran toward the window to look outside.
  “I don’t see anything.”  The shrewd young lady shrugged her shoulders, having used that ploy to avoid answering his question.  Now she had before her a better distraction.  As her eyes scanned the computer screen in front of her, she began voicing concerns over the material being displayed.  “This situation has all the classic signs of the end of time.”  There was a chill in the air and Michael froze in his tracks.

“Then why do we even try?  If this is it, then we have no hope in surviving,” said Michael.

“I didn’t say this was the end, only that it has all the classic signs.  I could be wrong.”

“If you are wrong about that, could you also be wrong about the zombies?” asked Michael.

“No, that is already in the works.  You saw for yourself; and as the situation progresses, it will only get worse.”

“What are we supposed to do now?  Just sit here until they come for us?” asked Michael.

“Okay, if you are so anxious to meet one of those mindless creatures, I will take you to them.”

“When?” asked Michael, excitedly.

“Tomorrow.  Right now I am getting hungry,” she said, staring at her friend.

“What are you telling me for?  I don’t know how to cook.  Besides
, that’s your job,” said Michael.

Furious with his inference that cooking was woman’s work, she blasted,
“Why?  Because I am a woman?” Maybe she was right; but then again, it could be because neither of them could cook.

“I will do it while you finish the research,” said Michael
, reluctantly.  After plundering through the cabinets, he came up with the only combination that sounded feasible, especially with his limited expertise.

“Thankfully we have a stove
.  So why couldn’t we have running water?” mumbled Michael.

Looking up from her work,
she peered into the kitchen area.  “What did you say?” asked Angelica unable to hear him clearly.

“Nothing
.  Carry on with you research.”  He fumbled around with the daunting task until he finally had it working in his favor.  However, a few minutes later the cabin began to fill with smoke, forcing them to both run out of the cabin.  Staring at the smoke bellowing from humble dwelling, they both attempted to figure out what went wrong.

“What in the heck was that all about?” asked Angelica, coughing.

“I have no idea.  All I did was turn on the oven,” said Michael. 

H
olding her breath, Angelica ran back inside to return moments later carrying a pan that was on fire.  She quickly tossed it into the nearby stream.  Once the flames died down, she turned to stare at Michael with beady eyes.

“Well I don’t know how to cook and neither do you,” said Michael.

“I can do better than this.  Besides, we could have eaten the leftovers if you hadn’t burned them,” said Angelica.