Lily Clark

Otiose

There were six of them this time; each filling a certain trope I’ve seen a hundred times over. I sighed openly when I saw a glimpse of them through the crowd. Jesus, it’s like they came out of a factory. 

They ran practically single file, just a few feet ahead of the front line of our mob — constantly stumbling clumsily over debris and glancing back at us with frightened faces and yelling uselessly. I watched as the Macho Guy spun around and spat a round of bullets into the mob in a stupid attempt to slow us down, which did completely and absolutely nothing. We were already moving at a snail’s pace, but they weren’t much faster. 

The Scientist rushed to cover his ears at the loud sound, tripping over his feet and shooting a glare at the clump of muscle next to him. But before he could deliver a snarky comment, the Asshole roughly shoulder checked him as he sprinted past, beelining for a parked pickup. He nearly ripped the rusty door off its hinges, jumping inside and yelling at the Old Guide to hurry the hell up and throw him the keys. One of us broke from the hoard as they all clambered onto the truck’s bed, freshly turned and still fast on his working legs, and quickly closed the distance between him and the cast. 

He was barely a step away from the Chick, currently hoisting the Orphaned Child up onto the blood-stained vehicle, assisted by the trembling hand of the Scientist. We all watched with bated breath as our brother lunged with his jaw unhinged; his teeth mere inches away from the skin of her shoulder, before a shot of steel was blasted right through his skull, splattering brains onto the mortified face of the poor woman. I saw a chunk of something drip into her open mouth. Her shriek rang clear through the air, sounding perfectly identical to a trashy slasher movie sound byte. I wondered if she had worked in showbiz before the world fell apart. She certainly looked the part: long blonde hair and red lips and pristine makeup even in the middle of the apocalypse. I chuckled a hoarse rasp at the thought of her patching herself up in between action sequences. 

Her hero, big ol’ Macho, pulled her flush to his side with one swollen arm and ordered the Asshole to “Drive!” in a booming voice, pointing his free hand to the distance like some knight directing his noble steed. And then they were off, crunching our fallen brother’s skull under their tire with a wet splat and leaving us in the dust. 

Of course we tried to keep up with them, but very soon we lost spirit as we lost sight of them — out of sight, out of mind. We were quiet for a long moment, like we were waiting for them to suddenly have a change of heart and turn around and drive right into our hungry mouths. But they didn’t, so we began to disperse — wandering aimlessly around the broken city in search of something to occupy ourselves with. Some of us returned to our posts in dark corners inside quiet buildings; some joined other smaller mobs, patrolling the streets and moving together as one single body; and others settled to just stand where they were, broken husks swaying from leg to bloody leg along the city pavement. I opted for the first option.

My post was in a dark alleyway, where there was a hole blasted into one of the brick walls. It fit my stature perfectly; the jagged clay forming a perfect mold for me to stand in, allowing me to remain completely veiled by the shadows for days on end. I was so hidden, in fact, no human could make me out.

Enter these two bozos.

They slithered their way into the secluded alley, constantly swiveling their heads for danger and breathing hard. It had been nearly three days since we had that encounter with the cast; I’d figured they had made their way out of the city. But, no, of course they hadn’t — and now two of them had snuck off to play hooky. I tried not to groan, lest I made my presence known. 

A lesser zombie would’ve sprang at them as soon as they appeared, and would’ve caused them to scatter — but I know how to bide my time. I know how to wait for the perfect moment. In fact, I’ve been waiting patiently for the perfect moment practically my whole second life — the moment I’ll make my consciousness known, for when humankind has finally brewed up a cure. I’ve been waiting a long time.

Once they deemed the coast was clear, they moved deeper into the alley and positioned themselves practically right in front of me, completely ignorant a hungry Zombie was currently staring them down. Now that I could see them clearly, they looked to be the Scientist and the Chick, huddling together and talking in hushed voices.

“How do we know it even works?” She questioned. 

“Uh— We’ll know once one of ‘em gets bit — then I’ll inject them, and we’ll just wait and see what happens, I guess.”

“This is so stupid.” She covered her face with her hands. “This is so stupid.”

“Maybe.” They were quiet for a while. The Scientist rummaged in his cargo pants’ pockets, pulling out a vial of clear liquid. “But I think it’s a worthy sacrifice.”

Then it clicked in my rotten brain, and I watched with disconnected horror as my cold hand reached out from the shadows and grabbed the vial right from his grasp. They both immediately turned to me and screamed, their combined voices echoing through the alley and to the city streets like a dinner bell. I didn’t care. What I cared about was what I was currently holding. 

It was like ice in my already freezing fingers; seeping all the way to my bones. This was it. This, right here, is what I’ve been waiting for — ever since I took that God-forsaken drug all those years ago — ever since I lost control of my body — ever since I bit that first person. 

A smile spread across my face. Well, as close to a smile as it could get, what with rotten lips and a broken jaw. This could fix everything; this could fix me. My brothers and sisters. Humanity. I just needed to talk to these people.

I opened my mouth, and the barrel of a handgun was shoved inside. The Chick pulled the trigger.

“Oh my God, ew,” Amy watched as the zombie’s body crumpled to the ground. “I didn’t even see it hiding in there.”

Ray crouched and plucked the antidote from its cold paws. “Let's go, before the rest arrive.”