Don't Talk To Strangers | BOOK 1

nine

Elle McBriar

July 21st, 4 months and 9 days after the first zombie report

I was shocked, to say the least.

An actual human corpse, laying dead in the middle of the road. I know it's not a zombie because the skin isn't crisp white. There's no scratches, indents or bruises on the skin.

Except for the gaping hole in the humans stomach. I glanced over it, using my shirt as a cover for my nose and mouth. It smells disgusting. I heard the car door open, "Don't come over here. At least not with Riley." I called back.

My hands were shaking. I touched the skin, still warm. Squeezing my eyes shut, I calmed my nerves. This person was still alive not long before we arrived. I didn't recognise who it was because the face was completely mangled. Eyes were closed and scratched over, nose was broken and bloody.

The teeth were gone, leaving a bloody gap in the mouth. Hair, burnt off. Scalp, charred.

"Oh my God." I whispered, letting out a soft cry.
"Elle, what is it?" I heard Alex's voice. I didn't even care, I jumped into his arms. Well, I fell. His arms quickly circled around my waist, concern laced in his voice.

"What? What happened, why are you crying?" He asked. I shook my head, leaning my forehead against his shirt. He smelt like wood smoke and mens' deoderant. 

I pulled away, wiping at my eyes, "This person was alive. Their skin is still warm I-" I choked on my tears, "If we could've gotten here any sooner, oh God, w-we could've saved them." 

Alex held my shoulders, "Hey, no. You can't think like that, Elle. This is a warzone. We are literally fighting a war. Who knows if we'll win. Flesh eating zombies against four silly humans? You tell me the odds." 

"I know the odds, Alex. But what if there's more people out there, I-, what if they-"
"There's not. We've searched this place a thousand times. Putting up paper with our address on it, we've used a megaphone to call out to people. I don't know where this person came from, but I can assure you, there's no one else." 

I nodded my eyes, his words sinking in. It's just a coincidence. "It doesn't make sense though." "What doesn't?" He asked, I walked back over to the corpse, kneeling down so my knees touched the gravel, "This cut, this slice in the skin, is man made. Zombie's can't even walk straight, h-how did cut, happen?" 

Alex smirked, "How do you know all this?" I shrugged, "Lots of criminal minds and just, crime shows." I smiled back, "Well I can tell you now, this was done by a thick metal object, a ragged pole maybe?" "How do you know?" He pointed to the bloody skin, a jagged egde, "A knife couldn't cut this deep to reach the bone. The way the skin is teared, makes it look like it was dragged backwards." Alex's voice trailed off, he bent down next to me, "It's almost like this person was impaled with something and it was dragged down their body."

It was my turn to be impressed, "Was your Dad a cop?" I asked, he smirked, "I was studying forensics at college. I learned a little something." 

Still, I couldn't stop the shivers from crawling down my back, "We should go. The zombies might back for the insides." Alex said, pulling me up from the ground.

I dusted off my knees, following closely behind him.

* * * 

As we continued on our drive, I was silent. I couldn't stop thinking back to the human in the road. The body was still warm, I can't help but shake the feeling that we could've saved it. 

Tears threatened to fall every time, but I blinked them away. 

Eventually I forgot about it, seeing the same old buildings and scenery whizz past me.

"Where's this grocery store you told us about, Elle?" Alex asked, looking at me, "Uh, it was in the little sqaure, a couple blocks away from time's square. It's hidden, we have to walk." 

He nodded, turning a corner, "I know where you're talking about."

And like the other day, I was back in the same place. Closing and locking the van door, I slipped my hands into my back pocket, looking up at the ruble. 

"It's uh, right through here." I pointed, leading the way. Riley was on Alex's hip, his face buried into Alex's shoulder. I ducked under a wooden ledge, gripping the edge so I didn't trip over the uneven roads.

There was a clearing, with broken glass scattered everywhere. My nostrils started to burn as I smelt the familiar scent of rotting flesh. Zombies.

"There's a Walmart, and a pharmacy. Just through here." I nodded between the trees, showing Alex the path between it. I took the lead, feeling the twigs snap under my feet. I got smacked in the face with a branch and attacked by bugs but I whacked them away, hearing Alex's loud laughter echo in my ears.

We got to the place, my eyes adjusting to the bright light of mid-afternoon sun after climbing through bushes. I whacked at the trees, adjusting the sleeves on my shirt.

"What are we here for again?" I asked, turning to Alex.
"Anything for this little guy, baby formula, wipes, diapers, clothes. We have everything so far, but eventually we'll run out." He shrugged.

I smiled, "Hey, it's a free country now. We can take what we want."

Do you ever have those dreams as a kid, where you can take anything you want, it's free, and you don't feel guilty? I had those dreams. I dreamed I was in a candy store with my little brother and we would take pockets full of lollipops, twizzlers and green apple ropes and just leave.

It felt great, you know. To feel that power, feel it surge through you like adrenaline. I felt indestructible. Which to me, was great. Because I wasn't the most popular kid in my grade, so having this sudden dream of doing whatever I wanted without getting caught, felt great!

But now, that the worlds ending, it doesn't feel quite like a dream. I know it's reality and it's tough because there was so much I wanted to do before I died. Go to Paris, jump off a sky tower, have kids, get married. And now I can't do that.

But every time I take something I didn't pay for, or shoot a zombie in the head, I feel bad. And I can't put my finger on why. The guilt literally eats at me and all I want to do is crawl up in a ball and hope to God I'm dreaming. But I'm not. I haven't had my anxiety pills in almost 5 months.

And I think it's finally catching up to me...

I close my journal, slipping my pen into the spiral as I hook it under my arm.

Alex was strapping Riley in the van after we finished our few hours of 'shopping'. I was sitting on the roof, getting tan and also sweating my tits off. I slid down, opening the passenger door and climbing inside, the backs of my thighs sticking to the leather seats.

Well, that's one thing that hasn't changed. My thighs stick to the car and the seat belt metal still burns every time I touch it.

Talk about nostalgia.

* * * 

heyyy

hope you're enjoying this story so far :))

this chapter was a little bit boring but i PROMISE it's just leading up to something HUGE

happy reading :)