This Would Be Paradise (Book 2)-A Zombie Novel

Chapter 36

As the group of infected closed in, dread began to settle in my stomach. I ripped off my backpack and rooted around for the extra magazine I had stashed.

"Fuck!"

I fumbled around in the bag before my fingers finally wrapped around it; then I fiddled with the Beretta trying to get the empty magazine to eject, but it was difficult when your fingers were coated in blood. As soon as the empty one clattered to the floor, I jammed the full magazine in just in time to see the first infected drop to the ground in front of me.

It reached towards me and I gave it the honor of receiving the first bullet in my magazine. I cocked the gun and put the barrel right against its forehead, pulling the trigger. Brain matter flew out of both sides of the bullet wound and the thing slumped down with a thud.

"Ugh, gross," I muttered as I wiped away the pieces of brain I had been back splattered with.

A second infected had managed to trip itself on the dead legs of the first one. I aimed at its now floor-level snapping face and shot it at point blank range. While I was occupied with the first two, a third infected had managed to climb underneath the table. It seemed to be in pretty good condition as far as decay went. No limbs were missing or chunks of flesh removed.

It grabbed at my ankle, pulling itself to me. The trail of blood I had brought with me made it easier for the infected to shimmy towards me on its belly. I couldn't help myself; I screamed bloody murder as I used the butt of my gun to bash its head in. The infected just continued to snarl and snap away despite the brain damage I was giving it.

Then as suddenly as the thing had grabbed me, it was gone. The body was pulled backwards, its fingers digging into the linoleum. I watched as a heavy boot come down again and again until the head no longer existed, instead, just pile of pulp. I sat there for a second to get my bearings and gather all the items spilled from my backpack during the frantic search for my spare magazine.

The figure kneeled down, showing me his face. Darren reached his hand under for me to take and pulled me to my feet.

"Holy shit." He paled at the sight of me covered in blood. "You bit?"

He checked me over rather intrusively to see if I was bit anywhere.

"What? You're not even going to buy me dinner first?" was all I could think to say. Darren stopped what he was doing; he actually had the good graces to look embarrassed.

"I take it you're fine if you can crack a joke," he glared at me. "Why are you covered in blood?"

"I slipped and fell in some." My face scrunched up as I looked down at myself. I was literally covered in the stuff. I started to giggle and then burst into full-fledged laughter at the sight I must have been.

"Sometimes I wonder about you," Darren said as he rolled his eyes at my outburst of hysterical laughter.

I laughed even harder at his words. I felt the exact same way about him.

"It's always me," I muttered as my laughing subsided.

"Seriously though, are you okay?"

"Yeah, no bites or scratches, but I think I might have re-injured my elbow when I fell," I said cradling my left arm. It was starting to throb again.

"Let me see," Darren said checking my elbow over. "I don't think anything is broken; there's no discoloration of the skin, but I'd have the surgeon take a look at it when we get back."

Darren was still holding my arm as we just stood staring at each other. He moved in closer, his hands aiming for my face. For a brief moment of horror, I thought he was going to try to kiss me. Instead he pulled his hand away, dropping something wet sounding to the ground.