BANG!
The patio door glass started to crack
Matthew jumped back. "They're breaking in!"
Jackson stood frozen for a split second, then bolted to the side of the room and yanked something from the side of the couch. A plastic Chinese sword.
"I got it this stand back!" Jackson yelled holding the sword.
Matthew blinked. "Dude.... That's a plastic fucking sword!"
Jackson looked at it. His hands were shaking.
"Oh... Yeah." He dropped it and it bounced off the floor.
BANG!
The patio door glass cracked again, fractures spreading across it. One more hit and it was going to give.
Matthew darted to the kitchen, flinging drawers open, hands trembling. "Where's your kitchen knives?!"
"In the dish holder left of the sink" Jackson said, his voice barely above a whisper. His throat felt tight.
Matthew found them two knives. One big, one smaller, both dull from years of being used but never sharpened. He tossed the smaller one to Jackson, who caught it and gripped it with both hands. Then came the silence. Just the sound of their breathing. The feeling that any moment they can break in and that might be their last moment and then tap tap tap. Something lightly brushing against the cracked glass. A face pressed right up against the patio door. Blank eyes. Grey pale skin. Its forehead slowly pushed into the glass. Jackson's heart raced. It looked human. Too human. Not some snarling beast. Just… a guy. In a shirt covered in blood with empty eyes staring right at them.
"Jack" Matthew whispered, knife shaking in his hand, "what if… what if it's still..."
"It's not." Jackson said with a shaky voice. "That thing aint human anymore."
As if to prove Jackson's point the thing screeched a high gargling sound that sent shivers down their spines. It slammed into the glass full force, forehead first. Blood smeared down the crack. Two more shapes stepped into view behind it. One of them was on all fours crawling fast like a spider. The other had no jaw. Just an open gaping red pit where its mouth used to be.
The glass buckled.
Matthew turned and ran to the front metal door that led into the hallway. He checked the peephole. "Clear," he whispered. Then louder "We go out the front. Now!"
Jackson's feet didn't move. He was frozen. Staring at the patio door. The blood. The way those things looked so familiar. Like people he might've seen living in his apartment complex. They were once people
"Jackson!" Matthew grabbed his shoulder, eyes wide. "Now!"
CRASH!
The patio door shattered. Glass exploded into the living room. One of the things fell through it, arms flailing teeth bared mouth open. Jackson screamed and stumbled back, the knife slipping from his hand. It landed on the floor. Matthew grabbed him and yanked him toward the hallway door. Jackson's legs finally kicked in and he ran. The metal door flung open and slammed shut behind them just as the first one hit it from the other side.
BAM!
The sound echoed down the apartment hallway. Both of them collapsed against the wall gasping for air.
Matthew slid down to the floor, knife still clutched tight. "What the fuck… What the fuck…"
Jackson's chest heaved. "I… I couldn't move. They looked—"
"I know... but there not people." Matthew said again catching his breath. "Not anymore."
The hallway was dark quiet. Somewhere down the corridor a door creaked.
Jackson turned to Matthew eyes wide and his face pale.
"What the hell do we do now?"
Matthew slumped against the hallway wall, still catching his breath, the knife shaking in his hand.
Jackson stood, hands on his knees, adrenaline burning and anxiety tearing into his heart. "We can't stay here. Them banging on the door will just draw more here."
Matthew looked up, pale and sweating. "Let's head back to my car and just go. We can figure something on the way."
Jackson nodded. "Alright get your keys ready. We go now and fast."
Matthew fumbled with his pockets, then pulled out the keys, metal jingling in his trembling hands. Jackson grabbed his arm.
"Hey Matt breathe. We move together, you understand? No splitting up."
Matthew nodded quickly, eyes darting to the door. They open the door and run through it and ran to the main door. Jackson opened the door slowly and peeked outside
"Clear. Let's get moving"
The two of them quietly made their way towards the parking lot. It was quiet… A kind of silence that made the skin crawl. The sky was a dark red and the air was heavy like right before a storm.
"There." Matthew whispered, pointing across the pathway his car was 6 spaces down from the sidewalk. The world between them and the car felt like a minefield. They moved quick. Halfway there, the moaning started again. Low. Wet. Behind a parked maintenance truck, something stood up then another. Their heads twitched unnaturally, noses sniffing the air.
Matthew froze. "Shit!"
"Keep moving!" Jackson yelled, gripping the knife tighter in one hand. "Don't stop!"
The two broke into a sprint More moans now. Louder. Closer. A figure slammed into a car hood just behind them they were fast.
Jackson turned just long enough to see it. Half its face was torn off. It sprinted like it was hunting.
"Matt now!" Jackson shouted.
Matthew fumbled with the fob, hands shaking, but the lights blinked. Jackson yanked open the passenger door and sat down and Matt got in the driver's seat. Zombies were closing in now. Two slammed into the rear bumper. Another threw itself against the side window, its face leaving a streak of blood on the glass. Matt jammed the key into the ignition and turned it. The engine rumbled. Matthew threw the car into reverse, tires squealing as the car fishtailed back. One of the things slammed onto the windshield, fingers clawing at the glass.
"Get the fuck off!" Matthew yelled, swerving hard. The creature rolled off the hood and hit the pavement. They peeled out of the lot, blowing through the driveway and onto the main road. The car bounced hard over a fallen body Matthew winced but didn't slow down. Outside, the streets were a nightmare Zombies wandered everywhere. Clusters of them. Some dragging limbs. Others sprinting. Cars were stalled or crashed into poles. Fire burned at the end of the block.
Matthew kept one hand on the wheel, the other gripping the knife in his lap.
"They're everywhere…" Matthew whispered.
They continued to drive when the car started making a clicking sound. The low fuel symbol appeared the needle hovered above empty.
"Shit," Matthew muttered. "We're running low."
Jackson scanned the road ahead. "Theres a gas station. Pull in."
Matthew turned sharp into the lot. The place looked abandoned. Lights flickering. One pump barely intact. The convenience store door hung open.
"You sure?" Matthew asked.
Jackson nodded, already stepping out. "I'll try to get the pumps on."
The air was heavy. The smell of rot and blood filled the air. Inside the store was dark. Shelves ransacked. A buzzing sound came from a flickering light in the ceiling. Jackson crept toward the control panel behind the counter. "Found it." Jackson flipped a switch. The pump lights blinked on. Then Jackson heard a low groan. He turned fast. A figure emerged from the back hallway. Thin. Twitching. Dried blood caked across its mouth. A figure of a elderly man crept closer into view its mouth gaping wide. Jackson hesitated. The thing stepped closer, jaws parting.
"Fuck it" Jackson whispered. Then lunged.
He drove the knife up, under the jaw, into the brain. It went stiff, then dropped. Jackson stood over it, chest heaving. Hands trembling. Blood on his face adrenaline pumping through his body.
"It looked so human...But it wasn't... Not anymore."
He wiped the blade on his shirt and walked back out. Matthew had just finished pumping.
"You good?" he asked.
Jackson nodded. "Let's go."