Immune-ish

Chapter Two

XANDER:

The corpses constantly claw at the chain link fence. Shuffling towards it. Tripping on the bodies at the base and falling on it. Piling up and pushing on it so much it seems like it'll fall over. But somehow, it never does. It keeps standing strong, like our little town, Aberdeen.

My family is all gone. Both parents and all three younger sisters. Gone because I couldn't think of anyone but myself when I escaped. I could've brought someone with me to safety. Because of me, they're  all walking corpses in the forest, except one of them, as far as I know.

During my watch, I enjoy looking at the corpses. Seeing if I know them. Trying to come up with a life story for them. I think part of it is that I'm hoping to see my family again. My prayer is that they're still alive, though the odds are stacked against me.

Sometimes, when I'm watching, I'll see a baby or toddler walking around with that dead, glazed-over look in their eyes, they're hair graying and skin paling. They're nearly scarier than older corpses, but having to shoot them still almost brings me to tears. Something about how small they are just gets to me. Probably because they remind me so much of Chloe.

This life is depressing and pointless, but I'd rather be living than out in the forest like that-

A sudden movement catches my eye. A ten or eleven year old girl. Alone. That's strange. They're usually in groups. Her hair isn't completely gray and her white shirt and blue shorts are still intact, so I think she hasn't been a corpse long. I bet she was a naïve little girl. Thinking she was in love with a boy. Jumping in front of him just before he was bitten. She thought they could be together in the after life. But she was wrong. I almost feel bad enough to let her carry on with her twisted way of life, which is the downside to my stories. Imagining a life for these creatures makes me feel inhumane shooting them, but I can't stop myself.

I raise my gun and take aim. Right in between the eyes is best. I am about to pull the trigger when she suddenly jumps forward. Holy crap! I've never seen a corpse do that! The whole fence rattles in response to the blow. I immediately shoot her and she collapses to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Whenever I fire my gun, other corpses are attracted by the noise and they wander nearby. Three come out of the forest. Two adults with clothing that has been ripped to shreds and one little boy with brown hair, a very new corpse. The two adults bend down and ungracefully fall on their knees, beginning to devour the one I shot. If they can't get humans for food, cannibalism is the next best thing. Especially when the corpse isn't old enough to be so rotten, but they don't mind either way.

The little boy ignores the food, though, staring at me instead. Something flickers across his glazed eyes. Curiosity? Our gazes are locked. He opens his mouth. Then he is limping at the fence full speed. Corpses are faster when they're newer and haven't suffered many injuries. He collides and the fence shakes, but he doesn't hit with enough force to bend it at all. The boy falls to the ground and I shoot him. One of the corpses who was eating the first one I shot moves to the boy and begins her next meal. I watch them for while before they leave, a new sound attracting them elsewhere. I'm supposed to shoot them, but it's not like Zane will know if I haven't.

Man, I think, replaying the girl jumping at me. These corpses are getting feistier by the day.