The water chokes me and I splutter whilst thrashing around, the infected keeping it's arms around me in a vice tight grip. I feel its claw-like hands digging into my shoulder, pulling away the flesh, and blood soon inks the water. I scream at the pain and bubbles pour from my mouth, soon my vision blurs and my head spins in disorientation.
My lungs burn as I writhe in the zombie's grasp, my hands pummeling its body with weak punches and crawling at its decaying skin that squidges between my nails and disintegrates into the churned up water. The sensation makes my stomach churn and gag, the saltwater trickling down my throat and choking me.
Blackness washes over me and the murky depths drag me down to the pebbly floor.
***
"Mummy!" I hear Ashia exclaim, her voice filled with happiness. She wobbles over to me and launches into my arms, I pick her up and kiss her forehead lovingly- holding her tight against my body.
"Hey honey, where are we?" I ask and look at the long grass around us as it sways in a nonexistent breeze and tickles my legs gently, the sun hot on my exposed shoulders.
"We're at the warehouse Mummy," she says and I frown in confusion, the sky turns a dark grey and the storm clouds swirl into blackness. Ashia whimpers in my arms and I rock her gently, trying to soothe her as she cries into my shoulder.
I hear a crash behind me and I spin around nervously. Nothing. I start to run towards the warehouse but the grass tangles around my feet and pulls me back with each step, I hear a growl behind me and I slowly turn around.
I shriek and tumble backwards as I look into the dry grass, my heart hammering against my chest. Two zombies drag themselves through the grass with eerie synchronicity, uncanny shrieks leaving their decaying mouths. They leave a trail of black blood behind them that seals the grass together until it forms a black river that follows them, I spin around and try to run away but the grass has wrapped tightly around my ankles- freezing me in place.
Ashia screams in terror and I tug harder, it snaps with a sickening crunch and we tumble to the ground. My ribs protest in agony and a small whimper escapes my lips, my head throbbing as I try to pull myself forward.
"Where's Daddy?" I ask Ashia hopelessly, fear flooding my shaky voice. Ashia smirks and her voice comes out raspy and deep, replacing her once sugar-like tone.
"They're all dead now, no one can help you. Look," she says and points above the grass. I flinch away from her and my eyes dart into the vegetation, I gasp and my tears stream into the mud.
They all stand nailed to a tree, with a knife through their head to secure them in place, blood pouring from their mouths and leaking down their chins. I scream at their sickly pale and lifeless bodies that hang in eery precision, acid rises in my throat and I wretch into the sinister grass- my throat burning and my lungs aching as I struggle to take in oxygen.
The zombies are on me and I feel them tug at my limps with slicing claws, I scream and the black river of blood laps at my ankles. I feel the thick black liquid rise up my legs and slip around my waist, squeezing the remaining air out of my lungs. I reach out a hand and grasp at the weeds before the river suffocates me and my hand goes still.
Dead still.
YOU ARE READING
Revenge of the Dead
HorrorBOOK TWO I can feel them getting closer. Their screeches haunting me at night, telling me to drop dead. I've never listened to them before. But it's different now. You can't save some people, but I'll fight to the death to save humanity. What's m...
