Free Cage The Dead by Gary F. Vanucci

chuckled at the silliness of the event and allowed herself a good laugh, realizing that she needed to do just that, or she would go insane.
    She heard a sound in that moment that stole any sense of happiness she had permitted herself. She rolled over to see a charred corpse lunging for her and managed to roll back away from it just as it fell over her. She heard the snap of its teeth as bit for her now-removed flesh and she shuddered, having lost the grip on her weapon on the way down. She quickly tapped the side of her body looking for the machete handle, but could not find it either.
    The zombie hit the ground with a solid thud and seemed to be having trouble finding its own footing as Gaia stood and looked around for either of her weapons.  Finding them in the darkness, of course, would be near impossible and so she backed her way up the hill as the zombie crawled slowly toward her along the ground.
    She blessed her luck again as she noted that the wretched thing did not have most of its right arm and so, could not really get itself off the ground, possibly not having the brain functions to adapt for the missing appendage.
    Then she heard a gunshot break the relative silence and turned to see Nick leaning over the crest of the hill with a pistol in his hands.
    “Sorry, had to chance it,” Gaia heard him say before he slumped behind the mound of earth again. The creature before her stopped moving completely in that instant. She stared into its lifeless eyes, kicked it in frustration, and began to make her way back up the hill slowly, recovering both her weapons along the way.
    As she sat next to Nick, the pair writhing in pain, Gaia again laughed. “Some pair we are, huh?”
    But, despite that, she knew that they had to again press on, understanding that Nick needed medical treatment now more than ever, that she could use some help herself, and that her beloved Adam was still waiting patiently for them to return with the proper medical supplies that he so desperately needed.
    ***
    Nick gritted his teeth and groaned as they pair approached the front door of the house.
    “Lotta memories here,” Nick mentioned absently. Gaia continued to ignore him, focusing on her surrounding s and the darkness that awaited them within the house. There were various movements in the shadows in the distance in front of the veterinary building entrance, probably more zombies that were not drawn toward the fire, and so, this was still their preferred method of entry.
    Gaia turned to regard the blaze in the distance, watching the barn burn and seeing zombies still meandering about, bodies aflame, and caring nothing for their own safety.
    Over the first hour, the flames attracted dozens more of the undead, drawn by the light and sound as they wandered right into the fire with no regard for their own safety. They didn’t even feel the flames that licked their skin and subsequently devoured it. The scene was somewhat cathartic for her and Nick as they had both voiced similar thoughts.
    An hour or more passed and the fire began to die down. The surrounding area grew eerily quiet. She was thankful that none of the animals wandered too close to the fire, having the good sense to stay far away from it. It didn’t seem that any others had escaped their enclosures except the pair of grizzlies, the goats and others around the petting zoo, and a few elephants that had trampled their way out of their pens. So far, so good, she had told Nick.
    There were still more of the undead wandering around, but they seemed not so interested in the dying fire any more. A good portion that she could see from the reflection of the blaze were charred and burnt all about, and yet they continued along as if nothing had happened.
     Ignorance is bliss.
    She placed her hand on and twisted the knob on the front door, holding her shovel in her left hand, and slowly opened the door.
    “I’ve got a small flashlight here,” Nick said, handing it to Gaia and wincing as the