Free Dying Days 3 by Armand Rosamilia

eventually fell apart.
    She was old enough and smart enough to see the analogy she could make, watching him getting tossed around in the water. He'd never pull himself out, and even if he did, sooner or later John would put an arrow through its head and put it out of its misery. Or was it miserable? Were the zombies the real winners here, since they no longer felt anything? She went to sleep in constant fear of being bitten, but they went through life (or un-life, whatever you wanted to call it) in more of a daze, or without thought in their heads. It seemed… so relaxing. Bri didn't want to be a zombie, but she didn't want to be her right now, either.
    It was windy today. She saw a lone seagull on the north side of the bridge, as well as two zombies, making their way toward her. Bri would have to leave soon and get back to safety. Even though she technically had her own stilt house to herself, she rarely stayed there, preferring to crash in one of the guest bedrooms at Murph and John's house or with Darlene.
    She liked the time she spent with Darlene, because she didn't act like a mother figure. She was more her big sister, teaching her about the proper way to put on makeup, do her nails, and about boys. Even though there weren't any around for her to actually date. Darlene was awesome, and they would spend many nights talking about John. Bri had a crush on him but knew Darlene and John were eventually going to hook up, and she was happy for both of them. They were her best friends. Her only friends, at times.
    Sometimes she came out here and dreamed a gorgeous teenaged boy would ride up in a brand new Mustang convertible, with great music playing and his hair whipping in the wind. He'd smile and open the door for her, the sun bouncing off his sunglasses.
    The only males around were stalking her, and they going to try to bite her face off. None of them looked like hot teen guys, either. Such was always Bri's luck. They were about fifty feet away from her, and she'd need to move and get back to safety in a minute or two. Back to the boredom the stilt houses offered. Murph would be watching another black and white movie and repeating the lines, talking to the actors onscreen.
    Bri needed more music, more books and more movies she could watch. The few things she had were getting boring. How many times could she watch Twilight movies or read Harry Potter books? Never mind her music selection: One Direction, Justin Beiber or crap from the 1980's her mother used to listen to. Old people music.
    Bri sighed and began walking back to the stilt houses because the zombies were almost upon her. One of these days she was going to throw caution to the wind and grapple with one of them, just to see what it was like to actually be in danger and get her hands dirty. She was sick of being coddled by everyone. She wanted to earn her keep and fight the monsters and show them she wasn't a child anymore.
    The distant sound of the motorcycle came to her on the wind and she stopped. The zombies, on the bridge, previously intent on trying to catch up to her stopped and turned away.
    It was definitely a bike. Heading south and right to her, she figured it was the guy they'd seen before. He was coming back this way…
    Bri kept her distance from the zombies, who were no longer interested in her. Something louder had their attention. She saw the gleam of chrome on A1A and hopped behind the walkway barrier on the bridge.
    At the other end of the Matanzas Inlet Bridge were two parking lots, one on either side. She saw the motorcycle pull into the lot on the right, nearest the ocean. She knew it was the rider she and Murph had seen. Who else could it be?
    Bri took five steps backwards, intending to warn the others, but then stopped. She was already here. Who better to do recon than her? She wasn't a little kid. She could act like an adult and figure out what this guy was doing, and what his intentions were. Did he know they were here? Was he going to get