Free Dying Days 4 by Armand Rosamilia Page B

was going to ask you the same thing," Tosha said as she stepped in and threw a punch that landed six inches short.
    The zombie had more arm reach, which he used to his advantage as he stepped back and delivered a wicked jab into her chest. "Nice. I thought they were real."
    "Less talking and more punching," Tosha said. She feigned to her left and punched with her right, connecting without much force on his forearm.
    "I hope you can hit harder than that. The judges are watching," the zombie said. "And not only am I going to take the title, but I'm going to enjoy ripping apart your old boyfriend as well."
    "He's not my boyfriend," Tosha said and immediately regretted it. He'd faked her out with saying something stupid and now she was paying for it, as the zombie moved in and landed a blow to the right side of her face, knocking her down.
    Tosha turned over to recover and the zombie put a foot on her throat. "Where do you think you're going?"
    "Hey, asshole, over here," the old man yelled.
    The zombie didn't bother to look up, smiling down at Tosha as she struggled. "I'm not falling for the lame shit today. Stay where you are, old man, and watch your granddaughter as I crush her windpipe." He increased the pressure on Tosha's throat. "This is much better than killing stupid zombies. I get an actual struggle from someone still breathing. And, as a bonus, I get to kill you all over again in a few hours, once you reanimate."
    Tosha couldn't breathe, trying in vain to get his weight off her neck. She was losing air and beginning to see stars. She punched at his ankle but it wasn't doing anything, her blows getting weaker.
    A shadow crossed over her and at first she thought it was her blacking out, but then she heard a commotion above her and the foot was lifted off her neck. She gasped for air and rolled onto her side before passing out.
     
    *   *   *   *   *
     
    It was dark. Tosha came to, disoriented and wondering where she was.
    "Lie down and rest," a male voice said behind her. "You're safe."
    Tosha rolled over and reached for a weapon she knew she no longer had. The three she'd intercepted were huddled in the dark under the window, looking quite pathetic. "Where are we?"
    The guy in the middle put a finger to his lips. "Quiet. We were chased another two blocks before we managed to find this house. But I can hear them shuffling around on the street and I think one of them is downstairs."
    "I'm Tosha," she said.
    The woman looked at the man. "See? I told you it was her."
    "Who are you?' Tosha asked.
    He leaned forward and extended his hand for her to shake. "I'm John Murphy and this is my dad, Murph, and my very pregnant wife, Darlene."
    "Darlene Bobich… the zombie killer," Tosha said with a laugh. "I remember you from St. Augustine. I tried to find you later on but the stilt houses were burnt down. I figured you'd been killed."
    "It's not that easy to kill us," Darlene said. "I might not be able to move anymore but I haven't given up."
    "When did you two get hitched?"
    Both John and Darlene stared at one another before grinning. Even with the poor lighting, Tosha could see the two of them were very much in love.
    There must've still been a zombie downstairs because they heard it crash into a wall loudly.
    "That will bring friends," Murph said. "You shoulda let me go down there to kick some ass."
    "I didn't feel like carrying you," John said. He stopped and looked at the open doorway. "I think a buddy just showed up."
    Tosha stood and took her sweet time, gingerly tip-toeing to get a better look out the window and a view of the hallway. They were on the second floor and she could see many zombies on the street in front of the house, but nothing was moving on this level.
    Not yet.
    She went to the three and knelt down. "What do you want to do?"
    John shrugged. "There's nothing we can do. We need to sit tight and hope they don't sense us up here. We're screwed if we wake up the neighborhood."
    "Do we have any