Free Zomb-Pocalypse by Megan Berry Page B

take care of him?” I ask, surprising myself.
    Ryan and Megan look surprised too.
    “Are you sure you can handle it?” Megan asks skeptically, and I shoot her an annoyed look.
    “I don’t really have much choice these days do I?” I huff, grabbing the knife from Ryan’s outstretched hand. I turn and trudge towards the zombie. My heart is hammering like mad in my chest, but I don’t dare let my steps falter with Megan watching.
    The closer I get, the more excited the moans of the zed seem to become. He is apparently thrilled that dinner has decided to come to him. I gag a bit as the rancid smell of his decomposing body hits me when I get within ten feet of him. The zombie is straining against the fence, trying to get free, but he’s held in place by his snagged clothing and skin. I wince when I see the barbs dug deeply along his torso, but he doesn’t even seem to notice. The zed is much taller than I thought he would be, and I’m starting to wonder exactly how I’m going to be able to spike him in the head. He’s a good foot and a half taller than me. His arms are reaching out for me, waving around like crazy.
    I hear his shirt rip and the sound makes me jump. The zombie is in a frenzy now, pulling and straining. I know that I don’t have a lot of time. He could get free. It doesn’t seem likely, but since they don’t seem to feel any pain, there isn’t much stopping him from ripping himself in half to get to me. Black sludge is oozing from the ragged holes that have been torn in his skin by the wire, and I have to look away. I step closer and duck as one of his massive arms flail right at my head. I step back and look at the zombie again; there is no way I can get close enough to use the knife. I’m really regretting volunteering for this now. I was being a show off for Ryan, wanting to impress him. I know this now, and I hate myself for it.
    I look around to see what else I can use, and my eye catches on a rusted old axe leaning against the side of the barn. I jog over, and the zombie starts making a ruckus because I’m getting away. The axe is heavier than I thought it would be. I heft it up over my shoulder, like a lumberjack, not bothering to look behind me at Ryan or Megan. I’m sure Megan has a smirk on her face.
    I know that I could give up and admit defeat, Ryan would come over and knife this zed in the head till it’s dead…great, now I’m rhyming. I shake my head to clear my idiotic thoughts. I forcefully shut my annoying, inner monologue off and focus on the zombie problem. I’m not sure how I became a person who volunteers to kill something, much less something that used to be a living, breathing person, but I don’t want to examine it too closely.
    I get just close enough that I should be able to reach the zombie with the long axe handle, without it being able to reach me, and I raise the axe over my head. I take a shaky breath before bringing it down with a disgusting smack. My swing is off because the axe is so heavy, and the curved blade imbeds in the creature’s collarbone by accident. I refuse to think of it as a person, not when I’m hitting it with an axe.
    I try to pull the axe out, but I’m getting dangerously close to the swinging arms again. Thankfully, blood doesn’t spray out like I was expecting. Instead, the gross sludge starts leaking slowly from the wound. The zombie doesn’t seem to be affected by the horrible injury and keeps growling and swinging at me. The axe is yanked from my fingers as he unexpectedly jerks to the left. I take a step back just as he manages to tear away from the fence. The zombie starts towards me with his slow, uneven gait. I backpedal fast in blind panic and trip. I fall backwards and land hard on my butt. My teeth snap together and the air is knocked out of me, making my chest hurt. Even worse, the zombie is still coming after me.
    He moves quicker than I expect. Within three rapid beats of my heart, he’s on top of me before I can