The Fast One
790 Words
Chapter 4 — The Fast One
The scream echoed through the pharmacy.
It was not the slow, empty groan of the normal dead.
It was sharp.
Angry.
Alive with hunger.
The creature stepped fully out of the storage room. Its movements were fast and jerky, nothing like the slow zombies outside.
Luis slowly backed away.
“That… that thing is not normal.”
Marcus raised his crowbar.
“Everyone get ready.”
The creature suddenly sprinted forward.
“Down!” Marcus shouted.
The zombie leaped over the counter with terrifying speed.
Jade reacted instantly. She slashed her knife across its arm, but the creature barely slowed.
It slammed into Tyler and knocked him to the floor.
“Get it off me!” Tyler yelled.
Jonah fired the shotgun.
Boom.
The blast tore into the zombie’s shoulder, spinning it sideways into a shelf of medicine bottles.
Glass shattered everywhere.
But the creature didn’t stay down.
It pushed itself back up with a low growl.
Evelyn stared in shock.
“That’s impossible.”
Normal zombies didn’t recover that quickly.
Marcus stepped forward and swung the crowbar again.
This time the metal struck the creature’s head with a heavy crack.
The zombie staggered but didn’t fall.
Its eyes locked onto Marcus.
Then it rushed him.
Marcus barely blocked the attack. The creature grabbed his jacket and tried to bite his shoulder.
Jade lunged forward and drove her knife into the back of its skull.
The zombie froze.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then the body collapsed.
Silence filled the pharmacy.
Tyler slowly stood up, breathing heavily.
“Please tell me that was the last one.”
Luis shook his head.
“I really hope not.”
Marcus wiped sweat from his forehead.
“That thing moved like a living person.”
Evelyn crouched beside the corpse and examined it carefully.
After a moment she frowned.
“This infection is changing.”
Samuel looked concerned.
“What do you mean?”
Evelyn stood slowly.
“The virus might be evolving.”
Tyler stared at the dead creature.
“Great. Faster zombies. Just what we needed.”
A loud crack interrupted them.
Everyone looked at the front door.
The glass was breaking under the pressure of the horde outside.
Zombies slammed against it again and again.
Marcus grabbed a backpack.
“We’re leaving. Now.”
Luis ran into the storage room and grabbed the remaining medical supplies.
“Got them!”
Daniel pointed toward the back hallway.
“This way!”
The group rushed through the storage room and into the narrow corridor behind the pharmacy.
The hallway smelled damp and dusty.
A single emergency light flickered above them.
“Where does this lead?” Aisha asked.
“Back alley,” Daniel replied.
They hurried toward the metal exit door at the end of the hall.
Marcus opened it slowly.
The alley outside looked empty.
For now.
“Move,” he said.
One by one the team stepped outside.
Tyler glanced behind them nervously.
Inside the pharmacy, the front door finally shattered.
The sound of breaking glass echoed loudly.
The horde was pouring in.
“Let’s go!” Tyler shouted.
The team ran down the alley.
After several turns they finally slowed down.
Everyone stopped to catch their breath.
Marcus looked around carefully.
The street ahead was quiet.
For the moment.
Daniel leaned against the wall.
“I thought I was dead back there.”
Jade cleaned her knife calmly.
“You almost were.”
Luis adjusted his backpack.
“At least we got the medicine.”
Evelyn nodded.
“This will help a lot.”
Samuel looked at Marcus.
“So where do we go now?”
Marcus thought for a moment.
Then he pointed toward the distant skyline.
“There’s a police station about six blocks from here.”
Jonah nodded.
“Stronger walls.”
Marcus agreed.
“If we can secure it, it could become a safe place.”
Tyler sighed.
“A safe place sounds amazing right now.”
Aisha suddenly raised her hand.
“Wait.”
Everyone stopped.
“What is it?” Marcus asked.
Aisha pointed toward the end of the alley.
More zombies were slowly stepping into view.
Not many.
But enough.
And they were blocking the direction of the police station.
Jade smiled slightly.
“Well,” she said.
“Looks like the city isn’t done with us yet.”
Marcus tightened his grip on the crowbar.
The group formed together again.
Eight survivors.
A dangerous city.
And a new kind of monster somewhere out there.
“Stay close,” Marcus said.
They stepped back into the street.
Unaware that something else was watching them from a nearby rooftop.
Something intelligent.
Something patient.
And it was smiling.
- Writer
