5:Shot in the heart
1782 Words
Emilia had never engaged in the chaotic skirmishes of the zombies; unlike the others who went wild at the sight of humans, attacking purely on instinct, she considered herself a rational undead.
At least, the only thing that had provoked her into a frenzy was that man from the previous night.
But now, as she watched the cowardly man sprint toward her, she had already extended her leg in anticipation.
Perfect! Just as he reached her, he tripped over her outstretched limb!
Other zombies immediately converged on him, sinking their teeth into his neck and thighs.
Perhaps sensing the overwhelming scent of blood, the woman in the supermarket managed to evade danger for the moment.
Emilia glanced up at her; despite her disheveled appearance, the woman’s vibrant red hair stood out defiantly.
Antonia, recognizing Emilia from their earlier encounter, shot her a puzzled look. They had seen each other just moments ago, and now she was confronted by the zombie that had been observing her. Did she intend to attack?
While Antonia harbored thoughts of eliminating Emilia, she also felt an urge to flee the scene. Assessing her surroundings, she kicked away a couple of zombies and bolted.
Across the street, Abraham observed the unfolding scene from a safe distance, his eyes fixed on the chaos.
There she was again—the woman in the white coat. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were somehow destined to cross paths.
He had been resting nearby, filling his vehicle with gas at a station, ready to leave.
Then he witnessed this spectacle.
The woman in the white coat had tripped the man, and now the other zombies were focused on him, their teeth tearing into flesh. He could still hear the man’s screams, yet none of the zombies paid any attention to her.
Was there something special about her? If she could remain undetected by the undead, perhaps keeping her around could be beneficial.
Abraham's mind whirred with possibilities as he continued to watch, intrigued by the dynamics at play.
As Abraham weighed the pros and cons, Emilia cast a glance at the lifeless man on the ground and instantly lost her appetite.
Consuming someone like him might just turn her heart as dark as his.
With that thought, she turned away and resumed her journey toward her destination.
However, as she rounded a secluded street corner, she was suddenly yanked back.
Emilia gasped, about to scream, but the person behind her quickly covered her mouth.
The sweet scent of blood flooded her senses—it was the man from the night before!
What was he doing here again?
He held her mouth shut but kept his distance, clearly disturbed by the overwhelming odor of decay emanating from her.
“Don’t scream; it’s me,” he said, noticing that she had stopped struggling. He released her and stood facing her.
Emilia’s heart raced with anxiety.
Last night, he had kicked her into the river in the dead of night; he might not have seen her face clearly then. But today, her visage was marred with corpse-like splotches, and her body reeked of rot. He would undoubtedly notice something was off!
What should she do? Emilia resolved to strike first this time!
“Why are you silent again?” Abraham spoke to her, but his attention was divided—zombies were beginning to take notice of his presence and were lurching closer.
Emilia saw her opportunity. Despite her fear, her instincts kicked in. She had to act before he could react!
“Maybe I don’t want to talk to you,” she retorted, her voice hoarse and unnatural.
Abraham’s brows furrowed, his gaze shifting between her and the approaching zombies. “You’re not one of them, are you?”
The tension hung thick in the air as Emilia prepared to reveal her true self, caught between her primal instincts and the remnants of her humanity.
Emilia's grip tightened around the surgical knife hidden in her pocket, her white coat sleeves hanging loosely as she gauged the distance between herself and the man. She lifted her gaze nonchalantly, “I… was… thinking…”
“Oh? And what have you concluded?” Abraham chuckled lightly. “While you might not be attacked by zombies, a girl wandering the streets alone is still quite dangerous.”
Emilia nodded stiffly, “Yes…”
But before she could finish her sentence, she lunged at him again!
Who would have expected that his reflexes would be even quicker than the night before? He seized her wrist and slammed her hand against the wall, causing the surgical knife to clatter to the ground.
Her face was pressed against the wall, and she could hear him say with a half-smile, “Was last night’s lesson not enough for you?”
Being so close, the exquisite scent of blood filled her senses, pushing her to the brink. Unable to contain herself, she let out a guttural sound reminiscent of a zombie.
This time, it was Abraham who stood frozen in disbelief.
He could feel the oddness radiating from her. Gripping her wrist, he noticed the salty, greasy sensation; looking down, he saw her hands mottled with bruises, and as he pressed against her, bits of decaying flesh flaked off to reveal exposed bone.
Her eerie cry had alerted him to the truth: the woman before him was no doctor but a female zombie!
No wonder she hadn’t attacked during the horde!
After days of witnessing zombies slaughtering humans, a murderous instinct ignited within Abraham. He aimed his weapon at her head, prepared to pull the trigger.
In that moment of imminent death, Emilia summoned a surge of strength, pushing him away just enough for his bullet to strike her in the chest instead!
With a deafening bang, she felt her already rotting torso explode in agony, collapsing to the ground. Her eyes widened in shock as dark, viscous blood poured from the wound in her heart.
Emilia knew she was no match for him, so she instinctively resorted to the one tactic she had mastered in her undead state—playing dead.
As her body lay still, she hoped her ruse would buy her precious time, praying that he would not see through her act.
The sound of Abraham’s gunshot was far from silenced, and it quickly drew the attention of nearby zombies.
He had only intended to intimidate her, believing she was human when he pulled out his weapon. If he had known she was undead, he wouldn’t have bothered with the gun at all!
Surprisingly, perhaps due to having hit her, Abraham didn’t make a second move against Emilia, which astounded him. He was known on the battlefield for his ruthlessness; after all, he had no qualms about killing officials from an African nation without hesitation.
“Get up and come with me,” he instructed coldly, stowing his gun and retrieving his car keys.
Emilia feigned deafness, determined to ignore him. With the horde of zombies closing in, he would have to leave eventually.
Abraham repeated himself, “If you don’t get up, my next shot will be aimed at your head.”
Emilia frowned, thinking how troublesome this man was. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?
“I… am… already… dead,” she replied, maintaining her still position while speaking.
To Abraham’s surprise, her quip made him chuckle.
Since she refused to rise, he walked over and bound her hands and feet before lifting her and carrying her to the car, leaving the pursuing zombies behind.
Emilia struggled against her restraints, but it was futile. The blood from her chest wound had begun to clot, and as she turned to look at Abraham, her teeth ground together, producing a soft squeak. “Put me… down…”
“No negotiations,” he replied firmly. This zombie was far too unique; he was determined to take her with him.
As he drove away, the chaos of the city faded into the distance, and Emilia realized she was caught between her instincts and the strange circumstances that had led her to this man. What would happen next?
Even though Emilia had become a zombie, she still retained her awareness of beauty and ugliness. The man's profile was strikingly handsome, yet his inherent malice was impossible to erase from her mind.
What could a human want with a zombie in this apocalypse? Surely, he intended to kill her!
If he were truly deranged, he might even take pleasure in torturing her slowly to death!
A shiver ran down her spine at the thought. Watching the scenery outside the car window blur past, she asked, “Where are we going?”
“Out of the city,” Abraham replied, pressing down on the accelerator. Ahead, he could see a long line of vehicles stuck in a traffic jam.
It appeared that the survivors had finally realized they couldn’t stay in New York any longer; so many cars were lined up, all trying to escape.
Just as he was about to stop the car and use his binoculars to see what the hold-up was, Emilia began banging on the window.
“I want to get out…” she repeated, her voice insistent and unyielding.
Abraham initially thought she was frightened. After all, an encounter between a zombie and a human usually ended with one of them dead, especially considering how often she had attacked him.
“Don’t waste your energy,” he said. “This vehicle is reinforced; it’s bulletproof.”
Her strength was insufficient to break through.
Truth be told, when he had thrown her into the river, she hadn’t held it against him; even when he shot her, she felt no resentment. But now, anger surged within her.
She still wanted to reach the Bronx; she would not allow this man to take her away!
“What do you want from me?” she demanded, her voice firm.
Abraham had been scanning the road ahead and realized that soldiers were blocking the way. Armed and positioned strategically, they were eliminating zombies while screening the fleeing civilians.
He glanced at Emilia and himself; it was clear they were both considered threats.
He kept his thoughts to himself, knowing that Emilia, being a zombie, had no chance of getting out alive.
Deciding to wait until nightfall to act, he remained silent for a moment.
“Answer me,” Abraham repeated, his gaze steady on her.
Emilia felt the weight of his stare, knowing she had to tread carefully. What was she willing to reveal, and what could she gain by doing so? The stakes were high, and she needed to play her cards right.
- Writer
