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Jim was about to call out to her if she was alright when he felt a hand grip his right shoulder, turning to see who it was he was met with the face of the man that was once Tom Samson. It was then he noticed Toms pale chalky skin and dead blank stare, and like always his teeth chattered away as he leaned in towards Jim his grip tightening all the while. Without thinking Jim threw both his hands out, both palms colliding with Toms grease stained overalls, the force of the blow immediately sending Tom sprawling over backwards, his skull colliding with the pavement with a sickening crack.
Everything was happening to fast now and Jim wasn't sure what to do, the woman who'd attacked him moments ago was staggering to her feet and the balding man who'd been behind Tom was mere feet from Jim-arms sprawled out and teeth chattering away as he closed in on Jim. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Mrs. Barrow begin to crawl up to her feet. At least maybe she could get away he thought, as he decided it'd be best to turn and run back into the store-this was clearly a job for the cops.
Making his way back into the store in mere moments Pops slammed the door behind them both, his free hand shakily locking two locks on the door with a large brass key. "What in the hell was that Jim? Whats wrong with those people?" Pops asked, his gaze still fixed on the men and women outside who were all stumbling towards the door-even Mrs. Barrow was trailing her moments ago attackers in the same drunken gate the rest of them carried.
"I've no fuckin Idea Pops, but I think we should call the sheriff."
"And if you save yourself, then you will make him happy!
"He'll keep you in a jar, and you will think you're happy!"
[center]She stepped out of the car, looking around as she locked the door to her Rabbit GTI and slammed it shut. She was wearing a black beanie, combat boots, khaki cargo pants, and a leather vest with a hoodie underneath. Her outfit was in disarray but she didn't care. She never did. She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her hoodie pocket and pulled out one, stuck it between her lips, and ignited the end with her lighter. Slowly she approached the house, stopping at the run-down deck. It was missing boards, and the ones that it possessed were creaky and shifted easily. She stepped onto the deck, avoiding the square holes dotted around. She opened the screen door, creaking, she could hear dogs barking loudly in the background. And then there was a loud, young, but still masculine voice with more gravel than her own. "Shut your fucking mouths!" His sentence was interrupted by exertion and a cage raddled heavily. The door swung open and a tall, admittedly handsome... In a way... Not Rachael's way, man with blonde hair and green eyes opened. His hair was short, and he wore an open flannel and cargo shorts.
"Hey. Nicole, right?" His voice was friendly, but half-efforted in the same light.
"Nikki." She said, her voice feminine but on the lower end of the feminine spectrum, gravely and cracky from years of smoking.
The man looked at her for a moment before stepping back;
"Uhh, come in. Make yourself at home."
She complied, stepping in and looking around, her hands in her pockets.
The house was run down on the inside and out. Two dog cages in the corner, a kitchen with no dividing walls except for the countertop which cut it off from the living room, which composed the bulk of the house, a large pillar of drywall in the center, and a hallway leading out to the back, where she could see it opened to two rooms. Both of which were closed.
"So... How much are you looking for?"
"Half a gram."
"That all? You sure?"
"Yeah."
He was leaned, both hands on the counter that seperated the two rooms, she was standing just barely in front of the doorway.
"How much money y'got?"
She pulled her wallet from her back pocket and clicked the snap open, pulling out one ten and two twenties.
He looked at the money.
"That's not enough. I only deal in increments of one."
"You were okay with it a mo-... What do you mean?"
"Buy a gram, two grams, three..."
"I don't have enough."
"Well'at really sucks." He added a short chuckle at the end.
There was a silence in the room, broken only by what sounded like a smaller dog in one of the back rooms, yelping and barely audible. Her eyes met his for only a split second, but that's all it took.
"You know, that's not all you have."
She sighed.
It was all his fault. 'Shut up, Nicole. He forced you into nothing. Whore.' The voice sounded so much like her father... She began to cry, her vest and hoodie soaked from the water. He probably heard her. She threw the door open and bee lined for the door, grabbing the small blue bag on the way out, never leaving her money. She ran down the yard, jumped into her car and jammed the keys in the ignition, speeding down the road. She couldn't take this. She couldn't. She pulled to the side of the road next to a convenience store.
*Sigh.*
She unraveled the twistie at the top of the bag, revealing a brownish colored substance inside. She frowned. It was tar heroin, ughh. She pulled from her jacket what looked like a zippo lighter. It wasn't, she opened it and dumped the heroin into it, making sure not to spill a single flake. She then dropped the baggie and drew another lighter, a disposable, and set it on the dashboard. She opened the glove compartment. Behind a few old papers, there was a needle, a metal cooking cup blackened from smoke, and a spoon inside. She took her vest off and her hoodie, putting on an old shirt she found in the back seat. She tied the sleeve of the hoodie around her arm, grabbed the spoon and poured out a tiny few flakes, closing the fake zippo afterwards. She sighed, grabbing a canteen from the floor boards of her passenger seat and the cup with the same hand. She set the cup between the seats and poured the brown powder in, followed by a bit of water. She shook the cup around, watching it fail to settle properly.
"Fucking tar..."
She lifted the cup and grabbed her lighter, igniting it and setting the flame against the bottom. She hated heating it.
When it was thoroughly heated, she threw the lighter into the back seat and poured the hot, black liquid into the spoon, carefully not missing a drop. Leaving the shit at the bottom of the cup. She wasn't desperate enough to inject that. Yet.
She picked up the needle, shaking with anticipation. She steadied herself, and dipped the bevel into the black liquid... The perforation bending the surface of the otherwise flat black plain. She used her thumb and pulled back the plunger, and watched with dire closeness as the level of maroon, black liquid rose up the barrel of the needle. She set the spoon down, and reoriented the needle in her hand. The tourniquet had worked by now, her veins bulging out of her arm. She laid her right hand straight, with her right leg bent and on the seat, and her left arm hovered over her radial vein. Here goes Alice, down the rabbit hole. She slowly drew closer, the vein finally making contact with her skin, pushing it back before giving way, and returning flat alongside the needle. She slowly rested her thumb against the end of the needle and pushed down. The liquid emptying into her body. She pulled the needle out and tossed it into the passenger seat just in time for her skin to chill, and then warm. Her brain felt a cool hand grasp it, and then super heat it with... Emotion. It maintained its grasp, letting its contentment flow into her. Her senses died, but her mind was never more alive. She wasn't a junkie, or a slut... She was a goddess. And she was kissing the face of the maker himself. Chills of euphoria echoed through her body. for fifteen minutes, she sat back, resting with a dull expression on her face, saliva draining from the corner of her mouth, tourniquet still around her arm. She was suddenly aware. The hand began to pull away, its fingertips raking her brain in a desperate attempt to stay. It wanted her. And she wanted it. She sat in her car. Hating herself. Junkie. Slut. Institutionalized.
[center]She looked to her left, across the street four bloody people banged on the door of a general store.
Of course, he'd gotten fired for starting the fight. He was the new guy the outsider and he'd thrown the first punch. David tossed the bills onto the counter and took his things. The guy at the register seemed preoccupied vaguely nodding his thanks, his eyes seemed locked on what was going on at the door. Suddenly the tired shop seemed to stir into motion as the man from outside came in. 'Pops', the man at the register secured the door after him.
"What in the hell was that Jim? Whats wrong with those people?"
"I've no fuckin Idea Pops, but I think we should call the sheriff."
David wasn't paying any attention to the conversation, he just wanted to get home.
"'the hell is going on." His voice was tired, unused but stern in it's disapproval. He didn't like this. He put his beer down and approached the two.
Jim sighed inwardly as a particularly loud bang sounded from the door, one of the things outside having slammed itself against the glass without any regard to its well being. With the extremely bizarre events unfolding outside Jim cursed his bad luck, of all the people in this small town it just had to be David Reichart standing in front of him-the fact David was carrying a case of beer didn't surprise him in the least. The way Jim's eyes darted to the alcohol and his eyes narrowed it was clear he didn't think much of Davids habits.
"Honestly Dave?" Jim said turning his attention back to the door, the faceless lady now smearing her skinless face across the glass as her teeth clicked away, a black reddish smear left behind in her wake. "I've no fucking idea."
No sooner had Jim finished speaking than Pops spoke up from behind the register, his old wrinkled face white with worry. "Sheriffs office...the dang line is busy every time I try calling!" He said his voice cracking slightly at the end as he slammed the phone back on the receiver with a loud clatter.
Having been a deputy for over three years Pete Kleinman knew just what to look for when dealing with drug addicts. Sure, the town of Dry Gulch was small, but just like anywhere in america drugs had somehow slithered their way in. It was pure coincidence that he had spotted the girl sitting in her car high on god knows what. Coming from the local post office he had just happened to notice her on the way to his car, and even though he was off duty for the day he couldn't help but confront the woman.
"Hey lady." Pete said forcefully in what could only be described as a 'cop voice', his large right hand rapping loudly on the drivers side window. It was true he was in his civilian clothes, a dirty white tshirt and faded blue jeans, but nonetheless he still spoke with all the authority of a man in blue. It helped his confidence that he always carried his gun and badge on him. "I'm gonna need you to step out of the..." He was cut off as an unusually loud banging noise sounded in the air immediately catching his attention, his eyes quickly tracking the sound across the street to Pop's Convenience store. There four figures were, as his mind described it, trying to beat down the door.
To Pete the possibility of a violent crime took precedence over some junkie. Ignoring the women he had planned on turning into the sheriff he made his way across the street quickly into Pop's parking lot, right away noticing the blood stains on the black asphalt next to the spilled bag of groceries. That's when he decided to draw his nine millimeter handgun. "Hey! You! You four! Step away from the fucking door!" His voice roared fearlessly as he stood mere feet away from the violent group. Almost in perfect unison the group turned, their cold dead eyes and bloodied bodies headed straight for Pete. "Hey now I don't want to shoot..." Pete said unable to comprehend what he was looking at as the group drew nearer, he was now taking a hesitant step back.
Through the glass door Jim could hear Pete say "I'm warning you!" as the faceless women, the quicker of the shambling four figures, bum rushed the off duty deputy-four loud booms responded to her attack. Pete knew he had hit dead center of where he was aiming, all four bullets ripping through the chest of the blonde woman. And yet somehow she kept coming, her first bite tearing out a particularly large part of Petes neck. "What the fuck!?!" Pete roared in surprise and horror as he shoved the woman violently to the ground. The second woman, who Pete straight away recognized as Mrs. Barrow (she had afterall babysat him as a kid) was also making a quick beeline for him-her jaw working up and down as her pearly white teeth made a constant 'snap snap snap' sound. Apparently she too intended to take a bite out of Pete. Unloading the rest of what was left in his pistol seemed to do nothing to the now bullet riddled Mrs. Barrow who just kept coming. That's when instinct took over and Pete sprinted faster then he was pretty sure he ever had in his life, mere seconds later he was opening the passenger side door to the ladies car he had almost arrested moments before.
It took a moment for him to freak out. But it was only a moment.
"WHAT THE FUCK!?!" He shouted wide eyed at the girl he didn't know as if she had all the answers. Again he shouted 'what the fuck' as the color drained from his face, his left hand clutching the large open hole on the side of his neck that seemed to be spreading blood all over himself and the passenger seat. His right hand still tightly clutching the now empty pistol in his hand. Normally Pete was a rather well looking man, the solidly built type that took care of his body and and had what many considered a 'handsome' face, but sitting here covered in blood in a strangers car he was pretty sure he felt like an unrecognizable mess.
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Her skin went cold. She could do nothing but stare straight forward, as she had been before. She pulled the knotted hoodie sleeve off of her arm and slowly turned her head. But he was distracted.
"Chew your meat for you...
Pass it back and forth...
In a passionate kiss.
From my mouth to yours, I like you."
The radio was still blaring. She put the car in gear and was about to leave when... What was going on? *Crack Crack Crack Crack* The gun shots made her jump in her seat... Oh my god, d-...Did she just bite him?
Liters of blood was splotching onto the ground, she wanted to throw up. It was gagging her. She struggled to put her seat belt on, it wouldn't pull down. Finally she got it to click, there had been more gunshots, but she was still coming down from her high, and her senses weren't the best. Her door flew open and she looked at the man, stunned. He was draining blood all over her car and her face would have drained blood as well if it were not already pale white from the drugs. She was shouting at him... What-.. What was he saying?
"WHAT THE FUCK!?"
She panicked.
"WHAT, WHAT, WHAT THE FUCK ARE... WHAT THE FUCK!?"
That's when she saw the people banging on the door, not ten feet away from her...
"You've got to be fucking kidding me......you've got to be fucking kidding me....You've got to be...." David murmured under his breath repeating himself over and over as he suddenly began scouring the shop for......anything. He circled the aisles twice and practically dove behind the counter to search for some kind of gun or bat. Chips and candy cascaded across the floor as he carelessly knocked them aside.
"Hey! Old man!" He snapped his fingers loudly to get the man's attention. "Weapon. Anything? Gun, bat, antique machete?"
His tone had completely changed, commanding, bordering on threatening. Trembling in his own panic disbelief as if he'd been caught over a dead body and forced to murder all the witnesses present. He looked between the two expectantly. "You've seen the damned movies if we stick around here we're dead"
Jim's eyes had been drawn away from the door momentarily, his focus now on David. He couldn't decide if the people outside or David were acting crazier. Quickly making his way over to the counter David had just finished rummaging through Jim spoke in a still somewhat calm voice, the gravity of the situation unfolding still not having fully sunk in "Just what in the fuck are you talking about Dave?"
Before Dave had a moment to respond Pops interrupted "Aisle six!" he randomly exclaimed excitedly, his ancient eyes locking with Dave's. The confused look from Jim however made him clarify more "The tool aisle! That's your best bet boys!"
Jim threw his hands up as if to say 'hold on' "Woah woah woah, wait a second guys. What are you two planning here exactly? Get some wrenches and crowbars and, what, go out there and start beating on those people? Need I remind you they just took a bite out of what looked like Deputy Pete?" He asked the two men in disbelief. Pops shrugged at him and responded "Doesn't hurt to be prepared son."
Turning his gaze back around to the door Jim noticed that the shambling group of monsters now seemed to be making their way away from the store, something else apparently having caught their attention. It only took him a moment to see what their new found target was, all four of them closing in on what appeared to be some sort of freshly wrecked Volkswagon not far off from the store
The radio crackled to life.
"Imagine there's no heaven."
She threw herself into the back seat, grabbing her hoodie and wrapping it around the woman's face, hoping to keep her at bay. She scratched at Nicole's arms, shedding blood. Nicole screamed as loud as she could.
"It's easy if you try."
Two more zombies started banging on the back and side window. She began to bawl her eyes out, she fell back and started kicking the zombie back with her operative leg. As long as she kept it from getting between the seats... They couldn't get her. Until the windows gave in.
Then she'd be eaten alive.
"There's no hell below us."
*Thud. Thud. Thud.*
"Above us only sky..."
"Next move.....the hell am I saying....I don't have a single clue what I'm doing. Am I seriously going under the assumption that those things out there are zombies? That's one hell of a jump, Dave."
"The hell else could they be? Shambling psychopaths that just happen to look and act exactly like zombies?"
"This can't be happening. You're drunk. You're just having a crazy dream, maybe you had too much to drink last night."
"FUCK!"
Dave's eyes where wide, as if trying to catch a tell, some kind of tell tale sign that it was all just his imagination. He blinked and headed for the door, hammer in hand then waited for Jim and Pops to join him, that or convince him not to do otherwise.
Standing next to the door for a moment with Dave Jim took the pair of keys Pops had just brought back over, his right hand quickly unlocking both the top and bottom locks with a loud clicking noise. His hand on the doorknob he locked eyes with Dave for what he thought could very well be the last time. "You ready Dave? We come back after this, i'm havein one of those beers of yours" He said in a voice that was clearly filled with worry and uncertainty and a forced hint of humor as he opened the door into the parking lot.
"Go."
The moment that Jim got the door open and got clear of the way David made for the zeds crowding the car. Hammer in a tight and read grasp. The sickening wet thud and crunch of sculls seem to sound in David's head before the blow had even made contact with the first zed as he struggled grasping it's collar from behind.
Whud! Whud! Whud!
A chunk of brain matter hit his face, distorted in what emotion could be anyones guess. Rage, distress, panic? The hammer's blows where rough on the scull getting stuck and causing just as much damage on the yank out, if not more. He pushed the body of the stunned and convulsing zed into another one that had turned at the sudden sounds and movements of conflict. They both toppled over next to the car.
"You get in there and I'll get the ones around ya!" David said, voiced raised over the clamor.
*Crunch. Crunch*
Outside, blood painted the windows and bodies began to fall.
"HELP!" HE~LP!"
Her words screamed in a blood curdling desperation, and broken up with the tears streaming down her face.
"You get in there and I'll get the ones around ya!" Jim heard Dave shout over the noises of the storm and the sickening snapping sound of bones. With a nod that Jim knew Dave would probably never notice he set about doing exactly what the man said, his right hand gripping the passenger side door handle. As he tried opening the car door a dull clicking sound was made signalling that the door was, in fact, locked from the inside. A quick glance around and Jim made sure that no shambling figure was sneaking up on him, to his relief Dave was doing a rather good job of drawing their attention.
A swift two handed swing of the crowbar he'd takein from Pops store was all it took to send the car window exploding into a thousand tiny shards. Not waiting a minute he snaked his arm around what shards remained in the window frame, his hand finding its way around the lock. A quick pull with his hand and the door finally popped open.
The sight he was greeted with inside the car wasn't pretty to say the least. The newly turned Deputy Pete was doing his best to get a taste of the poor woman who was successfully keeping him at bay. Without thinking Jim grabbed the legs of the sprawled out deputy and pulled with all his strength, literally dragging the bloodied body of whatever Deputy Pete had become out of the car. Letting Pete's body unceremoniously hit the asphalt of the parking lot Jim was just about to make his way back into the car to help the woman get out when Pete was on him-how he'd recovered from the fall so quickly Jim wasn't entirely sure but he did know there was a hundred and seventy pound something man trying to take a bite out of him.
Raising up his steel crowbar at the last second he caught Pete almost perfectly, the deranged mans mouth now literally biting at the lengthy bit of steel in his hand. Trying to decide what best to do with Pete locked onto his weapon his train of thought was quickly shattered, a sickeningly wet and loud 'whud' coming from the hammer striking Pete in the back of the head. The monster that had once been Pete collapsed to the ground in a limp pile, Jims eyes locking with his savior Dave-he quickly noticed the Dave was now covered in a fair amount of black redish blood that even the rain was having trouble washing off. "She's still inside." Was all Jim could manage to say, his eyes transfixed on the now dead Deputy Pete.
He kicked Pete's limp shoulder then used his own sleeve to wipe some of the blood from his face. It seemed to just smear itself. David tried not to think of what might happen if he got some of that stuff in his eyes or mouth. His hands where beginning to shake. David had managed to clear the parking lot for the moment. There hadn't been that many of them on the sheer fact that not many people where at that shop at the time however the zeds that had been making diligent work of the people in that small town. Screams, gunshots and distant sirens where painfully audible from there and things where going downhill fast as the harsh realization spread. He turned to the car and climbed inside as best he could with his bulky form. He peered past the seats back at the woman. He must have looked and smelled like a murder scene drenched and bloody with what shown of his face being pale from being at a steady state of emotional shock. He held his hand out for her. "We need to get out of here quick. They're starting to pop up all over the place."
It was then that he got the idea that they had to get out of there. The town they where in was small but it was still too populated to be in any way safe. He made sure the woman got out of the car and glanced over to Jim to make sure he wasn't being devoured on.
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