You can't call them Zombies!

They were closing in faster than he wanted or expected. Their stench moving closer with each moaning step. He looked to the fence and decided against that choice as it could lead to a worse situation. Bracing himself, he listened for the shuffling of their footsteps, sweat clung to his neck as he scanned the dark park. Which way was out. He had gotten so turned around.

He didn’t have time to think as a cold, bony finger touched his shoulder. He bolted. His entire body blazed with adrenaline as he ran. He hoped he wouldn’t run into anyone or anything as he ran. A moment after starting he crashed into someone. His shoulder drove through the person, just how he imagined a football player must feel when tackling someone.

Instead of stopping, Kyle spun, let out a small scream as something damp spread onto his shoulder and he kept running. The footsteps and moans grew further behind him as he ran. The stench continued to follow him as he darted toward the direction he hoped was his girlfriends.

More moans started as he entered a playground. He needed to stop. His legs wobbled, and his chest burned. A small twist of pain began in his stomach. He only ran for ten minutes and his body treated it like a mile and a half. In the distance he could see the flicker of some light. He looked at the comforting swing in the glimmer of moonlight, but pressed on.

The moans were following him and there seemed to grow in number by the moment. The sand beneath his feet continued to pull at his tired legs and he stumbled twice falling hard. The sand clung to his palms and stung a cut in his hand that he hadn’t noticed.

Heading toward the flickering light like a moth, he pulled himself over the small chain link fence separating him and pushed onward. As he approached, the light wasn’t coming from a dying streetlight like he initially thought, but a car had crashed into a power pole. The flickering light came from the small bush set ablaze by the downed power line. That answered the question as to why the park and the surrounding houses were dark.

As he approached, he noticed the car was empty. The driver’s side door was open and blood trailed away. It wasn’t in drips like the injured person walked away, but in a long steady line like the driver was dragged away.

A moan came from the other side of the bush and Kyle faced the sound this time. In the light it didn’t seem so scary and he clenched his fists, ready for a fight. What emerged wasn’t something he expected, despite what his imagination had conjured up.

A woman in a nice yellow dress limped out from around the bush. He noticed how nice the dress looked except for her missing left arm. Blood drenched the side of the dress. She stopped as she saw him, if she could see, as dried blood matted her face. Probably from the gash across her forehead. A sneer crossed her lips and a low guttural growl erupted from somewhere deep inside of her.

His first instinct was to ask, “Are you okay?”

He regretted how stupid it sounded almost instantly as she rushed him without any hesitation. No slow shuffling or anything like in the park. This one saw him, saw food and didn’t want to wait.

Kyle remained frozen as she closed the twenty yard gap in a hurry. His brain analyzed the way that her stiff limbs moved with such speed.

Moments before she would have gotten to him, he snapped out of the shock and ducked out of the way. She lost her balance and fell as well.

Kyle turned to face her as she picked herself off the ground. She turned slowly; a fresh scrap took away a piece of her cheek. Her teeth glimmered in the firelight, full of anger. The low growl came again and she charged. This time, Kyle didn’t hesitate and he ran, and almost immediately his legs burned again and the stitch in his side started again. He realized that he was only a block away from his girlfriend’s house and ran that direction.

What should Kyle do next?

1.) Should he lead the lady in the yellow dress to his girlfriend’s house?

2.) Should he lead her back to the park and hope to lose her?

3.) Try to stand and fight her with whatever weapon he can find?

You decide. I look forward to hearing what you think. Please post comments on how you like the story so far. I’m interested if you enjoy it or if it’s just not something you want to participate anymore.