Cindy clung to her and sobbed while Mar tried to wrap her head around what was happening to them. These three men had just murdered Dave before her eyes and for all she knew Allen’s unconscious form could be next. And these three old dirty hicks wanted to kidnap Mar, Cindy, and Jenny and take them out to some run down shack in the woods just so they can do the nasty with them for as long as possible while the world went to hell.

And she had thought the zombies were bad.

“So what is our game plan now?” The man named Sully asked.

Pritch rested the barbwire covered bat over his shoulder. “Well, I was thinking we should wait until these idiots kill each other off, but now that we have these chippies, I’m in the mood to get this party started.”

“Why can’t you just let us go?’ Cindy pleaded. “Our families will be worried sick about us.”

“Screw your families,” Pritch said with a mean sounding laugh. “Most likely they are all already dead. Do you know what’s happening out there? The boonies will be the only safe place left. You should be getting on your knees thanking us, if we hadn’t found you you’d all be dead by now.”

“I like the idea of them thanking us on their knees,” Lenny said with a sick smile.

“Shutup and get all our gear ready to be loaded into the truck. Sully get our guns together and make sure we grab every can of food we got here.”

Lenny moved into another room, but Sully stayed and asked, “what about this guy?”

“I was thinking maybe we could use his as bait. It might keep the zombies off our back while we load the truck or something.”

“You’re sick,” Cindy cried as tears rolled down her young face.

“And you’re cute. I like your fire. Maybe I’ll keep you for myself.”

Cindy cringed against her, but Mar racked her brain searching for a way to get them out of this before they ended up lost in some ‘Hills Have Eyes’ situation. Allen appeared to be hurt bad and Jenny hadn’t moved since the car crash. She worried about her friend. She looked pale and Mar couldn’t even see her breathing.

Not sure what else to do, she said, “I think my friend Jenny might need medical attention in a bad way.”

Pritch laughed again. “Haven’t you heard a word I said?”

Sully smiled. “Looks like we got some real bimbos on our hands, huh.” A chuckle escaped from his lips. “Just the way I like them.”

Pritch spoke again and glared down at her as he did so. “A hospital has gotta be the worst place in the world to go. Where do you think these first zombies would have been taken? I’m sure every hospital out there has become an epicenter for death. We wouldn’t be able to get within a mile of one and if we could, any doctor we could find would just be trying to bite your face off.”

Mar wasn’t sure how to answer that and just took a step back and Cindy was quick to follow her.

Sully leaned down over Jenny. “Uh, Pritch, I hate to say this, but I think she might be right. This chick doesn’t look so good and that sucks because she’s the hottest one.”

“Well if she doesn’t get better than one of you is screwed. I’ll be taking big mouth over here and that will leave you two to fight over Goth girl if-”

Sully didn’t even scream when Jenny suddenly sat up and grabbed a handful of his hair. “What the hell? Girly, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll—what? Ahhhh!”

Pritch shouted with the rest of them when Jenny leaned in and took a bite out of Sully’s cheek.

“Son of a bitch!” Sully yelled and then slapped Jenny across the face. The force of the blow proved enough to knock the big chunk of flesh from her bloody lips. She looked like she couldn’t have cared less and latched her teeth onto Sully shoulder. Sully screamed again and pushed her away. Jenny didn’t get a mouthful of the man this time, but she did bite hard enough to draw blood.

Sully pushed her down again and hurried onto his feet while holding his ravaged cheek.

Jenny moved to stand up as well, but Pritch didn’t afford her the opportunity. The bat came down on her head and this was enough to knock her back to the floor. When she kept moving, he hit her again and again. Meaty whacks had Cindy crying again. It was a horrible sight and Pritch didn’t stop his attack until Jenny’s once beautiful face had become an awful bloody smear.

Sully was saying, “Thanks man,” as Lenny rushed back into the room.

“What happened?” Lenny asked.

“Never mind that,” Pritch said. “Dude you were bit, I’m sorry but you’re going to become one of them.”

“Wait how can you be sure? It might not be like the movies, man!”

Pritch had already made up his mind for the bat lashed out again and took his friend in the face. Sully only got one scream out before a second blow sent him tumbling to the floor. The scene repeated itself as Pritch continued to hammer Sully’s skull until their wasn’t much of a head left and his brains joined Jenny’s in a thick soap that spread across the floor.

Lifting his bat so that it dripped strings blood onto the gory floor, he said, “Guess we figured out the dude to chick ratio again.”

They all jumped when a bloody hand slapped against the outer window. This hand was joined by another and yet another.

“Oh damn,” Lenny said. “The screams must have drawn them here.”

Behind the men, Mar saw Allen twitch, but couldn’t be sure if this might mean he was coming too or he was about to join the hungry dead. Either way, she hoped these bastards wouldn’t notice until he could kill one of them. So, before they had a chance to notice, she feinted panic and yelled, “We have to get out of here,” then she grabbed Cindy’s hand and ran into the room Lenny had just exited.

Check in every Saturday for the next chapter in the Eternal Aftermath!

You can explore more of the Eternal Aftermath here!