2. Zombie Blues
Chapter two
Zombie Blues
Monique
In my dream, Lei and I rushed through the grand hallway of a mansion.
I held a machete.
He gripped a shotgun. A sword hung in its sheath on his hip.
Portraits of stern-faced rich men lined the walls.
Our feet sunk slightly into the luscious, thick red carpets, their patterns interlocked with roses and thorns, embodying the idea of love intertwined with anguish.
The ceilings above us featured beautiful gold leaf designs, with cherubs and lovers intricately etched in each. Their expressions were both passionate and afraid, trapped in a golden eternity.
The grandiose beauty of the house seemed so out of place given our anxiety-ridden situation.
Because each shadowed nook and cranny of the mansion harbored a new threat of zombies.
The undead—once the guests of some formal party at this mansion—now roamed its hallowed halls with a grotesque purpose.
Their pale, decayed skin cracked.
Black sludge spilled from the female zombie’s misshapen mouths and dripped along their ripped gowns.
The males dragged forward in their tattered tuxedos and frayed bowties hanging loosely off their shirts.
All the while, their eyes—milky and devoid of souls—locked onto us with a terrifying hunger. Their gaped open mouths revealed jagged teeth stained from unspeakable feasts.
“This way, Monique.” Lei reached for an ornate door, its once polished wood now marred by scratches and scuffs, as if many had tried to seek refuge behind it.
We opened the door, and a magnificent sight greeted us.
The grand ballroom—once probably the heart of a lavish party—now lay draped in a haunting stillness.
Crystal chandeliers cast a spectral glow over the room.
I rushed in.
Lei slammed the door shut.
Gripping my machete, I gazed around the space. “What should we do now?”
Lei stepped forward. “We will see soon.”
We tiptoed onto the large, empty dance floor that once pulsated with music and laughter. Now it was just an abandoned, hollow space.
The tall windows were framed by heavy velvet curtains in a deep shade of red, their folds partially blocking out the moonlight.
In the corners of the room, overturned chairs and long-forgotten wine glasses hinted at a celebration that had been abruptly ended.
Lei put his shotgun down and looked at me. “We are safe for now.”
“Maybe.” I lowered my machete. “But we should probably head away from here too.”
“Let’s stay.”
“Why?”
“I just need a few silent minutes with you, Monique.”
“We don’t have the time—”
“We must create it.” Quick, Lei’s hand wrapped around the nape of my neck, pulling me close until our breaths mingled in a rush.
The horrifying groans of zombies filled the air, but for that moment, time stood still.
We gravitated toward each other, pulsing with a force much stronger than fear.
He kissed me, and his soft, inviting mouth melted with mine.
Our lips danced.
There was a sweet taste of promise, a hint of what could be, and the assurance that even in the direst of circumstances, love could find its way.
As we pulled away, Lei’s eyes were dark with desire, and I felt a warmth bloom within me.
But the groans of the zombies outside jarred me back to reality.
I whispered. “We have to keep moving,”
Lei’s voice was husky with longing. “Or we can find a place to hide in this mansion, and I can finally make love to you.”
“We have to survive.”
“Or we can truly live.”
I hesitated, my heart torn between the urgency of our situation and the need for Lei’s touch.
But before I could make a decision, the door rattled with a force that made the chandeliers tremble.
Lei lifted his shotgun. “Goddamn it. They’re about to come through.”
I raised my machete. “And I don’t think there is another exit.”
“Then, we will have to go through the zombies.”
“Lei, we can’t—”
“We can.” Lei’s gaze went wild as he stared at me. “Monique, since I’ve met you in this godforsaken apocalypse, I’ve realized that I can do anything as long as you are right by my side.”
The sound of breaking wood, accompanied by a gust of cold air, cut through our intimate moment.
Facing the splintering and crumbling door, we readied ourselves for the battle ahead.
The door exploded in bits of wood.
Hundreds of zombies poured in. Their grotesque forms twisted with each step, swarming our way. Their putrid stench filled the air.
Shards of wood on the ballroom floor crunched beneath their rotting feet.
Their fingers clawed at the air.
Closer and closer.
They rushed our way with this unnatural hunger for our flesh.
The first zombie lunged at me its arms outstretched.
With a swift motion, I sliced off its head.
Lei fired the shotgun repeatedly, taking out as many zombies as he could. His bullets always managed to take down more than two at a time, but his ammo was running low, and it was only a matter of time before we were overwhelmed.
Lei shot three in a row. “While I still have the bullets, we need to take the chance now to get through.”
“You’re right.”
“Ready?”
“Always.”
Together, we charged into the sea of undead.
I fought with all my strength, my machete a blur as I hacked at the zombies. But they kept coming, their numbers seeming to increase with each passing moment.
Lei’s shotgun clicked empty.
Cursing, he threw it aside and pulled out his sword. Soon he was cutting heads in seconds.
“We can do this!” He sliced one zombie into two parts.
A particularly towering zombie lunged at me.
Lei was there in an instant, his sword cutting through it like butter, saving me from certain doom.
Our eyes met. We did a quick exchange of gratitude and admiration, before diving back into the fray.
From then on, our movements were synchronized.
The sound of crunching bones and tearing flesh filled the air, and we hacked and we slashed and we killed our way through the horde.
As Lei’s sword sliced through the undead, and my machete found its mark again and again, zombie blood sprayed in every direction.
The cold black liquid always took me by surprise when it touched my skin.
This time, some of the fluid hit my cheek then dripped down onto my shoulder and arms. The blood was thick like old motor oil that had been exposed to a severe winter. The smell was strong and repugnant—a blend of metallic iron with the foul smell of decay.
Every splash brought with it that gut-churning aroma, making me want to gag.
More and more blood coated us. I accidentally got some in my mouth. It had a bitter rusted metal taste, with a hint of rotten meat.
I quickly spat it out, desperately trying to rid my mouth of the vile taste.
Yet, there was no time to pause or react, only to push forward.
Despite the repulsion, zombie blood always served as a saving grace.
The more we became drenched in it, the more we became invisible to the very creatures we were fighting against.
Once we began dripping with their blood, they would begin to think we were zombies too.
Surely, we smelled like them.
So we pushed on, hacking and slashing our way through the thick of the undead army, the stench of zombie blood filling our nostrils.
Until finally, we noticed a change in the horde’s behavior.
Many slowed before approaching us, their decaying eyes scanning us with less malice and more uncertainty.
I wiped some of the zombie blood off my face and glanced at Lei. “Do you think we smell enough like them yet?”
“I sure hope so. I can’t take any more of this gunk on me.”
“Let’s test it out.”
“Okay.”
We proceeded with caution, less as fierce fighters and more imitating the undead’s meandering movements.
We trudged forward and gently pushed our way through the crowd, which had become more docile and unthreatening.
I kept my voice low. “I’m telling you. Zombie Perfume.”
Lei smirked.
“I’m really going to get a business together. It would be a mega marketing campaign.”
“You would just need the idea of economy and money and even. . .tv to return to the world again.”
“That’s it.”
We navigated through the mass, our hands clung tightly to each other, the warmth and strength of our connection the only thing that kept us grounded amidst the sea of decay.
The weight in my chest began to lighten.
The odds, which had seemed insurmountable only moments ago, now appeared to be tipping in our favor.
Lei led us to a hidden passage behind a large, foreboding painting.
Shocked, I whispered, “How did you find this?”
“I know things.”
We hurried down a darkened corridor.
Our footsteps echoed.
The path led us outside, into the cold embrace of the night, away from the confining walls of the mansion and all those damn zombies.
Finally, we emerged, battered, zombie blood-splattered, and bruised, but alive.
I looked at Lei, my heart still racing.
Gratitude and relief poured through me.
Lei leaned against a gnarled old tree and caught his breath.
The moonlight bathed him in a silver glow.
Cold wind rustled the leaves.
Lei slowly unzipped his jacket, peeling it off and revealing the soaked shirt underneath, stained heavily with the zombie blood. With a grimace of distaste, he wiped at his arms and face with the cleaner inner side of the jacket, scrubbing vigorously to get off as much of the grime and gore as possible.
Seeing him, I mimicked his actions, unbuttoning my own jacket and using it as a makeshift washcloth. The rough fabric scratched my skin a bit but the feeling of getting even just a little cleaner made it worthwhile.
“I never thought I’d be so relieved to take off a jacket.” I chuckled softly.
“I’m just happy we made it out of there.”
I shivered. “Me too.”
After ensuring we had removed as much blood as we could, we bundled our jackets up and set them beside a tree. There would be more jackets to get further up, in abandoned houses or stores. There was even a huge mall a mile ahead. Perhaps, we could rest our heads for the night.
Maybe even. . .make love like we’ve been getting so close to doing.
Lei looked at me. “Alright. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Lei held out his hand, which I gratefully took, our fingers intertwining.
Without a word, we began walking, each step taking us further from the mansion and its nightmare.
The path stretched ahead and although we were unsure of what lay beyond, there was solace in the fact that we had each other.
The world might be changing in unpredictable and terrifying ways, but as long as we stood side by side, there was hope.
Lei squeezed my hand tighter as we walked forward.
The chill of the night nipped at my skin but it was the warmth of his gaze that kept me calm.
Lei slowed our pace. “Monique. . .”
“Yes?”
“I wanted better for us.”
“Our world is no longer the same.” I shrugged. “What else can we do but somehow find a way to love while it all rots around us?”
“I agree and even this may not be the perfect moment, but I need you to know. . .”
I met his gaze. “Know what?”
“Being close to you tonight, it made me realize something.”
“What?”
“I’ve spent so much of my life fearing death, but now, with you by my side, I’m not afraid anymore.”
His words caught me off guard and made my heart flutter. “Lei. . .”
“Every moment with you feels like a lifetime, and I’d rather have one perfect moment with you than an eternity without.” His eyes searched mine. “Because. . .I’m falling in love with you, Monique.”
For a moment, all the chaos and danger felt distant, and it was just the two of us, standing in the moonlight, lost in a world of our own.
My heart swelled.
Fear still lingered but so did the warmth of his words.
“I’m falling in love with you too, Lei.” I reached for him.
Our lips met again.
Lei’s arms wrapped tightly around me as if he never wanted to let me go.
And in that moment, nothing else mattered.
Not the zombies.
Not all those that we had lost.
But in this world happiness doesn’t last forever.
Suddenly, a grotesque moan interrupted the stillness of our kiss.
Before we could react, a zombie lunged from the darkness. Rotting flesh hung from its bones and its hollow eyes gleamed with hunger.
The evil creature yanked Lei into a deathly grip, and with a swift, terrifying motion, it sank its teeth into Lei’s throat.
The grotesque sound of tearing flesh thundered.
“No!” I screamed as blood spurted out, painting the moonlit ground in a gruesome shade of red. “No! No!”
Lei’s eyes went wide with anguished terror.
“No. No. No.” Gasping, I bolted upright in bed, slowly waking from the terrifying nightmare. “No. . .”
Sweat dripped from my forehead.
That wasn’t real.
The tightness in my chest started to subside as I came to the realization that it was merely a dream.
However, as I worked on steadying my pulse, the memory of Lei’s caress and the horrible image of that monster would not leave me alone.
No matter how hard I tried, the fear stayed with me.
Zombies are not real. Calm down.
Blinking my eyes, I gazed at the blue tent walls and then checked the other side of the bed.
Lei was gone.
I couldn’t believe I had been so exhausted that I didn’t even hear him wake up.
Or maybe he was just too silent when he left.
I let out a deep sigh and tried to shake off the remnants of the dream and focus on the reality of the tent around me.
The soft glow of the lowering sun filtered in through the small gap in the tent’s entrance, casting a gentle blue hue over everything.
From my bed, I could hear the distant sounds of nature—birdsongs, water trickling, and even the rustle of leaves—reminders that I was on Mount Utopia, a world away from what I had known.
I stretched out my limbs and reveled in the momentary peace.
Where did Lei go?
My fingers brushed against the cold empty space next to me where Lei had been.
To my surprise, a soft pang of sadness hit my chest.
It would have been nice to wake up next to him and get more of those sexy kisses.
My phone rang.
Who is that?
I rolled to my right, snagged up the device, and brought it closer to my face.
The bright screen momentarily blinded me, causing me to squint and shield my eyes with one hand. After adjusting, I spotted the name flashing on the screen.
Banks. Fuck.