The engine roared as they sped into the city, the plazas giving way to restaurants and business offices and old brick buildings.
Lacey trembled, holding herself and trying not to look ahead at the translucent red gel smeared over the cracked windshield.
"How did that happen?" she asked.
"Oh! I killed three of them on the way over," Dylan said, grinning widely. "I mean, I drove into them. They're already dead, right? Yeah, I drove straight into them and I didn't even stop!"
Dylan stared ahead with a determined glare, gripping the steering wheel so severely her knuckles were white.
Lacey reached and fumbled with the radio's buttons. Scan couldn't find any signals at all, and manual search didn't even result in a Christian station. She gave up and leaned back. "There's nothing."
"Phones are down, too," Dylan said, speaking over the loudening roar of the engine. "I was trying to call you, but there wasn't even a dial tone."
Lacey gasped, heart pounding as she shuddered harshly in her seat.
"What is going on?" she demanded.
"It's the zombie uprising. It's so rad!" Dylan said. And chuckled. "There was one in the store. I tried to kill it. But they don't die."
"Obviously!" Lacey spat.
"No, I mean, like, the rule's supposed to be shoot 'em in the head or whatever. Destroy the brain! Right? But, no matter what you do, they keep going! Fucking Energizer Bunny shit!"
Lacey pulled up her legs and held them to her chest. She had never felt such terror and uncertainty in her life.
"Where are we going?" she asked softly. "What are we going to do?"
Dylan scoffed. "Shit, I can do this all night! I'm wired for sound, baby! Hey, do you want to get drive-thru?"
"This is serious, Dylan!" Lacey shouted. "This isn't one of your video games! We need a plan!"
"Fucking come up with one then!" Dylan shouted back. "I don't know anything! You're the one with the fucking brains!"
Bang!
Lacey screamed. Dylan gasped as the car rumbled violently, the steering suddenly going stiff. She gripped the wheel, keeping them steady as they whirred and clattered and grinded, guiding them at a sharp angle to the side of the road before coming to an abrupt halt. Smoke spewed from under the hood.
For a long moment, the only sound was their stilled breaths.
"Aw, man!" Dylan whined. "What's wrong now?"
"Maybe it's because you smashed it into a wall?" Lacey said.
"Saving your life, bitch!"
Lacey exhaled hard, glaring at her. Dylan returned her glare. In her expression, though, Lacey could see that Dylan knew she had clearly crossed a line and felt at least a little bad for it. She would never back down first, though.
"Pop the hood," Lacey said.
Dylan did so, and they got out of the car together.
Lacey unlatched the hood, lifted it, and propped it over her. The engine was illuminated from the nearby street lamp. Lacey gripped the car, tense. Dylan never took anything seriously, especially the most serious things. Having a task at least gave her something to focus on and help her calm.
Dylan stood a step away, pouting as she crossed her arms. Plastic crinkled. Lacey glanced up. Realizing she was still wearing her smock, Dylan tossed it aside, revealing her black Sisters of Mercy concert tee, taut over her curves.
"Shit," Lacey said.
Dylan harrumphed. "I smashed it good, huh?"
"Yeah, you did!" Lacey replied, incredulous. She exhaled and forced herself to calm. "The radiator is cracked. But I can fix it. I think." She straightened and swept back her long blonde hair. "We just need a new belt, coolant, and some kind of bonding agent." She looked around. "Where are we?"
Dylan searched the immediate area with her.
"The ValuSave is like six blocks that away," she said, pointing. "They're open twenty-four hours a day."
"But who knows how many of those things are out there? Waiting."
"I'll protect you."
Lacey looked at Dylan. Dylan smiled, giving her a reassuring wink. It was the Dylan she needed most right now—the silly, adventurous rascal who made her feel just as mighty when she mostly felt inconsequential.
"Okay," she said.
Lacey stepped closer, about to start down the long boulevard.
Dylan quickly jumped ahead of her. "Kiss me!"
"What?"
"For strength. And for luck," Dylan said. "All that shit!"
Lacey exhaled softly and leaned down. Dylan grabbed her, held her tightly, and the two kissed, a long, lingering peck and then finally pulled apart with a smack of their lips. Lacey hadn't realized how much she had needed the contact.
Dylan beamed triumphantly. Lacey smiled back.
"All right," Dylan said. "See? Now I'm ready for anything!"
*~*~*
They headed down the street together, block after block, passing banks and dentist's offices and homes.
Lacey loved how Dylan walked, bouncing with each step, arms swinging, her chin up. She was fearless.
She looked ahead and around them at the vacant streets. "It's so quiet." Lacey listened, but could not hear even a single insect. "Do you think the zombies killed everyone?"
"No, man. It's just late, that's all," Dylan said. "Don't worry. We'll survive this."
She took Lacey's hand, and Lacey squeezed her affectionately.
Lacey glanced up then. And the sky flashed blue. Curious, she waited and watched, and it flashed again, a white-blue light faintly brightening the sky.
"Did you see that?" Lacey asked.
"What?" Dylan looked up, and the light flashed across the sky. "That?"
"I guess it's nothing," Lacey said. "Probably just a tower beacon."
Ahead, the large big-box store appeared. They walked across the street, through some shrubbery, and began across its enormous parking lot, vacant except for a few cars near the entrance. Their steps echoed against the beige structure, its luminous sign large over them.
"They're not here either," Lacey said.
"Yeah, they think this place is stupidly overpriced, too," Dylan said. "Seriously, who pays twenty-five dollars for a new DVD?"
They stopped, close enough now to see that the store's sliding doors were stuck open and cracked. They listened, looked around and into the store, but they seemed to be alone.
"Should we?" Lacey asked.
"The lights are still on," Dylan said.
Lacey turned to Dylan. "Okay, look. Let's do this quickly. No fooling around. We'll just get what we need and get back to the car and get out of here. And if we see anything, we just run."
Dylan nodded. "In and out," she affirmed. "Quick as a bunny!"
Together, they went into the store. Lacey slid effortlessly between its open doors. A step behind, Dylan had to push them apart slightly more.
They walked briskly, looking every way. Lacey guided them toward the right side of the store, past the toiletries and cosmetics, past the children's toys, heading straight for the automotive section.
There was no music playing, no sounds at all, their steps loud in the seemingly vacant store's quiet.
*~*~*
As Lacey jogged down the aisle in search of the items they needed, Dylan stayed at the end of the aisle, keeping an eye out. She looked across the store, its center occupied by racks and shelves of clothes. A wall isolating the baby and infant supplies obstructed her view of the other half of the store, though.
Ahead were the women's clothes. Dylan stepped over to a tall display of sunglasses and looked over the selection. She glanced left and right, making sure that no zombies were lurking near, and grabbed a pair of circular glasses with bright pink frames. She checked herself out in the display's reflective strip and smirked. "Cutie pie!"
Something clattered then, the clumsy sound softened by its distance.
Dylan looked sharply around the display. It had come from the other end of the store. She glanced back. Lacey was still searching for the parts they needed. She jogged over to her.
"Hey, I think I heard something."
Lacey looked up and did a double take at the sight of Dylan's new sunglasses. "What was it?" she asked.
"I don't fucking know," Dylan said. "These aren't X-ray specs!"
Lacey wasn't sure what to do. She was having trouble finding the right size timing belt for an old, ridiculously large car, but at the same time she didn't want to be around any of those things.
"Should I check it out?" Dylan said. "I'm going to check it out."
"Wait!" Lacey said. Dylan stopped, a step from taking off. "Just… I only need a minute! Just find out what it was and come right back. Don't do anything!"
Dylan scoffed. "Duh!"
She jogged away briskly, searching left and right. To one side were racks of shirts and pants, and to the other were rows of pet supplies and sporting goods. She turned at the corner, dense with home furnishings and lawn and garden supplies.
This side of the store was dedicated to household and kitchen goods, with even taller aisles. She proceeded slowly, listening, appreciating that something could spring out at her from any of the rows.
Another clatter, the sound of glass rattling. Something was bashing against one of the shelves. She slowed, unsure of what she would find. It could be one of those things or someone injured. There were no other noises to inform her.
The clatter became louder as she neared. She stopped, searching around before peeking down the aisle.
There was blood splattered along its length, and at its end a zombie was holding a store employee in its grip, listlessly stabbing the old man. She watched as the new kitchen knife plunged slowly into the bloodied torso, at roughly the same spot, over and over in a steady rhythm. A pool of reddest blood painted the floor under them.
She wanted to attack, sneak up on the zombie and smash its head in, but she had made a promise. Her eyes narrowed with rage behind her sunglasses as she stepped away quietly, slowly. When she was far enough away, she took off in a full sprint back to the far other end of the store.
In the automotive aisle, Lacey was holding a timing belt and gallon of coolant, searching still for a suitable bonding agent.
"They're in the store!" Dylan said, flush and panting.
Lacey looked over sharply. "How many?"
"Who gives a shit? They're in the store!"
Lacey nodded, grabbed one of the containers before her. "This is all we need. Let's go!" she said.
Together, they hurried to the front of the store.
Suddenly, there were multiple thuds and bumps around them, unseen entities bashing against shelves as they staggered down the aisles all around them.
"Shit!" Lacey said.
They stood at one of the self-checkout stations, and Lacey suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! I don't have money on me."
"I was wondering about that," Dylan said, with a glance to Lacey's fleece pajama bottoms. "Here, gimme." Lacey handed the items over, into Dylan's eagerly clapping hands. "Great," Dylan said. "Now fucking run!"
Dylan sprinted for the doors, with Lacey hurrying just a step behind her.
They emerged into the dark and quiet of the parking lot, their steps loud around them, so involved in the moment Dylan didn't bother to check their surroundings first.
"Are you nuts?! You just stole that stuff!"
"We'll pay them back later!" Dylan said. "For fuck's sake, the dead are walking! They'll understand!"
At the end of the parking lot, she jumped through the thick shrubbery diving the property from the rest of the city, and with a grunt landed her feet on the street.
*~*~*
They walked the remaining blocks back slowly, with Dylan huffing as she caught her breath.
Lacey sympathized, at the same time quietly chastising her for not exercising more, or really ever. She remembered inviting her on a walk early in their relationship, but Dylan had given her a loud raspberry and a thumbs down, settling that.
They said nothing the entire way. Lacey turned her thoughts away from disapproving of Dylan's actions to how she was going to fix the car.
Finally, they made it back.
Lacey took the items from Dylan, opened the hood, and went to work.
*~*~*
Dylan pocketed her new sunglasses and kept a lookout, searching down both ends of the silent lane and into the shadows between the disparate buildings.
She glanced ahead then, and became distracted by the sight of Lacey leaning into the car, her rear out, pert in her fleece bottoms. Dylan looked down her legs, to her feet in worn red flats shifting under her. And up again, at her skinny arms, moving busily, and into her loose tank top. Dylan tried to peer through its shadows, hoping to see Lacey's subtle chest. Lacey tugged and grunted. The sight of her, all of it, enraptured Dylan, drove her wild.
"You're keeping an eye out for zombies, right?" Lacey called.
Dylan shifted and looked away. "Yeah!"
"You're not just looking at my ass?" Lacey scolded.
"Give me some credit," Dylan said. She crossed her arms, then grudgingly added, "I stopped looking, okay!"
She turned away, and her eyes widened. Standing only a few feet away was a zombie, ambling toward her with its arms out and rasping airily.
"Fucker!" Dylan shouted.
"Dylan!" Lacey cried.
Dylan charged forward and shoved the zombie. It grabbed her arm in a tight grip. She planted her feet, pulling away. The rotting skin of its hand sloughed away and its fingers came apart, crumbling and falling to the ground.
It rasped, no less determined.
Dylan pushed the zombie with all of her strength. It fell to the ground, and she began stomping on its head and then its torso, over and over, its body squishing and squelching under her sneakers, until finally it looked like a dropped blackberry pie.
Still, it reached at her, trying to grab her leg. With a grunt, she kicked its hand away. The hand snapped off the wrist and was flung toward Lacey.
Dylan scraped and scuffed her sneakers along the concrete and nearby patch of grass as she returned, looking around to see if the commotion had attracted any others.
"I think that was one of the fuckers from the store," she said, panting.
She glanced back. The body was still moving, shifting and stirring around its shattered mass. Its legs had dislocated, though, and it otherwise lacked the physical structure it needed to stand.
"I really need a weapon. I keep forgetting my scraper," she said. "I should have grabbed a shovel or something while we were at the store. Ooh! A croquet mallet!"
Under the car, the detached hand crawled along the ground, pulling itself by its fingers, and grabbed Lacey's foot.
Lacey screamed and staggered. She tried to kick it off of her, but the nubs where its fingers had detached were squeezing tightly. "It's hurting me!" Lacey cried.
"Hang on! Hang on!" Dylan said, hurrying.
Lacey steadied herself against the car, foot jerking. Dylan crouched, groaning as she crushed the rotting hand in her grip, making its bones snap. Its digits pulled apart, even as it continued squeezing, and Dylan tossed the hand to the far other side of the street as hard as she could.
Lacey set down her foot and winced.
"Are you all right?" Dylan asked, wide-eyed with worry and exhilaration alike.
Lacey nodded. "I think so."
"And the car?"
"Fixed, I think."
"I call shotgun!"
Lacey smiled and dropped the hood. Dylan stood at the passenger door, doing a quick check of the surrounding area while Lacey got behind the driver's seat.
Dylan's expression dropped. Zombies were starting to appear at both ends of the street, reaching and rasping, most dragging broken limbs.
"We have to go," Dylan said. "Fucking now!"
*~*~*
Lacey turned the key. The car rumbled and sputtered, but then turned over, the engine roaring no less hideously.
"Awesome!" Lacey cheered. "I don't know how long that will hold, but hopefully it'll be long enough."
Dylan hopped into the passenger seat. The door slammed shut as Lacey put the car into drive and tore down the city street, past the growing throng of zombies.
They both let out a breath.
"Hey!" Dylan said.
Lacey jumped. "What? What is it?"
"You're driving the battleship," she said. "You never drive my car. It's weird, is all."
"I guess it is," Lacey said, appreciating how big the steering wheel was and just how much vehicle there was in front of her. She could feel it bouncing from side to side as they lurched down the lane.
"Maybe we should go back and get your car," Dylan said.
Lacey gave it thought. "I don't think it's a good idea. Those things are back there for sure. And who knows how many more there are now."
She could easily imagine dozens of zombies waiting around her silver Altima, and didn't want to face that.
"So," Dylan said, "where the fuck are we going?"
"We'll go to Uncle Lonnie's cabin," Lacey said. "He used to be sheriff. He'll know what to do. He'll know what's going on."
She was too clearly trying to convince herself that it was the best solution. The cabin was more than twenty miles away, far removed from any other sources of help, and he might not even be there. But where else was there?
"Yeah, man," Dylan said. "That sounds good."
Lacey drove intently, not wanting to think about anything, focused solely on reaching their destination and praying her repairs held.