Punks Versus Zombies - episode 31 of the post-apocalyptic zombie serial
Welcome to episode 31! Inm our last episode, Tommy fought their way past a zombie horde in Denver and were picked up by Laila...
Tyres crunched over scattered debris as the van put downtown in the rearview mirror. Tommy sagged against the passenger seat, relief washing over him that they were still alive. But it was quickly replaced by a gnawing frustration. They’d risked everything for nothing.
Laila glanced at him in the glow of the dashboard lights. “You alright?”
He swallowed hard. “Yeah, I’m…I’m good. How’s Micky doing?”
Laila’s expression tightened. “He’s been better. The withdrawal really seemed to hit him hard today.”
Tommy rubbed his throbbing temple, suddenly aware of the ache blossoming there. “Why’d you come after us?” He held up a hand. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful as hell. But—”
“We got worried when you didn’t come back. Jimbo said you’d only planned on being gone a few hours at most.”
A mirthless laugh drifted from the backseat where Roxy sat slumped. “Yeah, well, plans changed real fast.”
“What happened out there?” Laila asked. “You need me to get back to the other van?”
“The van’s gone,” Roxy said. “Burnt to a damn crisp.”
“Those sons of bitches torched it,” Zero said.
“Jesus…” Laila bit down on her bottom lip. “What the hell happened back there?”
Tommy sighed. “We went into the city to look for meds for Micky—”
“That van was our lifeline,” Roxy cut in. “We lost everything—supplies, ammo, meds.”
They torched our ride and nearly took us out too,” Zero said.
“Whoa, whoa, slow down,” Laila said, holding up a hand. “One thing at a time. Tommy, what were you saying about finding meds?”
“Right, yeah.” Tommy nodded. “We hit up that mall downtown first, but it was stripped clean. You should’ve seen the place, Lai. Totally ransacked.”
“Like a war zone,” Roxy said. “So much blood…Oh, and then we went to check out Union Station next for any pharmacies.”
Zero shook his head. “Dumbest idea ever. That’s where they ambushed us. Came out of nowhere, blazing away. Full on firefight.”
“You were attacked?” Laila’s eyes went wide. “By who?”
“No clue,” Roxy said. “Just wanted to put some holes in us, that’s for sure. Crazy bastards.”
Tommy leaned back. “Had to bolt, man. Took off across the rooftops with those dead-heads shambling after us. Thought we were goners for sure.”
“Wait. The zombies had guns?”
“No, no. The people at the station had guns”
“Yeah, the dead-heads came later,” Roxy said. “It was intense.”
“Roxy went down for a sec there,” Zero said. “That blade of hers…saved our asses more than once.”
“I can’t believe you’re all still alive. What about the van? How’d you get separated from it?”
Tommy shrugged. “We’d circled back around after shaking our hunters…the people, I mean.”
“And that’s when we saw it,” Roxy cut in, her voice cracking. “My van, completely torched. God damn shame.”
Zero’s jaw clenched. “Yeah, whoever those shooters were, they struck while we were getting our asses handed to us.”
“I’m so sorry, you guys,” Laila said.
“Don’t be,” Tommy said. “You showing up when you did? That was a straight-up miracle.”
Roxy sighed, deflating back against the seat. “You’re not kidding. Another hour out there and we’d have been done for sure.”
“Damn straight,” Zero said, shifting to glance out the window.
They lapsed into an exhausted silence as the van barrelled down the empty road.
Tommy stared out the windshield, replaying the events of the last several hours in his mind.
So much had gone wrong so fast. How many more close calls could they endure before their luck ran out completely?
A muscle ticked in Tommy’s jaw as the hopelessness of their situation threatened to overwhelm him.
He sagged back into the seat, wincing as fresh aches made themselves known. His temple throbbed where he’d caught that glancing blow.
“Hey. You’re alive, though.” Laila’s words cut the silence. “All of you.” A faint smile played at the corners of her mouth. “That’s what matters most right now, yeah?”
“Damn rig’s gonna be awful cosy with all of us packed in,” Roxy said.”
Laila snorted “That’s for sure. But we’ll make it work.”
Zero leaned forward, bracing himself against the back of Laila’s seat. “Speaking of which, what’s the plan from here? “ He paused, rolling a shoulder with a soft grunt. “Because I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could seriously use a few winks and a chance to get this walker funk off me.”
Roxy grimaced down at her gore-splattered shirt and jeans, giving a violent, full-body shudder. “Oh, I second that motion, believe me. A fresh change of clothes would be heavenly right about now.”
Zero sniffed. “Except our clothes were in the van.”
“Well ain’t that just perfect.”
Laila kept her gaze focused ahead. “I say when we get back, you should all try to grab some rest. Get ourselves sorted out properly when we’ve had some sleep.”
“Agreed,” Tommy said. “We’ll plan our next steps when we’ve rested.”
Roxy went to say something then nodded. “Your right. I’m spent.”
Zero nodded. “Me too…”
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