As soon as the initial zombie saw Dale, it doubled its aggression. It stuck its head through the narrow window to get to him. Dale was momentarily stunned, as the zombie paid no mind to the damage it was doing to itself. The sharp edges of glass along the jamb were sawing through cheek and neck, but the zombie paid it no mind as it continued to clack its teeth together. The other two zombies became more agitated as well and started hitting the door.
Dale raised his bat. There would be no easier opportunity for Dale as the zombie was pretty much stuck with its head and one arm through the window. He loaded up for a big overhead swing but hit the ceiling in the kitchen in his back swing, sending plaster down all around him. He heard his mother yelp from the direction of the front door,
“Sorry mom! I put a hole in the ceiling!” He called out as he adjusted his swing. His aim was true, and he connected with the ear and jaw of the zombie with a loud ‘CLINK’ of the aluminum bat. The zombie was unperturbed, but her jaw was clearly shattered. It continued to try to open and close its mouth. The sound of bones grinding was one of the grossest things Dale had ever heard. Dale quickly swung again. This time connecting with the top of the zombie’s head. It seemed to have little effect.
Dale then wound up for a mighty swing. As he followed through on the swing, he connected with the temple area of the zombie. The zombie’s head snapped sharply with the blow.
Dale’s first thought was that Darren would have been proud of that swing.
He surveyed the damage he had done. The skull of the zombie had a large dent in it. The zombie had stopped moving its arms, but its jaw continued to move, and its eyes tracked Dale.
I must have broken its neck.
The other zombies continued to pound on the door, but it was holding for now.
Dale quickly backed up out of the kitchen. Once out of the kitchen he turned and quickly stepped to the front door, where his mother was waiting. She had the phone in one hand and had the bat cradled to her body with her other arm. She looked scared out of her wits.
“I got one, mom. But there are two more out there. Maybe if they can’t see me, they will stop.”
Claire nodded, although Dale wondered if she comprehended what he had said.
At first, it appeared that Dale’s tactic might work. For the next thirty seconds they could only hear a few knocks against the back door. These sounded like they were half-hearted attempts. However, the zombies at the back door did not stop their assault. After a nervous couple of minutes, the first sound of wood cracking came from the kitchen. They were breaking through.
Dale indicated for his mother to stay at the door and took a step towards the kitchen.
Just then the phone rang. It startled Claire so much, that she screamed and dropped the phone. She quickly gathered the phone up, but her scream had driven the zombies at the back door into a frenzy. As Dale looked around the corner of the hallway into the kitchen, he saw the door fly open as a zombie had lunged into it. The weakened portal had finally given.
The zombie had crashed to the ground just inside the doorway. A second zombie looked inside, saw Dale, and immediately launched itself towards its prey. It tripped over the first zombie in its haste, going down hard and without any intent to catch its fall. It hit the ground chin first, smashing its bottom jaw. A spray of blood and a handful of teeth skittered across the tile floor.
“We have to go now, Mom!” Dale called over his shoulder as he raised his bat menacingly and backing up.
Claire was still at the front door. She was yelling into the phone. In one motion, he snatched the phone out of his mother’s hand and tossed it into the living room.
Dale locked eyes with his mom. “We have to go. Now.” He delivered the words forcefully yet calmly. He could hear the zombies getting back to their feet in the kitchen.
Claire was in a daze. The fear and violence were too much for her.
Dale pulled her away and opened the door. He quickly pushed open the screen door and grabbed his mom by the arm, pushing her out onto the front porch. He quickly stepped out after her, blinking as the bright afternoon nearly blinded him.
Dale was dismayed at what he saw when his eyes adjusted. Several zombies were rushing at them. He barely noticed the school bus parked out front.
Dale entered auto-pilot. He stepped off the porch, keeping his mom behind him. He took a mighty swing at the first zombie that reached them, connecting with upper arm and shoulder and sending the zombie reeling off balance into his parent’s flower bed.
Sorry, mom. Dale thought. His parents took a lot of pride in that front lawn, and here he was, ruining it. He could imagine his dad frowning and shaking his head.
Dale caught another zombie on the back swing, but the zombie somehow managed to catch Dale’s wrist. Because of this, he couldn’t swing the bat back to defend himself. A third zombie bodily launched itself into Dale and brought him down as his mom screamed behind him.
A chick. A hot chick. Dale almost saw the humor of the situation. Here he was, at the end of the world, and finally girls were throwing themselves at him.
As he hit the ground, he felt an excruciating pain in his right arm. He heard his own bone snap as the combination of weight and impact snapped his forearm sickeningly back on itself.
He felt his body slammed into again, as another zombie piled on to him. Dale tried to
