I take hold of Billy by the belt and twist backwards while sweeping his legs off the ground.

The zombie fell to his side hard, showing the lack of instinctual protective reflexes.

The crack I heard from the impact should mean I broke his shoulder, which he landed on. I placed my knee on Billy’s back and pushed him to lie on his front while thinking over.

The creature was trying to instinctually bite my leg, despite being out of range. Its good left hand was reaching around while the right arm it had broken twitched. but mostly remained inert.

I grabbed the right arm and put my left arm in to its armpit and pulled while kicking at the same time.

A wet crunch echoed in the room, and I heard Kaitlyn retch from it.

I let go of the arm and it dropped harmlessly on the floor, its upperpart completely dislocated leaving the arm hang attached to the rest of the body only with skin.

“Oh god, that sound.” Kaitlyn said between dry heaves, “I regret asking you do that..”

I throw Kaitlyn a smile as I place the metal handcuff part of the makeshift weapon into Billy’s mouth. I had overlooked the potential danger in his mouth because of already being basically disarmed there. I focus back on my work and let her just watch with horror.

I grasp the weapons handle with both hands and push, causing a quiet pop sound out due to dislocating the jaw whilst the pull pulled loose the things lower front teeth.

I take Jason out of its mouth and place it behind its neck and gently shift it back to the natural position to avoid further spine damage till the head drops off my weapon and drops in to the correct place and almost proper alignment.

I hear a wet squish as Billy’s head props down.. The nose, perhaps?

I bring Jason over head to ‘surgically’ smash the other shoulder, but I halt as I hear Kaitlyn speak up.

“He looks so pitiful.” Her voice is almost a whisper filled with empathy that I turn back towards her and look as she leans on the table and looks at Billy with pity.

The sight makes me snort, and I have to hold back my laughter because of her suddenly feeling sorry for it.

She shoots me a glare that conveys this to be my fault.

I shrug and wave her off, causing her to harrumph and look away towards the door.

I sigh with relief as I feel my spontaneous fit dying down and refocus.

I raise my arms again and without hesitation bring the weapon down. The handcuff digging slightly into the arm before striking bone. I raise it up again and continue striking like some miner digging at a rock.

I only stop after the shoulder remains a mangled mess and stays inert.

I sit down next to Billy and watch as it squirms on the floor for a few minutes before calming down.

I close my eyes and enjoy the momentary quiet brought into this room as none of us says anything. The hallway carried over some sounds from other occupied offices, but they were minute.

I listened to my heart beating in my chest, it’s even rhythm bringing me a slight serene respite.

“If you’re ready, should we move on?” Asked Kaitlyn after a moment, interrupting my calm.

I opened my eyes, and I felt a loss from losing the serenity, but ignored it and gave her a nod while standing up.

Without further ado, I picked up Billy and winced as its head and arms bobbed about freely. I could understand her feeling sorry for it, as it had a certain feeling of helplessness to it after what I had done.

It was acting rather passive even after picking it up, almost like a short-circuited machine, unable to figure out what it was to do.

Me and her observed with interest at the meek shambler shuffling under my guidance towards the door.

I left it stand next to the exit and with Kaitlyn’s help removed the barricade; the door shifted open with the bodies gathered against it.

We made our way past the slain, with difficulty, as Billy wasn’t being cooperative like a little child, refusing to step over the corpses. I finally just dragged it over them by his shirt and made our way towards the lockers.

We made it to the safety door without incident, and I halted the party a few steps before the door.

I headed over and checked the door.

The magnetic lock was still active and the card reader’s status light shined with a red light, indicating that everything worked as it should.

Behind the security door was a small square lobby with four doors visible, 2 on the opposite side and two on each side in between.

The room seemed intact, with a couple sofas along with a table in between them. In one corner, I made out a corner of a vending machine. A television hung from the wall showing an empty news room vertical with the floor.

The news room was in a disarray, with some blood around, but besides that empty. The bottom text showing headlines scrolling past endlessly.

I tapped the safety glass and pondered how there was no emergency broad cast on the television. But before I got fully distracted by this I sensed a presence entering close proximity.

My hands tensed and I turned around to see Kaitlyn moving quietly closer. My body stood down and the muscles relaxed. I made room for her to look into the room and gestured towards the tv.

She looked at the news room quietly. Based on her eye movement, she scanned over the text running at the bottom of the screen before turning to me with worry.

Neither of us saw any headlines mentioning the situation, only the everyday news.

I rested my head against the door and took a glance at the tv before looking back at her face.

“Yesterday’s news, probably.” I muttered.

She nodded and turned to look back at the newsfeed.

“Why isn’t it showing an emergency broadcast?” She asked as she placed an arm against the window.

“I was thinking of that as well,” I answered and letting out a sigh before continuing, “Either this is widespread enough to take out the whole higher government or they are yet to be able to start the broadcast.”

I rubbed my stubble that had accumulated over the two days in thought.

“Or some other issue or reason I have no idea of.” I added. “But I’m leaning towards whatever virus or what not this is wiping out the decision makers and people who have access to the system, considering we of yet are the only ones alive in this facility… Relatively speaking.”

She kept watching the newsfeed but one of her eyebrows raised up from my explanation, “Relatively?” She inquired.

“Well, for movement and sensing to work they should have some life in them.” I explained with a shrug as I leaned off from the door, “but I think we should move on” I gestured at the reading device.

She did not respond to my explanation at all and took out her key card and opened the door.

I slipped my head in and checked the corners, and saw them empty.

“Hold the door.” I said and went to bring over Billy.

We all entered in and closed the door behind us. I glanced at the green light return to red after the door had closed, before checking the four other doors in the room as Kaitlyn made way towards the two vending machines whilst rummaging in her purse.

I noted that three of the doors had a similar key reader flashing with red. The irregular door, standing at the right side of the room, next to the vending machines was unsecured and I made my way towards it carefully.

I took a glance at Kaitlyn who had fished out her wallet from her purse and was checking the menu as I moved to the door and put my ear against it.

She noticed me and turned to look at what I was up to. I gestured at the door with a questioning look.

“Break room.” She whispered towards me and put her purse and wallet down and carefully came closer.

I motioned her to stop as I continued to listen. The other side met me with silence.

The door opened quietly as I opened it lightly and peered inside.

The room was quite large with big windows of safety glass showing the backyard of the asylum. There was a side wall hiding the left side of the room, but the right side was an open area with tables and chairs for the staff. Another large LCD was showing some cartoons.

I cautiously tapped the sidewall and listened for a moment before slipping in to the room fully. I put my back against the wall as I inched forward quietly. The right side of the room was pristine and without a soul.

Before a meter or so from the end, I shifted off from it and moved past the wall. My body relaxed as I looked at the empty kitchen area with two fridges and some table space and cupboards.

I saw a couple of closed doors, probably leading to bathrooms next to the kitchen, and inched closer while taking in the backyard view. There were a couple of perimeter guards turned zombies shuffling near the wall, but otherwise the yard was clear.

I knocked at one of the doors and listened. Once more nothing happened and I was growing weary of the intensity of my vigilance. I pulled open the door and took a step back, letting the door to open outwards, revealing an empty single person toilet.

Then I moved to the other door and did the same, assuming my knock to the other would have roused any zombie inside. A sigh escaped my lips as a copy of the previous bathroom came to view.

I walked back to the entrance and callout out to her “All clear.”

She peeked in and entered when she saw me standing at the end of the sidewall without my guard up.

“This began yesterday morning after eight, so I guess there was nobody here when it happened.” I said as she walked by me and went to one fridge and pulled out a salad box and an energy drink.

I raised an eyebrow at her as she rummaged in a draw and took out a disposable fork and went to sit in one table. I moved to the fridge as well and looked through it, grabbing a packed convenience meal and some disposable cutlery and a bottle of water before joining her.

A respite was in order, and this place was as secure as it would come. Kaitlyn cracked open the cold energy drink and greedily drowned it down before taking the salads lid off and removing the sauce packet from the lid before adding it to the greens. She then dug in.

I ate while looking at the two zombie guards moving aimlessly in the distance. She turned and looked outside to see what I was looking at, but after identifying my interest; she turned around and shook her head and placing her fork down.

“Is it so hard not to pay attention to them?” She asked as she pushed her half eaten salad aside and shifting her chair a little so she could see with the corner of her eye the window behind her.

“I do find them curious.” I answer between bites. “There is a certain type of simplicity to them I appreciate and wish to understand.”

I raise my fork and point at her, “And I don’t see the problem me observing and learning from the opposition.” I state plainly before continue eating and waiting for her to respond.

“Just didn’t want to be reminded of them when I’m scarfing down my yesterday’s lunch.” She sights and looking at her half eaten salad. “A moment of normalcy, you know.” She adds and takes a sip from her drink.

“Ah, sorry I tend to have a habit of observing things as I eat.” I apologise while hiding my mouth full of food. “And I have to admit I have a morbid curiosity of them.” I add before pushing the plastic container aside.

“My former girlfriend complained a lot about that as well.” I add nonchalantly, as this situation reminds me of her. I uncork the cap off the bottle and take a mouthful, rinsing my mouth before drinking it down.

“A girlfriend, mister famous?” She asked with a laugh and leans her head on her head. “How come I haven’t heard of this girlfriend.”

I chuckle as I ponder how to answer the question, “Well, that is because she doesn’t exist.”

She snorts and smirks. “Really? Telling this to a psychiatrist?” She asks mirthfully.

I give her a hurtful look with pitiful eyes, causing her to roll hers. “Well, mister ‘I have a made up ex-girlfriend. Care to elaborate your delusions you so clearly acknowledge?”

“Not a delusion dear doctor.” I answer as I entwine my fingers and rest my chin on them, anticipating smile on my face.

“Uh-huh.” She huffs. A look of suspicion on her face because of my face showing my enjoyment due to playing with her.

I consider the possible consequences of going further, but it is the apocalypse, so I wave them off.

“She does not exist just like Kaine Smith did not exist prior to getting caught.” I declare as I watch her response to come.

“Uh-huh..” She grunts out slowly as her eyes narrow. “You did seem a bit too sane,” she mutters out.

I sit upright and spread out my hands while smirking.

She stares at me for a moment in silence before tilting her head in frustration. “Fine, I’ll bite. Special task force? A secret agent cover up who took the blame for a serial killing higher up?” She asked, clearly not believing a word I had said.

“I didn’t take you for a conspiracy theorist.” I tease her, causing her to groan and facepalm. Clearly, she did not appreciate a crazy person telling her that.

She dragged her hand over her face and wearily looking at me. “What you believe you did not commit those murders?” She asks with a disillusioned face.

“No, no. I did do them.” I answer honestly, “Just the identity of Kaine Smith came to be after they ran a DNA sample through the system.”

“Bullshit.” She snarled, “Neighbours, family and friends were interviewed, school records and driver licences were found and your life is easily traceable since birth.”

“Yes, easily!” I laugh out. “A spotless retelling of the life of Kaine Smith the serial killer.”

“You’re telling me that all is made up?” She said with a sneer. “You’re delusional.”

“I don’t expect you to believe me.” I shrugged, “I won’t even say that it is awfully convenient they found no holes or blank spaces in it.”

“You’re forgetting that nobody is questioning any of it.” She added while gesturing with her hands, “No conspiracy theories or anyone raising a fuss about your background.”

“Разве это не странно, даже сумасшедшие в этом не сомневаются.” I mutter quietly to myself in my native language.

Kaitlyn stalls and stares at me as she hears me speak to myself. Her mouth hangs open and twitches while she looks at me suspiciously.

I frown. I had intended to have a bit of fun telling her a story, not speak in Russian. My subconscious was screaming in alarm as years of conditioning had failed. My ‘retirement’ in here had made me careless and soft.

I grew restless with visions of educators beating other children with canes due to not talking English. My subconscious left me in a daze as I fought off its urgings to neutralize the breach and make the issue non-existent.

I felt my skin break into goosebumps and sweat formed on my back. I nonchalantly reached for the bottle on the table to drink and hide my mouth and cover part of my face.

But I halted after I snuck a peek towards her while reaching for the bottle.

Her eyes were wide and mouth hung open on a face filled with disbelief.

‘Ты гребаный идиот’ I couldn't help but thought to myself as I sunk my face into my palms and began to calm myself. The sounds of canes hitting soft flesh echoed in my ears as I hyperventilated into my palms.

God have mercy, she believes me.