Drool dripped down the face of a man who couldn’t do more than trudge along the ground. The saliva landed on his already tattered and bloodied shirt. The rips and tears were the results of reckless parkouring, crawling and wrestling. The stains, from chewing on the flesh of helpless victims caught in his grasp. Among him were more just like him, aimlessly creeping about the front yard of the house that had been broken into by even more just like him. There were so many hunters inside, with so few prey, it wasn’t even worth going in the house. The lot that patrolled the yard hoped for fresh meat to emerge.

There was a flash that caught one of their eyes. From the peripheral of another male’s vision, a door across the street swung wide open. He turned towards the house.

It was too dark for him to see what was going on inside. Which made the mystery of what was to be found even more intriguing. There had to be a human in there, cause doors don’t open on their own.

He sprinted toward it. In a single moment, the bloodied man had crossed the street and made it to the porch of the mysterious house. What was inside became even more clear. It was a hallway, with some arches on both sides. It was so dark that almost nothing could be made out. With flailing arms, the bloodied man rushed into the home, barging in through the wide open door.

His right foot stomped in. But it didn’t stop where it landed. Before he realized it, both of his feet were sliding across the floor. Everything around him became a blur. His arms spun around trying to stop his momentum, but it was no use. At the end of the hall, he noticed a blue wall, a strange design decision. He continued gliding across the wooden floor until coming face-to-face with it. He slammed right into it, only he didn’t. It was soft, and wrinkly? It wasn’t a wall, it was a blanket. With quick wits, he grabbed a hold of the blanket to prevent himself from falling. Before he could even look around, he felt a cold twinge in his lung. His entire chest suddenly felt like it was tightening. He looked down, and inside of his chest, was a makeshift spear of a fairly large kitchen knife, duct tape, and a stick. It had burst through the blanket and right into him. He tried to retaliate, but the spear retreated almost immediately. His grip on the blanket began to loosen against his will. He felt something warm gushing onto his already stained clothes. Gradually, he dropped to his knees, then laid on his back. He felt a bulging in his head, like something was trying to force him to move. But it was no use. His entire body began to go numb as his vision blurred. All he could do was attempt to blink the pain away. But his eyelids began to feel heavy as well. It became harder to open them after every blink. Just when his eyes opened for the final time, he noticed at the entrance of the hallway, another man, just like him, came dashing in. His eyes closed for the final time as the other man’s foot carried him to the same fate.

“There’s two more coming in.”

Darnell and Alicia heard Michael’s voice from the speaker of the phone, instructing that two more freaks were running into the house. They both clutched their spears tighter, preparing for another thrust through the blanket.

“Get ready!” Darnell shouted towards Alicia.

“Ready!” she shouted back.

Almost right after, the sound of shrieking could be heard on the other side, then right after, the blanket jerked. Through the blanket, the figure of a man was embedded into it, allowing Darnell to know just where to strike. Like lightning, Darnell thrust the spear through the blanket into what he guessed was the chest. The blade tore right through the fabric and went out the other side. He felt a tight grip on the other end, it had sunken into something firm. Bingo. Darnell withdrew the spear. A crimson liquid trickled down the blade, signifying his success. It was faint, but there was some gurgling on the other side. Alicia was hypnotized by Darnell’s skill. To the point she didn’t even realize that there was another jerk in the blanket, this time on her side.

“Alicia!” Darnell yelled, right before thrusting his spear into the blanket once more, hearing the shluk of his blade puncture another target.

“I’m sorry!” Alicia stammered, regaining her focus.

From behind them, they heard Michael’s voice again, “They’re coming in a lot faster, zombie after zombie after zombie.”

Darnell posted up with his spear again, “Stay focused Alicia!”

“Yessir!” she shouted back. She couldn’t mess this up, everyone’s lives were at stake, including Darnell’s. She clutched onto her spear as tight as she could, narrowing her eyes, and prepared herself. Alicia was determined to make blood spill by her hands. More shrieking could be heard on the other side of the blanket. It was time again.

There was a squeak, a shriek, then a boom as another figure slammed into the blanket. It was dead in the middle, and just like they agreed beforehand, Darnell would strike first. And so he did. Another direct hit. Alicia did not let herself get distracted with Darnell’s work, and it paid off because before Darnell could even pull his spear back out, another figure flew into the blanket. Alicia didn’t waste a breath. She plunged her spear into the blanket with all of her might. She aimed for where the core of the figure should be. Just like in practice, the spear went clean through the blanket, then she felt it get stuck. The green flecks of her eyes gleamed at the indication of this feeling. Alicia stomped down and yanked the spear out from the blanket. And just as she’d hoped, her spear came back out dripping with the blood of her slain enemy. Her heart jumped for joy when it was clear she had succeeded, but she couldn’t celebrate yet. She managed to stay focused. Her spear at the ready.

Darnell struck another one on his side. A body landed in the middle, Alicia took it with full confidence, the same feeling from before. Then another one, on Darnell’s, he took it out just as swiftly as the others. Then one on Alicia’s, she didn’t hesitate and struck directly where its body landed, and another enemy slain. One by one, the freaks kept coming. Like Whack-A-Mole, the duo kept striking as their targets kept arriving. It was very fortunate that Darnell expressed a perfectionist attitude towards the set-up of the blanket. The tape wound the blanket tightly around the pillar of the arches on both sides. If it had been assembled with even a slight hint of laziness, their lives could have ended much sooner.

“Dodger! Dodger!” Michael’s voice came from the phone speaker. Darnell immediately slid to the side to peer around the pole the blanket was attached to. The freaks were catching on. One of them managed to dodge the oil and came running around the hallway. There were no walls separating the side rooms from the dining room. There was a short decline and a waist-high barrier between the dining room and the side rooms, but that wasn’t enough to stop those monsters.

The one that managed to dodge the oil in the hall came running towards the dining room. Darnell anticipated its arrival with ferocity. It noticed Darnell and immediately went for him, jumping up the wall in a flash. It knew Darnell awaited it on the other side. What it didn’t know, was that its fate was the same as the others that had collided with the blanket. On top of the wall, an overabundance of butter lied in wait. As soon as it used its hands to leap over the wall, it immediately slipped and stumbled over face first. And like a mouse caught in a lion’s den, it couldn’t save itself.

Alicia heard the grotesque splurge of Darnell’s blade puncturing the “Dodger” to her right. She couldn’t turn away from the blanket. Because another body fell into it. Alicia plunged her spear into it, bullseye. Before she knew it, Darnell was back at her side.

“I can’t count them anymore, there’s too many! The bodies at the blanket are piling up! More dodgers!”

“That’s it. We done here!” Darnell shouted to Alicia over the violent shrieks coming from the hallway and the front door. Another monster, a female, managed to get over the wall. With a grunt, Darnell spun around and shot his spear directly into its throat before it even landed.

“C’mon!” Darnell yelled again.

Darnell and Alicia bolted out the backdoor of the dining room into the backyard. The backdoor was completely covered in duct tape so they could no longer see what was happening inside. Darnell held Alicia’s arm as they sprinted around the house, jumped the fence and regrouped with Michael, who’d been hiding behind an overgrown bush. The three of them watched the house, and before long, the shatter of glass could be heard. That was Vanessa.

She was instructed to remain completely hidden until the street was clear of the monsters, which meant it was safe to come out. Darnell, Michael, and Alicia emerged from the bush to find Vanessa jamming the front door of the house shut. There was a roaring coming from within the building.

“Good stuff V!” Darnell exclaimed to her as all four of them began running down the street to Tristan’s house. This was it. The last stage of the operation. Suddenly, a gargantuan shockwave shook the ground beneath them. The sound managed to cause Vanessa to stumble to her knees. Vanessa looked back, and sure enough, everything went according to plan. Or actually, better. What was supposed to be a house fire created by a lighter she threw through the window, became an explosion that caused the entire house to erupt nearly instantaneously.

Darnell immediately reached for Vanessa to help her up. He looked back at the house and remarked, “Gas leak, I guess?”

Vanessa shrugged her shoulders. All four of them continued to rush to Tristan’s house. As soon as they reached his front yard, the second part of the plan commenced. They had no idea how much more they’d have to go through before seeing Tristan. What exactly lied in wait for them now?

Whatever it was, the group was going to make it reveal itself. They scattered around the house, Vanessa and Michael ran on opposite sides, while Darnell and Alicia hid near the front entrance. Darnell to the right and Alicia to the left. As Michael and Vanessa ran around the house, the two reached into their pockets, and pulled out fairly large stones. One by one, they chucked them into the windows, shattering them as much as possible.

At the front, Darnell and Alicia nodded at each other. Darnell leaned over close to the front door then shouted into the house, “Tristan! Get out!”

Immediately after, roars echoed through the house until reaching Darnell and Alicia, hitting their faces like a gust of wind. Darnell glanced down and Alicia had already finished her part of the plan. There was a layer of tape low enough to be missed but high enough to trip any unsuspecting runner. Darnell reached into his back pocket and pulled out a can of lysol spray. It was definitely a wing of the moment decision to pick up, but who knew, it might actually help. He began spraying as much as he could into the front entrance, hoping the aerosols would linger as long as needed. He stopped when he heard the roars drawing nearer. He dropped the can and made sure he was still out of sight.

Alicia and Darnell’s hearts raced, knowing everything depended on what occurred in the next minute. A single fluke, a single hesitation, and it would mean the end. The stomps drew nearer, an uncountable amount. Alicia cursed the sweat on the palm of her hands. “I swear if this is the difference between a kill and this thing slipping out of my hands...” she thought to herself.

The first enemy that broke into the sunlight came out in a flash, Darnell and Alicia’s eyes hadn’t even caught it by the time it was close enough to catch them. Its entire body flipped over as its ankles got caught in the tape and its face planted into the cement. Its body hit the ground before Alicia could even react to it. She remembered what Darnell said only ten minutes prior: “Those things will be at full-speed, they’ll overrun us before we can react.” And so the tape became a crucial part of their survival.

As soon as Alicia’s senses recognized the enemy on the ground as a target, she immediately shoved her spear into its right side. It reeled in pain as blood spurted from its chest. As soon as her blade entered, another body invaded her vision as it fell over her target. Alicia yanked out her spear as she saw Darnell thrust his spear into the second enemy. In a flash three, four, five, six more of them came bursting out of the door. Some of them immediately fell over each other, some gagged as they reached for their own eyes, one hurdled over all of them. Darnell and Alicia could barely keep up with the amount of enemies rushing at them. Alicia sent her spear into another just as a few were starting to recover. Her heart began to pound even more as they all started to stand up and target her. There were four, no, five, she couldn’t count them. Some had faces twisted in anger, some hunger, some crazed, which should she go for? Would it matter? She debated a plan of action in her head. She imagined just going for the one on her far right. It was farthest from the front door, and if she could get around she might be able to regroup with Darnell. But what’s stopping the other four from catching her as soon as she speared one? Should she run around the house? And leave Darnell alone? Ridiculous. The group of freaks gradually closed in on her. She waved the spear frantically at all five of them, trying to threaten them. But she couldn’t even convince herself that she was a threat. She could feel her eyes water as she stepped back. They were in over their heads.

As Alicia panicked, the middle one, the most crazed one, caught her attention. It raised both hands to the sides of its head. It put its thumbs to its ears, stuck its tongue out, then shook its head while wiggling its fingers. It was taunting her. Alicia stood stunned at the sight before her. “What the hell are you things?” she shuddered.

Suddenly, there was a roar behind the group walling off Alicia. Like the sun rising on the horizon, Alicia witnessed Darnell emerge behind the freak taunting her. He’d somehow managed to get a good distance in the air, and like lightning, his spear came down on the neck of the freak. Its entire head reeled back from the force of the attack. Alicia witnessed Darnell ride its back down until it crashed to the ground. The others just barely noticed him. The one to Darnell’s right started to shriek but before it could do anything else, Darnell’s wrench swung into the side of its head. Sending it flying backwards, and in the same motion, Darnell jumped to the freak behind that one and kicked it square in the face. The freak launched backwards through a window and into the house. In one swoop, Darnell took out three of them, but the other two were still behind him.

The closest one immediately lunged for Darnell. Just before its hands reached Darnell’s back, its entire body was being shoved in another direction. A sharp pain invaded its left abdomen. It looked down, and its eyes met a revitalized Alicia with eyes of determination. As Alicia tackled the fourth monster with her spear, Darnell began spinning around. He immediately met the fifth and final freak which had begun to go for Alicia. Darnell thrusted his spear directly into the center of its chest. Darnell drove the freak all the way to the ground. As it laid on the ground, resisting death, Darnell stomped on its shoulder with his right foot. Darnell reeled his wrench across his body until it went around his head. The freak tried to pull the spear out of its chest, but had no time as Darnell’s wrench came clean across its face, killing it instantly.

Darnell stood up straight, pulled his spear out, then cocked his head back as he took a deep breath. He turned around to Alicia who had been waiting for him to finish his victory pose. The two were covered in blood, sweat, and dirt. Alicia looked around, there were so many. So many dead bodies creating a pool of blood all over the yard. She’d never seen anything like this before. She’d seen it in movies, but this was drastically different. She could smell the metallic odor of the blood. She felt it on her hands. She caused some of it. Not all of it, not most of it, but blood covered her. Whatever these things on the ground were, they used to be people. Alicia continued to stare at the blood on her hands, feeling her entire mind go blank as she struggled to understand why she had to do this. Why did they have to go through this? Who were these people before this happened to them? What is happening to them? Suddenly, a hand fell onto her shoulder. She looked up, and Darnell was standing in front of her.

“It’s different now that they aren’t behind a blanket, huh?” Darnell stated, clearing the fog in her vision.

Alicia tried to speak but the words choked her. All she could do was nod.

“You don’t have to fight if you can’t. Hopefully this was the last of them.” he looked around at the bloodbath beneath them. Suddenly, both of their ears stung from the sound of a wild screeching. They looked up, and across the street, burning bodies were jumping out of the flaming house. “No way,” Darnell uttered.

More and more began escaping the burning building. They’re bodies were engulfed in flames, but they continued pushing on. Darnell held up his spear and his wrench. There were multiple, at least a dozen, that had escaped the house. Like a wall of flames, they all charged directly at Darnell and Alicia the moment they spotted them.

“Darnell!” Alicia cried out, her hands were still quivering. She tried to force herself to pick up her spear, but her body acted against her. “No! Why can’t I…” she uttered as she fell to her knees. Just then, Michael came running back around the house.

“Help!” Michael screamed out to Darnell and Alicia. They both turned back to face Michael, and right behind him, were three of the monsters. Michael rushed over to Alicia. Alicia saw the terror behind Michael, and felt herself break free from her doubt. Alicia’s hands reached for her spear and pointed the blade directly at the group. Behind her, there was more screaming, it was Vanessa. In the same fashion, she came running around the house with two more freaks behind her.

“Are you serious!?” Darnell yelled back. The flaming monsters were already across the street now. Darnell immediately back-pedaled towards the others. Michael, Alicia, Vanessa and Darnell backed away from the herds until their backs collided. In a small circle, they fended off from every direction. The flaming ones were now on the lawn of Tristan’s house. On their left and right, the others closed in.

Alicia looked to Darnell. His conviction hadn’t wavered even slightly. There was ferocity in his eyes. He lifted his spear towards the flaming monsters charging at him. Like a lion's roar, Darnell released a warcry that echoed through the entire neighborhood. His determination radiated from him, to the point Alicia could feel it. Her hands began to grip her spear tighter, her shaking ceased. Alicia felt as if she was being possessed, possessed by the will to live. Similar to Darnell, she turned to the freaks closing in on them and she let out a warcry deep from her gut. The freaks were only a few feet away now. They raised their weapons, and prepared to fight with everything they had!

Everything felt as if it was moving in slow-motion. The monsters’ faces twisted with anger and corruption. Darnell could feel the heat from their flames as he stomped down to thrust his spear into the closest one’s neck. Alicia prepared to send her spear soaring through her target’s stomach. Everyone, Darnell, Alicia, the monsters, lunged forward and-

“SHIIEEELLDD!!”

A familiar voice shouted from behind all of them. Suddenly, all of the monsters were stopped dead in their tracks. Just before Darnell clashed with his flaming opponent, its body plummeted into what looked like a layer of glass. Its cheek and hands pressed up against the invisible layer. Soon, all of the monsters repeated the same thing. All around Darnell, Alicia, Vanessa, and Michael, the monsters were stopped by an invisible dome. No, it wasn’t invisible. There was a yellow glow on the areas the monsters slammed their fists. Darnell turned to Alicia in hopes of an answer. Alicia turned back and shrugged her shoulders.

“Glad y’all finally made it.” The voice came from above. All four of them looked up to the direction the voice came from. On top of the roof, was a well-built teenager, around their age, with eyes resembling topaz. His dark, combed back hair blew slightly in the wind. The gleam of the sun casted a dark shadow in front of him but it leaked from behind his neck just enough to highlight his desert sand colored skin. He smiled as he looked down on the friends.

“Tristan!” Darnell exclaimed.