Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 108768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Lei’s shotgun clicked empty.
Cursing, he threw it aside and pulled out his sword. Soon he was cutting heads in seconds.
“We can do this!” He sliced one zombie into two parts.
A particularly towering zombie lunged at me.
Lei was there in an instant, his sword cutting through it like butter, saving me from certain doom.
Our eyes met. We did a quick exchange of gratitude and admiration, before diving back into the fray.
From then on, our movements were synchronized.
The sound of crunching bones and tearing flesh filled the air, and we hacked and we slashed and we killed our way through the horde.
As Lei’s sword sliced through the undead, and my machete found its mark again and again, zombie blood sprayed in every direction.
The cold black liquid always took me by surprise when it touched my skin.
This time, some of the fluid hit my cheek then dripped down onto my shoulder and arms. The blood was thick like old motor oil that had been exposed to a severe winter. The smell was strong and repugnant—a blend of metallic iron with the foul smell of decay.
Every splash brought with it that gut-churning aroma, making me want to gag.
More and more blood coated us. I accidentally got some in my mouth. It had a bitter rusted metal taste, with a hint of rotten meat.
I quickly spat it out, desperately trying to rid my mouth of the vile taste.
Yet, there was no time to pause or react, only to push forward.
Despite the repulsion, zombie blood always served as a saving grace.
The more we became drenched in it, the more we became invisible to the very creatures we were fighting against.
Once we began dripping with their blood, they would begin to think we were zombies too.
Surely, we smelled like them.
So we pushed on, hacking and slashing our way through the thick of the undead army, the stench of zombie blood filling our nostrils.
Until finally, we noticed a change in the horde’s behavior.
Many slowed before approaching us, their decaying eyes scanning us with less malice and more uncertainty.
I wiped some of the zombie blood off my face and glanced at Lei. “Do you think we smell enough like them yet?”
“I sure hope so. I can’t take any more of this gunk on me.”
“Let’s test it out.”
“Okay.”
We proceeded with caution, less as fierce fighters and more imitating the undead’s meandering movements.
We trudged forward and gently pushed our way through the crowd, which had become more docile and unthreatening.
I kept my voice low. “I’m telling you. Zombie Perfume.”
Lei smirked.
“I’m really going to get a business together. It would be a mega marketing campaign.”
“You would just need the idea of economy and money and even. . .tv to return to the world again.”
“That’s it.”
We navigated through the mass, our hands clung tightly to each other, the warmth and strength of our connection the only thing that kept us grounded amidst the sea of decay.
The weight in my chest began to lighten.
The odds, which had seemed insurmountable only moments ago, now appeared to be tipping in our favor.
Lei led us to a hidden passage behind a large, foreboding painting.
Shocked, I whispered, “How did you find this?”
“I know things.”
We hurried down a darkened corridor.
Our footsteps echoed.
The path led us outside, into the cold embrace of the night, away from the confining walls of the mansion and all those damn zombies.
Finally, we emerged, battered, zombie blood-splattered, and bruised, but alive.
I looked at Lei, my heart still racing.
Gratitude and relief poured through me.
Lei leaned against a gnarled old tree and caught his breath.
The moonlight bathed him in a silver glow.
Cold wind rustled the leaves.
Lei slowly unzipped his jacket, peeling it off and revealing the soaked shirt underneath, stained heavily with the zombie blood. With a grimace of distaste, he wiped at his arms and face with the cleaner inner side of the jacket, scrubbing vigorously to get off as much of the grime and gore as possible.
Seeing him, I mimicked his actions, unbuttoning my own jacket and using it as a makeshift washcloth. The rough fabric scratched my skin a bit but the feeling of getting even just a little cleaner made it worthwhile.
“I never thought I’d be so relieved to take off a jacket.” I chuckled softly.
“I’m just happy we made it out of there.”
I shivered. “Me too.”
After ensuring we had removed as much blood as we could, we bundled our jackets up and set them beside a tree. There would be more jackets to get further up, in abandoned houses or stores. There was even a huge mall a mile ahead. Perhaps, we could rest our heads for the night.
Maybe even. . .make love like we’ve been getting so close to doing.
Lei looked at me. “Alright. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Lei held out his hand, which I gratefully took, our fingers intertwining.
Without a word, we began walking, each step taking us further from the mansion and its nightmare.