Zombie Group Chat In My Head Chapter 2

The world went silent.

Outside that sliver of a window, the group of letterman-jacket-wearing corpses stopped dead. A dozen heads snapped back toward me simultaneously. Their clouded, milky eyes bored into mine.

It was the most terrifying thing I’d ever seen. My foot hovered over the gas pedal, screaming at me to floor it and get as far away as possible. But I forced myself to hold their gaze. This was it. Life or death. I was betting everything on the chance of having a zombie security detail.

After a heartbeat of dead air, the mental chatter exploded:

“Holy crap! Did she just... did she hear us?”

I nodded vigorously, my hair matted with sweat. “Yes. I can hear you.”

“Thank the gods! Brothers, get back here! We can actually talk to her!”

“I haven't talked to a living person in weeks. I’m gonna cry. I mean, I can’t actually cry, but I’m feeling it. A month ago, I was the Prom King!”

“Girls used to flirt with me. Now they just scream. I can't even look at myself in the rearview mirror.”

“Don't look at me either. Seriously, don't describe what I look like. I don't want to know.”

“She’s Grayson’s ‘One,’ alright. Only his girl would have a crazy ability like this. It makes total sense.”

“Wait, she’s turning green. I think we’re grossing her out. Everyone, pipe down! Give her some space. Keep it together.”

The one called Jax—the leader—was in rough shape. Half the skin on his left cheek was gone, exposing a jagged white jawbone. But his movements were strangely human. He waved his one remaining good arm with a frantic energy.

He tried to stretch his torn lips into a friendly smile, but it only made him look more like a sleep-demon.

“Jax, stop smiling. It’s horrific.”

“You’re gonna make her pass out.”

Jax twitched, standing a few feet back, looking genuinely distressed. “Sorry, Boss’s Girl. I’m trying my best. Is it really that bad?”

It was a nightmare, but I forced a rigid smile back. “I can handle it.”

“Oh my god, she smiled back.”

“That’s the first time a human has smiled at me since the world ended.”

“Her smile is so pure... I suddenly don't feel like ripping her head off quite as much.”

Jax’s voice cut through the sentimentality: “Focus! Everyone stay back. Remember, we’re still zombies. We can snap at any second. Keep your distance!”

The dozen zombies shuffled back instantly, forming a perimeter about fifteen feet away.

Jax turned back to the car. “Boss’s Girl, drive slow and follow us. Before the change, Grayson holed up in his estate on the hill. High walls, electrified fences, plenty of food. He should still be there. Just whatever you do... do not get out of the car.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

Jax barked a mental order: “Listen up! If anyone gets within ten feet of that car, I’ll personally tear your skull open. Got it?”

“Got it, Jax.”

“For the Captain. Let's move.”

They began to move in a clumsy, coordinated dance, fighting their predatory instincts and keeping each other in check. They formed a loose escort around my little car, clearing the path ahead.

I started the engine and put it in gear, moving at a crawl. Tears blurred my vision as I watched the back of those tattered jackets. They were the world's most dangerous predators, yet here they were—grotesque, decaying, and fiercely loyal—paving a way through hell for me.

It was absurd. It was terrifying. And it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

As we drove, I listened to their chatter, realizing with a jolt that the "Captain" they were talking about—Grayson Pierce—wasn't just some local hero. He was my brother’s oldest rival.

Since when was I Grayson Pierce’s "Holy Grail"?