The Past (4)

Jackie's hands shake in trepidation as the handgun seems to increase in weight as every second passes. She refuses to lower her stance until the men are half a block away, even though she knows she can't hit anything at that distance.

Sighing, she lowers her guard, accepting that they wouldn't return.

"I can't go back empty-handed…" She mutters to herself as James' image appears in her mind. Lowering her weapon, she hesitates before turning on her heels and heading back toward the Pharmacy.

Returning to the shop isn't a difficult task, but every step brings a sense of doubt to her mind. Her initial shock has worn off, but will that be enough?

Standing outside of the looted building, a soft moaning could be heard from inside. Images of Jim's face being chewed flashed through her mind as her imagination filled the gaps of what happened after leaving. She quickly ejects the magazine and confirms that Mike wasn't lying to her, "…He was right. I've got one shot left."

'I have to do this! This is why he saved me.' The young lady stands outside the entrance attempting to psych herself up before finally committing.

With a mad dash, she flies through the doorway and turns toward the counter with her pistol raised.

The pharmacist is now standing behind the counter as she draws its attention. Fresh blood soaks his face as he raises his hands in her direction. The broken limb hangs loosely where the door crushed it.

With a step forward, he collides with the counter separating the two. Only a soft moan leaves his mouth as the impassable obstacle holds him back.

'Thank God! it's retarded!' Seeing the foe act foolishly brings a sense of relief to the frightened woman as she scans the Pharmacy.

The moaning of the creature doesn't stop as she spots the basket full of pills that she prepared, sitting on the shelf just behind her adversary. Looking around the messy room, she spots the makeshift spear that Jim left behind, "Perfect."

She moves deeper into the building with the goal of acquiring the new weapon. Jackie takes her eyes off the counter, only to navigate the many obstacles strewn across the floor.

Jackie bends over to grasp the wooden shaft when a peculiar grunt catches her attention.

The remains of Jim's corpse appear in the Pharmacy behind the counter. A portion of his face is torn off while the other cheek hangs from him, exposing his bloody jaw. The former ally moans as it approaches the counter. A single arm dangles from his shoulder, the muscles ripped to shreds and chunks missing.

Jackie pauses as her delicate hands tighten around the spear, "I'm sorry, Jim."

'I need to bring him peace. He doesn't deserve this.' Her previous hesitation leaves her as she raises the spear to her chest.

The man formerly known as Jim continues shuffling toward the counter, bumping into the creature that turned him. With no regard for personal space, he continues to drive himself into the crazed man, eventually causing him to topple over the counter.

"Shit," Jackie shouts as she watches the scene unfold.

They aren't working together, but she can't help but think her former companion assisted his assailant in reaching her.

The pharmacist falls off the counter onto the sales floor with force, not attempting to brace himself. Struggling as it pushes its arms toward the ground the creature slowly regains its stance.

Jackie rushes to the front of the being before it can fully balance itself and thrusts forward with all of her strength. Driving the knife-tipped weapon through the lab coat, she again forces him to the ground. A putrid black ooze seeps out of the wound as she forces the spear out of his ribcage.

He swipes at the young lady as he flails at the ground, nearly catching her ankle.

"Why is it still not enough?!" Jackie panics as she plunges her blade into the abdomen of the pharmacist repeatedly.

The struggling opponent cannot regain its footing as it flails about aimlessly. His stomach is shredded, and his intense lay sprawled out on the floor as the woman impales him, but he never stops reaching for her.

His jaw never stops biting.

"This is impossible," nobody had mentioned it, but the answer dawned on her.

With a loud grunt, she shoves her blade through the eye socket of the ravaged pharmacist, and he immediately stops moving.

"Freaking zombies. Why didn't they say they were fucking zombies." She stared at the former man trapped behind the counter and felt the resemblance to Jim fade away.

Now it was just a thing.

"A mysterious disease my ass!" She pulls the spear out of her defeated opponent. She aims it toward the last remaining threat, "These aren't even people anymore."

A single thrust drives the spear across the obstacle between them and into the open mouth of the walking corpse. The metallic blade quickly exits the back of the skull, separating the brain stem.

The corpse immediately goes limp as it collapses to the ground beneath it. The weight pulls the weapon from Jackie's hands, causing the broom handle to stand toward the sky. She dusts her hands off, more confident than ever, and withdraws her pistol from her waistband.

The world's situation is worse than expected, but now she knows the rules.

Calmly, the young lady walks to the half door that separates the room and enters the Pharmacy. Not wasting any time, Jackie retrieves the basket of medicine and places the pistol in it. With her free hand, she frees her new spear, ignoring the pool of fresh blood that flooded the floor.

'Now, it's not a failure.' She recalls why she even returned to this hellish building before quickly exiting onto the street. Her mind focuses on the two men that abandoned her.

Thoughts of how she will explain their absence flood her mind as she walks back to the apartment building. The escaping traffic no longer concerns her, as she feels it is pointless.

'If it's really zombies, you're going the wrong way.' She shakes her head as another car blows past her with the horn blaring.

Stained in dirty blood with a spear in hand, she has the appearance of a warrior as the apartments finally come into sight. Only relief can be felt as she enters the temporary safe zone, though nothing can convince her it will stay that way.

'I definitely need to get some sleep and get out of the city.' She makes plans as she approaches her home, looking for James.

"Where the fuck is my brother? What did you do?" A pissed-off Garret yells from a nearby side street as he recognizes the lone woman carrying the spear.