Zombie Exodus: Side Stories, Brody & Madison 3

Continued from scene 2

Brody looked at the zombie in the bikini top and glanced over his shoulder at his sister. “That girl, I know her from Spanish. What’s her name?”

Madison wanted to yell at him, but didn’t want to alert the crazie. “Her name doesn’t matter, but it’s Sarah Miles. We have to do something.”

Sarah lifted her head with a twitch and slowly turned towards them. Brody grabbed a nearby vase and hoisted it like a football across the hallway. It hit with a crash that shot shards of porcelain like shrapnel. Sarah’s head jerked towards the noise, and she dashed towards the broken vase. As soon as she started running, Brody reached for Madison’s hand and led her down the stairs. They took each step lightly, moving with as much speed as possible to avoid any noise that may draw Sarah’s attention.

Reaching the first floor, they stared through the main room with horror and sadness. The usual immaculate home was in disarray with overturned chairs and broken furniture. An overhead chandelier had fallen and shattered, glass shards covering the polished marble floor. The large front doors were wide open, and several pigeons shuffled through the open dining room. Couches were torn apart, their stuffing spilled onto the floor, and several front windows were broken.

“I don’t see any crazies,” Brody said, still holding her hand.

She squeezed his hand in reply. “Let’s get out of here.”

When they reached the porch, they saw the chaos leftover from the day before. The once-pristine driveway was littered with trash, overturned planters, and shattered glass. Bloodied footprints went from one side of the patio to the other. Outside the main gate, the street was empty, except for an abandoned car pointing in the opposite direction.

“What now?” Madison asked, letting go of her brother’s hand.

Brody went to kick a crushed beer can but stopped before hitting it. “We’re going to Uncle Nate’s, right?”

“Yeah, obviously, but how are we getting there? We can’t exactly call a taxi.”

Their mother’s Mercedes-Benz sat near the main gate and looked undamaged. Madison had always wanted to drive it, but neither she nor Brody had their license yet. They had always been chauffeured around Nightfall. When the time came for a learner’s permit, they kept putting it off.

Brody pointed to two bicycles lying at the edge of the patio. “Some kids must’ve left them. We can ride them.”

Madison frowned. “It’s over ten miles away. When is the last time either of us has biked ten miles?”

“Speak for yourself. I’m in good shape.”

“It’s not just about athletic ability, Brody. We’re going to get tired of biking that far. We will make less noise, though. The crazies are drawn to noise.”

Continue to scene 4