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ZOMBIE
A third place contest entry by Santi Eximeno and Tony Vargas
The lights on the ceiling were blinking, disappearing and turning into dark shadows within the hallway during what felt like unending seconds. The three men offered up curses in unison, stopped and waited. As soon as the light began to lazily return, they resumed in silence once again with the barrels of their shotguns opening the way.
"It doesn't look like anybody's here," said Harry as he touched the cold metal walls with his fingertips.
The others returned and he communicated with them with signs as they maintained their silence. A few meters further up the hall, there was a corner that veered to the left. Tiny wisps of water escaped from the pipes that snaked throughout the military base as if they were caring for an intricate system of veins and arteries. The three men tried to do it in a long corridor chock full of doors on both sides. There the lighting had been much weaker with only two emergency lights agonizingly shining upon the ceiling. As they walked, they crushed papers, folders and broken glass under their boots that had been discarded on the floor.
"They've been here." grumbled Dean, clearly uneasy with this discovery.
"Well then, where the hell are they?" whispered Tony.
They heard something up ahead. It sounded as if it were a groan of sorts or perhaps someone having difficulty breathing. They looked at one another and decided to continue. They sped up their pace upon turning the corner. The hallway was lost between the shadows and had turned into a zone that had been engulfed in a blanket of darkness. The soldier's body was forked in a bent fashion strangely enough with his compulsory sidearm still in his hand. An ugly wound had worked its way all around his neck and had sprout blood in a manner that had literally drenched his uniform. Harry worked his way up to the body and noted the glassy look in the soldier's eyes, the expression of horror that could be seen in his face. Behind the door, he could make out flasks and test tubes in the dark thrown about a table. Perhaps it was a laboratory.
"Is he dead?" Dean asked.
Harry cocked his head and waved his hand so that they would come closer. The sweat was now shining on his forehead and his eyes moved as those of a squirrel would, trying not to lose a single detail around them.
Then they heard something.
Dean frantically looked for the flashlight in his pockets with trembling hands. Harry and Tony tightened the grips on their shotguns with exceptionally cramped and painful fingers due to the tension. Something moved forward in the darkness and advanced towards, sliding across the floor. They heard a groan, then several steps. Dean tried to turn the flashlight on, but his fingers refused to find the switch. Off in the distance, something (or someone) tripped and fell to the floor. A murmur, some sort of chanting, made it to their ears.
"Here they come." Said Harry.
"Oh my god," groaned Tony as he felt a chill.
Dean was finally able to switch on the flashlight and swept the hallway before them with the glow of its pale radiance.
What must have been a hundred dead bodies were advancing towards them. Some, which had been horribly mutilated, resorted to dragging themselves across the floor. Others with deep wounds in their necks, faces and arms walked as if they were drunk. But none of them would take their gaze off of the three men. The zombies groaned and continued their advance. Tony was the first to start shooting. One time. Two times. Three times. Harry then started to shoot too.
"Let's get out of here!" Harry shouted without stopping shooting.
Dean kept the flashlight still as he walked backwards, shooting again, and again, and again. Just behind them was their safety, the exit to that military complex which had been converted into their own macabre, common entrenchment. They took one step forward. Then another.
Suddenly, Dean felt a hand on his shoulder. When he turned around, his eyes found the glassy gaze of the dead soldier.
"No!! This isn't fair!" he said.
It was then that the screams started.
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