Cherish Applebottoms's Arc

Chapter 3 of 11

Anna's screams faded behind them. Cherish and Marcus ran until the swamp swallowed the sound. Marcus stopped by a black pool and bent over his knees. He did not cry. He pulled his pistol and pointed it at Cherish's chest. "I should shoot you right now," Marcus said. His hand was steady. "It's your fault. I should never have helped you." Cherish did not raise the crowbar. She looked at the barrel, then at his face. She took a long breath and let it go. "That's usually why I'm always alone," she said. Marcus stared at her. His jaw worked. The gun stayed level for one more second. Then his arm dropped. He shoved the pistol back in his belt and turned away. "Don't shoot again," Cherish said. "You saw what it brings." "I know what it brings," Marcus said. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and started walking. They pushed deeper into the swamp. Mud sucked at their boots. Cherish kept the crowbar low and ready. Somewhere behind them, wet feet still searched the dark. The pair moved slow and quiet, saying nothing. Cherish saw the buildings first. A farmhouse and a barn leaned together past a dead field. The roofs sagged. Boards had fallen from the walls, and someone had nailed rough patches over the holes long ago. She stopped and studied it. "Two ways in," she said, pointing. "Front porch. Barn door. We can watch both." "You always this calm?" Marcus asked. "No," she said. "Come on." They crossed the field. Cherish went up the porch steps first. She pushed the front door with her boot and led with the crowbar. The front room was empty. Dust and broken glass. She checked each corner while Marcus watched the yard. Something moved in the barn. Cherish froze. Through the gap between buildings, she saw a shape rise from the straw. It had too many arms. Tentacles hung from its shoulders and gripped the air on their own. Strips of skin dangled from its face. One eye glowed orange in the dark. Marcus's hand went to his gun. Cherish grabbed his wrist and squeezed. "No," she whispered. "One shot brings a hundred." The thing turned its head toward them. It did not charge. It watched. "What are you," Marcus whispered angrily. "Moans n growls," the thing said. Cherish held her breath. The creature looked at the crowbar in her hand, and charged at them! It gave chase. Marcus and Cherish ran around the house from the kitchen to the living room and back again, trying to avoid getting bitten or grabbed. Marcus flipped the dining room table. The zombie fell over it, but the tentacles grabbed his leg. As Marcus stabbed at it with his hunting knife and it crawled close to him, Cherish burst in from the kitchen and smashed its head with the crowbar. After several hits, its head burst open in a messy splatter. Cherish smiled and said, "It's like pumpkin smashing." Marcus, with terror and shock still on his face, looked at her and said, "Thanks." Cherish and Marcus fortified the farmhouse, using furniture to block certain entrances. "We hold here tonight," she said. "I'll watch the porch and we can take shifts." Marcus said, "I'll check the barn just in case." Marcus took a second to mourn his sister but noticed he wasn't alone. He had found two survivors: a woman named Lisa and a man named Derek. They were both hiding from the zombie that was in the house. Marcus introduced them to Cherish, and Trevor said they should double-check that they are not bitten or infected before they begin turning on each other again. Marcus nodded and agreed. Derek and Lisa had no problem showing that they were not infected, and the group found a room to rest as Derek and Marcus took the first shift and the ladies rested.