I answer her with a nod. I made her promise that, but even if Cia trips and is surrounded by zombies, I’ll go to save her without hesitation. The reason why is obvious—I never want to see such an adorable girl become a zombie again.
“You heard me, Lex. I’ll be counting on you to be our vanguard.”
“…Please leave everything to me. I shall put my life on the line to prot—”
“Please don’t. What are we supposed to do once you die or transform again?”
“I-I shall protect you while staying alive!”
“Good boy.”
I think there’s a problem with him thinking I have to be protected, but I’m in the unfortunate position of being a normal high school girl in a zombie apocalypse. I need to rely on him for what he can handle while I focus on purifying zombies and running away.
“First we have to figure out what to do with the zombies loitering in front of the walls.”
“I learned from my earlier experience with the horde that the zombies react to sounds within a certain range and have a habit of heading toward the sound. Our best bet would be to lure the zombies away from the walls by making a loud noise.”
“How would you do that, Lex?”
“With this.”
Lex walks over to a nearby battered cart lying on its side. He hauls it to the dried-up canal and throws it as if throwing a hammer, all the while crying out “HMPH!” The cart draws an arc through the air, crashing down on the ground a good distance from us and shattering with a loud KER-THWACK.
“Whoa! Hey! Uh?!”
I said I’d go, but this is too soon! I’m not mentally prepared yet. Even as I’m reeling in shock, a horde of zombies is moving toward the sound. As slow as they are, their pace is close to a brisk walk. We don’t have to wait long for them to be gone from the front gate. Lex leaps out of the canal.
“Now! Please follow me!”
STUPID LEX! I curse him in my heart, signaling the start of our plan. I stand holding Cia’s hand and break into a run after Lex’s armored back.
The zombies are still flocking around the shattered cart pieces, ramming into them while groaning “Bwah bwah.” Around ten of the hundred notice our presence, but they’re already too far from the gate to reach us in time.
We safely pass through the city gates, and the castle town comes into full view. A wide main street extends from the gates straight to the castle, with wooden buildings packed along either side. Though many of the buildings are in a state of disrepair, the spectacle hasn’t lost its splendor.
“Huh? There aren’t any zombies?!”
I totally thought the castle and city would be crawling with zombies. It’s anticlimactic, but it’s better for us if there aren’t any.
“Let’s charge straight ahead—though that seems impossible now.” Lex had been in the middle of giving directions when that familiar “Bwah” groan sounded from the shadows and zombies began to lurch out of the buildings in droves. Five, ten, twenty… They stagger into the street ceaselessly.
“I KNEW IT! They’re here too!” I shout.
“This way, ladies!”
The main street splits into two roads following the city walls. Cia and I run after Lex as he dashes down the right road. On top of it being significantly narrower than the main street, it’s also dimly lit because of the shadow cast on it by the tall walls. The fog hanging in the air adds even more to the horror movie feeling.
Just as I’m trying to shake the thought of a monster showing up, a black shadow drops down from above, instantly followed by the sound of bones snapping. Cia and I stop as one and fearfully look at the ground near our feet. My eyes meet those of a zombie crawling on its stomach.
“BWAHHH!”
“NOOOOOOOOO!”
A zombie fell down from the sky! Instead of a monster or a ghost, a zombie fell next to us! As we girls are in the midst of screaming our throats hoarse, Lex quickly grabs hold of a broom resting against one of the buildings and slams the zombie against the city wall with it.
“You saved us, Lex!”
“Th-Thanks.”
“I promised to protect you.”
What a reassuring line. Coupled with his gallant face, he pulled it off as cool as can be. It’s just the image is thoroughly ruined by the backdrop being filled with zombies dropping from the city walls like flies.
“Eek!” I instinctively cry out.
“It appears zombies have piled up on top of the city…walls!” Lex sweeps away one of the zombies falling toward his head. Cries of “Bwah bwah” come from all directions, taking away the ability to relax for even a moment. Zombies block our path forward and backward. Lex is frantically intercepting them with the broom, but the situation is growing rapidly worse.
It’s practically a given that the zombies out on the main street will show up if enough time passes. I swivel my head from side to side, scanning the area for anything that can help us escape. It’s then that I notice the majority of buildings have flat roofs.
“Hey, why don’t we use that to go up on the roof?” I point toward the outdoor stairs leading to the roof of one of the nearby buildings. “The buildings are close enough together that I think we can cross them to get closer to the castle!”
“G-Good idea, Big Sis! Lex!”
“As you command, Your Highness!” Lex powerfully swings the broom around in a giant circle, mowing down the nearby zombies. We dart up the stairs using the opening he created for us. “Use me as a step!”
“Sorry!”
There’s no time to hesitate. I step on Lex’s knee and then his shoulder to get onto the roof once the stairs end. I spin back around and pull Cia up after me. She’s so light. I sure hope Lex doesn’t think I’m fat after helping Cia up. Those stupid thoughts cross my mind for all but a second until seeing the zombies closing in on us brings me back to my senses. Rotting hands reach for Lex’s ankles.
“LEX!”
Lex jumps a fraction of a second after my shout. He kicks off the staircase rail, lightly flies through the air, and lands on the rooftop.
“Let us be on our way.”
Seeing Lex calmly hurry ahead makes me absently wonder, What the heck is with this superman?