They Walk

Chapter Fifteen

As fast as I can, I rush around the truck and make my way to the ax. It’s dark in the room and I stumble into the work benches below the shelves. Just as I reach for the ax, I hear the door cave into the room. With a yell, I pull it down from the wall and I hear Matt crashing into the room. Before I can turn around to face him, he’s already too close to me.

He’s snapping his jaw and his arms are reaching for me.

I quickly back up and swing the ax up at him with a cry, but he’s too close and I barely hit his left shoulder. He gets knocked to the side, and I only have time to back up before he’s coming at me again. Unfortunately I backed myself up into the truck behind me. So I swing the ax out at him again before he gets to close. I lose my balance, as I’ve hit nothing. And he’s on me before I can recover.

He slams me to the ground with a force so strong, all the breath gets knocked out of me. I land on my back, with the ax in both my hands between us. He’s growling and snapping at me, and pushes himself down at my throat. With a scream I turn my head away and push the ax up at him and trap it just under his jaw. This keeps his snapping teeth from me, but his hands are clawing at me, but they are no use against dislodging the ax between us. I hardly feel it as his hands slash at my arms. I thrash my legs trying to keep him off me, and I struggle to lift the ax further.

Oh so slowly, do I raise him up.

I manage to wedge my legs up between us and try to push him off that way. My attempts don’t even budge him. I can feel the blood from his mouth dripping onto my cheek, and I wonder if I’ll be like him after he kills me.

With the last of my strength I raise him up further with me shaking arms. Getting my barring’s I kick at him, on the second kick he falls backwards off me and crashes into the shelves. Panting, I shuffle backwards and pull myself up. Gripping the ax, I run backwards around the front of the truck and try to make my way to the door. Matt’s already pulled himself up and is rushing at me again. Abruptly, I stop. I pull in a deep breath and raise the ax in both my hands.

Right before he reaches me, I swing at him.

This time, I hit the side of his face, and I feel the ax’s hilt shudder as I hit his skull. I gage as he stops a moment and I struggle to pull the ax free. Just as I have it out, he’s moving again, his arms almost reaching me. I step back and swing again, more in attempt to knock him down than to damage. I hit his head for a second time with the flat of the ax, and he falls to the ground. He’s making a wheezing moan, as he tries to get to his feet reaching for me still.

Looking down at him, I raise the ax up.

With a gut retching scream, I slam the ax’s blade into his neck. I can hear his neck snap as I hit bone and the handle shudders in my hands from the hit, but he’s still moving. Screaming still, I bring the ax down again and this time his head comes clean off.

He’s not moving anymore.

I stop screaming when his head rolls towards my feet, and I can’t help but stare down at it. I feel bile rise in my throat, as I see his blonde curls covered in blood. The ax feels heavy now in my hands, but I don’t loosen my grip. I feel myself shaking, but I’m not cold. In fact I’m not anything, I don’t feel upset or scared anymore, but deep down I know I should.

I wonder if this is what shock feels like.

In the quiet I hear someone shouting and footsteps coming closer. At first my whole body tenses, and I grip the ax to the point of pain and raise it high. But then I realize it’s the others from upstairs, but that can’t be right, I think. Surely someone would have come sooner, but I quickly understand that my killing Matt happened faster than I thought. I feel as if the whole things lasted hours and not minutes. Just as I’m lowering the ax someone’s running over the pieces of the door and into the garage, to me.

It’s Daniel.