Chapter 17
The magic circle was only two thirds done… but the next wave of extra-dead zombies had arrived. Cass appeared calm, but she was just too numb to register any more shock.
Cass watched the creatures shuffling across the lawn towards the compound. Some of them were surprising agile and quick. "Those are the cemetery zombies! Hurry up people!" She looked down at Talin, "We're lucky it took them so long to get here."
"Maybe they stopped for lunch."
The wave of zombies began to pick up speed, in response to the shouting and barked commands. They began to build a momentum like an oncoming stampede.
"Christ, they're running." Cass said nervously.
"Okay," Jack said to his shooters, "All you can do is slow them down, so aim for their legs. Use short bursts and hit the kneecaps if you can. But don't waste any ammo." The horde came within range, "Fire!"
The first shots were effective. Cass shot the legs out from under at least two while Jack hit three. The other shooters missed but kept firing. The barriers of furniture and rubble slowed the zombies down … but only for a few moments.
"We finished the circle!" Shouted a middle aged balding guy. He looked like he was having the worst mid-life crisis on record.
Cass, Jack and the shooters quickly fell back into the dining hall, barricading the door behind them. Talin began the incantation as the zombies bashed at the doors and windows.
Cass had a horrifying thought, "What if they're inside the circle when the spell is completed?"
Talin just continued muttering the spell, louder with each passing sentence.
A zombie ran headlong into a floor length window shattering the glass. Jack opened fire, shooting its legs out from under it. Another raced in behind it and pounced on Cass. They fell to the ground in a tangle of tanned and decaying flesh as they wrestled furiously. Its hands clasped around her windpipe. Cass felt herself becoming weaker, losing the battle as she did her best to keep it’s gnashing teeth away from her.
Talin's voice reached a crescendo and stopped, "It is complete." He said.
Cass was barely conscious when the zombie suddenly relaxed its grip. It stared at her for a moment…or would have if it still had eyes, until, in a rasping croak it said, "ahh…thank you," as if in relief. Then it went limp.
The other zombies that had entered the circle weaved unsteadily and then collapsed as well.
Cass examined her opponent's body, "It’s dead… again. I mean really dead…like supposed to be dead…oh you know what I mean."
Jack looked out the window, watching in relief as the zombies outside the circle began to wander off into the jungle, "They're leaving," He shouted to the heaven’s as well as to the assembled crowd.
There was tremendous excitement until Talin chimed in.
"The circle makes us more or less invisible to them…but there is no need to tempt fate… So please keep it down!"
The survivors complied.
Fawn raced over to Jack, throwing herself around him with all her might. “Oh Jack, we made it!”
Jack was surprised, as he actually felt his heart skip a few beats with her embrace. She was a cute kid, and truth be told he realized he had actually developed something of a bond with her. Maybe it was just the whole zombie thing that had kind of thrown them together, or maybe there really was something there…
He hugged her back , kissing the top of her head, “Yeah, looks like we are going to be alright after all.” Maybe more than alright, he thought as he held her tight, caressing her back and nuzzling her to him.
Cass picked up Talin's head and cradled it in her lap.
She looked at him and smiled, "How long does the spell last?"
"As long as the circle remains intact we are safe." Talin replied.
Cass was beyond exhausted. It had been a hellish night, but they were finally safe, thanks to a circle of salt. She looked outside and did her best to smile. Surveying the carnage she knew they had paid a heavy price. It had been an insane night. Scores of tourists and soldiers had died, and then come back. Some of those were just so much hamburger, while many were even now wandering the surrounding jungles in search of human flesh. She had not had time to even think about the safety of the other villages on the island. They would be at the mercy of the horde. And then there was the whole my-boyfriend-is-just-a-severed-head thing to contend with. But she was confident that with his magic they could remedy that as well. They just had to bunk down for the night. With the new day they would figure out their next move. At least for now they were safe.
Then the first drops of rain began to fall… thin rivulets of water were already coursing across the earth as it quickly turned into a downpour.
THE END