Zombies Ate My Neighbors: Chapter 11

Chapter 11

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After watching the last survivor walk through the door, Julie checked the radar screen one last time.

"Did he make it?" Zeke asked, as he dispatched what appeared to be the last of the zombies in the area.

"Yeah, he made it." Julie replied, "And I think that's everyone."

"Good.  Then let's get the heck out of this hedge maze and never speak of it again."

"Hear, hear."

But as the teens hightailed it to the door, Julie suddenly stared at Lil' Sparky and gasped, stopping in her tracks.

"Oh no, no, NO!" she cried out, slapping it repeatedly with the palm of her hand.

Zeke stopped as well, and lifted his glasses to stare at the door; which vanished before his eyes.

"...Let me guess." he said, lowering his glasses again, "Lil' Sparky's batteries ran out again, so I'll have to bug your uncle for a ride back now?"

Julie sighed, pocketed the device, and said, "Looks like.  Come to think of it though... I don't really feel like just waiting around, when there could be more zombies or... who knows what else nearby."

"Hmm... good point.  Let's head back to the house.  Maybe we can borrow some batteries from their TV remote or something."

Julie chuckled.

"Great.  And why don't we raid their refrigerator while we're at it?"

"Hey, better their food get eaten than they do." Zeke joked back, "Plus, it is starting to get dark and I could probably go for..."

Zeke stopped when he noticed Julie staring at one of the hedges nearby.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Zeke, look at this.  Part of this hedge has been knocked over."

"I thought we agreed never to speak of this place again."

"Ha ha ha.  Just come look."

Shrugging, Zeke walked over and lifted his glasses to get a better look at the fallen part of the hedge.

"Hmm... you're right." he said, "I don't remember seeing any of these hedges damaged like this before.  This clearly wasn't accidental either."

Suddenly, a loud revving noise grabbed Julie's attention.

"My guess is that someone cut it down with a..."

"Chainsaw!" Julie cried, pointing at another hedge.

"Yeah, with a chainsaw."

Julie grabbed Zeke's head and swiftly turned it in the direction she was staring.

"...Oh."

Zeke and Julie then watched as a chainsaw blade came cutting down through a hedge in the distance, then came back up and cut down the other side.  Finally, the square section of the hedge came falling down.  Standing there behind the fallen hedge, holding the chainsaw that cut it down, was a six-foot-tall bald-headed man.  He was dressed in a black shirt, blue jeans, brown shoes, and wore a hockey mask over his face.  After kicking aside the fallen hedge section, he took a few steps forward.  Then he stopped and stared at the teens.  Zeke and Julie looked at each other, then stared back at the man; who started to walk towards them again.

"Uh... hey there!" Zeke said to him, "N-Nice chainsaw.  So... uh... you here to... help us fight these monsters and save the city?"

The man was silent for a moment, then lifted his chainsaw over his head and roared in response.

"Uh... does 'RUAAAGH?' mean yes?"

Suddenly, the man charged at the teens and brought his chainsaw down towards them.  Zeke and Julie jumped back in terror, just barely avoiding the blade in the nick of time.

"Hey, not cool, man!" Zeke snapped, "Reconstructive surgery is expensive, you know!"

"Yeah, I really don't think he's one of the good guys, Zeke." Julie told him, "Or... even among the living."

Zeke pushed his 3D glasses down and aimed his eyes over them, to get a good look at their attacker; who had pale skin and seemed to limp as he moved.  And through the eye holes in his mask, Zeke could see a blank look in the man's eyes.

"Not among the living, eh?"

As the monster advanced on them again, the teens nodded at each other and fired their water guns.  The monster roared in pain and fell over backwards onto the ground.  He lay still for a moment, but suddenly jumped back onto his feet and grunted in anger.  Zeke and Julie looked at each other again.

"Well... I'm out of ideas." Zeke regretfully admitted.

"I suppose we should start running for our lives then?" Julie replied to Zeke; who nodded.

So they did.  They hadn't gone far, however, when they stopped to look around and saw that their attacker was nowhere in sight.

"Huh... not very fast, is he?" Zeke scoffed.

No sooner than he said that, the chainsaw's blade began cutting through another hedge nearby.

"...Oh, right.  That."

Zeke and Julie resumed running for their lives, until they finally approached a fork in the path.

"Let's split up and try to throw him off." said Julie, "Then we'll regroup back at the house."

Zeke nodded and ran down the left path, while Julie went down the right.  

As the chainsaw-wielding monster reached the fork, he stopped and began grunting as he looked both ways in confusion.  Finally, he started slowly going down the left path until he heard a loud chiming noise on the other side of the hedge next to him.  With a loud roar, he savagely cut down the hedge and burst through.  But upon looking around the area, all he could see was a trampoline and a cellular phone on the ground a short distance away.  Grunting in frustration, the masked man started walking away.  

Once the coast was clear, Zeke crawled out from under the trampoline and retrieved his phone off the ground with a sigh of relief.

"I knew I should've set this thing to vibrate!" he muttered to himself, as he checked his new message.

It was a text from Julie; which said, 'Found new fresh batteries.  Think you can make it back to the house?'

Zeke looked off in the distance and frowned as he realized the house was a long trip from where he was standing.  But after surveying the hedges nearby and noting the damage left in the masked monster's wake, his frown turned upside down.

'I'll be there as soon as I can.' he quickly typed.  After sending that message, Zeke pocketed his phone and hurried on his way to the house.  But as he came near a thick section of hedges, Zeke suddenly stopped when he noticed a hole with something sticking out of it.  Curiously, he lifted his glasses to his forehead and approached the hole to have a look.

"Well, well, well!  What have we here!"

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After reading Zeke's text response, Julie smiled and pocketed her phone.  She sat down on the living room couch, hoping he wouldn't take too long.  Not only did Julie want to get as far away from the chainsaw-wielding monster as she could, but she never did feel comfortable in a stranger's house.  It wasn't long though, before she heard what sounded like footsteps outside.  In a heartbeat, Julie sprang to her feet and ran to the front door.

"Thank goodness you're here." she said, as she opened the door, "I was starting to-... OH CRAP!"

But it wasn't Zeke at the door.  It was- you guessed it- the monster with the chainsaw; who lifted it over his head and began to roar.  Julie slammed the door and started to run, but it wasn't long before the chainsaw began cutting right through the door; which was then kicked open.  She hightailed it through the house and out the back door.  Suddenly, she tripped and fell onto the porch.  As she groaned in pain and picked herself up, Julie looked back and saw the thing that tripped her: a fire extinguisher.

"Hmm... how'd this get out here?" she wondered aloud, as she picked it up.

Julie then shrieked and fell backwards after being startled by another roar from her chainsaw-wielding pursuer.  As the masked monster came closer and closer, Julie looked at the extinguisher and back at the monster; who once again raised his chainsaw menacingly.  At that moment Julie hastily pulled the extinguisher's pin, aimed the hose at her attacker, closed her eyes, and began spraying.

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"Hang on, Julie!" Zeke shouted, "I'm comin' for ya!"

Having overheard Julie's screams and the monster's roars, Zeke hurried through the backyard of the house; via the monster's destructive path.  On his back was yet another bazooka that he'd conveniently found along the way.  Finally, he reached the back porch and readied the weapon.

"Alright, buster!  Now you're gonna... huh?"

Zeke lowered his weapon, took off his glasses, and stared in amazement.  The monster was now standing there, frozen solid like an ice sculpture, as Julie looked on with surprise as well.  Putting the bazooka down, he ran up to Julie and helped her up.

"You okay?" he asked.

Julie surveyed her injuries as she dusted herself off.

"Just a little scratched from a fall.  I'll be fine."

Zeke glanced at the fire extinguisher on the ground.

"Fire extinguisher, huh?  See, I never would've thought of that."

Julie just smirked and shrugged in response.  Suddenly, the frozen monster grunted and started slowly moving his fingers as he slowly began to defrost.

"Uh-oh..." Julie cried, "I don't think it's gonna hold him much longer!"

"Me neither.  Quick, stand back!"

Zeke ran to retrieve the bazooka off the ground, put his 3D glasses back on, and watched as Julie picked up the extinguisher and moved a safe distance away.  After putting the extinguisher down, she nodded to Zeke and covered her ears.

"Hasta la vista, Baby!" Zeke said, with his best Terminator impression, as he aimed at the frozen monster.

The rocket burst free from the bazooka's muzzle and, upon making contact, exploded the monster into a million frozen shards.  When the shards finally settled, Zeke lowered the bazooka and triumphantly leaned on it for a moment.  Then he put the weapon down and held open his arms, as Julie approached him and gave him a big hug.

"Good shot, 'Arnold.' " she said, planting a small kiss on his cheek before pulling back, "Thanks.  So this is what... three I owe you?  Or is it four?  I've lost count."

"Heh... well... to be fair, you did repay me the first time when that one zombie appeared on my doorstep.  Plus, I'm not sure I would've had a clear shot at the guy if you hadn't... hey, what's that?"

Julie turned to look, as Zeke approached the monster's remains.  Among the melting ice shards was a shiny ruby; which Zeke picked up and lifted his glasses to get a good look at.

"Whoa..." he said, "Julie, check it out!"

Zeke held the ruby out to Julie; whose eyes went wide.

"Ooh!  It's pretty!  But... where did HE get it?  And how'd it survive the explosion?"

Zeke shrugged and replied, "Beats me.  Say... isn't your birthday about a month from now?  I'll bet this thing would make one heck of a ring."

Julie chuckled at the thought and gently pushed his hand back.

"Flattering as that sounds," she said, "I think it'd be better if you kept it until this whole thing ends.  Maybe you could find a pawn shop to sell it to, and then get me something a little more practical."

"Hmm... yeah, you're right.  So... about getting out of here and never speaking of this place again?"

Julie nodded, took out Lil' Sparky, and activated the door; which the two of them promptly walked through.

Meanwhile, as the door vanished behind them, another man emerged from the open back door of the house.  It was the mysterious trenchcoated stranger who had been helping the teenagers.  He walked up to the remains of the monster and stared at them.

"I'll be damned!" he muttered with a smile, "Those two are even more resourceful than I thought!  Perhaps there really is hope for this world."

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To be Continued