High School of the Dead

The recoil from the gun startled Melly, but she saw that the bullet had hit the brunette student in the chest. The girl went down, but again struggled to her feet. Gina rushed down the steps and used the momentum to swing the metal bar straight into the wounded girl's head. With a sickening crack she went down for good.

Melly's ears were ringing from the loud bang of the gun. She fired again, her eyes squeezed shut in terror. The bullet went wild and Gina shouted up at her angrily as it had almost hit her. The blonde student sensing an opening, tackled her to the floor and Gina grunted in surprise. The chair leg flew from her fingers at the impact and slid into the corner of the stairwell, out of reach. Gina's arms came up immediately, shoving at the girl's shoulders. It was like pushing against a brick wall.

“Melly! Shoot her!” Gina screamed up at her. Melly stood frozen at the top of the stairs, staring down at the grappling pair.

It had been her fourteenth birthday when her father had taken her to the shooting range for the first time. She had hated the coldness of the bare white rooms. The loud gunfire from the other booths terrified her. She remembered her father trying to tell her about the gun, but Melly could care less. Was this really what a fourteen-year old girl wanted for her birthday?

~~~
“Now Mel, I want you to take your hands like this, okay?” James said, holding the gun with both hands.

Melly looked up at her father and scoffed. “Yeah whatever, dad,” she said, rolling her eyes. This wasn't exactly the concert tickets she had been hoping for. She allowed her father to place her hands in the correct position.

“The gun is like an extension of your body,” James explained, oblivious to his daughter's irritation. “You need to feel completely comfortable with the weapon.”

Melly sighed. Even if she wasn't going to get the concert tickets, she wished she at least could be at home. Natalie was supposed to be calling her later. It would be the only chance she'd get to talk to her best friend before she went off to the concert. The concert Melly wanted to go to. The concert that she'd only been asking about for weeks.

Instead, she got this. Melly raised the gun, and James shouted at her immediately. “Don't ever point your gun any direction but down range!” It was his authoritative voice.

Melly glared at him but did as he said. The trigger was light and when she depressed it, it went off so suddenly Melly almost dropped the gun. Even with the earplugs in, the noise was horrendous. James was peering intently down range to see where the bullet had gone on the paper target. Melly looked up at her father, her thoughts dark.

I'll never pick up a gun. It's not like I'm ever going to be a cop like dad, he doesn't think of anything else! This is just like math; a useless skill that I'll never need. I don't ever want to see a gun again!
~~~

Gina was losing hold on the student above her. She could almost see the hunger in those blood-filled eyes. The blonde girl was only a bit taller than Gina, yet her strength was phenomenal. It was almost super-human. Gina gasped as she felt the muscles in her arms giving way. The girl's hands were reaching for her shoulders, using them as leverage to pull closer. Those blood-stained teeth were almost at her neck now.

Fourteen year old Melly didn't like guns. She didn't need guns. Present Melly cursed her younger self, trying desperately to remember what her father had told her. After Melly missed the concert, she had refused to speak to her father for two days. With the help of her mother, James never approached her on the subject of guns again.

Now Melly needed the gun. Melly needed the perfect shot. At this point the two were so close, it would be hard not to accidentally hit Gina as well. Hands tight on the grip. Stand with legs shoulder-width apart. Line up the sights. Relax your arms slightly to account for recoil... Aim, and fire. Melly squeezed the trigger again, her eyes wide open.

Blonde hair exploded with red as bits of brain flew out and splattered to the floor. Gina closed her eyes and turned her head as the spray coated her, feeling the weight of the girl fall onto her chest. Pushing the limp body off her, she got to her feet and grabbed her weapon. Melly stood in shock at the top of the stairs.

“Nice shot,” Gina said, giving Melly a faint smile.

“Thanks,” Melly whispered, still a bit surprised that she had managed to pull it off.

She hurried down the stairs and the two girls opened the door cautiously. Neither of them expected what was on the other side. They came face-to-face with the red-head from before. Melly raised her gun, finger on the trigger. Gina seemed too stunned to move.

“I didn't mean to,” the girl said as she had before. “But he's okay now...”

Melly gasped as she saw someone else behind the girl, lurching back and forth oddly. Her arms started shaking, even as her finger was on the trigger of the gun. Dark red blood was caked on his neck, oozing a little, and fresher blood dripped down his chin. Even though he was now covered in blood and seemed to have taken a bit more damage, Melly recognized the well-built figure.

“M-Mac...?”

---

“CSU is not amused by what they found James,” Allie said, rubbing her arms as she held onto a Styrofoam cup of lukewarm coffee. “Regardless of what really happened, there was nothing good in their reports, and they haven't even bothered to censor themselves this time.”

“I'm sorry,” James said, his body slouching in the uncomfortable plastic chairs of the Mercy Emergency Clinic waiting room.

Allie sighed. Whatever had happened in that house had really shaken her superior, and she felt a bit of compassion for his broken expression. Sitting down next to James, she put an arm over his shoulders. “You know you can talk to me, right? I am your deputy after all.”

“I know Allie, and thank you. Just... I saw it for myself and even I can't believe the story I told,” James said. Now that the crisis was over, his body was aching from the tension and adrenaline from before. Not to mention the bruise that was growing over his entire right side was making it's presence well known.

Allie took a look at the haggard sheriff and was about to say something when her radio crackled. “Six bodies? Are you sure...? According to my report there should be seven.... What...? ... 10-4...”

James gave her a look as she turned to him. “My report is accurate,” he said curtly. His tone told Allie to drop it while she was ahead.

Irritated, James stood up abruptly, almost knocking his chair over. He stormed away, pulling his cell phone from his pants pocket. Hitting the speed dial number one labeled 'Melly', he was greeted by the same flashing screen: Unable to Establish Connection. Growling in frustration he flung his phone as hard as he could, satisfied only for a moment as he saw it shatter into pieces on the floor.

The automatic doors opened as James strode past them to the vending machines. He inserted his money and chose another coffee. The sludgy mix poured out reluctantly into the tiny Styrofoam cup and he bent down to pick it up from the machine.

“James?” said a voice behind him.

James dropped his coffee, cursing as the scalding hot liquid splashed over his hands. He whirled around and was greeted by the sight of a younger woman with jet black hair. His eyes roamed over her body. She was thin but had nice curves and was tall, almost as tall as James. Her hair was splashed with a few blue streaks, that seemed almost juvenile for her older age. Her skin was tan and smooth, except for a few creases around her eyes. And those eyes, they were like steel staring straight into his.

“What are you doing here?” James hissed. His heart twinged at the sight of his ex-wife, whom he hadn't seen in months.

“Took me hours to get here James, the interstate is backed up for miles,” Raven said, ignoring the icy glare James was giving her. “But I know the back roads to get here... I could never forget how to get here.”

“Blue hair, huh? Fitting right in with the kids, are we?” James said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I bet it was his idea...” he muttered under his breath.

“James,” Raven said, suddenly serious. “Detective Brooten told me you were here. I need to talk to you about something important.”

“Are you sleeping with him too?” James said.

Raven's eyes flashed and she opened her mouth to retort when a nurse came up to the two of them, looking anxious. “Sheriff? About that girl you brought in...”

James snapped to attention suddenly and pushed past Raven, quickly following the nurse. Raven went to follow them but once she reached the waiting room, Allie stood in her way. The deputy looked up at the tall woman, sneering. Although Allie had never met Raven previous to the divorce, she bore an unnatural hatred for the woman who had broken James' heart.

“What do you think you're doing here?” Allie said, her hair bobbing around her neck as she tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms over her chest.

Raven's eyes narrowed. She knew of the deputy only from what James had told her after he used to get off work. Although she had never mentioned it to James, it was her woman's intuition that told her something was going on. Even if it was one-sided, she didn't like it at all. Raven felt her blood beginning to boil.

“I need to talk to James,” Raven said, returning the sneering look with a glare.

“Nah...” Allie said, moving her hands to her hips and letting her fingers brush quite obviously over her holstered sidearm. “I don't think you do.”