This was originally published in 2013 in “Zombies?! Zombies!! An Anthology”.
He didn’t want to do this. He couldn’t do this.
“I can’t. I can’t.”
He was sobbing now. The tears were streaming down his face.
“Please no. I can’t! Please!”
No one else could do anything.
“GOD HELP ME!” he shrilled.
“Is this what we’ve come to? Has it really come to this?”
“Don’t hurt me.” the child said. It was his child. It was his son.
“Don’t hurt me, Papa. I love you, Papa.”
“Shut up. Don’t call me Papa! Shut up!”
He had his little girl to consider. She wasn’t infected. He couldn’t let that happen to her. He’d been careless. He could taste the salt from the snot and tears running down his face. His body was soaked with sweat. Red spots on his head were showing from where he had pulled his own hair out. He would have killed himself already if it weren‘t for Emily still being alive. It would have been a lot easier if she were dead. Their mother was.
“Don’t hurt me, Papa.”
“Shut up.” he said, tears streaming down his face. “You’re not my son anymore. Shut up. Get out. Get the fuck out of here.” his voice was a high shrill.
The boy was crying. He was only eleven years old. He didn’t understand. He was hungry and tired. It was cold.
“Emily, go upstairs.”
“Don’t hurt him Daddy.” she was crying too. It would have been easier if she was dead.
“Emily go upstairs.” He was starting to lose his hold.
“Emily go upstairs.” She wasn’t moving. She just lay there in her dirty pink dress crying on the floor in the corner. He had bought her that dress for her birthday. It was her birthday dress. He was losing it.
“Emily! Get the fuck upstairs!”
She wasn’t going to go. He couldn’t do it. He had lost.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” His bottom lip quivered. He wasn’t crying anymore. He held her tightly to him. The room was dark and wet. There were rain tracks on the floor.
“I’m so sorry, honey.”
He pulled back the hammer of the revolver.
“We’re going to be with Mama.”
Two shots rang out. His body slumped to the ground next to hers.
His son lay writhing on the ground. Blood was already starting to squirt out of his mouth. Thirty minutes later he had turned into one of them.