“Just push through it Michael.  You can do this,” Jacob said as he sat upon a chair on top of Barbara.

Michael paced the floor. Mixing words of disbelief with cursing. Banging on the back door began to spread around the house as zombie brethren began to beat their way into the house..

“You need to do it, Michael… now!” Jacob shouted.

Michael walked around and stood at a window.  He stared at the destruction of the once bright city.

“All these people…,” he said to no one.  “They just stand in the failing daylight staring at a charcoal drawing that was once a city.”

“Could you ever imagine something like this happening?”  He says too Jacob.  “A catastrophic infection spreading from the center of the country. Trapping a whole city within its walled boundaries?”

“I don’t know what to tell you Michael!” Jacob replied, his voice shaking.

Barbara managed to grab the small man’s right leg. Jacob reached down and shoved her hand free but it returned and strangled his bare ankle.

“If she draws blood you will be without a wife and a friend.” Jacob struggled to stay a top Barbara.  He manipulated the chair and dug a corner leg into the infected woman’s left shoulder.  The weight of the chair melted quickly through the rotting muscle.  Jacob moved his legs to the left.

Barbara pushed upward on the chair with her free right hand. Jacob set his feet on her left side and pushed back.

“Michael please…”

The back door opened with a crash. The large zombie stood in the kitchen and roared.  Michael swung the bat.  It struck the floor with a loud metallic boom and Jacob leapt from his chair.  Michael swung again striking Barbara and collapsing her chest.   The large zombie moved forward, followed by others.  Barbara attempted to breath, her infected lungs compressed. Rotten air retched from her mouth. Her broken face stared forward, human feelings of sorrow and pain vacant from her grey face.

Jacob ran forward and pushed a large leather couch into the smaller doorway to the kitchen.  Michael stared downward at what used to be his wife.  The body of his wife, her face, attempted to take in a breath but it wouldn’t come.  She stared at the ceiling.  Michael began to cry.  The pain in her face wasn’t there.  Michael knelt next to his wife, her breath slowing.

“Barbara,” he whispered and watched.  He reached forward.

Barbara turned, her eyes flashed.  She snapped at Michael’s hand.  Michael fell backward.  He grabbed the bat and swung three times.  Barbara took a final breath and finally left the world of the living.

“Help me, Michael,” Jacob pleaded.

Michael shot up from the floor,  swung and connected with the bat.  The zombie stumbled to the side and knocked over a second.  It then straighten up and charged forward.

“Hold the couch,” Jacob ordered.

The large zombie stepped forward and charged.  He struck the couch and fell forward.  The couch moved forward but the two men held the other zombies behind it.  Jacob grabbed another bat, and Michael his, and both men beat the zombie to death.

“Yea! buddy,” Jacob screamed.  He continued, his voice escalating with every sentence, “Its like we’re in a movie.  Remember those… fun little contraptions we could do before we had monsters attacking us every moment of the day.  We were so lazy back then.  Relaxing, watching stuff… doing nothing. Oh, and not killing our wives.  Michael we had wives that hated us.”

“They didn’t hate us,” Micheal said.  “They loved us.”  He looked back at what remained of Barbara and was suddenly jerked forward.