Zombies: Part Three (revision)
Three Hours Later
An argument breaks out behind the wall.
There's something going on in the apartment
adjoining mine, some sort of altercation.
They’ve been quiet since the pandemic started.
Now there's a confrontation happening,
and it sounds like it’s escalating quickly.
A man yells at someone to get away
and receives an angry snarl in response.
“Get out of here! You, leave! I’m warning you!
I don't want to have to kill you!” he shouts.
It’s my neighbor, who’s defending himself
against what appears to be an intruder.
Feet shuffle, when he issues a fierce grunt.
Someone barrels into the furniture
and odds and ends clatter across the floor.
The apartment rattles from the commotion,
and I jump at a loud 'bang' on the wall.
It’s soon followed by repeated, hard pounding,
which I realize must be someone's head
getting viciously slammed against the wall.
Suddenly, everything goes deathly quiet
and a body hits the floor with a thud.
I wait and listen. The door gets kicked open
and slams against the side of the house.
When my neighbor emerges from the shadows
and I watch him hobble across the yard.
He looks injured and is likely infected.
I consider what the guy has been through.
If I only make sure to keep my distance,
I can at least give him a friendly ear.
“Hey!” I yell out from my spot at the window.
“Is everything alright? Are you okay?
I heard a fight break out. It sounded bad.”
He turns around slowly and puts a hand
up to block the sunlight to better see me.
“Hey... I'm your neighbor, Randall.” he announces
and then raises his hands. “I live next door.
I'll stand out here, but you should stay away.
I'm infected, I have to be. My wife
just turned on me. We had it all along.”
He drops to his knees as he starts to sob.
“I had to kill her. She wasn't herself!
Out of nowhere, she turned to one of them!”
He stops and shakes his head, then confesses,
“What am I saying!? I’ll become one, too!”