Regina the Zombie Slayer, Episode Eight: March of the Undead

Regina found the courage to stand up for herself. She was not going in there first.

"So you guys send in the girl with the skillet first? I don't think so."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Do the men always have to everything around here? Have it your way then. Will - check the cabin."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You're closest, so get on with it."

"That's not a good reason..."

Regina was almost tempted to go in just to stop them from yapping. But her life wasn't worth these two - not by a long shot.

"Fine," Will agreed. "I'll go in. But I get dibs on the beds."

"Suits us," Regina said.

Will slowly, tentatively stepped foward. He reached his pistol out and pushed the door open with it. As it opened, it let out a foreboding groan. Will stepped in. Regina could hear his boots creak on the planks inside.

"Looks clear," Will said. "Come on in."

Charlie and Regina stepped toward the door. At last, she could see the cabin's interior. Dust coated everything - and dead leaves from a decade's worth of autumns lay in the corner. There was a musty smell - as if nature were slowly taking this small piece of civilzation back. It was cold in here, too, but at least there was no wind. Several mattresses, yellowed with time and the elements, lay on the floor. Two were set on the top bunk, and were relatively clean.

Regina wasted no time in jumping on one. It had a sour, unclean smell - but at this point she didn't care. She was exhausted.

"Just as well there are only two beds," Charlie said. "One of us will have to keep watch."

Will had already settled on the other bunk, and was now breathing heavily.

"You worry about getting a good night's rest," Charlie said to Regina. "You've had the roughest night of all of us. I'll wake you up with the sun. We need to put some more distance between us and those monsters."

Regina wasn't even listening. Despite the cold, she was already nodding off.

* * *

Something was touching her leg.

Regina woke with a start, being jolted out of her nightmare. She saw Charlie's face, a mask of fear. He put a finger to his mouth .

Regina felt cold, and it had little do with the room.

Across the way, Will was already awake. His wide eyes glistened, and he held his pistol tightly.

"What is it?" Regina whispered.

Charlie didn't speak. He merely pointed out the window.

Regina looked out. A line of about a dozen zombies were limping down the forested hill they had descended earlier. Regina wanted to scream, but caught herself - such an action would surely get her killed - or worse. As she continued watching on horror, she noticed more zombies materializing in the fog from behind the first line. And more. It was an entire horde. They marched slowly, steadily, an undead parade.

They were about a football field away.

"I think we can outrun them," Will said.

"We're safe here," Charlie said. "As long as we don't panic and stay quiet."

"Those things can smell us. How do you think they followed us this far? It's only a matter of time before they break in."

Eighty yards away.

"They sure don't look like they see us. They're rather quiet, I would say."

"Now's our chance!" Will slipped down from the bed. "I'm running. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not going to wait out a siege."

"Wait!" Regina hissed.

Sixty yards.

"Whatever we do, we do together. If you run away, you'll just get us killed!"

"We don't have time for this," Charlie said. "They're too close now."

Will eyed the door. Regina felt like he was going to go - no matter what she said.

Then, she got an idea - an idea that seemed repulsive to her, so repulsive that she didn't want to believe she had thought it. She could just let Will go. While the ghouls were distracted eating him, she and Charlie could slip away.

Forty yards.

There was no time. Regina had to make her decision, now.

What should Regina do?

Let Will run away,

Convince Will to stay and wait it out,

OR

Convince everyone to go as a group.

The score: o deaths.

Choose wisely, and be here Monday for episode nine of Regina the Zombie Slayer.