Tales of the Urban Dead Part 3

Albert Newman was rummaging through the junkyard once again. Life was lived on the edge of a knife, but people eventually find routine in everything. Shackleville had been calm for a few days, and Albert had been daring enough to take one or two long scouting trips.

Albert picked up a discarded stapler, weighing it in his hand before casting it back on the piles of rubbish. Then came the howl. Shrieks echoed from the direction Albert had come from. Had St. Helier's been overrun? Grabbing his trusty length of pipe, Albert sprinted towards the noise. Just north of the church, a man was being mauled by a zombie. Gritting his teeth, Albert charged forward, pipe sweaty in his hands. As the zombie turned to face the new threat, Albert swung with all his might, clobbering the zombie upside the head and sending it reeling. Knocking the creature down with a blow to the back, Albert scrambled over to the attacked man.

The victim was still alive, though bleeding from cuts on his head and arms. Grabbing the man under the arms, Albert dragged him back, glance darting between the dazed zombie and the doors of St. Helier's. It was a long way to go. Hauling the man behind a ruined bench, Albert grabbed several bandages from his pack, fumbling as he attempted to staunch the man's bleeding.

A loud groan sounded through the square and Albert looked up. The first zombie was getting up, and a second was appearing from a side street. Albert grabbed the man again and pulled, but after dragging him another few feet, he knew he would never make it back to the church in time. Dropping the limp body as the first zombie stumbled forwards, Albert swung his pipe again, knocking the creature back again. With a brief prayer, Albert looked once more upon the dying man and turned to run.

That night, Albert sat alone in the emptiness of St. Heliers, cleaning the congealed blood from his length of pipe. He kept telling himself that he had done all he could, and in the end fell into an uneasy sleep after triple-checking the bars on all the doors. Outside, one new zombie rose to haunt the streets.