PMS Zombies
cross-posted from https://lycelia.com/?author=Arielle%20Brix
Also available on amazon at https://www.amazon.com/PMS-Zombies-Arielle-Brix-ebook/dp/B08...
by Arielle Brix
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Alex's first day of high school goes terribly awry as all the girls in town develop an intense hatred of men and a voracious appetite for human flesh. His effeminate looks might save him from being eaten by the girls for a little while but will he be able to resist the virus feminizing his body by the hour?
Approximate content rating: PG-15 for violence, language, and suggestive content.
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Chapter 1: Morning Bite
It was a sunny, cloudless sky that greeted me that morning. Those unfamiliar with the unrelenting heat in Weyton might even call it cheerful. For me it was an unwelcome reminder that I was running late for school. So late, in fact, that my mother had taken it upon herself to get me moving.
It wasn't simple laziness that kept me in bed on such a morning, nor did I particularly detest the thought of homework. It was the students that worried me. I'd managed to blend in moderately well in middle school but high school could well be a house of horrors. From what I'd read, many boys tried to stand out upon entering high school. Reinvent themselves, as it were. Personally I'd be content to go unnoticed. My body was doing quite enough reinventing on its own.
“Alex just be a man and put on the damned bra.”
I cringed as Mom threw the bra at me, but I didn't try to block it with a hand. Lamentably I was too busy covering my overdeveloped chest. I really had to start sleeping with a shirt, heat wave or no heat wave.
She gave me one last directive before mercifully leaving my bedroom. “You can't just keep ignoring your breasts. You'll just embarrass yourself if you don't learn to cover them up properly.”
Ouch. Normally she wasn’t so blunt. Though, truthfully, I couldn't say she didn't have a point. Two disturbingly large points, in fact. But could I really wear a bra? Curious anatomy aside I was still a guy.
Mom was quick to remind me that I was out of time to deliberate. “Hurry it up, the bus will be here any minute.”
After one last drawn-out sigh I took the plunge.
“Huh.” Not so bad really. I was pretty sure it was a sports bra, and thankfully one with no straps or clips to work out. It helped my peace of mind that it didn't look much like a traditional brassiere. I could almost pretend it was just a stretchy, weirdly snug t-shirt — at least so long as I ignored my bared midriff.
Oddness aside, the bra did seem to be compressing the troublemakers. Hiding them towards the end of the previous school year had gotten beyond stressful. Perhaps with sports bra holding them down I wouldn't have to hunch over so much. Honestly, summer break had been a godsend. I'd had a permanently aching back by the end of the school year from maintaining my slouch. The weight of my growing additions probably hadn’t helped.
“Lame.” I should have known. I'd had high hopes, but throwing on a t-shirt revealed just how vain they'd been. Not only were the twins still visible, so was the outline of the bra. “Jacket it is then.” The baggy windbreaker I’d nabbed from Mom's room drove home the fact that at fifteen I was still depressingly slimmer and shorter than my mother, and she was far from being a large woman.
The windbreaker wasn't the perfect cure, but from the front it hid things pretty well. As long as I didn't let anyone see my silhouette from the side while my back was straight I'd probably go unnoticed. ‘Probably.’
I had to think positively. A momentary glimpse of my unusual curves wouldn’t bring everything crashing down. Despite being thin, I could probably pass off the man-boobs as a result of eating too much or a trick of the light. Well, at least so long as they didn’t pick out what I was wearing beneath my shirt. Chest growth was embarrassing but a bra was a choice, and one that could draw a lot of negative attention my way in a town like Weyton. I’d gotten picked on a bit in middle school but nothing serious. I didn’t want that to change for the worse.
‘No bra it is then.’ After a couple tries I had it back off, momentarily relieved to be out of the utterly unmanly garment until I had to swing my eyes away from what it left behind. The mounds definitely looked bigger without the sports bra compressing them, but I couldn’t win every battle. I’d just have to remember to lean forward to keep my jacket off my very heavy chest. Ugh, my back was already giving me warnings.
I straightened and stretched, taking advantage of the last free time I’d have to do so until I got back from school. For a moment I felt totally zenned, at least until I realized I was still holding an item I had no business being around until I landed a girlfriend.
I made to throw the bra away to some dusty corner of the room before it could infect me with any more girlishness but paused mid-throw. With a sigh I stuffed in the pocket of my sweatpants instead of discarding it as I wished to. I’d prefer not to bring it at all but Mom might expect me to be wearing it when I came back home and she was in such a poor mood that I was unwilling to test her patience.
It felt like the bra was burning a hole in my pocket but I grabbed my books and slipped out for the bus, careful to avoid Mom on the way out. I wasn't sure what had gotten her in a mood, but I didn't want to get caught in the middle of it. Last thing I needed was to have her ask why I wasn't bringing my backpack to my first day of high school. (It was the straps. Stupid things made it rather hard to hard to hide my rather unique figure.)
Anyways, body issues aside, it was looking like this would be a good day. I'd read ahead in all the textbooks to be prepared for my first day of high school, the sun was shining, and... oh god the sun was really shining. The bus stop was five blocks away and I was wilting inside my wind jacket and sweatpants by the time I made it there.
I'd arrived just in time, bus already arrived and loading. I was the last in line as the other students filed into the old bus, my stomach grumbling as I awaited my turn to board. If I didn't want to make skipping breakfast a habit I would have to start getting up earlier. Mom claimed the buses used to go by every house back when she went to school. Just another way things had gone downhill since then, I supposed. At least we had it better than Brickville to the north of us. Thanks to the Rose Corporation our town had thus far avoided bankruptcy unlike many towns and cities of late. Having their logo plastered on everything in town was a small price to pay.
‘Is this really what high schoolers look like?’ The seniors certainly looked like they'd been eating three squares a day. Was it normal for the senior boys to be twice my weight and a foot taller? I was short even amongst eighth graders but at least back in middle school I'd had an age advantage. Now as I boarded it felt like I'd wandered into a bus full of raucous giants. So much for getting held back a year in kindergarten helping me in the height department.
Just because they were bigger than me didn’t mean I’d get bullied like in the movies but I decided to play it safe and try not to draw attention. I kept my head down and avoided making eye contact with the potential predators as I made my way down the aisle. Most of the seats were claimed but there was one over the back wheel that was free. It would be bumpy, especially with the number of potholes all over town, but I was very glad to sit down and escape the multitude of eyes on me.
I’d thought the bus was already full but was soon proved wrong. Doubled seats soon became tripled after our next stop, legs sticking out into the aisle in what would be a safety violation in a wealthier neighborhood. I huddled into the corner of the seat as a girl sat down next to me. I was surprised. It had been years since a girl had sat next to me voluntarily. Skinny black guys that spent too much time on computers weren’t their thing, I supposed.
Surreptitiously glancing at my seat companion I immediately noticed she was pretty. There was an elegance to her features and long black hair that made me think she was a year or two older than me but I couldn’t be sure. From what I’d seen of the other students, pretty much everyone except me had done a lot of growing up over the summer.
I was soon distracted from my observations. The ride was even bumpier than I’d expected, the driver sadistically aiming for every pothole. An ache grew in my chest that I tried desperately to ignore. I held out stoically for ten blocks before giving in. Crossing my arms across my chest I did my best to hold everything still. Breast pain from bouncing was a fairly new problem for me. Recently I’d had to walk more carefully down stairs and avoid jogging, but this was the worst yet. The fabric of my t-shirt was a bit scratchier than I’d like as well as they went up and down. Maybe skipping the sports bra wasn’t such a great idea after all.
“Still growing?”
The question came so unexpectedly that it took a moment to realize it came from the girl beside me. “What?”
“They’re more sensitive when they’re still growing.” Surely she wasn’t talking about — “You might want to switch to something with a little more support now that they’re getting bigger. That training bra is so flimsy it looks like you’re not wearing anything at all.”
Yes, yes she was talking about my breasts. I broke into a cold sweat. Were they really that easy to see? They felt huge to me, but on a real girl I was sure they wouldn’t be anything very substantial. I had to hope that it was only all the bouncing that had given me away.
I hoped she wasn’t right about them still growing. From what I’d dared to read at the library it wasn’t uncommon for boys to have gynecomastia during puberty, but typically the growth disappeared as quickly as it came. I prayed what I’d read was right. I doubted there were many girls out there that dated guys with boobs larger than theirs.
It was immensely uncomfortable sitting next to someone who probably thought I was some sort of freak. Health class told everyone that puberty involved going through a lot of changes, but I couldn’t stop thinking I was growing up wrong. A beauty like her couldn’t relate. Thanks to her sunglasses I couldn’t be sure she wasn’t still staring at me like a specimen in a lab. Well, at least I was better-looking than that cow-pig hybrid they’d cooked up at Rose Labs. The one thing our town was known for and it had to be the creation of the one and only cow-pig…
The rest of the ride went in silence, at least between my seat partner and myself. It was a longer ride than the one for middle school. Warren High School (named after and funded by the CEO of Rose Labs) was a massive edifice that took in students from eight nearby middle schools. My seat partner fell asleep halfway there, shocking me when her head came to rest on my shoulder. If this were a cheesy teen movie it would be a sign that we’d eventually date, but I wasn’t so foolish as to think she had the slightest bit of romantic interest in me. Frankly I was surprised she hadn’t switched seats after she found out about my oddities.
Thinking about them made me all too aware of their current situation. It was light, but I could feel the press of her breast against the side of my own. I’d mostly kept from touching my breasts since they’d started growing since it was easier to imagine them disappearing some day if I pretended they didn’t exist in the present. This contact with another human being felt good, felt right, but it was also deeply unsettling. It wasn’t how I imagined my first contact with a girl’s boobs would go, and I didn’t want to imagine how she might freak out when she woke up.
I considered waking her up then and there before anything else incriminating could happen but I couldn’t work up the nerve. I tried instead to turn my attention to other things than my contact with her but the other students didn’t make it easy. The rest of the bus conversed about all sorts of strange things, mixed with quite a bit more dirty language than I was accustomed to. I tilted my head down to ignore them only for heat bloom in my cheeks as I realized what direction that pointed my eyes. I swiftly switched to looking out the window before she could wake up and catch me looking at her cleavage.
There were more police out than seemed normal. Every other block there was someone being stuffed into the back of a police car, and the majority seemed to be resisting arrest. Strangely, nearly every last offender was a woman. Maybe it was the heat making everyone go crazy, though they should be used to it if they weren’t tourists.
‘Oh.’ A number of families throwing suitcases into cars provided another likely answer. It had to be another mass eviction day. Either because banks had decided a bunch of debts were due or a bunch of apartments were being torn down for another of Rose Corp’s “beautification efforts.” Getting thrown out of your home was as good a reason as any to be upset.
The girl’s head was still against my shoulder when the bus reached the school. I waited until nearly everyone had gotten off before tapping her knee. The delay was mostly due to shyness, but I couldn’t deny that I was reluctant to let her leave. I hadn’t realized how desperate for human contact I was until I’d actually experienced some.
Was I really so lonely? I supposed I was. I’d never had a girlfriend or even a pet, and my friends had drifted away the past couple years. It wasn’t really their fault. I’d started declining just about every outdoors get-together until they’d stopped inviting me. Either it was some event that might reveal my annoyingly feminine chest or it was just too hot out. Boobs must trap heat in because I swore I was more resistant to hot weather as a kid. I supposed the layers I wore to cover them up didn’t help though.
Tapping her knee didn’t seem to be enough. “Wake up, we’re here,” I whispered. She started to stir. I screamed as teeth briefly clasped around my neck. I grabbed my throat and planted my back against the wall of the bus.
‘She bit me. And then I screamed.’ I wasn’t sure which was worse, my girlish scream or the pain in my neck. I could feel small droplets of blood on my hand. Right fearsome teeth she must have to pierce skin like that.
No, the scream was definitely worse. The bite would heal in a few days but the blow to my reputation could endure for ages.
“Hey, cut it out back there!” yelled the bus driver.
My seat companion shook herself awake. Licking my blood off her lips she eyed my neck and slowly pieced things together. “I’m so sorry,” she gushed. She drew me into a tight, tense hug. I wasn’t sure whether to be happy I was finally getting hugged by a girl or terrified that she’d attack me again. “I’ve felt a bit... bitey lately,” she said in a non-explanation. “I’ll make it up to you later.”
PMS Zombies by Arielle Brix
Cross-posted from Lycelia
Full novel available at Amazon
Chapter 2: Cravings
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I kept my head down to hide the redness in my cheeks as I entered the crowded school. I was more careful than ever to keep my textbooks clasped tight against my chest. One girl had figured out my secret but this was a big school. She didn't know my name and if I was lucky she'd swiftly forget all about the strange little freshman she met on the bus. If I kept my guard up from here on out then I'd be alright.
It was difficult to navigate the halls. Many of the signs and locker numbers showed fresh graffiti over half-erased graffiti of old. Worse than that was the people. My small stature left me struggling to see anything but the people around me as I tried not to get pushed over and trampled. One more annoyance that I knew I wouldn't have to put up with if my body finally got with the program and got a bit more manly. Any day now, I was sure. With my baggy wind jacket and sweatpants I was nice and slovenly, which according to the internet was a big part of being a Bro.
"Yo, wassup bro?"
I turned, hopeful, but the ensuing fistbump took place above me, not with me. The coveted sign of male bromanship had passed me by again. I peered up at the receiver, wondering what he had that I didn't. Basketball shorts and a tank top? That couldn't be right... Or I hoped not, considering how hard it would be for me to wear the same. Maybe if I got some of the compression bands that Peter Pan actresses used I could wear a tank top without showing off anything I shouldn't. I hoped his goatee wasn't the key 'bro' factor. A tank top would be tricky but facial hair was impossible. If anything it felt like my face was getting smoother as I aged, not hairier.
I didn't last much longer in the hallway. The girls moved in packs and the other guys were big enough to muscle through, but I was stuck spinning in circles. It didn't help that with my short stature I was at most guys' armpit level. Deciding to escape the cloud of BO and Rose Corp's Body Spray for Men before I fainted, I slipped into room 106 for my first period class without visiting my locker.
Still clutching the textbooks to my chest for camouflage I slipped into a seat at the back. A few students turned my way before I lowered my head. Hopefully if I didn't look at them they wouldn't look at me.
The bell rang before I could succumb to fidgeting. "Welcome to AP Biology..." was as far as the teacher made it before my brain cut out.
'Oops.' A closer look revealed this was room 108, not 106. Maybe if I just slipped out quietly? No, that would draw too much attention. Maybe if I just stayed very still no one would notice I was there. It wasn't like the teacher was having much success with roll call. Nearly half the girls were wearing sunglasses indoors for some reason and most refused to take them off when he asked them too. Thanks to so many of them swearing at him nearly a fifth of the class was sent to the principal's office before he gave up and resumed the class.
Overall, the classroom was much more homey than the hallways. Red rose motifs showed up on the desks, projector, and wallpaper, all of which appeared brand new. Frankly I felt the town should have sold out to Rose Corp years ago if this was the result; they seemed much more giving than the gridlocked government of late. I was starting to see their logo in my dreams thanks to all the advertising though.
The first twenty minutes were an overview of the syllabus that made me fear for my life. A twelve page final report? Back in middle school I'd never written anything longer than two pages (and that with the largest font I could get away with). If the freshman classes were this intense I'd have to give up video games... or sleeping. Probably sleeping. Every growing teen needed their daily dose of gaming.
I breathed a sigh of relief when the teacher flicked the lights off and started a movie. Less chance of being singled out now. In the dark I could maybe even sneak out without being noticed but I wasn't sure where I would go. The only thing worse than leaving a class mid-lecture was entering one.
A familiar scent of lavender and lilac made me breath in. I'd smelt it before on the bus, I realized, subtle against the burnt rubber smell of the tires and the odor of the boys. I turned as a chair pulled up behind me.
"Hey," whispered the girl from the bus. "I don't think you ever told me your name."
I was pretty sure it was common courtesy to offer your own name first, but did that still apply between a younger student and an older? Either way, I wasn't about to accuse such a pretty girl of being rude. "Alex."
"That short for something?"
I glanced at the teacher, double-checking that he was still focused on his laptop. "Nope, just Alex. What's yours by the way?"
"Elizabeth. Call me Beth. Hey, I coulda sworn you were a freshman. Watcha doing in a class like this? Some sort of genius or something?"
My chin-length hair swung forward to hide my blush as I ducked my head.
"Ah," said Beth as she surmised my mistake. "Wrong classroom, gotcha. Don't worry, your chest isn't the only thing growing. Four more years and I bet you'll be able to read maps like a pro." She laughed, but the light kiss she left on my cheek kept me from taking what she said personally. My heart beat in my chest as I wondered if this meant she was into me. I didn't know why she would be interested in a boy like me but I was beginning to dare to dream.
We watched the movie in silence for a time. It was rather dull, often referencing things I'd never heard of as it talked about gene transmission in bacteria. As long as Beth stayed close I didn't mind though. My heart kept beating quickly and I couldn't keep my mind off her. Occasionally I dared steal a glance at her, increasingly curious as to what she would look like without the sunglasses. I had to be insane to be so interested in a girl who had not only bit me but was weird enough to wear sunglasses in a dark classroom. Was this what love felt like?
Pessimism began to weigh on me. There was no way she'd be interested in a twerp like me. Even if she did agree to a date, she was a white girl and I'd passed no less than three skinheads in the halls getting here. Weyton, population twenty thousand, was not a good town for interracial dating. My mother had even lost her job because of the bias back when she'd been dating my Swedish father. 'Screw it, I'm a man, I can't let little things like that intimidate me.'
I'd have to woo her carefully. Soon as I got home I'd buy some dumbbells and start working out. Wait... I'd spent the last of the birthday cash my absent father had sent me on parts for my latest robot. No matter. I'd find a job and save up for the dumbbells and then work on getting rid of my girly legs and even have money to pay for a dinner date. Though to get a job first I'd have to get a work permit and buy some nice interview clothes that hid my breasts and then find someone who would hire a fifteen-year-old who could only work part time...
Dating was hard. If I went through all that and it turned out she was already dating another boy it would crush me. Well, it would likely hurt even now, but I had to know. It would be weird if I asked right out though, even though she'd already kissed me on the cheek. Maybe if I asked obliquely somehow. I could ask if she was free maybe she'd like to come over and see my robots. No one ever had before, but Beth was a more mature sort of girl. She'd appreciate a good robot.
"So..." I started, struggling to find something to start the conversation with. An icebreaker, I thought they called it. Maybe the the teacher's name? "About the teacher---"
"I know, right!" Her whispers were becoming non-whisperlike. "He's really lame isn't he. I wish Miss Bell was still teaching this class. Sometimes men are like, you know? I just want to claw his face off." I gave a nervous smile, scrunching in my seat. Belatedly she added, "Err, hypothetically."
'Maybe white girls are crazy,' I thought, reconsidering some of the advice my mother gave me. Still, the homicidal look was surprisingly fetching on her. I wasn't sure what the teacher could have done to piss her off that much though. Feeling vaguely obliged to stand up for my sex and show that not all of us were... whatever it was she had issue with, I said, "You know, I---"
"Quiet in the back!" commanded the teacher. I meekly obliged though Beth's glare at him grew even more focused. She refrained from cussing at him unlike a couple of the other girls so that was something I supposed. Was it possible that once girls left middle school they all started acting out like this? Aggressive and possibly a bit feminist and man-hating? My mother had acted a bit irritable this morning too at my macho desire not to wear a bra so maybe I was the one at fault for not seeing the world as it truly was. It was possible that girls were always like this but my childish mind had incorrectly interpreted them as kind and sweet.
With nary a sound I rushed into the hallway before anyone else the moment the bell rang. I was interested in Beth but my whole worldview was being challenged and I felt wholly unprepared to woo her just yet. I needed to research the subject of wooing. And maybe girls in general. To the library! Wait, did I have class or was this a break period?
I jumped as a hand grasped my shoulder, textbooks and papers exploding from my hands like a deck of cards. "Sorry." It was Beth again. She knelt with me to gather up the papers, growling briefly at a boy that stepped on one.
"It's my fault for being so jumpy," I said. Still not a manly thing to say but I felt like I was getting better at talking to her. If I kept practicing I felt like I'd have it down in no time.
"Still, sorry. Umm, did you want me to walk you to your next class? Us girls have to stick together in the hallways."
The joy I felt at getting invited to spend more time with her was abruptly doused by two very important words. 'Us girls. She thinks I'm a girl.' In hindsight it made more sense than her being so friendly with a nerdy boy with boobs but it was still shocking that my sex could be so easily mistaken.
I wanted to blurt out the truth and remedy the embarrassing misidentification but I couldn't convince my mouth to speak. Revealing her mistake at this point was impossible, it was already too late to write it off as a momentary misstep and solidify my appearance in her mind as that of a guy's. Better to pretend that Alex the girl had suddenly moved away and then Alex the boy could ask her out later. The best bet was to get away from her now before she formed any strong memories about me.
Once all my things were collected she surprised me yet again. "Hey, I know what'll cheer you up. Follow me."
I felt like I was in over my head but I followed her anyways. The hallways were nearly as crowded as before but with Elizabeth leading the way it was much easier to progress. I wasn't sure if it was her status as a senior or her good looks but we weren't getting run over or pushed aside. One gaggle of male soccer players nearly blocked our way as they conversed but several girls hissed and cursed at them until they broke up.
'This must be why high school girls are so aggressive, it's the only way to get around.' The theory made sense. All this hyper-aggressive behavior wasn't necessary in earlier grades because it was only in high school that the boys were significantly larger than the girls.
She stretched an arm around my waist to keep me close as we worked through the crowd. I swore I could feel her breath on my ear as she leaned in close to be heard over the din. "Is your neck okay? Really sorry for biting you. I've just been feeling this craving for something lately, I guess I was even after it in my dreams."
"It's fine," I said. It was the natural thing for any true man to say but in this case it was actually true. I hadn't even thought about the injury since I got stuck in the AP Biology class. Not only that, I couldn't even find evidence she'd ever even bitten me. No blood or pinpricks from her teeth, just smooth unblemished skin. I would have expected a bruise at the very least but I wasn't going to complain. Maybe her kiss to my cheek had magic healing powers, haha.
She stopped in front of a vending machine and swiped her food card. I supposed this was our destination. I felt too nervous to eat but perhaps some potato chips would calm my nerves. "Here," said Beth as she handed me a pink bottle. "It's the new Rose Corp product and it's suuuper tasty. Supposed to help you lose weight and have healthier hair and skin. I think I'm allergic or something though. Had three sips last night and couldn't stop sneezing."
The bottle felt like it radiated femininity. Not only was it pink, strawberries and primped models of various ages adorned the front. "Strawberry Buster - Look your best!" it read. It was the sort of fruity drink that even a seven-year-old knew was only for girls. There was no way I could drink such a thing and still call myself a man.
Stalling for time I read the nutrition label. "So... you're allergic to strawberries?" The only ingredients were strawberries and other natural flavors.
"Nope." She pouted, lips the same rose-red color as the bottle but far shinier. "Must have been one of the dozens of hidden ingredients. Those labels are basically useless these days. Shame about it though, that juice was really good. Dunno how it's supposed to help you shed weight though when it's so sweet."
Sweet? It claimed it had no sugar. Life was so weird. "I see," I said, though in reality I didn't.
I twisted the cap, taking in scent of sugar and strawberries. Drinking something so girly was something I'd never consider under other circumstances but this was a gift from a girl I was rapidly falling in love with. I couldn't just spurn it out of hand. Cautiously I took a sip.
It was indeed sweet, intensely sweet with a slight aftertaste that might have had me spitting were I not in such fair company. By the second sip though my tongue adjusted and it felt like I was swallowing liquid candy. I could feel it staining my lips red like a girl's lipstick but I hardly cared because it tasted so good. No matter how much I drank I still felt thirsty so I just kept going, tipping back to finish it. I flushed as I realized that my posture was leaving mounds in my jacket from my breasts but I kept drinking anyways. I'd be finished in a moment regardless and Beth already thought I was a girl.
I finished the drink with a gasp. A stray drop threatened to drip down from my lip but I caught it with my tongue in time, licking slowly over my lips to savor the last bit of the Strawberry Buster. Normally I would have just used my sleeve but the drink was too good to waste even a drop of the substance. I loved the stuff, and I loved Beth even more for giving it to me. It was strange though, I'd had an entire bottle and I still couldn't say what it tasted like. It wasn't quite strawberries, it was more like... the flavor of pink.
"Wow, you really liked it, didn't you." My cheeks burned as I realized what I'd been doing with my tongue in front of her but the real reason was even worse. Her shy gesture towards my chest revealed what she was actually talking about. Hurriedly I covered the protruding points with my arms, wondering how I could possibly make any worse of an impression on my crush.
Her hips twisted, drawing my eye as she asked, "Are you, umm, are you not wearing a bra?" My soul seemed to slip out of my body, too overwhelmed by the situation. "You're a bit old for that, don't you think? And large."
She walked to my side, peering lengthwise at my chest. "Maybe you're right not to wear one though. I'm pretty sure bras were invented by the patriarchy. Just thinking about wearing something made by men makes me want to tear mine off and and rip it into itty-bitty pieces." Her fingers twitched, curving likes claws full of dread intent. Seconds later though they relaxed and she was back to normal.
"So," she said, "want another bottle? I know if I wasn't allergic I would've had three in a row last night for sure. My mom had six --- she had a wicked headache this morning though, wouldn't even come out of her room."
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A/N -- So.... yeah. I tried everything I could think of including some off-site converts as a mid-step and still can't figure out how to get a word/google docs document to copy paste in here and keep any of the formatting. Very annoying and a little mystifying. Is there a conversion button I'm missing somewhere here?
PMS Zombies by Arielle Brix
Cross-posted from Lycelia
Full novel available at Amazon
Chapter 3: Holding Hands
Despite hearing about the potential side effect I very much wanted another. Sure it was a girly drink, but it tasted so good that I was willing to put aside my machismo for a little while longer. “Uh, one more might be nice.” I tried not to sound too eager but I didn’t feel like I succeeded. With the sweet beverage coating my throat my voice sounded even softer and more emasculatingly girly than usual.
The bell rang before she could get any more money out. “Ah, too late. You should probably head off to class straight away, don’t want to run into another wrong classroom by mistake.”
“Right,” I replied. “I guess I’ll be going then.” That was what I said, but I lingered, looking dolefully at the vending machine. I didn’t have enough money to toss away two dollars on a diet drink for girls but my fingers inched towards my pocket anyways. A drink that sweet had to be full of calories, one or two more and I could have them replace my lunch.
‘Damn. I forgot my wallet.’ I’d been so busy trying to catch the bus that I’d not only missed out on breakfast but forgotten my lunch money as well. Getting through the rest of the day would be a struggle. Even after gulping down the Strawberry Buster my stomach was starting to show it’s discontent, lowly rumbling for more food. Maybe I could mooch some food off of — no, I couldn’t call myself a man if I begged for food from my crush on the very day I met her.
“Alo? Alex?” The snap of her fingers brought my head up.
“Yes! Right, umm, which way is…” I had to check my schedule to remember but soon wished I hadn’t. “the gym?” The word alone filled me with dread. It had been years since I could compete with other boys in terms of strength and height but that much was bearable — changing with large, unmistakable mounds on my chest in front of other boys was not. I had a note from my mother that would hopefully allow me to do gym activities in my normal figure-concealing clothes but a doctor’s note would have been better. Unfortunately she had yet to get far enough ahead of credit card bills to get me an appointment.
“Gym, eh? Need to hit your locker for clothes first?”
“No, I figured I’d just head straight there?” I replied, voice tipping upwards in a question at the end.
“Okay. I suppose they might let you get away with that on the first day.” She looked me up and down, mouth opening only to mercifully close a second later on her question. If she started asking I was ashamed of having an hourglass figure that practically every actual girl strived for it would be hard to answer without telling her the truth.
Her hand met mine, fingers interlocking with an ease that would be impossible if she knew I was a boy. She smiled brightly, only her sunglasses marring her angelic face. “I might as well lead you then, the gym’s right on my way.”
I followed alongside her, our hips occasionally bumping as we made out way through the crowds. I tried to keep my heart calm to keep my hands from sweating but it was a difficult proposition with such a beautiful older girl at my side. Not falling for her was impossible. How she’d react when I finally asked her out as a guy was a worrisome mystery thanks to how she seemed to hate men but so long as I held her hand I felt blessedly optimistic.
As we turned the corner the crowd grew even thicker, claustrophobia choking off my euphoria. Progress slowed to a halt as traffic in general stopped. There had to be some sort of commotion up ahead but I was too short to see further than a couple feet through the crowd. There were raised voices up ahead, and the usual high voices of girls shouting anti-man insults. At this point they were practically background noise, I couldn’t imagine why few slurs about men being pigs and other more colorful insults were enough to stop everyone in their tracks.
“Oye! Stop being such a bitch, will ya?”
At the ‘B’ word I felt the bones in my hand creak as Beth tightened her grip and pulled me forward. Two quick punches to their kidneys and she had us past a pair of wincing senior boys, close enough now to see the action. On one side was a young red-faced cheerleader and her posse, all wearing sunglasses. On the other side was what seemed like a fairly ordinary young man. His clothes were rather punkish and his carefully trimmed beard made him look like a bit of a ponce (though that might’ve just been my jealousy for his ability to grow a beard speaking) but on first impression he didn’t seem like a bad guy. What was this all about, even? A lover’s spat seemed to be the best guess. Not that it mattered to me, but he did seem somewhat handsome; perhaps handsome enough to have attracted the spitfire cheerleader.
The cheerleader’s dark glasses fell off her nose, tumbling down to the floor. Under normal circumstances I would have watched them fall, but instead I was caught by her eyes. They weren’t just a little bloodshot, they were full-on red. Even her iris seemed to be affected, what might’ve once been blue or green now a dark crimson. In jest I’d thought she looked murderous before, but now she genuinely looked like a savage beast. Female puberty was far more terrifying than they’d ever told us in middle school. I’d never realized just how ignorant I was on the subject before today.
I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the guy as he took a worried step backwards. He shouldn’t have said the ‘B’ word but I could sort of see where he was coming from. Not that I was going to step up and say something in his defense of course, I wasn’t that brave. Judging by the way Beth was trying to break my hand this would be the worst of all times to out myself as a man sympathizer, let alone give a hint that I was actually a guy. Strangely it seemed that my unwanted curves would actually work in my favor for once, protecting me from the upswell of feminist rage.
“Ack!” The unfortunate target of the girls’ hate reeled back as the cheerleader suddenly pounced on him. She was small enough in comparison to him that he didn’t fall over but he did stumble back until his back thumped against the lockers. “She’s fucking biting me! Get this bi—”
His curse turned into a shriek as she bit down harder. She must have hit an artery because blood spurted out, the misting spray covering everyone nearby. Some got in my eyes but I hardly even blinked, unable to look away from the dreadful scene.
The cheerleader’s friends didn’t seem to share my shock and horror at the blood. Instead the crimson on their lips seemed to spark something in them. They snarled like beasts before their mouths opened, teeth bared like mountain lions. They moved a second later, all of the girl’s friends and two other girls from the crowd as well. They jumped the already injured boy, sharp teeth sinking into legs, arms, and neck. He slumped to the floor from their combined weight but they didn’t let up, continuing to bite him while he was down. Not only bite, either, but gnaw and tear and —
‘That’s a lot of blood.’ I wondered if I was in shock, if that’s why I could witness the worst thing I’d seen in my life but still feel so little. I felt all hollowed out, like I was a statue watching the world. People were screaming and shouting and some were even running away but it all seemed distant and gray.
I continued to watch the girls take apart the boy, horrified but too shocked to look away. ‘There’s no way this is normal.’ I’d rationalized a lot of what I’d seen today. The mood swings, the arrests, the rampant man-hating; that much could all be explained away. But this? There was no way it was part of growing up, some secret part of high school life I just hadn’t come into contact with before. What the girls were doing was wrong, and thoroughly dangerous.
I shivered despite the heat as the world came back into vivid focus. Everything was happening so fast that I was nearly overwhelmed all over again but instead I took a copper-scented breath and steadied myself. “Beth we need to get out of here!”
I wasn’t sure she heard me over the clamor. Her eyes were still locked on the grisly scene, teeth slightly bared. For a moment I couldn’t help but think that my blood-spattered angel looked like a feral beast, one step removed from the savage girls biting the boy to death. It was almost enough to make me leave her behind and run off alone like a coward but then the nascent love in my heart for the girl got me back on the path of a true man.
Yelling wasn’t working so I squeezed her hand instead to draw her attention. That was apparently still too subtle so I gave up on being well-mannered and just took off running, dragging her behind me. I was a bit shorter and lighter than her but I had enough momentum to get her moving. She stumbled a bit at first but then instinct took over and she was running just a step behind me.
I reeled as someone’s elbow caught me on the cheek hard enough to bruise. I heard Beth hiss at the offender for me but an apology wasn’t forthcoming; in fact by the time I lifted my head back up he was ten meters away and running like Hell was right behind him. In truth though it looked like it was in front of him as well.
“Fu….” I couldn’t even swear, rendered speechless by the chaos. It seemed that the sudden outbreak of cannibalism wasn’t an isolated incident. Another boy up ahead was gurgling blood as a plump brunette gave him an everlasting hickey, and the other guys that hadn’t already gotten out of the halls didn’t look much better. One skinny boy in glasses was fending off a cute redhead with his textbook but even repeated whacks weren’t doing much to keep her down. Meanwhile a muscled jock was swift-stepping his way to freedom but with a girl on each leg gnawing on his ankles like terriers I didn’t think he’d get very far.
‘At least I don’t have to go to gym now.’ The stupid thought rolled through my head as I tried to think of what to do. Crazy red eyes or not, smacking girls with textbooks didn’t seem like a very wholesome thing to do but under the circumstances I was tempted to go help the freshman fend off the redhead. After all, nerds had to stick together.
‘Or not.’ The girl must’ve had enough of being smacked in the head so instead of trying to bite him again she swung her hand around his guard. Her fingernails ripped through his throat with disturbing ease. The spray of blood through the air was hypnotically beautiful, for all that it was horrifying.
‘Jesus. Fracking hell.’ Seeing him die so quickly and easily scared away any urge I had to be a hero and save the day. In times like these it was every man for himself. Well, except for Beth of course. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I just left her behind to fend for herself. No, somehow or another I had to figure out a way to stay safe and get both of us as far away from this mess as possible. I’d leave actually fixing the situation to the army.
‘Think think think.’ Cannibals ahead of us, cannibals behind. If this were a video game I’d recommend a spell of invisibility or perhaps a high number of fireballs but without those options I was at a loss. I still had hope of figuring something out though, thanks to Beth. Unlike the way she’d flustered me before, this time the heat of her body pressed against my side was comforting. She was a soft and supple rock I could ground myself against to preserve my sanity.
Actually on second thought she was still pretty distracting, especially the way my boob pressed against her larger one. Thanks to my jacket and her bra there were plenty of layers between us but it was still an intriguing and novel sensation, for all that it wasn’t something a guy should experience. I knew it was absurd to be thinking about such things when there was such an unusually high chance of being eaten by cannibals but with her so close to me it was impossible to stop. ‘Isn’t this the point in apocalypse movies where the guy says he doesn’t want to die a virgin and sometimes the girl agrees?’
I wasn’t sure what would have killed me first, cannibals or the shame of asking for end-of-the-world sex with a girl I’d just barely met, but Beth thankfully saved me from both ignominious ends by way of shouting into my ear. “This way! Hurry!”
I followed her lead to a nearby classroom. She tried opening the door but it didn’t budge, locked from the inside. A teary-eyed girl was visible through the small window but she looked far too terrified to let us in, Beth’s frantic pounding only scaring further. Instead of offering us safe haven she seemed busy piling everything she could find against against the door.
I wondered if we should make a try for the windows. We were on the second floor but it wasn’t that far to the ground. Twelve feet maybe? That sounded doable. Then again, even something as minor as a sprained ankle would make it all that much easier for the rabid girls to run us down.
Beth growled and left the door behind. We’d delinked hands when she was trying the door but I stayed close to her as she slipped into a small stairwell I hadn’t known existed. There was warning tape up and it looked like they were doing some sort of work on the drywall but this was hardly the time to worry about dust inhalation if it meant getting out alive.
“Shit,” cursed Beth, halting two steps down. The reason why became apparent as soon as I focused beyond the pounding of my heart in my ears. The doors muffled it a bit but the steady outbreak of screams was even more frequent now because they were coming from both above and below us. Whatever was happening, it wasn’t at all restricted to the second floor. I wasn’t sure I’d truly even thought that it was, but I had hoped.
I wanted to cling to Beth again but gripped the railing instead. My whole body was shaking, fear mixing with adrenaline as my legs tried to decide whether to take off running or just collapse. Heroes in the movies always made this sort of thing look so easy but only the desire not to embarrass myself in front of a girl was keeping me from completely breaking down.
I swallowed, throat feeling dry as a bone. “Um, w-what’s above us?” I asked haltingly.
“Above?” Her head cocked. “Just the — the roof!” She took off up the stairs and I followed, my legs burning as I struggled to keep pace with her. She slammed into the door, metal creaking as it opened to reveal a brilliant blue sky. It was so bright that my eyes instantly watered and I had to squint but I kept running until I was on the other side of the door, slamming the heavy metal slab shut behind me with Beth’s help. We slumped to the ground next to each other, our backs against the door.
For a while we just focused on breathing. When it finally felt like the world wasn’t spinning anymore I tried to cover up the distant sound of screaming by talking. “It’s bright out here.”
“Very sunny,” she replied.
I knew we should be working out what was going on and why the ‘B’ word and a little blood in the air seemed to turn girls into raging cannibals but I just couldn’t get over how funny our conversation was. One floor down people were fighting for their lives and here we were talking about the weather.
A giggle bubbled up from inside me and once I started I couldn’t seem to stop. It was inappropriate to laugh in a situation like this and giggling was a girly habit I’d been trying to break in recent years but in a strange way it was making me feel a bit better. Beth joined in a second later, making the activity at least a little less awkward and embarrassing.
Giggling was a surprisingly exhausting activity and not too long later we both came to a halt, half-hugging as we squeezed tighter next to one another. Such a strange day. I hadn’t even shaken hands with another human being in months and now I was practically cuddling with a pretty girl, and one a couple years older than me to boot. If the school wasn’t so busy becoming a charnel house I might’ve gladly classified this as the best day of my life.
***
Oof, uploading rtf wasn't the magic bullet I hoped as far as formatting goes. Ended up showing a bunch of gobbledegook code so I went with copy-paste again. Anyways, planned on publishing this chap here a couple days ago but my laptop died, permanently. I was able to retrieve all my files though, so it could have been worse. Working off an old 11 inch chromebook atm. Screen isn't so hot, but the space key works better than my old laptop so that's a welcome change for writing.
PMS Zombies
by Arielle Brix
****
Alex's first day of high school goes terribly awry as all the girls in town develop an intense hatred of men and a voracious appetite for human flesh. His effeminate looks might save him from being eaten by the girls for a little while but will he be able to resist the virus feminizing his body by the hour?
Approximate content rating: PG-15 for violence, language, and suggestive content.
****
“I think I heard something over here.”
My neck clicked as I quickly swiveled towards the boy’s voice. Beth tensed as well, hand tightly gripping my thigh. He didn’t sound like a cannibal but I didn’t trust anyone other than Beth right now.
The brief rest had given me enough energy to get back to my feet and I pulled her up alongside me. If there was blood on his lips I was going to take off running… though I wasn’t sure where to. There was only so far you could run on a roof before falling off of it.
A motley group appeared from around the corner. A preppy older boy led the pack, dirt scuffing his otherwise fashionable outfit. A buxom blonde cheerleader in uniform was close behind him. On the leader’s left was chubby boy wielding a broom and on his right a muscled jock, biceps bulging out of his shirt and covered in strange tattoos.
‘Swastikas. Effing swastikas.’ There was obviously no justice in who got eaten first by cannibals. Hopefully he was one of those neo-Nazis that focused more on Jews and banking conspiracies than lynching blacks or I could be in for a very bad time. I had to admit though, he did have more artistic talent than the average white supremacist in Weyton. Rather than giant swastikas and skulls he’d gotten a lot of tiny swastikas that together looked like an eagle, like some sort of racist pointillism.
“Dammit David, I thought you said there was only one roof entrance,” said the lead boy.
“I thought there was,” replied David, broom handle still pointed towards us like a spear. “I’m not a fucking architect.”
The cheerleader cut in before the leader could respond, voice so high it actually hurt my ears. “Stop arguing and lock the damned door!”
The Nazi complied. He didn’t quite kick us out of the way but it was a close thing. We scuttled quickly to the side as he stomped into place in front of the door. Beth started to softly hiss at his rudeness but my hand around her waist kept her from doing anything else. She was a very sweet girl but like every other high school girl I’d met she was a violent man-hater with a hair trigger when it came to insults. I was pretty sure she wouldn’t bite him but I was already coming to realize that there was a lot about the world I had yet to learn. It was best to keep her calm, just in case.
“Cover him,” said the leader, pushing David forward.
“What? Why me?”
“You’ve got the weapon.”
The younger boy looked at his broom like it betrayed him but stepped forward anyways after the cheerleader glared at him. His pudgy hands shook and I could see him sweating but he stood with the broom at the ready as the Nazi swung open the door. Thankfully there was no one on the other side and just a second later he’d turned the lock on the other side and swung it back closed.
The group of four visibly sagged with relief once the door was back in place. I had to ask though, “So, umm, what if there’s a third door?”
“There’s no way there’s a third door,” said David. “What kind of roof needs three entrances.”
Considering he was also the one that said there was only one entrance no one seemed particularly convinced by his logic. “We should search the rest of the roof,” said the cheerleader. The others silently agreed. We set off in double-file, Beth and I cautiously bringing up the rear. Their group was rather intimidating for various reasons but overall less frightening than staying separate and vulnerable.
I was sticky with sweat by the time we’d surveyed the rest of the roof. My jacket and sweatpants weren’t doing me any favors and the roof itself seemed to be putting out as much heat as the sun above. With it nearing noon I doubted I could even sit down without it burning me. There were a few spots of shade around the exhaust vents but the sounds of screams that echoed up through them largely ruined their appeal as places to rest.
“So…” I started, unnerved when everyone turned my way. Cannibal were bad enough, but public speaking on top of that had me shivering. “Umm, I—”
The cheerleader cut me off, her hefty chest thrust out as if she were filled with boundless inner confidence. Her harsh words disinclined me to stare though. “What is it girl, speak up!”
I flinched, realizing that yet another person had misidentified my sex. I’d hidden my oddities for months back in middle school with only minor difficulties, had I really changed so much over the summer? Or maybe it was a matter of assumptions. Back then everyone had known me and knew I was a guy, and thus overlooked my effeminate face and the growing swell of my hips that left me unable to wear boys’ cut pants anymore. Now though I was amongst strangers, strangers whose first impression of me was that I was a girl who forgot to wear a bra. No matter how I looked at my situation it was bad.
I pinched my thigh to try and refocus myself on what was important. Survival beat out having a few more people think I was a girl. It wasn’t like I could correct her either, not with Beth around. Having her find out I was a guy right after practically cuddling with her didn’t seem like it would be good for my health.
I took a deep breath and avoided looking at their eyes. This left me looking at the cheerleader’s bust again but some things simply couldn’t be helped. “Umm, how do we get down? You’ve, uh, locked all the doors.”
They seemed confused at the question, Beth even cocking her head again like a curious cat. The leader was the one to reply. “We don’t need to. We just need to stay up here safe and sound until the army arrives.”
That sounded reassuring, and I could tell the others agreed with the idea, but I was less convinced. While walking the roof I’d picked up the smell of smoke numerous times and it was only growing more prevalent. Rising pillars of smoke could be seen across the town, slowly stretching towards the sky. Fires weren’t unheard of in a large town like Weyton but this seemed like a far greater than normal number, and combined with numerous arrests I’d seen this morning I suspected that the cannibal problem stretched across the town. And if that was the case, well, there was no guarantee that the high school would get evacuated any time soon. Maybe not at all, if the cases stretched outside Weyton as well.
I hummed softly for a moment until I worked up my resolve to speak again. Interaction was so much easier when it was through computers. “Yes, but what if they don’t come for days? We don’t have any food or water and it’s really hot up here.” Clothing wise they had me a bit beat when it came to heat but there was still the sun to deal with. All of them were fair-skinned enough that they’d be at risk of sunburn even in the shade. Not that I was exactly immune myself, due to my Swedish father I was more mocha-skinned than dark black like my mother.
There were frowns as they took in my words and what it might mean if no one came for us today or even the day afterward. “We do have a small amount of water,” the senior boy said slowly, seemingly of mixed minds about telling us at all. He went and retrieved a disposable water bottle from where it was hidden in the shade. “You might as well have a sip.”
I had an awkward feeling that he was sharing out of chivalry towards someone he thought was a girl but I wasn’t quite prideful enough to refuse the offering. I was already feeling thirsty and that was likely going to get worse before it got better. “Thanks.”
I’d barely lifted my hand from my side before the cheerleader stopped the boy in his tracks. “Don’t let them touch it! What if they’re infected?”
All three boys looked at us more closely. It felt eery and worrisome despite David being the only one that looked like he was trying to guess the size of my bust. “We’re not infected,” I said firmly.
I waited for Beth to back me up but all I heard was a low rumbling growl. I glanced swiftly in her direction, noting with dismay that her lips were curling into a teeth-baring snarl. Personally I knew it was just her quirks acting up but under the circumstances they might be misinterpreted as something more dire. A soft kick to her leg thankfully got her attention.
“Right,” she said. “We’re not infected. Besides, how do we know that you’re not the infected ones.”
“We’re not the ones covered in blood,” the cheerleader replied coldly. And unfortunately she had a point. The blood spray on my jacket was bad enough but the various drips and red stars across Beth’s cheeks and mouth had her looking disturbing similar to the cannibals downstairs.
‘She isn’t infected, is she?’ For a moment downstairs it’d seemed like she was on the verge of joining the posse of girls chowing down on that boy’s flesh but she kicked back into gear once we started running quickly enough. No, it couldn’t have been cannibalistic hunger back then; shock was far more likely like I myself had experienced. She was still talking, still a normal albeit quirky and fiercely feminist girl. She wasn’t one of them. That said, I felt it would be wise to get off the subject.
“How do you know it’s an infection?” I asked. “Maybe it’s just the heat. Crime always goes up when it’s hot out.”
Condescension was palpable in the air after my suggestion. Their leader was the one to put it into words. “People don’t start biting ears off just because it’s hot out.”
Yeah, I had a feeling he was probably right about that.
“It’s obvious what’s happening here,” said David. “They’re zombies. They’re fucking zombies. The zombie apocalypse has finally arrived.”
It was a ridiculous assertion, made all the more off-putting by his near glee about it, but no one was quite confident enough to refute his claim. Personally I thought that something like super-rabies was far more likely than actual undead corpses but felt it would be counterproductive to say so since that would bring up the idea of us being infected again.
There was a glint in David’s eyes that disturbed me as he looked over the pair of us. “We should check them for bites. That’s how this sort of thing is always spread.”
I was about to blurt out that neither of us were bitten but the words caught in my throat. Technically Beth bit my neck just a couple of hours prior. ‘But that doesn’t mean anything.’ She was fine, I was fine, my neck didn’t even hurt so she must not have even bitten me as hard as I thought she did. It wasn’t like in the movies with bloody bites that didn’t heal, black veins creeping up the arm as fever took them until they finally died and turned. But then again, the ‘zombie’ cannibals downstairs hadn’t been anything like in the movies either. They hadn’t fallen down dead or shambled about in a daze; one moment they’d just been normal albeit angry girls and the next they’d been homicidal and ravenous.
“He’s right,” said the cheerleader. “She could be hiding anything under that jacket.”
‘Et tu?’ I wasn’t actually a girl but I felt like some sisterly support would have been nice. The idea of me removing clothes had David and, more surreptitiously, the preppy older boy staring at my mostly-hidden curves. ‘Pervy bastards, taking advantage of a situation like this to…’ Even in my head the insult sounded distinctly hypocritical. It’d only been twenty minutes since I contemplated asking Beth to take my virginity before we both died.
“Fine,” I said at last. I drew out the unzipping process as long as I could but eventually there was nothing left but to shuffle off the jacket. The situation underneath was even worse than I feared, no alteration of my posture doing much to hide what were very obviously a pair of prominent breasts. The shirt was one I’d bought a while ago to be extra baggy but while that was still true around my waist and shoulders it was considerably less the case around my chest. Sweat made the tightness even worse, causing fabric to cling where I really wished it wouldn’t, showing off my curves even more prominently.
I tried to cover my embarrassment with anger. “See? No bites.” I did a quick twist and then put my jacket back on as quickly as possible. Hopefully my neck was as healed as I thought it was but I could hardly think about that thanks to the heat in my cheeks. It was terrifyingly obvious that all of them had noticed my lack of bra just as Beth had, and they’d also seen indisputable proof that I wasn’t a normal boy. I could claim that I played football, liked girls, and didn’t own any dresses, and all they’d think was that I was a lesbian. My high school debut wasn’t going at all like I’d hoped.
David said, “Her legs could still be—”
“I’m not taking my pants off.”
Before any argument could start their leader took charge. “Fine. But there’s still a lot we don’t know. There’s no guarantee that bites cause this. It could be like a flu, or something in the water. The best idea is to stay alert and limit contact with each other. Any one of us could be infected.”
It seemed like sound enough advice but I made no move to let go of Beth’s hand. At times it felt like her presence at my side was the only thing keeping me upright through all of this madness.
“Umm, everyone might not be at risk.” Everyone’s attention on me had me wanting to squirm and it took a moment to realize that I was the one that spoke.
“What do you mean by that?” asked the cheerleader.
“Uh, well.” I was hesitant to voice my theory. It was just a guess thus far and it would be quite strange if it was true. “I’m not sure yet, but I think if we watch the parking lot you might see what I mean.” They were obviously curious but chose to hold their questions in favor of slowly setting off towards the edge of the roof, the heat making even conversation difficult.
I straightened to my full (though still short) height as we walked, my back thankful for the reprieve. There was little reason to slouch when everyone here already knew I had boobs, and the embarrassment of letting my bumps show like this paled in comparison to when I’d had to take off my jacket.
“What are your names by the way?” I asked, words springing from me before I knew it. “Might as well get to know each other since we’re probably going to be here for a while.” Being so forward was quite unlike me but coming down off the adrenaline, fear, and shame of recent events seemed to have made me temporarily resistant to my fear of socializing. “I’m… Alex, and this is Beth.” I hesitated to give my name before deciding it didn’t matter. With the way the town was burning it would be a long time before classes started again, and I could worry about coming up with a nickname to distance myself from the ‘female’ Alex when I reached that hurdle.
Their leader seemed surprised by the trivial nature of the question but soon took it in stride. “I’m Eric. That’s—”
“Sophie,” said the cheerleader. “Broom ninja there is David.”
“And, uh, him?” I wondered why I was even bothering but I was curious about the Nazi for the sake of completeness if nothing else.
“The ganger? He hasn’t said a word since he got here,” said Sophie with a sneer.
He didn’t seem particularly happy with her tone but didn’t say anything. ‘A mute Nazi? That’s weird.’ Not the worst thing in the world though. A zombie apocalypse was hard enough without having to listen to slurs every five minutes.
‘Wait, wasn’t there a gang nearby that had an oath of silence?’ No, there definitely was. It was an odd enough ritual to have hit the regional news. All new members had to take an oath of silence for a month in order to join. A test of spirit for their ability to not become a rat if they got taken in by the cops, if I recalled correctly. I wasn’t sure if his commitment to carrying out the pledge while the town was burning showed fortitude of will in his dedication to white nationalism or just profound stupidity. Probably both.
***
End of Chapter 4
Complete novel available at https://Lycelia.com/s/egj?author=Arielle%20Brix or Amazon. You can also find more of my works at ArielleBrix.com
Whew. Some formatting actually worked for once. Still missing the line breaks and it took more effort than I would like, but it's good progress.