Erased.

Last night I immobilized Buffy's shambling corpse.

I was waiting.
Waiting for her arrival.
Waiting.

It was late... or early. Depending on what your stance is.

I heard the bells.  The soft twinkle of foreboding.  The bells I had strapped to the barbed wire wrapped around the rails of the stairs leading up to my apartment. I had carpet on the stairs under it so humans could climb over without harm. Zombies would get snagged.

Zombies did snag.

Two of them.

Charlie and Buffy. Scratching at the air in my direction. Rumors amongst the living is that shamblers have acute memory of their living past. A fresh zombie does unfinished business by reflex.

Even in the dark I could see the deep gashes in Charlie's wrists. The dark ooze that ran down Buffy's front. I could imagine how it all panned out. I pushed Charlie down the stairs so I could deal with Buffy. I gritted my teeth and brought my machete around to decapitate Buffy. Her head just past Charlie on her stumbly crawl back up the stairs. I patiently waited for Charlie to get back up to the barbed wires. I hesitated before I took her head off too. I did three almost hits before I connected. I didn't even know I was crying until I sounded the alarm on the walkie. One by one the apartments checked in.

"Benny. All is safe."
"Jeremy. Missing Buffy."
"Davis. Missing Elliott. "

Elliott. Elliott. Elliott. Elliott. Elliott.

"Use caution but I need you guys here. Code Z. I repeat: Code Z."

I dropped the walkie and ran down the stairs. I collectes the heads and put them safely in the middle of the bodies. Their jaws still moving and gurgling noises escape their mouths.

The guys got to me right as I tossed the heads.

"Davis.... I'm so so sorry." I put my arms up just in time for a scream to be heard from the apartment Charlie was staying in. We watched as Elliott ran over and threw herself at her father's feet. She raised her bloody hands in a begging jester and Davis pulled out his hunting knife and plunged it deep into her eye socket.

We all must have been equally shocked because as he cleaned his knife off he simply said, "She had a bite in her hand. Behead her and toss her into the pool with the rest. Burn them before Lilly sees. As far as she knows these girls ran off. As far was as I'm concerned they left together weeks ago. Sunrise is about an hour. I'd be grateful if they were embers before breakfast." He nodded to us and left somberly.

We did as he said.

No one but me cares that Buffy hasn't been seen. Jeremy started a rumor that she helped the twins leave and probably too ashamed to come back. That she probably feels obligated to help them survive. The bodies we burned were the shamblers that breached the gate as they slipped out. Their pockets were empty.

Erased. Just like that.

Just like that.