Steph and I walk up the steps to the frat house, the music blaring and colored lights shining through the windows.
I shake my head at the commotion. "They might as well put up a flashing neon sign that says 'ZOMBIE CHOW HERE.'"
Steph laughs. "Yeah, it's not exactly under the radar. But after the week we've had, we deserve to let off some steam. Besides, the threat level has been downgraded. We should enjoy it while it lasts."
I adjust the strap of my katana holster on my shoulder and nod. "I bet as soon as the military hear about this they'll shut it down. I'd say we have about an hour before they spot the lights or a neighbor calls it in."
She puts a hand on my shoulder and grins. "All the more reason to start the fun now."
When we walk through the door the first thing I see is Hardin strutting down the stairs, dressed in black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt that is thin enough to show off his many tattoos underneath. He smiles when he sees us. "Hey, I didn't expect to see you here."
"Why not?" I ask.
He shrugs. "I assumed you would be studying, what with classes starting again tomorrow."
"We've just had two days off. All I've been doing is studying." There wasn't much else to do while we waited for campus to be cleared of corpses and the perimeters secured.
He rolls his eyes. "Of course you have."
"What have you been doing the last two days?" I ask.
He smirks and gestures to the party going on around us. "This."
I scoff. "Of course."
"Tessa!" a voice calls, and I turn to see Zed walking over with two drinks in his hands. He holds one out for me. "Drink?"
I nod and take it. "Thanks."
He smiles wide and eyes my sword. "Why don't you relax, take your sword off."
I shake my head sternly. "No, I'm good. I don't like to leave my katana lying around, especially with everything that happened this week."
He winks at me. "I'll protect you."
I laugh. "Thanks, but I can protect myself."
Zed smirks. "You know, where I come from, some guys prefer women who like to be taken care of by their men. The men were the warriors, and the women cared for the men."
I raise an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And where do you come from? 1955?"
Hardin starts to laugh but covers his mouth with his hand and pretends to cough.
Zed glares at me. "The town I come from doesn't exist anymore. The zombies took it."
"Well, maybe if you had more women fighting with the men, your town would still be around." The words sound meaner than I intended, but I won't apologize for telling the truth.
Zed huffs out an angry breath and storms away, and Hardin leans on the wall next to me and crosses his arms. "Frankly, I'm surprised his town lasted as long as it did. Most towns like that were wiped out when the infection spread worldwide at the turn of the nineteenth century. Back in England, men and women have been fighting zombies together for hundreds of years."
I take a sip of my drink. "Since round two of the Black Plague in 1853, when the virus was first discovered. Then you had to bring it here on one of your damn ships in 1916 and screw us all."
He laughs. "You know your zombie history."
"Of course I do. Educating myself on the enemy makes me a better fighter."
He nods. "I couldn't agree more."
I feel a gentle tug on my ponytail and turn to see Molly grinning at me. "Hey! We're about to play truth or dare. You guys in?"
I shrug. "Okay."
"I'm just gonna grab a drink first," Hardin says. "I'll meet you over there."
We push our way through the crowd, and I hold my glass above everyone's heads so it doesn't spill. I don't understand this group's obsession with truth or dare, but I figure the cops or army or someone with authority will be here to kick us all out soon anyway.
I sit cross-legged on the carpet and take a bigger sip of my drink, cringing at the strong taste.
Molly kneels next to me, grinning from ear to ear. "Everyone ready?"
I glance around at all my new friends. Steph sits next to Zed on the floor on the other side of the coffee table; Tristan sits on the couch behind her and Nate is next to him, polishing off the last of his beer.
"Tessa," Molly says, a wicked glint in her eyes. I know where this is going.
"Molly," I say coolly.
"Truth or dare?"
I ponder the question as she tucks a strand of pink hair behind her ear.
"Dare," I say. It comes out more like a question than an answer, but she goes with it.
"I dare you to..." She glances around the party, chewing on her bottom lip as she thinks of something for me to do. Her gaze lands on something in the crowd and her eyes widen. I can almost see the lightbulb going off above her head as she gets an idea. I follow her gaze to see Hardin walking through the crowd, beer in hand. Molly grins and points at him. "Kiss Hardin!"
I groan. "Seriously?"
Molly's grin gets even wider, and she nods.
Hardin climbs onto the couch and sits on the back of it, his black boots resting on the cushion, looking back and forth between me and Molly. "Did I miss something?"
"I just dared Tessa to kiss you."
I wait for him to roll his eyes or laugh or make one of his snide comments, but instead he suppresses a smile and shrugs. "A dare's a dare, Tessa."
I swallow nervously, taken aback by his reaction and by how nervous I feel. Seeing my hesitation, Steph giggles, shaking her head at me. "Come on, Tessa. If you can take on a horde of murderous zombies, you can kiss Hardin on a dare."
I laugh, knowing she's right, but it doesn't ease my rapid heartbeat and dry mouth. I breathe out a sigh and stand up, much to the delight of our little circle. Cheers and hollers surround me as I put my drink on the coffee table, feeling my cheeks flush. Hardin watches me with an intensity that sends a shiver down my spine as I step over to him.
The sound of tires screeching outside makes everyone take pause.
"Sounds like the cops are here," Steph says, then looks at me. "Quick, kiss him before they shut us down."
Hardin bites his lip ring between his teeth as I lean in, his gaze lingering on my mouth. Another screech rings through the air, followed by screams. I pull away and see Hardin's face fall in disappointment.
"I don't think it's the cops," I say, looking at the others.
Someone bursts through the front door covered in blood, screaming in pain, and people start to scatter.
I reach behind me and pull out my sword, watching all the exits carefully as the room clears of almost everyone.
Steph and Molly stand at my side, Steph with her sword and Molly with her machete.
"Where's my sword?" Zed shouts, searching the room frantically.
I see it leaning against the wall near the front window and point to it. "Zed, window!" He spots it and runs over, and I shake my head at Steph. "That is exactly why I don't leave my katana lying around."
More screams fill the air, coming from outside. A figure appears at the window behind Zed, and I shout, "Zed! Move!"
But it's too late. The glass shatters and two rotting hands reach in and wrap around Zed, trapping his arms by his side and dragging him out screaming.
I step forward to go after him, but the piercing sound of more glass shattering makes me freeze. It's so loud I'm tempted to cover my ears, but I won't let go of my weapon. I spin around to see zombies smashing through every window in the house.
We're surrounded.
"Stay together!" I shout. Steph, Molly, and I stand back to back in the center of the room. Some partygoers hide under tables and behind furniture, others run. More than a few are already dead.
But we're the only ones ready to fight.
The horde closes in on us and we strike. A zombie with half its face hanging off its skull lunges at me, and I swing kick it so hard its head leaves its body and flies across the room, landing in front of Nate, who's hiding under the dining table. A wrinkled zombie with a swollen gut comes at me, but I stop it with my sword, thrusting it into its stomach and sliding it up. It falls to the floor and I crush its head in with my boot before moving my attention to the next one. From the constant sounds of slashing and grunting, I know Steph and Molly are taking down as many rotters as they can.
Tristan runs in from the kitchen with a knife and starts hacking at the undead, and spurred on by seeing us all fight, Nate joins the battle. But he's so drunk that he trips on the head I decapitated and stumbles right into me, knocking me to the ground. My katana leaves my hand and clangs against the hard wood floor.
I grab Nate's shoulders and push him away. "Get off me!"
"S-Sorry," he slurs as he gets up, struggling to keep his balance. I get to my knees and reach for my sword, but it gets kicked away by a zombie.
A freshly turned corpse climbs through the window and stomps towards me, groaning and drooling all over his football jersey. My neck cranes up as he towers over me, the veins in his arms bulging.
"Great," I mutter. I leap to my feet and swing a fist right into his jaw. His head snaps to the side, but I know I did more damage to my knuckles than I did to his face. I glance over my shoulder, looking for help, but Steph and Molly are occupied with their own monsters. I spot my sword in the corner of the room, underneath one of the broken windows. Five zombies stand in between me and my weapon. I'm out of options, so I run toward my weapon, shouldering zombies out of the way and ducking from the grip of others. I drop to my knees and slide over the floor, skidding to a stop at the wall. I grip onto my katana and stand up, facing my enemies. Eight of them have their bloodshot eyes on me, and I realize I've unwittingly cornered myself. I swing my sword, taking off two heads at once, but it's not enough.
I'm trapped.
I kick the remaining shards of glass out of the window and back into it, climbing onto the ledge while I fight. I peer behind me, making sure the back porch is safe so I can jump out. A lady zombie in workout clothes grabs my arm and leans over, her jaw stretching open as she prepares to bite. I try to shake her off but her grip is too tight, so I stick my sword into her chest, knocking her back a few steps.
I try to pull my blade out, but it's stuck in her collarbone. "Crap!" I clutch the handle with both hands and tug harder, and it slides out so fast I almost fall backwards out the window.
I steady myself just in time, but then feel something grab the back of my shirt and pull.