Day 10
Morning broke like a badly written fairytale—sunlight dripping over the waves, birds chirping as if the world hadn't fallen apart, and Xenia Alderidge finally—finally—getting to take a proper bath in the sea.
She stood at the shore, wriggling her toes in the sand as Brie and Marga argued over who looked better in their makeshift swimsuits (read: tank tops and cut-off jeans), and Anna sat on a rock, arms crossed like she was mentally filing an incident report.
"I'm just saying," Brie said, adjusting her bun, "you can't wear black in saltwater. You look like a soggy funeral."
"Says the girl who tied her shirt with vines like a busted beach fairy," Marga shot back.
"You're both delusional," Xenia muttered, stepping into the water. "We smell like grilled despair. Let's focus on not attracting sharks or zombies."
"Tenorio said we're clear," Brie reminded her.
Xenia raised a brow. "Yes, and Tenorio also thought using expired deodorant counts as 'natural camouflage.'"
Still, they laughed. Even Anna cracked the tiniest smile before muttering, "Just stay alert." She remained at the edge, ankles in the water but gaze sweeping the shore like a lighthouse.
The four women waded deeper, rinsing off weeks of grime and stress in the saltwater. It felt surreal—too normal. The kind of peace that made Xenia's skin crawl.
Naturally, the peace didn't last.
As they floated and chatted, Marga dove under and popped back up with a dramatic gasp. "You guys ever wonder how I survived the City of Argenta?"
"No," Brie said instantly.
Marga ignored her. "I hid in a gym. Dead serious. Everyone ran to hospitals or police stations, but me? I locked myself in Muscle Zone 24/7."
"You sheltered in a gym?" Anna finally asked, brows lifting like she was raising an invisible clipboard. "You?"
"I'm resourceful," Marga said proudly. "The front desk had protein bars, disinfectant, even a sauna—though it stank like cooked corpse after a day."
"I'm gonna throw up," Brie muttered.
"I cleaned the whole place," Marga continued. "Spent two days scrubbing blood off treadmills with a loofah and my tears."
Brie gagged dramatically. "Please stop. This is worse than your protein pancake phase."
Anna said nothing but her arched brow spoke volumes. Amusement, disbelief, and a dash of "I'm concerned for all of you."
Then Xenia saw it.
Something in the distance, bobbing in the deeper part of the sea. At first, she thought it was driftwood or maybe a bundle of seaweed. But no.
It was human.
Or used to be.
A pale figure floated face-down on a bamboo plank, arms dangling like broken oars. The body was torn—its lower half barely holding together, flesh sloughing off the bone like it had been dragged through hell. One foot was missing. No blood, just that sickening waterlogged color.
"Don't scream," Xenia said coldly. "But there's a floater."
Brie turned, squinting. "Is it… surfing?"
"No, Brie," Marga snapped. "It's very much dead."
"Or undead," Xenia muttered.
In a flash, Marga swam forward. "Don't worry. I've got it."
"Marga—wait—!" Xenia called, but it was too late.
The body twitched.
Then lunged.
It launched itself off the bamboo like a grotesque seal, mouth wide, teeth jagged and dark. Marga screamed and ducked under just as it swiped at her. The thing landed in the water with a sickening splash, sending salt spray into the air.
Xenia dove forward, grabbing a broken bamboo pole floating nearby. She reached Marga, who had resurfaced and was flailing.
Anna threw a knife from the shore—clean, perfect aim. It sank into the creature's shoulder. It didn't slow down.
"Marga! Move!" Xenia shoved her to the side and jammed the pole straight into the thing's chest. It didn't even flinch. Instead, it snapped at her, jaws clicking inches from her arm.
She pushed harder.
Brie, eyes wide, found a nearby rock and hurled it with all her might. It connected with the back of the creature's skull.
It stopped.
Then groaned—and kept moving.
"Seriously?!" Brie yelled. "Even zombies ignore me?!"
Marga, now coughing and paddling toward Anna, yelled, "Let me kill it! That bastard tried to ruin my spa day!"
Without warning, Marga grabbed Xenia's pole, yanked it free, then stabbed it through the zombie's open mouth. The tip cracked out through the back of its head. It twitched, spasmed—and finally sank.
Saltwater turned pink around them.
Silence followed. Heavy, heart-pounding silence.
"I think it's dead now," Marga panted.
"Define dead," Anna said flatly, helping pull them out of the water.
Back on shore, Xenia flopped onto the sand, dripping and breathless. "That… was awful."
"I kind of loved it," Marga said.
"You're not well," Brie told her, squeezing seaweed out of her hair.
Anna grabbed her towel and handed it to Xenia. "You okay?"
"Fine," Xenia said. "Rattled. Soaked. But fine."
They sat in a circle, catching their breath.
"That thing wasn't bloated enough to be here for long," Xenia said. "Which means it drifted… maybe last night."
"From where?" Brie asked.
"Don't know," Xenia said. "But if there's one, there might be more. We need to post someone on shore watch. We can't assume the sea is safe anymore."
Brie folded her arms. "Great. I finally get a beach day and it comes with floating corpses."
"That's the apocalypse, babe," Marga said, wringing her shirt. "All vibes, no vacation."
Then Xenia stood. Her voice was steady, firm, the way it got when she needed everyone to shut up and listen.
"I need you both to understand something," she began. "I'm not a doctor. I'm not a scientist. Hell, I'm barely even a valedictorian anymore. I can't tell you how this infection works exactly. I don't know how it spreads through the bloodstream, or how long exposure takes, or whether it mutates."
She looked each of them in the eye.
"But I do know this: a single scratch, bite, or contact with infected fluids could turn someone. We can't afford to be sloppy. No wading into water without a lookout. No eating without washing up. No comforting someone who's bleeding without gloves."
Anna nodded solemnly.
Brie gave a little salute.
Marga just grinned. "So… we're alive, paranoid, and armed with a gym girl's rage?"
"Basically," Xenia said. "Welcome to paradise."
And somewhere, out beyond the calm blue horizon, something else floated closer.
But they didn't see it—yet.