Z 2134

Sorry to let the three of you down, but not one of you stands a chance. Sticking with me, though, that’ll definitely get you living longer than you would’ve otherwise.”
    Keb winked. Liam wasn’t sure whether it indicated that he was just trying to rile Chloe up, or that he was making a veiled threat at him, hoping he’d take the bait.
    Marcus then piped in, “You might be good with that blade, but you weigh less than a girl, man, so I don’t think you’re gonna win shit if I’m still in this thing.”
    Chloe laughed. So did Keb, though his was a horrible icy cackle. The hairs on Liam’s neck stiffened as Keb stopped walking mid-stride, then turned and stared up into the giant’s eyes. “You must have me mistaken for someone who can’t kill a fucker a minute after he thinks it.” He laughed again, louder. “You ever come across someone, and about a second after you stared into their eyes you knew they was the one person you shouldn’t have fucked with? Well, that was me behind The Wall, you big ape, and I’m 100 times more dangerous out here.”
    “Show, don’t tell, asshole,” Chloe said, with a light laugh with just enough charm to keep Keb in a smile.
    Marcus held Keb’s stare, then surprised Liam by getting more articulate by the minute. “I’m not much for saying my thinking out loud,” he said, “since folks don’t usually expect me to say much. But the truth is, all of us are going to die, and probably none of us will make it to City 7, if it even exists, which it might not. My kid brother Johnny won the games about four years back, and I’ve not heard a word from him since. Whether we make it to the end or not, all that matters is that we stand against the enemy with our feet unmoving for as long as we can. Nothing is certain in these games, and most times people win by accident. I’m glad to live a little longer with the two, and now the three of you, by my side.” He turned to Liam, smiled, then added, “That is all.”
    Liam liked the guy more and more the longer they walked together, even if he had an ass like an anvil.
    Keb said, “You haven’t heard from anyone from City 7 because they’re not allowed to communicate with the other Cities. That’s a fact, Mack. And here’s another one: I’ve been ready to make my way to the end since I was 14, and I guarantee I will.”
    Marcus started walking. “Only reason Johnny wouldn’t find a way to send word to his brother, whether it was allowed or not, was if he was dead. Like I said, City 7’s likely a legend. Why don’t you think they ever show past winners on the TV, huh?”
    Keb said, “I dunno, it’s some policy thing or something, who the fuck knows, but City 7 is real. If it’s not, then we would’ve known by now. And we’d all be fighting in these Games for nothing.”
    The group fell into silence. Liam figured they were each contemplating the discussion and whether or not they were fighting for nothing. Or perhaps they were each trying to figure out the best way to get to the end, and who they’d have to kill first.
    Liam wondered what Chloe was thinking. She kept looking from one of them to the other, and acting like she wasn’t looking at any of them at all.
    They trudged through the snow, thinning it to sludge as they did. The wind had practically died to nothing, which made it easy to hear the first zombie nearly a minute before they saw it rambling from the woods.
    Keb started laughing, hysterical and almost out-of-control, like a kid about to run out and play hit ball.
    Keb stood still, body tensed, waiting for the zombie to come closer. Once it was 50 yards away, Keb raced toward it screaming, arm hovering high, where it stayed until he was three feet from the undead monster, and he brought it down in a low swoop, landing deep into its shoulder, drowning both blade and snow in buckets of blood.
    Still laughing, he yanked his sword from the zombie’s shoulder, then swung it around, making stupid sounds like he was having way too much fun, or showing off what a badass he truly was with his blade. Keb then swung the sword in a wide arc and chopped the zombie’s head clean from its neck, sending it into the snow.
    The zombie crashed to its knees, then swayed for a moment before falling forward and spurting more dark blood into the snow like a broken fountain.
    Keb turned in a circle, holding his arms to his side as though he were a T, waiting for applause that didn’t, and wasn’t going to,