Ansley Underwood

[Ansley Underwood (DELETED 8056)]

Ansley rolled over in bed with a moan squinting at the alarm. 7:00 AM time to get up and hit the town. He needed to Apply for jobs at the local Newspapers, turn in his resumes. He yawned rolling over in the sheets. Ansley stared up at the cracking plaster ceiling of his first home in Harper Rock. He studied the spider webbed fissure for a few moments before he realized how uncomfortably hot he had become. Sheets tangled around his toned legs, a white wife beater clinging uncomfortably to his torso. The sun was just beginning to peak through his windows. He slung his feet from his bed and they found the cool old wood floors a much needed relief from the heat. He moved over to his window opening it, letting in the refreshing spring breeze. Ansley then made his way to the bathroom.

He showered and spent a few minutes in the mirror practicing " Hello , Ansley Underwood investigative journalist." "Nice to meet you I'm Ansley , Ansley Underwood investigative journalist." "Bond James Bond." He laughed at himself shaking his head. "I can do this." He said and finally after his pep talk session he left his steam filled bathroom and got dressed. He dressed the part a white button down, a brown leather jacket blue jeans and his boots. He carried a messenger back in which he kept his camera and his resume binder.

After delivering resumes around town for the better part of the day Ansley was making his way home. Walking down the street the sun was beginning to sink below the skyscrapers again. Of course he was passing his least favorite portion of his neighborhood. A long dark strip of shadow covered sidewalk passing an abandoned morgue the dark windows broken open, though mostly boarded up, mostly. Ansley quickened his pace a hand going to the cross around his neck. There was a cry from inside it was faint and shrill and he slowed. He wished he could ignore it and run. "Oh for the love of all thats Holy" He said looking up to heaven his voice a softly spoken Texan twang with a gentle plead. He knelt down and felt for the hand gun strapped to one leg and the dagger strapped to his other. He nodded and began to move toward the dilapidated building.

He stashed his bag among some debris outside and pried one of the boards off the window to create a whole large enough to slide through. The floor was surprisingly much further below him than he had anticipated but he lowed himself silently to the floor. He could hear the sickening wet sounds of crunching and a mournful sob. A female voice pleading for help but in a soft cry, the cry of lost hope. Ansley pulled out his gun and moved toward the sound pressing himself against the wall he peered around the corner, moonlight streamed through mostly obstructed windows in the ceiling high overhead. His pulse was pounding in his ears matching his heart. What he saw in the moonlight was something he had never seen before. A man or a corpse , obviously dead and decaying was eating, hands deep devouring a man on the ground a women cowered in the corner as a ragged female corpse in decomposing burial wear shambled toward her. Ansley had to refrain from vomiting. He pressed his back against the wall closing his eyes he inhaled deeply. Trying to calm himself and in a moment he was moving.

He dashed into the room sending a powerful knee into the back of the one that was eating the victim he was too late to save. The zombie toppled over and Ansley dropped down pulling the dagger from his boot and as the zombie turned his hunger on him Ansley drove the dagger into the soft part under it's chin pinning its mouth closed and driving it into his brain. Gore oozed downward onto his forearms and he pushed the first zombie away grabbing his gun in a swift motion he fired one shot into the back of the head of the other zombie just as he closed in on the women. The animated female corpse dropped to the ground in a sickening thud. Limbs still moving and twitching randomly. He was panting now trembling all over. His heart racing. He moved to the women who was still cowering. He thought he was being comforting but his ears were ringing so loudly he couldn't hear himself think let alone speak. "Ma'am ... ma'am your ok... its gonna be ok. We should get outta here. I'm sorry about your friend but we should go, come on ." He was still holding the gun as he offered his hand. His golden yes held a sincerity. A kindness. "Come on now Sugah let's go." He said as he finally began to regain control of his adrenaline. He helped her up giving her a boost out of the window he sheathed the dagger and the gun and climbed out himself. He lay on the grass as the women ran into the night calling for help. He was breathing heavily but then he was up. The lady had been so paniced she hadn't even waited for him to get out himself. He grabbed his bag trying to wrap his mind around what he had just seen. "Zombies , Zombies are real, check." He said quietly to himself his arms still covered in gore he made his way into his home after unlocking the door with trembling hands.

He made his way to the bathroom and cleaned himself off , taking a second shower. Ansley was shaken. He made sure all of his windows and his door were locked. He slept with all the lights on. He prayed before bed and spent quite a few hours tossing and turning. He called his dog up on the bed with him and buried his nose into its fur. It was a large hound dog floppy ears and lots of wrinkles. Ansley finally fell asleep.