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F rom one buffet onto another. Lucky me.

Just five or six steps away from where I stood, amid overturned cocktail tables, broken glasses, scattered food remnants, and bodies at various stages of decomposition, four zombies were eating a bat-man.

The zombies couldn’t have possibly missed my loud entry, yet they didn’t so much as spare me a glance. Maybe they preferred a bat-man to a Sue dish? I wasn’t staying long enough to find out.

I had to reach the double doors at the far end of the hall. Beyond lay a corridor leading to the emergency exit and the fire escape ladder. My freedom from this nightmare was mere steps away!

I got moving, keeping close to the walls. No one paid me any attention. Halfway to the exit, I got to see the victim’s face.

God. The bat-man was still alive. He lay still and silent, but his eyes were wide open and staring back at me. Pain and determination warred in their dark depths, making me pause in my tracks.

The creature’s gaze shifted to my left. I followed it to what turned out to be a sword lying next to a vampire’s headless body.

The bat-man wanted me to get the sword. To help.

A monster wanted my help? I was expected to risk my life for someone whose kind probably ate mine for breakfast?

Madness.

Even if the victim were human, I would think twice about engaging four zombies with my knife.

Yeah, the sword would allow me to strike from a safe distance, but I had never used such a weapon.

Now was not the time to try sword-fighting.

And for what? There was no saving the creature from the deadly wounds.

A chunk of his lower abdomen was missing, for heaven’s sake.

The bat-man would die with or without my help. Then possibly turn into a zombie bat who would chomp on my face. No, thank you. But if I made it home with the meds, his death would at least have served a purpose.

I resumed my slow progress toward the exit. Focused. Determined to survive. Not feeling any sympathy for the monster. Any guilt over leaving to a horrible death a stranger who wasn’t human. Because that would be foolish, and I was no fool. I wouldn’t have survived three apocalypses if I were.

Nope, no idiots here. No dangerous compassion whatsoever–

Fuck!

I sheathed my knife, rushed back, and picked up the sword with both hands. Then charged the zombies with a wild cry.

The first two were too slow to react before the surprisingly light sword chopped half their heads off. The others attacked, but thanks to my long weapon, they couldn’t get close enough to do any damage.

One stabbed itself on the blade to get to me. I pushed until I had the creature pinned to the padded wall panel like a bug. Hands free of the sword, I pulled my knife out just in time to stab the other zombie in the eye.

Only one monster was left standing. It tried to reach me, but I ducked to the left, immobilized its more decayed arm and gave the zombie a knife to the brain through its oozing ear. Now that was scientific precision.

Breathless and shaky from the adrenaline rush, I stepped back to take in the carnage I had caused. Crazy stuff. What was I thinking, going kamikaze like that? Had the sword’s light design not compensated for my inexperience…

The reason for my suicidal behavior lay with his eyes half-closed. His bluish lips moved as I stepped closer, but no sound came out. Black blood kept flowing out of his abdomen, chest, and left thigh to pool on the floor under his outstretched wings.

He was a goner. At least, he had gone down fighting, judging by the many vampire and fresher-looking zombie corpses around us. In my book, that was the most dignified death one could get these days.

When his eyelids closed, I knew the end was near. A strong wave of sadness washed over me. “Safe journey to bat-men’s heaven, big guy.”

It made no sense to feel this way for a monster, yet here I was. Another mystery to add to today’s list. One I wouldn’t get to share, unless I got my ass moving.

With a final glance at the bat-man, I headed for the double doors, sword in hand. The weapon was light and efficient, and its owner wouldn’t need it anymore.

My mood improved when I found the corridor outside the conference room empty and the emergency exit sign at the far end. I ran down the corridor, unable to help myself.

The door to the outside was unlocked. One push, and I was greeted by sunshine and the sight of the fire escape ladder leading down to salvation. Yes! –

The blare of sirens filled the air.

No! It was too early in the day for that; I was supposed to have an hour more!

Bad timing or not, the sirens kept howling their eerie warning. The invaders from above were coming again.

On cue, the sky over the nearby city darkened as the alien ships arrived.