Chapter 27: Games and Enjoyment

Carly’s whistle signaled for everyone to gather. In total, there were twenty people who’d shown up for Boffer Club, so they would be starting with Zombies.

“Who wants to be Zombie Lord?!” She asked.

Sam flexed, preparing for Carly to grab her scythe, or Mike to step forward, but then something happened that came as a surprise.

She’d raised her own hand.

“Sam! Sounds good!” Carly pointed her sword with a grin. “Come on up!”

Sam felt her face heat up as she walked forward. This was her first time as Zombie Lord. She sucked in air and turned to look at the others, wondering who she should go for first.

Carly’s whistle started the game, but Sam didn’t set foot off the respawn point. Nobody was scattering, they’d all gathered to surround her. Maybe she shouldn’t have turned down Cain’s knives.

“Good luck, Sammy!” Cain called from somewhere in the back. “If it’s too hard for you, I don’t mind letting you kill me to increase the numbers!”

Something inside of Sam snapped and she ran forward, swinging wildly. She made it about two steps before she was pierced with weapons from every side. Cain’s cackling laugh filled her ears as she shamefully walked back to the respawn point.

The next few tries went similarly. A lot of the new students had decided to just attack her the second she stepped foot off the disk, so she was basically trapped.

A trapped Sam was not a happy Sam.

Calm down. Cain’s just goading you. Ignore that piece of shit and focus on taking these guys out.

First thing’s first, Sam had to increase her numbers. She needed some kills, but everyone was so bunched together it was impossible to challenge one on one.

Time for the good old zombie fallback strategy, the war of attrition.

Sam’s first targets were the newcomers. Compared to someone like Mike, they were filled with openings due to not knowing how to hold a sword properly. She didn’t think she’d be able to get any body shots, but those limbs were looking juicy…

“Crap! She’s smiling!” Someone shouted, and a few people backed up. That was when Sam struck. She leapt forward with Black Rose in hand, marveling at how lightly it danced in front of her. Of course, she was quickly cut down. But she took a few arms and legs with her.

And that was an excellent start.

Her next attempt killed two people outright, breaking the blockade completely.

NOW they had a game!

It was easy for Sam to gain ground now that the crowd had scattered. Most of them were people who’d come to maybe one club meeting before today, and couldn’t hope to outrun her sword. The tide was turning, and quickly, but the humans were still able to hold back the swarm.

“Hey there!”

Sam leapt out of the way of Andy’s scythe just in time, the dark weapon sailing past her stomach. The witch twirled it like her spear, but the curved tip looked far more dangerous. More swings came, and she was careful to block each one.

Before she could strike back, however, something soft thumped against her shoulder and she growled. She didn’t even have to check to make sure, Cain had got her again. She grabbed the dagger off the ground and marched back to the respawn point, with new prey in mind.

She ran into Mary on the way there.

“They got you, huh?”

“Yup…” Mary nodded glumly. Then she perked up. “But I killed two of ‘em first!”

“Wow! That’s great! Nice work!”

A look of shock crossed Mary’s face.

“…What?”

“Did… did you just say something nice?!” Mary couldn’t believe her ears. A compliment from Sam!?

“Hey, lay off!” Sam groaned. “I’m in a good mood tonight! Black Rose is handling like a dream!”

“That’s good,” Mary smiled. “Snowdrop is also pretty nice… it’s lighter than I expected.”

“Or maybe you’re finally starting to build some muscle,” Sam said, lightly slapping a cotton ball taped to Mary’s arm.

The two girls laughed as they approached the battlefield.

“Okay, killing humans time,” Sam declared.

“Right!” With a salute from Mary, they were off!

“Hey! Zombie Lord!”

Sam whipped her head around to see Carly. She was catching her breath, having cut down the last of the zombies trying to get her, but smiling brightly.

“Wanna have a go?”

A wild grin crossed Sam’s face. Black Rose was hot in her hand. “Damn right!”

She ran towards Carly, swinging in a downward slash at her shoulder. Carly nimbly evaded the slash and thrust the tip of her sword forward, striking the air Sam had been standing moments before. Sam brought her blade up to bat it away and stepped to the side, trying to get in on Carly’s right, but her prey readjusted to keep her own sword between them.

They danced like that for a while, Carly using her fencing skills to try and pierce Sam’s guard while she looked for an opening to cut in herself.

As they exchanged blows it began to crystallize in Sam’s mind just how far she’d come since her first night. They’d crossed swords in Zombies too, though now she was the Zombie Lord and Carly the human. That had been the moment Sam first felt the rush she’d been chasing every week, the tense life-or-death struggle that was decided at the tip of a foam sword.

Another thrust! Carly came in high and fast, and Sam could see in her eyes she was aiming for the shoulder. She didn’t step away, rather, she turned her body out of the path of the sword and stepped forward, using her other arm to bring Black Rose down on the fencer’s back.

The “SMACK!” it made was beautiful.

“Dang, nice dodge there!” Carly laughed, rubbing her shoulder blade. “I thought I had you with that one! You’re getting better and better, Sam!”

She smiled. “I knew inviting you all those weeks ago was the right move!”

Sam felt herself smiling back. As she turned to look for her next opponent, she wondered how she ever could have thought this club wasn’t for her.

“Whoa!”

“Dang it!”

“That’s just not fair!”

“How’d he even DO that?!”

Sam used the chorus of grumbles and complaints as her guide to the last human still standing. Mike was cutting down zombies like a hot knife at a butter-churning factory, and they were running out of bodies to throw at him. Then his head shot up and his eyes narrowed in on her, and Sam felt herself freeze.

Damn. Even now I’m still petrified by that guy.

She couldn’t help herself. Mike was an intimidating dude. But that wasn’t enough to make her back down. So what if she’d never been able to hold her own against him in a sword fight? So what if the only time she’d killed him was from behind, with a throwing knife?

She could do this.

Mike raised his sword and charged, and Sam felt lucky just being able to follow his movements. She stepped aside and blocked his swing, and it briefly felt like trying to stop an incoming train with a twig. But she used the force of his blow to aid in her dodge, jumping back like Carly so often did and raising her sword.

This is amazing! It’s everything I can do just to keep him from chopping me to pieces, I need to find a way to-

FWIP! FWIP! Something shot past her ear and she sprung to the side out of reflex.

“Are you kidding me?!”

Sam flinched under Mike’s furious glare. But it wasn’t aimed at her, it was…

She whipped around to see Cain standing behind her. He waved.

“Just got your back, Sammy!” He gave her an exaggerated thumbs’ up that made her want to scream. She’d been enjoying herself, struggling her hardest to win, and this motherfucker had just waltzed in and ended the whole damn thing!

The game was over, and as the last human standing, Mike became the next Zombie Lord.

And judging by the cold rage burning on his face, his rule would not be a benevolent one.

…

After a few more games of Zombies, Carly proposed a new game for them to play. Capture the Flag.

“I made these last week,” she explained, showing off two large T-shaped foam posts, one red and one blue. They were held up by a PVC platform she’d spray-painted black.

Carly draped one of the bright yellow jerseys over each post. “The idea is, it’s a lot like Captains. Okay, it’s exactly like Captains. You want to get past the other team, grab their jersey, and get it back to your side of the field, get it?”

Sam was elated. That sounded amazing! Finally, a good idea to come from Carly.

“So let’s divide up the teams the way we normally do, so everyone, pick someone to be your enemy!” Carly declared, pointing to Mike. “And also, since we have an even number of people today, no Mercenaries. Any other questions about rules?”

A few of the newcomers asked some questions, while Sam went to go find Cain to be her enemy.

But then Mary stepped in front of her.

“Um…” She was shaking, but she had a resolved look on her face.

“S-Sam… can you be my enemy?”

“Really? Me? You sure?”

Mary nodded rapidly. “I-I… I want to fight against you! To see if I can!”

Sam smiled. “Sure thing! Let’s do it!”

A brilliant grin spread across Mary’s face.