AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Maddie shook her head. “I tried, but he was too close. I was going to try to pull it out and stab again, but the knife was stuck or something.”
Saff hummed. “Their skin pierces easier, so knives go farther into them than it would on a human. The knuckle of your knife probably got lodged in a rib or something.”
Maddie considered that for a moment, wondering how many times Saff had directly felt that comparison. Then, before she could reply, Saff continued.
“The stabs have to be quick, but short. They don’t need to go super deep. You don't need to with a zombie.”
The words kept flowing out of her mouth, and Maddie thought for a moment that it was the most she’d ever heard her talk the whole time they'd been together. It was funny to think that all she had to ask about in order to get her talking was killing or fighting.
Or maybe—that really wasn't so funny.
She wondered what kind of background she had beyond medical school that would give her that knowledge.
Saff continued. “And since you probably need to have them come at you first, you'll have to grab and block under the chin.” Saff paused. She was speaking much faster than she ever had before.
Maddie's lip quirked up in a smile. It was like she’d pressed a button on one of those talking toys and was now waiting for it to run through the jingle that it played.
“Yeah,” Saff mumbled, more to herself. “If you blocked it under the chin, then it wouldn't be able to bite you. And then you could use your other hand with the knife to stab around the back of the head up into the skull.”
Maddie took another bite of food, trying to imagine the motions and movements that Saff was describing.
“How do I stab up into their head though if their arms are pushing or holding mine down?” Maddie asked, chewing a new bite of the rabbit.
“It wouldn't be too hard,” Saff answered. “You’d just hook your arm around their back and stab up.”
Maddie tried to visualize how that would have felt if she’d done that instead when the infected had attacked her, but it didn’t make sense how something like that would’ve worked with how it was holding on to her arms.
She heard the clink of a metal utensil being dropped onto a plate.
“I can show you if you want,” Saff mumbled through a mouthful of food.
“Oh,” Maddie answered in surprise as she swallowed the bite. “Okay. You mean—like—now?”
Saff's chair scraped against the floor as she mumbled, "Yeah."
Maddie set her spoon down and pushed back in her chair, standing.
Then, after a moment, Saff spoke again, this time right in front of her. “Can I—”
Maddie knew what she was trying to ask and held her arms out in front of her.
Saff took hold of her wrists and pulled her one arm forward until she felt her forearm being pressed against Saff’s chest. Then Saff adjusted her arm higher until the skin of her arm pressed against the soft skin of her neck.
“Okay,” Saff spoke, and Maddie felt her throat bob beneath her forearm.“Do you feel how your arm is tucked right under my chin so I can't bend my head down?”
Maddie nodded.
“Okay, so you can either block it this way or you could grab me by the throat, and it would have basically the same effect.”
Maddie thought about that, contemplating if that would have been the better option when she was attacked.
“So now,” Saff continued, “if they're grabbing at you, which they will, then you'll need to hook your arm up underneath there's.” She paused, shifting. “Like this.”
Maddie felt Saff’s hands move and grab onto her shoulders. Then Saff inched her closer.
“When they're like this,” Saff started, and suddenly Maddie could no longer focus on what she was saying.
She smelled like coffee and cinnamon—likewarmth.
