Grace's captivating and exquisite beauty is held in sharp contrast to the hideous scar that runs long and wide over the left side of her face. It is at the frightening hands of her abhorrently cruel and fanatically religious parents that her face is burned and marked for her sin of vanity for all to witness at the vulnerable age of thirteen. Now, six years later, after untold sadistic abuses, all in the name of God, she grips desperately to the dreamlike memory of a young man who had briefly come to her with blessed comfort the night of her fiery chastisement. Grace clings to the hope of his return as she and a smattering of others bravely attempt to do battle against her small town’s ever increasing, homicidal zombies as her time in this world may not be long endured.
> Lily Maddison
Ricky knew she was right, but he couldn’t quite force himself to give in. He was scared, really scared. He feared his parents were dead, or maybe they’d turned into those things, like Grace’s parents. He was afraid to go outside and now, thanks to stupid Norman, he was afraid to stay.
He was silent, trying to think, and finally spoke as he looked down at the floor, “Fine, let’s go somewhere else for tonight, but then I need to find my parents in the morning.”
Grace nodded, “Okay, Ricky, that’s good. That’s the plan. So, now let’s put our heads together and think of the safest place we can get to, somewhere nearby.”
Ricky raised his head as he had a thought, “The trailer park, the trailer park where Claire lives. The whole place is fenced in. It would be harder for those things to get in. We could try to make it to Claire’s. She and her husband are sure to be home. We’d be safer with more people. The more people the better.”
“Claire?” Grace mused.
She hadn’t talked to Claire in six years, not since she’d so sweetly offered to let Grace try her lip-gloss. Grace had only seen her a few times at church during the couple of years after and then she didn’t see her anymore. The times she had seen her, Claire had looked straight at Grace with pity in her eyes. Grace had always just hung her head in shame, letting her hair hang over her face. Grace overheard her parents talking once about how Claire had gotten herself pregnant and had to marry that ‘good for nothing’ Henry and she had to go live in that 'nasty, trashy trailer park'. They knew she’d gotten her due, they knew she was paying for her sins.
“Yes, that’s the best place I can think of and it’s not far,” Ricky answered.
“Well that’s it then, let’s get moving!” Norman said, heading towards the front door.
“Wait, my car’s out back,” Ricky called to him, “we’ll use the backdoor.”
“I’m not going back there, that thing is back there,” Norman shook his head.
“Norman, it’ll be okay, let’s just go out the back, we’ll go fast,” Grace told him.
“No, I will not listen to you two about this, I’m going…” Norman started to say but then, a thunderous banging on the front door interrupted him.
They all saw two older women. They were sick. One woman had blood covering her entire face like red paint. Her housedress was torn open down the middle and one leg was swollen purple and blue, and looked like it might be broken. Half of the other woman’s face was missing. They could see muscle and bone, and one side of both her lips was gone.
The women growled freakishly and beat furiously on the glass doors as the three inside watched, frozen and numb.
Then Grace cried out, “We have to get out of here!” and she grabbed onto Ricky’s arm.
Ricky turned and ran towards the backroom. Grace followed and Norman was right behind her.
In the stockroom, Ricky stopped abruptly and Grace ran into him and Norman into her.
Excerpt featuring Grace Hampton: Chapter 8 ~ FAIR POWER
Ricky knew she was right, but he couldn’t quite force himself to give in. He was scared, really scared. He feared his parents were dead, or maybe they’d turned into those things, like Grace’s parents. He was afraid to go outside and now, thanks to stupid Norman, he was afraid to stay.
He was silent, trying to think, and finally spoke as he looked down at the floor, “Fine, let’s go somewhere else for tonight, but then I need to find my parents in the morning.”
Grace nodded, “Okay, Ricky, that’s good. That’s the plan. So, now let’s put our heads together and think of the safest place we can get to, somewhere nearby.”
Ricky raised his head as he had a thought, “The trailer park, the trailer park where Claire lives. The whole place is fenced in. It would be harder for those things to get in. We could try to make it to Claire’s. She and her husband are sure to be home. We’d be safer with more people. The more people the better.”
“Claire?” Grace mused.
She hadn’t talked to Claire in six years, not since she’d so sweetly offered to let Grace try her lip-gloss. Grace had only seen her a few times at church during the couple of years after and then she didn’t see her anymore. The times she had seen her, Claire had looked straight at Grace with pity in her eyes. Grace had always just hung her head in shame, letting her hair hang over her face. Grace overheard her parents talking once about how Claire had gotten herself pregnant and had to marry that ‘good for nothing’ Henry and she had to go live in that 'nasty, trashy trailer park'. They knew she’d gotten her due, they knew she was paying for her sins.
“Yes, that’s the best place I can think of and it’s not far,” Ricky answered.
“Well that’s it then, let’s get moving!” Norman said, heading towards the front door.
“Wait, my car’s out back,” Ricky called to him, “we’ll use the backdoor.”
“I’m not going back there, that thing is back there,” Norman shook his head.
“Norman, it’ll be okay, let’s just go out the back, we’ll go fast,” Grace told him.
“No, I will not listen to you two about this, I’m going…” Norman started to say but then, a thunderous banging on the front door interrupted him.
They all saw two older women. They were sick. One woman had blood covering her entire face like red paint. Her housedress was torn open down the middle and one leg was swollen purple and blue, and looked like it might be broken. Half of the other woman’s face was missing. They could see muscle and bone, and one side of both her lips was gone.
The women growled freakishly and beat furiously on the glass doors as the three inside watched, frozen and numb.
Then Grace cried out, “We have to get out of here!” and she grabbed onto Ricky’s arm.
Ricky turned and ran towards the backroom. Grace followed and Norman was right behind her.
In the stockroom, Ricky stopped abruptly and Grace ran into him and Norman into her.
Old man Simon had gotten out of the bathroom just as Norman feared. He had removed the bathroom door by its hinges; the ropes lay on the floor.
Simon loomed before them blocking their way to the hall that led to the backdoor.
“What should we do?” Grace shouted.
Ricky didn’t answer but he started looking around for something, anything, he could use as a weapon. He knew there was a crowbar somewhere back there. Simon took a step towards them.
“Do something, damn it!” Norman screamed when he heard the sound of breaking glass coming from behind them.
“Hurry! Do something!” Norman screamed again and pushed his way in front of Grace, changing his position so he was in between her and Ricky.
Unable to find a suitable weapon Ricky did the only thing he could think of, in spite of his fear, he hunched down and ran the way he used to do when he played football in school. He hit the old man with his shoulder right in the stomach, knocking them both down to the ground.
