Monthly Archive for January, 2009

Steve Golden, Retriever

“Hey, it’s Steve, isn’t it? What’s the matter, mac?”

“I have the most depressing job in the Zone, Ron.”

“I hear that from a lot of people who are trying to score a free burger. Go cry on somebody else’s shoulder–I cook rats for a living.”

“I go out and pick up the pistols that squad leaders leave with bitten members of Corpse Corps.”

“You’re right. That’s depressing. Is it bad when you find them? Do you bury the bodies there or bring them back for cremation?”

“Well, that’s just it. There’s never anyone there. There’s always a bullet in the chamber. They never do it.”

“Not me, man. If I get bitten, I want someone to take me out.”

“You’d be surprised. It’s a lot easier to say that than to do it.”

“No way. I’d do it. I’d pull that trigger and go to a better place than this one.”

“Every one of those Z’s is someone who didn’t pull the trigger. Either that or they had a brother, sister, son, or daughter, mother, father, or so-called friend who couldn’t. The unquenchable human drive to survive is what caused this plague.”

“And it’s also why we’ll survive it. How’s your burger?”

“Best I’ve had in months.”

“Glad to hear it. Only twenty bucks for a member of Corpse Corps and I’ll throw in the bun for free.”

“You’re a frakking thief, Ron… Pass the salt, will ya?”

Undeadstiny USA!

“We’ve got to call this place something. ‘Syracuse’ just doesn’t cut it anymore.”

“Hancock Internation-ghoul Airport?”

“No. That’s awful.”

“What about Zentral New York? Or Undeadstiny USA?”

“Yeah, that’s it! Let’s name it after a mall! I want serious suggestions.”

“OK, then what do you think of Zombiecuse or Zombiedoga County?”

“I like Unhhhnhhhhpstate New York better.”

“I get what you’re saying, but I’m all out of ideas.”

“I’ll know the right name when I hear it.  But Undeadstiny USA?  Really? There’s got to be something better.”

Ron’s Grill

Click to enlarge.  Hungry?

Prison Break

“James, they gonna be real mad at us if they catch us.”

“Then make sure you keep looking for them so I can dig. I can’t dig too fast with this spoon.”

Ever since he arrived, James had been looking for a way out. He tried to climb over the fence, but the barbed wire kept him locked inside. James and his crew longed for the freedom of life on the other side of the fence. He thought he had the perfect plan. He swiped a spoon from the cafeteria, and for the last few days had spent his free time digging a small hole under a secluded part of the fence while T and Wilson kept watch. 

Today was going to be the day. He could feel it.

He didn’t know what the outside world held for him, but that wasn’t going to stop him.

He had cleared enough room to barely squeeze his frame through when T yelled over to him, “James, quick! He’s coming!”

James tried feverishly to pull himself the rest of the way through the tunnel, but his pantleg became entangled in the chainlink. The rest of his crew ran. The guard grabbed hold of James’ leg and yanked him back through the fencing and lifted him up by his ankle.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, kid? You wanna be ripped to shreds? You’re coming with me.”

He then led James across Runway 10 and back towards the terminal.

At Ron’s Grill

It’s funny to think about them.

They eat, they shit, they spread disease.
They breed, they fight for their young.

They start all over again with the eating, shitting, spreading disease, and breeding.

Then they solve any problem that stands in the way of their eating, their shitting, their breeding, and their young, but not much more than that. That’s all there is for them.

But they’re really good at it.

And then they die.

The next generation comes along and eats and shits and spreads disease and breeds and fights for their young.

And dies.

The smell of their flesh brings people from out of the woodwork, moaning and crying for a mouthful of fresh meat.

It’s funny.

Until I started setting up my traps and Weber, I never noticed how much we had in common with rats.

Death At Daybreak

The walls seemed as if they were closing in on me. It had to be around 2 a.m. when I heard more screams of terror. Every day, every second of living with the threat of those monsters killing me, my friends, and my family makes me want to just find a way out. But I cant get out of Syracuse alone. My friends were killed, I am forced to be locked in a shack in some random yard, trying not to make any noticeable signs of activity. The thoughts can’t escape my mind, watching my friends, being torn apart by those horrid creatures, I was useless, there was nothing I could do. I had to run. If I even tried saving them I might as well have dug a hole and buried myself in it. I couldn’t bare to let them be killed but I had no other choice, it was to late to try and help them now.

All I have now is a shotgun, with not much ammunition left, a watch, to tell me what time it is, the clothes on my back, and the memories in my mind.

Continue reading ‘Death At Daybreak’

The Killing Frost

Lisa was not pretty, but she was effective. She knew it. Sixth squad had never lost a member. They’d been together since the beginning. But today was not going well. The Z’s were coming in faster than the squad could kill them off. Their line had been split by a surge of Z’s. There was no point in dwelling on it. She gave the order. “Blanco, Terry. Bug out. Reynolds, you’re with me.”

If she’d had time to think, she might have been proud that they Blanco and Terry headed northeast so quickly or she might have been disappointed that they did not protest or try to stage a daring rescue. But she had other things to think about. Four zombies were coming at her at once, and one arc of her bat put two of them on the ground. She immediately swung upwards and into the jaw of the third and put the butt end through the eye socket of the fourth. Only then did she exhale.

Continue reading ‘The Killing Frost’

The First Day

They came without warning, a never-ending tide of the undead. The military was unable to contain the explosion of the disease. The government packed up and headed west. They told us to evacuate the cities and wished us luck. The military was too busy trying to defeat the enemy to help with evacuations.

Flights and buses were few and far between, but that didn’t stop people from trying to catch a ride. Even if you caught a flight, there weren’t many safe zones left in the world. Jack Walker was one of the lucky ones. He had a seat on the last flight out of Syracuse. It was headed for rural Montana.

Another passenger, Bruce Schick, tried selling his seat to the highest bidder in the crowd that had gathered. He was betting that this wouldn’t be the last flight out of Hancock.

Continue reading ‘The First Day’

Slater and Meaker