Blue Zone Zyracuse

Category: 1. Edited Stories

  • Earth Day

    Before the outbreak, we used to run around with trash bags. We used to try to make the earth prettier. It made us feel good about ourselves, or at least good enough to go back to driving our SUV’s guilt-free. This year it was a completley different story. Instead of picking up plastic bags, I…

  • Nielsen’s Gift

    Battalion B, Squad 24 trudged back into the Zone after a long day of slaughter on a breezy, pleasantly cool Syracuse September day. “Good job out there today, Guys,” Billy said, looking down at his gore-coated shoes. “What’re you gonna do now?” asked Greg. “I dunno. Tom, you still have that bottle under your cot?”…

  • After Math

    Christopher Avery went about his usual morning routine. He gathered his bag and headed off to work. He was a math teacher at a high school in the western suburbs. Chris walked out the door to his basement apartment and headed up the stairs. As he was leaving the building, one of his neighbors, Mrs.…

  • Peace

    Father Joseph Tutombu was the only member of Corpse Corps who did not complain about doing disposal duty. The man never, ever stopped smiling. As a result, Chuck usually avoided him like the plague. There was something suspicious about a smiling priest, especially a foreign-born one. But today was special. Today was the anniversary of…

  • Post

    They were all stunned, she was really gone. Mike sat slumped and glassy eyed. He was bleeding from a gash on his arm. The blood bubbled up from the wound and dribbled down his body in spurts. He did not bother to try to staunch the flow. Charlie raged and screamed and frothed. He paced…

  • Bliss

    Michael O’Keefe rose out of bed and yawned. He walked over to the window and raised the blinds. The sunlight illuminated the grass as a light snow floated down to the earth. “What a beautiful day,” he said to no one in particular. Michael looked back at his wife, lying in bed. He smiled and…

  • A Girl’s Got to Eat

    Montoya cruised down Wolf Street in his red ’06 Mustang looking for a pro to finish off his evening at the clubs. He saw her just as he crossed 2nd North by Twilight Nights. She looked like she was a bit wasted, which was good. He had only a twenty left. He slowed down and…

  • The Day the Muzak Died

    Patrick Reynolds hated his job. He worked behind the counter at a gas station on the West Side. Every day was the same as the day before. The same customers came in each day, buying the same newspaper and coffee. He suffered through the same loop of lite rock songs on the store’s stereo. He…

  • Stir Crazy

    Buck crept through the dim bedrooms of his now sagging and decaying home. He placed each foot carefully, testing each step and spreading his weight heel to toe. He gripped the pump of his shotgun and dabbed the sweat from his nose before taking another step. He rested for a moment and listened to the…

  • 11 Down

    Tom Slater finally had some time to relax. He picked up an old Stars section from the Post Standard and folded it into crisp quarters. He had four minutes to enjoy the last New York Times crossword puzzle he would ever attempt. A kid from 76th Squad named Winger burst through the door. Winger had…

  • Lucky Numbers

    Sherman trudged through the iced over snow. The thin film crackled as his feet broke through it and sank beneath. He climbed over makeshift barricades and wound his way through the cluttered mess of slowly rotting vehicles. He wandered down the road careful not to tread on large lumps in the snow here and there.…