Zombie Food
Lisa Doesburg
Zombie Food is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, organization, or nation is purely coincidental or used in a fictitious manner.
Copyright May 2018 – Lisa Doesburg
Used under license by KCEditions.
No part of this document may be copied, resold, or otherwise disseminated—except for review purposes—without the express written permission of the publisher, KCEditions and the author, Lisa Doesburg.
First Edition May 2018
Library and Archives Canada CIP Pending
ELLIE and SKYE
I lay under the Ford Mustang, hand over my mouth, heart beating so hard I wondered if they could hear it. There were about fifteen of them walking past the car, stinking to high heaven. My body shook, every muscle trembling as I fought to stay perfectly still. They shuffled and lurched unsteadily, dead, rotting limbs holding them up almost supernaturally. Tears rolling down my face, I thought of my family. During the first week of the infection, Dad was bit first, protecting my little sister, Becky. He killed everyone; my mother, two brothers, even our dog, Tank.
Everyone but me because I knew what was happening.
My name is Elli Perry and I’m sixteen years old.
No one believed in Zombie Apocalypse except for me. I watched enough zombie movies and YouTube videos about it, so it was no surprise to me. I knew it was coming. I also knew the rules. A shot to the head is the only way they die, never get caught without a weapon, and run like hell if there were more than you could handle. I learned the rules from watching the movie, 'Zombieland'. I knew, too, that unless you had a group, you were zombie food. So, my goal was to find a group of likeminded people to band up with for protection.
The last zombie ambled past unsteadily, but I waited at least another twenty minutes, making sure there were no stragglers. Gently easing myself out, I looked in all directions. The name of the game was survival. Brushing the dust from my clothes, as if it mattered now how I looked anymore, I quietly slipped westward into the woods. I needed to find shelter before sundown. The next town was just up ahead. I would clear a house, secure the doors, and stay there for the remainder of the night. After surveying each house for potential hiding places, I found the perfect one. Tucked away at the end of the street, the house was surrounded by trees and a white, wooden fence. Overgrown gardens stood wilted and dying in the fading light. Gun in one hand, knife in the other, I went inside. Back against the wall, I peeped around the corner of the living room door into the kitchen. Nothing. A scratching sound made me whirl around to my left. Opening the door quickly, knife held at striking height, I threw the door open ready to kill. On the floor was a zombie child. I especially hated killing the kids. It felt so wrong. This one was probably about nine or ten. I didn’t want to use the gun, because of the noise factor. Just as I was about to bring my arm down with the blow, it turned its head and spoke.
“Nooo, please don’t!”
My arm froze in mid air.
What?
Zombies don’t talk!
It looked like a zombie, smelled like a zombie, and I saw the bite wound on its arm. Watching where my eyes went, it looked up quickly, holding its hands out beseechingly. The zombie was a young girl.
“No! It's only part way! I was sick, but I never died,” she cried, "Please don't kill me. I only eat when I must. I don’t crave, like the others. Please, don’t kill me. I won’t hurt you.”
Okay, so here was a new development. But a Zombie was a zombie, and I wasn't taking no chances. She was cute and all, but...
“I can keep them away from you!” she insisted. “They don’t bother me! I can walk with them, if I wanted, but I don't want to ‘because they smell funny and they drool and make funny noises.”
She sure sounded like a kid, I thought after her rambling stopped. My arm lowered as my brain tried to wrap itself around this new and very strange addition to the apocalypse. I thought about how the zombies always stayed in groups, which kind of blew my mind considering their brain function was the most basic of functions; feeding their ugly mugs. When you think about it, even that didn't make any sense! I mean, they didn't go to the bathroom, as far as I knew, anyway, so how could they keep eating but not digesting? Where did all the food go? Why didn't their teeth fall out? How could they hear? See? It didn't make any sense to me whatsoever. Did they dream?
I backed away from the kid and lowered my knife. I had to think. She watched me warily, like a fox with its foot caught in a trap. Under all the dirt, blood and gamy smell, she was quite pretty. Her hair, from what I could see beneath the tousled snarl of blonde, was amazingly curly. Reaching just below her shoulders, I knew girls, I used to know girls who would kill for ringlets like hers. Her cornflower blue eyes didn't have that glazed, opaque look the zombies. Instead, they looked at me with fear and longing, as if she'd been alone for a very long time. I knew that feeling. It's the feeling you get when you've forgotten what a hug feels like, or when the sun doesn't shine for a really long time. When you've seen so much horror and death, you just want to close your eyes from it all and pretend like it didn't matter anymore.
"What's your name, kid." I asked her.
"Skye," she said softly. "My name is Skye."
"So, you're telling me that you've only turned part way? How is that even possible? When were you bit?" I said.
I noticed she visibly relaxed after that.
"I was bit right in the beginning, when it all started" she said, tears shimmering in those puppy dog eyes of hers.
"Well, how can I be sure that in the middle of the night I'm not going to wake up and find you munching out on my leg or something?"
She giggled at the picture I put in her mind, making me smile at the childish sound.
"'Cause I don't like to eat people. It's gross and I always throw up," she answered, "and I hate throwing up, don't you?"
I had to laugh at her childlike logic.
"Yeah, I do, it's really gross. But if you don't like to eat people, what do you eat?"
"I try to catch animals, but sometimes, most times, my tummy hurts," she said, "What I like best, and it doesn't make me sick, is cat or dog food."
"Wow, now that’s really gross!" I told her, feeling a little sick to my own stomach.
"I know. But at least I'm not one of those." she said, pointing outside. "I would really want to die if I was."
"So, where's your family? Are they dead?" I asked bluntly. This wasn't a time to sugar coat anything. Not anymore. I saw the pain flash in her eyes and knew they were.
"Yes. My parents tried to protect my little sister and me. She was only three," Skye said. "When the biters came, we were outside playing. We heard screaming from down the street and then people were running towards us. Daddy heard, too. He came out to see what was going on."
"Then what? Did he stop them?" I asked her gently.
Her eyes grew damp, glistening with tears.
"Yes, only, he was bitten. Then he bit mommy. After that, he came after me and my sister."
Now she was really crying. Fat tears rolled down through the dirt and blood on her face in trails. I felt so bad, I just had to put my arm around her. When I did, I swear she practically melted into me. I had to admit it felt good, holding her tiny, warm body next to mine. It had been so long, and despite the odd odor she had, I pulled her close.
"What came next, after he came after you and your sister?" I asked her, still holding her tight.
"He grabbed Star by her hair and took her right out of my arms," she whispered, as the saying the memory out loud would somehow make it worse. "Her screams were so loud! So loud and shrill! I couldn't save her, I couldn't. I was too scared! So, I r
an away. I heard my uncle Josh calling me, but I was too scared to come back! I went to the park and hid in the tunnel by the jungle gym. I just curled up and cried myself to sleep."
"So how did you get bit?"
"I was so stupid! I let my arm dangle out of the tunnel. One of those things came, grabbed my arm, and just bit down as hard as it could. It took a chunk right off! I never felt anything hurt so bad. I got loose and ran as fast as I could until I found this house. I've been here ever since."
I held Skye at an arm's length. "Listen honey, I'm really sorry this happened to you. But something really amazing happened to you and people need to know."
"What people?" she asked me.
"Well, for starters, the people that look for cures for stuff," I told her, "scientists."
"No way! All they'll do is poke me with a bunch of needles and stuff!" she whined.
Yep, she was a real kid. No doubt about it. Whine and all.
"Listen, Skye, you're different. I have been out here since it started, and I haven't seen anyone like you, a hybrid, I guess. I think that's important!" I told her.
"'Ya know what? I don't even know your name."
I felt a little ashamed of myself after this poor girl just poured her heart to me and I never even told her my name.
"My name is Elli," I said, sitting down next to her. "I'm sixteen. Hey, this place is cleared, right?"
"What'ya mean by that," she asked, "you mean those things? Yeah, it's cleared. It's just me in here."
I relaxed a little, taking the time to look at my surroundings. It must have been a cute house at one time, with a cozy little fireplace and a sprawling sectional living room set. The people here must have loved plants, too. Just in the living room alone, dozens of flower pots sat around in random spots, with crispy, dead plants laying brown and wilted within. Most houses I ventured into were already ransacked and vandalized without even a lousy can of beans left. It's kinda funny, actually. There's always a can of beans. Who the hell likes beans? I can't remember going into a store ever and asking what isle the beans were in. I looked over at Skye wondering what I was going to do with her. The fact that she was part zombie was a little disturbing to say the least, but she sure was a cute kid. Smart, too. It's just that I'd been alone for so long, it was hard to for me to think of anyone but myself. But it was also nice having someone to talk to, and for that reason alone, I decided to make her my ward. We’d be a team. Mind made up, I turned to her and smiled.
"Okay, so I've been thinking," I said, "I've decided that I'm going to let you tag along with me."
I saw a change come over her face, and it sort of reminded me of me. She put her hand on her hip, cocked her head like a cheeky monkey, her blue eyes flaming sparks.
"Oh, really? Well, what if I don't want to 'tag along' with you!" she shot at me. "What if I'm just perfectly happy being alone?"
Okay, I have to admit I didn't expect that, and maybe I came off a tad bit full of myself.
"Okay, put yer fur down, let me rephrase that," I told her. "I would be grateful to you if you would consider hanging out with me and being a team."
That did it. The proverbial fur smoothed back down, and she smiled.
"I'd like that, Elli," she said. "just as long as you remember that you're not my boss."
Now I was getting annoyed.
"Listen, Skye, I'm older than you, and there has to be a leader. You’re only ten, so that automatically makes me leader, got it?"
"Yeah, I guess," she sulked, "but don't think you get to boss me around. Things are different now."
"I understand that. But when it comes to listening if our lives are at stake, please trust me, okay?" I looked into her eyes, trying to re-establish trust.
"Deal," she agreed. "One other thing, I got dibs on the bottom bunk!"
I watched as she raced upstairs, glancing back over her shoulder to see if I gave chase, which I promptly did. Shrieking and laughing, she reached the bedroom door and threw herself inside, reaching the bottom bunk first.
"No fair, Skye! You had a head start!" I laughed, reaching the room seconds after her.
"Oh well, ya should've been on yer guard!" she giggled
It felt so good to laugh and be carefree. God, I can't even remember when I'd laughed last. She was like a breath of fresh air, this strange, endearing zombie girl. Looking around the room, I could see it was once a little girl's room. The walls painted sky blue and pink, were set off by lacy pink and white curtains with blue trim. A large curio cabinet stood by the closet filled with creepy porcelain dolls from around the world. Weirdest thing was, they were all twin dolls, with each twin dressed in a costume. Spotting a photo on the wall, I understood why. Identical twins. I literally couldn't tell them apart.
"Their clothes are still in the closet. There's a baby's room down the hall, too. Their parents room across from it," she told me. "You can change your clothes there if you want."
"Thanks, Skye, that sounds like a plan. I haven't had a chance to get new clothes in like a week!" I told her. "I'm feeling a little ripe."
"Right down the hall on the left, second door." she said, closing her eyes.
I left quietly so she could get some rest, glad she trusted me enough to sleep. Eagerly heading for the parent’s room, I opened the door slowly, peeking carefully within. You just never knew if a random rotter was lurking. I never took anyone's say so, I had to see for myself. All clear.
The room was decorated in earth tones. Browns, golds and green. I was immediately lulled into a state of calm. On the dresser I found perfumes and lotions, greedily snatching them up to put in my backpack. It'd been a long time since I pampered myself. I looked in the mirror above the dresser and was horrified at my appearance. My chestnut colored hair looked dirty, a mass of tangles hanging loosely just below my shoulders. My t-shirt was ripped and filthy, not like me at all. I looked at my hands, once pretty and painted, now calloused, nails brittle and broken. I wanted to cry.
Looking in the closet, I found a pretty gold and black women's t-shirt and a black hoodie for the chilly nights. I was also lucky enough to find a pair of black Timberland's, just my size and though a little big, a pair of denim jeans. Now for underwear and a bra, and I'll feel like a brand-new girl. I would have given anything for a shower, but unless I rigged one outside, I wasn't getting one anytime soon. I felt so gross! I remembered Skye said there was a baby's room and had an idea. Most babies’ rooms that I knew of had a supply of baby wipes and quickly headed went down the hall to check it out. Using my safety-first rule, I quietly peeked inside. All clear.
This room made me feel so sad. I could see how much love was put into this child's nursery. The walls looked professionally painted with scenes from Winnie The Pooh, with matching curtains and baby blankets. A mobile hung above the crib with all the Pooh characters; Winnie himself, Roo, Tigger, and little honey bees. I wound it up and the theme song played: 'Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh, tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff....'. wiping tears from my eyes, I remembered how I used to love Winnie the Pooh. On the changing table filled with diapers, tiny onesies, pajamas, and diaper rash creams, I found an unopened box of baby wipes. I gratefully left the baby's room, saddened beyond belief. Taking the wipes into the parent's bathroom, I meticulously used half the box to wipe down my body, feeling ten times better than I did. I put the remaining wipes in my backpack for Skye.
I think the people who lived here must have left in a real hurry. Most of their belongings were still here. I remember hearing on a TV in the mall that there was a safe zone, and I remembered the cars full of fleeing families jammed bumper to bumper as they flocked out of the city like migrating Monarchs, desperate to flee the infection. Most of the cars still sat on major routes like I90 and Rt. 30 W. It was a mess out there. Finished in here, I went back to check on Skye. She must have been tired, poor kid. I'm so thankful that I did, because when I passed by the bedroom window, I spied movement outside on the
lawn. Instantly switching to survival mode, I peeked out. I saw living people, three of them. One girl and two guys dressed in camouflage, so they could sneak around. Well, I got news for them. They have no idea who they're messing with. Running to the twin's bedroom, I quietly woke Skye.
"Skye, wake up! Company!" I hissed, shaking her shoulder firmly.
I was happy when she came instantly alert, rolling off the bunk bed to her feet in seconds. Her hand on her waist where she kept a knife, she looked to me for direction. I pointed to my eyes and then to the window, and understanding, she peeked out then ducked down quickly, nodding her head to confirm that she saw them. Then I remembered my clothes in the other bedroom. I had carelessly left them on the floor. I ran down the hallway, my heart pounding with adrenaline, and Skye right beside me, pointed up.
"The attic?" I whispered.
Nodding, she left the room and all I could do was follow and trust her. The attic was in the hallway by way of a trap door on the ceiling. We could hear the tinkling of glass breaking in the kitchen, and knew they'd busted a window to get in. Grabbing a chair that was obviously used to pull the trapdoor rope down, we tried to be as quiet as possible, but I winced at the creaking sound. Skye climbed up first, did a 360 degree look around, and waved me up. Thank God I remembered to put the chair back before I joined her. Together we pulled the ladder and the rope back up, closing the trap door silently with the rope pulled up inside with us.
We heard them talking, laughing, and unfortunately, breaking things. I hated destructive idiots like that. Why did everything have to be broken? Whatever. People sucked. Skye and I stood carefully, trying not to make the attic creak, even though they were still downstairs and probably wouldn't hear us. She pointed to a window at the far end, just wide enough to be a possible escape route. Walking carefully, testing each plank for noise, we walked over to check it out.
"What do you think, Elli, too high?" Skye asked as she peered out. My heart fell when I saw the distance to the ground, until I saw a maintenance walkway to the right that led to the chimney. I showed Skye and she smiled brightly.
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