by Mark Tufo
Alive in a Dead World
( Zombie Fallout - 5 )
Mark Tufo
Eliza turned to Tomas
"This is the end...he is no longer alive in a dead world."
Zombie Fallout V: Alive In A Dead World
Mark Tufo
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2012 Mark Tufo
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Editing by:
Teri Gibson
[email protected]
Cover Art:
Shaed Studios, shaedstudios.com
Dedications:
To my wife who makes all of this possible and still puts up with me! (Even if she didn’t like that one scene with the sc…oh wait you guys haven’t read that yet…never mind) Honey I love you, I write it even though I know written words cannot truly express the meaning.
To the men and women that serve our great country, I will always appreciate the sacrifices you perform on a daily basis, a salute to each and every one of you.
To the New York Giants (2012) YES!!!!
To my most awesome of readers, without you folks I am merely someone poking at a keyboard with two fingers if you’ve ever contacted me you already know how I feel about all of you! To those that signed up to be mentioned here, good luck in finding your name! (So just remember I typed as CAREFULLY AS I COULD no editor went over these, if I misspelled your name please let me know!) - Martin Munro and his pups Skye (West Highland Terrier) Keila and Belle (both Border Terriers), Stacie Shular, Michael Martin, Matty O’Shields, Matt Heaps, Adeline Becker & Ray Westerman, (Kids) Wyatt, Adeline Grace, Damien, Claire (Dog) Tara, Cindy & Steve Snitily and Noah Bingham, Tammie Holloway, Tiffany Barnes, Mike Markham, and his Border Collie children Sassy and Sammy, Jennifer Honemann Carroll (she loves pop-tarts), Elizabeth Briscoe or Liz (but not Eliza!), Jimmy Phillips and his 9 month old daughter (future zombie lover) Kensley Grace Phillips, Hillare Lafond, and her Jumping Jack Russell Jenna, her big goofy Boxer Zoe and an old Mamma Lab Sushi (stay sane!), Allen Gurganus, Gloria Bean, Adam James McKissock (Love the Scots!), Duncan Sheedy (doesn’t want in, but really does), Christopher Scott Caldwell and Lisa Marie Williams (he’s my pusher!...of books), Jen, Jerry, Damien and Taylor Turpin (he’s teaching his kids young about zombies…good call!), Jesus Echevarria & Rosie Lorenz, and their faithful war dog Gunner, Christy Peery, Vix Kirkpatrick (fluffyredfox), Hunter, Bobbie & Scott Warren and in remembrance of Maggie their deceased English Bulldog, Jerome Lim (that’s an English Jerome and not a French one!), Kat Stone Olsen, Joleen Gerardo, Chris Blackburn, Susan Cornwall, Jason Lifsey, Marty Boren, Cindy Sawyer, in memory of her boxer Make-a (thank you for telling your friends!), Gareth John (good luck on your book!), Elaine Byrne, and her dogs Bailey & Buzz, Natasha Pena and her Westie Ezio (good luck to you also on your book), Marty Boren, Matthew Clark, Wes Harding and a shout out to his Beagle Demon dog Karma…she’s a bitch!, Peter Mckeirnon, Jason Waugaman and he thinks his mom Cheryl Graff wants in too!, Rob Cook, Rob Caddell & Megan Waggoner and Fatty the old English Bulldog! (I love that name), Lorna & Randy Rankin and their wonder mutt April, Rottweiler and Weimeriner mix, Zadik, Zane, Jason, Roseann and Chelsea Thorne and their beautiful boxer Astro, Jacci Hatton, Carol Brereton in memory of their beloved dogs Finn & Sheena, Gordon Fellis (GGIHHTPTT), Becci Barlow (now prepared for the zombie apocalypse!), Linda Bouyea, Paul White, Ashleigh Riddlestone, Samantha Swetman Cato, Emma Hinks, Crystal Drumheller (pre 5/20/12) Crystal Scattareggia (after! Congrats!), Jamie Gledhill from Scotland!, Ronnie Srdchiko Pacheco in loving memory of Kiko his dog, Martyn McNeil, Andrea Piper, Jackie Davis, Carolann Carlile and Shivers, Tim Root and his 12 month old daughter Alexis Root, Donna Powell, and Poppy the dog, Chuck Stultz, Nick Reed, Michelle Harper and Mr. H., Paula Best, Suzanne Meaney, Damon Boyle, Gavin & Debs Tor, and Zowie the Zombie Hunting Hound!, Daz Hull, James Fenwick and Dan Wybrow, Joe Hallett, Elaine Moyies, Mark ‘Yammers’ Powell, Paul Gosling and his daughters Milayna and Lorien, Rob Horowitz, Wanda Ivette Guzman, Tamalyn Roberts, Robert ‘Galv’ Galvin, Grant Tillie, Zombie Slaying Scotsman!, Don ‘DShizzel’ Shelman, Renee N. Moore, June Brown, June Wells and her goldendoodle Bella, who may be spastic but is the sweetest thing ever!, Dean & Janice Window and their beloved H, Doug and April Ward, Edward Gemmell (I had to look up ailurophiles-and they most certainly do not rule!), Suzy, Corrin & Katie Anderson (Mini Zombie Hunters in training!), Kathryn Fiel, Charles Pittaluga, Ray OConnor and Nandi the Bulldog, Kalon Barrett Carnahan (Ka-Bar), Melissa Beck, Jill Smith, Melissa Buker, Danielle & Andy Farnham and Saffi the Labrador, Debbie Dangos, Paul & Claire-Louise Harpham, Wanda Martin, Christian Wallner (from Austria…awesome!), Charleigh Deane, Kristi Winston, Matt Disney, Colleen Bendzlowicz, Isabella Roxby and Dottie the Dalmatian! (get it?), Paula Baca and her dog Dogo Argintino, Ignacio. (Her 100lb pup!), Shannon Durkin-Wade, Joyce Lewis Irwin, Pauline Milbourn, Ernie Hembree the humble magnificent, Micki Basile, Stephen Deese, and Ug (I love that name too!), Tori Kurtz and Ash, Robin Mahaffey and Duchess the Dalmatian may she rest in peace, Kelly Green, Dawn McDonald, Jordan Morgan, J.H. Wood and her daughter Delaney Wood, Margaret Sands, Andrew Collier, ClaireBear McCauley, Joseph Leonard, Benjamine Fisher and his son Zane Fisher, Brandon & Roxy Dog Strickland, Mark Brenner, Kayla Sylskar (your name is in print!), Pat & Susanne McLaughlin, Angel Kirby, Louise Saddington & Trevor Dog Saddington, Guy Reynolds & Amaya Myoko the Akita, Catherin Wallen & her dogs Pickles and Grimus, Lawrence Challen and his dog Ziggy, Kyle Lally and his dogs Maggie and Merlin, Andy & Brianna Lovelace and their 3 lil’ ones Calysta, Brayden and Kade, Audra Spencer, Greg Lose, Jennifer Reiman Paul, Talea Fields (zombie hunter) and yes they WILL be jealous!, Sandy and Nick Colella, David Monsour, Darcie Genetti, Cat Cimino, Chris Crinigan-Friedly, Cayler Friedly, Bill Fortner and Darian Fortner, Angie & David Malmin, Tim Clark, James Agbey, SPC Mike Taggart, Andrew C. Laufer – Civil Rights Lawyer for the Undead, John Planker, Shawn Breen, Harvey!, Elina Menendez-Kelley, John Harrington, Diana Johnson, Jessie Rideout-Murillo, Thomas Alex Brown, Gina DiPaolo, John Timothy Harrington, Kyle Sell, Michelle Olson Post, Luke Whiteman, Jennifer Iuliano Haskins, Debby Zeman, Edward R. Ladner, Joe Carman, Daniel Delanis, Lena Ann Balambao (actress wannabe), Lisa Williams aka Darkangel (she’s got my back!), Brian and Katt Wamsley, Michael Turner and his dog Jack who he lost in April after 15 years, Sandy Young, Eureka Delanis, Michelle Thelwell, Jeffrey Hoffman and his dogs Toby and Darian, Clare Espley, Ann M Gentile, Jen Gustwiller, Scott Gordon, Commodore Mann, Jason Cookes, Brenda Tate, Shawna Schmidt, I think you’d be just fine in a zombie apocalypse!, SPC Michael Mason, Katie Splain and Dexter the Lab, Jim King, William Franco, Bryan J Miley, Joshua Smith, Hope York and Lucy (The zombie killing weinie dog), Wendy Weidman and her son Joey Mannion, Susan McSherry, Stephen Hirt, Aisha and lil’ zombie Bell Blevins, Marcus, Rebecca, Mya and Gavyn Fontenot, Susan Campbell Lee, Finlay Grant, Jeremiah and Angela Huffer, Jennifer Locascio, Gerald Hughes Jr., Bobbie Ayala and her dogs Bella and Rosie Ayala, Stephen Wright and his dog Whisky, Dwight L. Smith and his dog Thora!, Ben Owen-Raymond and his Black Lab Scooby, Steven Morecroft and Bruce the German Shepherd, Lisa Draughn, Scott McConnell, Darlene Thompson of NY in loving memory of Buster their dog of 12 years, Harriett Gibson and her demon cat Sammy (who may just be misunderstood), Joy Buchanan (I ate all the cake!), John Jarsma, Joey Perez and his dawg Skittles, Shawnda Picraux (fellow author), Mike Giardina and Wynnie, Steven Conte, Patty (or Party!) Quinn, Reine Ivie, Nicholas Blomgren, Rebecca Wilson and her dog Kato (who can’t read), Lisa Corsi, Chad Hendren and his dog Cash, Joey Kemp, Brian
Parks, Wy Bowman, Chris Labelle and Gordy the coolest Boston Terrier he ever met., Yazzamatazz and Sadie dawg, Stephanie Geballe, Joanne Dixon and her 18 year old dog Gizmo, Therese Morin, Kathy King and her dogs Rose and Sammy, Chris Nelson, Scott Walker, Gareth Moase – King of Wales (your highness!), Rachel Hart, Maria Bigar, Bobbie Winding, Kimberly Bickford Welsh, Sean Ward, Shannon Whitehead and her Corgi Winston, Martin ‘Red’ Whitehead, Jacob Whitehead, Ethan Whitehead, Kendall Benavides, Scott Walker and his daughter Aimee Walker (she’s 3 and apparently MENTAL and will appreciate this when she gets older!), Joshua Sankey and his fiancée Lauren Doan, Perla Tirado, Greg and Christie Lose and their daughters Aubrie and Claire, Sarah Martakies from England, Sandra Byrd, Sonnet Ozowski, Jerry Duncan from Gadsden, AL, Shawn Groves from the Backwoods of WV, Lorraine DiLorenzo, Chris Baines, Greg Schmidt, Thea Hollis, Chris and Lili Cutler (she got her hubby into the ZF series), Jessica Goldoni, Heather Renea Eckles and Bama Jewel Eckles “Our beloved Boxer”, Sean Marsh, Melissa Kendrick and Princess the Cat, Mieko with his little hedge hogs, Jason Wilkinson, Cassie Ways and her pitty Ares, Nancy Tripp, Wade Newman, Sonja Flanigan and her beautiful golden Seamus Flanigan (who barks at everyone), Kristin Adams, Chris Reid, Eric A. Shelman, Joshua Kolak, Cathy Harris, Brian Battaglia, Courtney Beam, Ken Vervoorn and his bearded dragon Eddie, Mark Hassman, Steve Carlisle, Brandy Stangland and her dog Rambo a husky, shar pei mix, Gloria Marin and her dogs Maddie and Molly, boxer/lab mix and a boston terrier, Jerry Whitt, John Salinas, Simone Dover and her son Quentin Moore, who may be my youngest fan at 6!, Amber Allaman and her soon to be hubby’s pit mix Mocha, who would need to get past Riley to have a fling with Henry, Tina McLeod, Mike Yuhas, Vernon Gainey Jr. and Winston the bulldog, Felicia Kilbane, Richard Nelson (yes I love the Army, but as a former Marine I also must dog every other service!), Donna & Aaron Macdonald who hail from Port Moody BC Canada with their kids, Asha (13) and Kael (10), Aidy Fellows (from Australia!), Doug Waterfield (who wants in with some bacon smothered brains, is it wrong if I think that sounds good?), Sarah Ayala, Michael Reed, Gem Preater UK, Bob Mains, Debbie Watkin, Brandy Collins, Frank Sherman, Katherine Coynor and Chelsea Coynor the courageous dachshund that has never met a fight she couldn’t run away from!, Andy Swanton, Tina Hargrow, Chef Jim Zipko, Mo Patching and her faithful mutts Poppy, Schmoo, Scamper and Katiepup, Vikki Hammond, Thad Putnicki, Brian Barakis Kielbasa, Jim King, Deb Yarborough (avid fan!), Kat Stone Olsen, Tim Kareckas, Amber Sudduth and her precious Italian Greyhound/Jack Terrier mix Kalee!, Faith Grogan & Brandon Grogan, Bobbi Bradshaw
King Henry
Riley
Foreword
Hello Dear Reader,
If you find this journal, let us start with the basics. My name is Michael Talbot; I am/was the owner of the material you now hold in your hand. My life has been one living hell after another since the age of around eighteen, when I tripped on some bad mushrooms and cursed to the gods about my lot in life. Since then, I have been relegated to alternate horrific realities. In some I am younger, some I am older, some I live through and some I don’t. (I still have a hard time writing down that I have died on no less than three accounts.)
The only constant is that I am aware of what is happening, but the people I encounter along the way are not. Some are threaded throughout my lives and show up constantly, like my soul mate, Tracy and my best friend, Paul. Some appear in one reality but not another for some reason, like Mrs. Deneaux (thank God for that, at least). Some enemies remain the same, like Durgan, others not so much. I have been hunted down by zombies, aliens, ghosts and a few other creatures from the depths of a mad god’s deranged mind.
I can’t imagine that the Big Man has taken any interest. My guess is that I have pissed off one of the lesser gods (imagine that), one of the Greek or Roman deities who have been relegated to paganism since Christianity took hold. I’m not even sure if the true God is aware of my plight and if he is, why does he not rein his wayward children in?
So I write these journals down, mostly to keep my mind from addling and to keep my multiple horrors compartmentalized. So when you feel the need to complain about your lot in life, be careful who is listening and be very specific on what changes you would like to have made.
Each misadventure that I have, in no way reflects on the other. They are not a continuation of any other story. One does not need to read my Zombie Journals to know what happened on Indian Hill or even at The Spirit Clearing, but they should be aware that the main person (me) is always present. I do not know when this god will tire of his plaything, if ever. For me, the nightmare has been going on for decades. For him (or her--it wouldn’t be the first female I’ve pissed off), it may only be seconds. I look forward to one day having a normal life, if such a thing is still possible. So if you find this and you are a pious person, I would welcome your prayers to whomever you deem a higher authority. Maybe your entreaties will not fall on deaf ears like mine have.
Chapter One
“What now, sister?” Tomas asked.
“We kill Michael Talbot, his family, and his friends and then we rule this world,” she said absently as she fingered the locket around her neck.
“You’ve gotten more than you could have ever asked for, Eliza. Why not just leave him alone?” Tomas asked with chagrin.
“Why, dear brother, are you concerned for him? Do you still carry some vestiges of your humanity? Do not worry; that will fade with time,” Eliza said with a sneer, her canines flashing menacingly.
“You have it wrong, Eliza, it is not him I am concerned about. It is us, he has shown over and over that he is unwilling to yield to death.”
Eliza struck so fast, Tomas did not have time to defend himself against his sister’s slap, and it rocked him on his heels. “He is a pathetic human,” Eliza spat. “I will never fear him or any of his kind again! Do you understand me?”
Tomas nodded, dumbfounded.
“You, Tomas, are now the reason that we have something to fear from him; without our help, he will never die. Once his family dies and is ground into dust, we,” Eliza said, pointing to him and to herself, “will become his sole mission in life. He will blame us for every one of their deaths. No, we must kill him while he still has weaknesses walking on this planet. You, Tomas, have prevented Michael Talbot from eking out the rest of his existence in relative peace.”
Tomas knew his sister’s words for the lie that they were, but still they stung. “Eliza, break the stone,” Tomas said pointing to the blood locket. “We can leave this world like we were supposed to lifetimes ago.”
Eliza looked at Tomas long and hard before she began to laugh, much like a wolf laughs at the rabbit before devouring it. Cold, cruel and with no mirth. “That’s rich, Tomas, for a second, I almost believed you. Not that I would have done it, mind you, but I almost believed in your sincerity. How cunningly perfect of you! I break the locket, you rule the world unimpeded.”
“I do not want the world, Eliza, I want my sister,” Tomas begged.
Eliza’s laughter encompassed his soul as he spun on his heel and walked away.
Tomas was about a city block away before the echoes of her laughter faded.
“Tomas,” came so clearly in his head, he stopped and looked around for the source.
“Mr. T?” Tomas asked.
“Tommy?” came the question.
“He’s in here somewhere, Mr. T, he…I…we’re so tired.”
Michael’s heart sank, hearing the pain in his adopted son’s voice. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Kill my sister so that I can be released.” Tomas could “hear” the gasp from the other end of the connection.
“I never thought I’d hear those words from you, Tommy. Does it work like that? Will all those bitten by her revert back to their former selves, like in the movies?”
“No,” Tomas said, shaking his head silently and conveying that gesture to Mike. “But it will release me to join her.”
Michael got the message. If Eliza were to
die, Tomas would join her in the afterlife. “Where do us soulless ones go, Tomas?” Michael asked, his fear shining through the words brightly.
“Nowhere near the garden, Mr. T. It is a lonely, dark place we are destined for, but even that is preferable to the hell I walk in now.”
“How charming,” Eliza said as she approached Tomas. “We will have to talk, Tomas, about your choice of friends. I do not think Mother would approve.”
“Eliza, the pleasure I receive when I finally sever your head from your body will only be trumped by the look of shock on your fa…”
And, like an old AT&T operator, Eliza thought she severed the connection.
“I will kill him, Tomas, and you will help if I have to drag you kicking and screaming through the blood and guts of the mortals.”
“I’ll be there, Eliza, but it will only be to witness your demise,” Tomas said heatedly.
“We are family, Tomas, you and I. Is this how you would treat one of your own?”
“Mr. T and his family are my true family!” Tomas shot back defiantly.
“Blood!” Eliza said fairly quaking. “Blood is the thickest bond, Tomas. It is something which you share nothing of with that mongrel!”
“I do now, sister. Remember? I bit him.”
“You are a fool, Tomas. You jeopardize everything we have and everything we can attain, for what?”
“Love, Eliza, for love, the most basic and strongest of all human emotions.”
“Hate, Tomas, hate is a much stronger emotion because it can burn longer, it can span generations. I’ve watched it spread across borders for no other reason than there were people on the other side of an imaginary line in the dirt. Love lasts for a few years between individuals, hate spans millennia among the populace.”
